Before I start on the newsy bits, here are two events of note coming up quickly. First is a May 1 Day of Action. In Milwaukee and in Madison, Voces de la Frontera will hold its annual Day without Immigrants event. Here, there will be a rally at 10:00am at the Voces Offices (733 W Historic Mitchell Street). At 11:00am participants will march to the Federal Building (517 E Wisconsin Ave) for a program there. In Madison, the rally will take place at 12:00pm at Library Mall (715 State Street) followed by a march to the State Capitol at 1:00pm.

The more general May 1 Day of Action is themed "It's Workers Over Billionaires." Here's how you participate: No Work. No School. No Shopping. That's the essence of the action. Here's how the organizers describe the purpose of the event: "We are a network of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of working people coming together with a common purpose: standing together against the billionaires waging a war on working people." The demands are straightforward:

• Stop the billionaire takeover corrupting our government.
• Protect and defend Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs for working people.
• Fully funded schools, and healthcare and housing for all.
• Stop the attacks on immigrants, Black, indigenous, trans people, women and all our communities.
• Invest in people not wars.

To find events in your area, visit the MayDayStrong website.

And on Sunday, May 17, Grassroots North Shore will hold a forum for the Democratic candidates for governor. It will take place at Nicolet High School (6701 North Jean Nicolet Road, Glendale). The event will be moderated by Kathleen Dunn, a veteran of 44 years as a radio talk show host. The doors will open at 2:00pm; the program will begin at 2:30pm. As space is limited, please do yourself a favor and RSVP.

Here's some startling good news to get us going today. "In a Fox interview that aired on Wednesday, President Donald Trump effectively admitted that the ongoing Republican campaign to rig electoral maps in their favor to avert a wipeout in this year’s midterm elections has been a spectacular failure" (Daily Kos, April 15, 2026). Of course, his rambling interview was filled with lies — he had "the greatest opening year" and "the greatest economy ever." Some anchor in reality is better than none, I suppose.

Now for some not-so-wonderful news. In his Morning Memo at Talking Points Memo, David Kurtz writes, "The descent of the Justice Department into a crude weapon wielded by an erratic authoritarian is gathering speed and quickening the threat to America’s fraying democracy in ways that we all feared but hoped might be kept at bay for a bit longer." He cites four judicial events from yesterday:

1. The DOJ abandoned the seditious conspiracy convictions of a number of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers whose sentences had already been commuted. But now the DOJ seeks to wipe the slate clean.
2. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that District Judge James Boasberg could not investigate the contempt of court for the DOJ and ICE's failure to follow a judicial order that would have prevented 100+ Venezuelans from being deported to El Salvador in spring 2025.
3. Prosecutors in US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office showed up unannounced at the Federal Reserve headquarters to try to undermine the Fed's independence.
4. The Trump DOJ released its so-called weaponization report attacking President Biden's Justice Department.

For the details on these, read the whole thing. TPM is always worth a look.

And on the sex scandal(s) beat, here's the latest. The collapse of Eric Swalwell's campaign and probably his career too has been swift. Yesterday, he resigned from congress, having already halted his campaign for governor of California amid a widening sexual assault scandal. It's all too familiar by now. But here's what puzzles me. Knowing that these allegations were just waiting to be discovered, why he nevertheless thought he could run for governor without being exposed escapes my understanding completely. What sort of reasoning leads a man to think that the scandal would never occur? The only thing holding the Epstein victims back from more openly implicating Donald Trump, it seems, is fear. Maybe Swalwell — and Tony Gonzales too — believe they are similarly immune, when clearly they are not. So what differentiates the "Epstein class" from these miscreants, I wonder. And will we ever see the full Epstein files? Keep watching the skies, I guess.

In Wisconsin, our legislature held a special session to deal with gerrymandering in the state. Except the session didn't actually happen. As Wisconsin Public Radio has it, "a special session of the Legislature to consider banning partisan gerrymandering came and went Tuesday. But it’s not gone for good." instead of quickly gaveling a session in and immediately gaveling it out again, this time "they didn’t adjourn — they just postponed." Republicans say they're "working toward a thoughtful solution to partisan gerrymandering." Governor Evers counters: “Lawmakers either want to ban partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin or they don’t. It’s that simple. If lawmakers fail to take a public vote on this basic question, then Wisconsinites have no choice but to assume their lawmaker’s position on this issue.” Maybe a little star gazing on this issue is in order.

Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is chock full of stories and pictures of last night's thunderstorms and possible tornados, but I could not find a single article about the legislature's lack of action on gerrymandering yesterday. A wonderful headline today, though, almost makes up for that neglect: "GOP lawmakers hire private lawyers to defend spending on private lawyers." The piece begins "Republican leaders will pay private lawyers up to $550 an hour in taxpayer money to represent the Legislature in a lawsuit challenging them over that very practice: using taxpayer money to hire private attorneys." Irony and cynicism abound.

Meanwhile, we're in the seventh week of our ugly war with Iran and in the midst of a pretend ceasefire. This afternoon the New York Times announced that "Stocks Approach Record High as Wall St. Looks Beyond War." The first paragraph says it all: "The S&P 500 approached a fresh record high on Wednesday, reflecting investors’ optimism that a peace deal would be reached before the war in Iran could inflict significant damage on corporate America, even as a spike in oil prices has led to a gloomier economic outlook." The operative phrase here is "inflict significant damage on corporate America." I think what we're seeing is the effect of gaping wealth inequality in this country. Later in the article, the Times acknowledges that "some market watchers have been perplexed by the recent rally" since the Strait of Hormuz is like a straight jacket on the world's economy and "high oil and gas prices have been feeding into rising U.S. inflation and tumbling consumer confidence."

The preliminary data for April 2026 from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers show that we are pretty unhappy. "Consumer sentiment sank about 11% this month, extending a decline that began with the start of the Iran conflict, and is currently about 9% below a year ago." Measured at just 47.6, confidence in the economy has hit a historic new low. Nevertheless stocks surge.

Let's end on an upbeat note. Senator Baldwin issued a press release a few days ago to announce that she "and her colleagues Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) ... will force the Senate to vote again to end the war in Iran." See the full press release. May the force be with them.

Here's the rest of the newsletter I sent on Wednesday, April 8, with the list of events and some Take Action posts. But before we get to that material, I have a couple of bits of information to add about elections past and future.

Let's begin with what just happened today in Hungary. Autocrat Victor Orban went down to a landslide defeat. Péter Magyar's party looks like he will win at least 2/3 of the seats in Parliament, making him the next Prime Minister of Hungary with a supermajority so that much of the damage Orban did to Hungary's democracy can be undone! May it be a harbinger for our elections in the fall.

I also want to mention that a Democrat, Alicia Halvensleben, won the election for mayor of Waukesha City — apparently she is the first Democrat to win that seat since 1964!! The surprisingly good news from our April election just keeps coming.

I also need to add two important events to this missive: The Worth Fighting For Wisconsin monthly meeting is on Monday, April 13, on Zoom at 7pm. Greta Neubauer, minority leader in the Assembly, and Jodi Habush Sinykin, subbing for Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, will be discussing the strategies for winning the majority in both houses, and of course the governor's race as well. Plus Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, will also appear to discuss his forthcoming book — This Is the Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. His book promises to show what individuals and small groups can do to build a future in which democracy thrives. You should definitely sign up for this event.

Then on Wednesday, April 15, Wisconsin SEIU is sponsoring a rally — Tax Day: Protest Tom Tiffany's Healthcare Cuts. The event will take place at 11:00am at the GOP Milwaukee Field Office, 2244 N Dr. Martin Luther Kind Jr. Dr in Milwaukee. Tiffany, a MAGA Republican who is currently the representative of Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, voted to cut healthcare to help fund tax cuts for billionaires. And this year he's running to become Wisconsin's governor. We cannot let that happen. AccuWeather predicts temperatures in the low 60s and unfortunately rainy. Bring your umbrellas and raincoats. As the organizers say, our voices are stronger together. Join in!

TAKE ACTION

Milwaukee Voter Project: Be an MVP! The Milwaukee Voter Project is up and running and we need your help. Since the beginning of November 2025 we have had fewer than twenty people volunteer to work shifts registering voters at the DMV offices. Most weeks we are lucky to fill only two or three of the 65 shifts we have available. There are two important elections remaining in 2026:
               •  August 11- primary for partisan offices
               •  November 3- general election for partisan offices
We would like to get as many volunteers as possible trained and reaching out to voters during this important election cycle. You can sign up through May 30!

We have updated our processes and recommend that anyone who has not worked with us since 2024 watch two videos: the DMV training video AND the MYVOTE training video. These videos can be found on the 'training' tab on our MilwaukeeVoterProject.com website. And you can sign up for shifts for registering voters or for VOTER RECOVERY shifts on the Shifts tab on our website. Have questions or need more information? Call 262-617-9877 or email [email protected].

5 Calls: Here are some of the worthy topics you might want to use to call Senator Johnson, Senator Baldwin, and your Representative.
               •  No War with Iran;
               •  Impeach Trump;
               •  Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth;
               •  Oppose Healthcare Cuts to Fund ICE and Illegal War;
               •  Protect Our Public Lands.

For the next six days, the only thing that matters — locally at least — is the upcoming election for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Early in-person voting ends in most North Shore suburbs, Ozaukee County municipalities, and Washington County municipalities on Friday, April 3. Contact your municipal clerk for dates, times, and places. In Milwaukee, early in-person voting also takes place in several locations on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5. If you have not voted yet, please do so this week! Otherwise, plan to vote on Election Day, Tuesday, April 7, from 7:00am to 8:00pm.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is organizing plenty of Get Out the Vote Canvassing with a number of candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor. This is a great opportunity to meet and hear from them AND to do a little electioneering! Here's a list of who will be where as we knock the last doors in our communities.

• Chris Taylor in Milwaukee's West Side, Saturday, April 4 at 12:00pm;
• Joel Brennan in Tosa, Saturday, April 4 at 12:00pm;
• Joel Brennan in Riverwest, Saturday, April 4 at 3:00pm;
• David Crowley in Glendale, Saturday, April 4 at 3:00pm;
• Kelda Roys in Bayview, Saturday, April 4 at 3:00pm.

• Sara Rodriguez in Milwaukee's West Side, Monday, April 6 at 9:00am;
• Missy Hughes in Tosa, Monday, April 6 at 3:00pm

And to close out the campaign, Chris Taylor will kick off the canvass at the Bayview office of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County, 2999 S Delaware Ave in Milwaukee, on Tuesday, April 7, at 12:00pm!

Please sign up to do some canvassing as we run through the tape at the finish line of this election. It will certainly be a low turnout affair. Which is why we need to urge people to vote in this one. Already, the rate of early and absentee votes lags well behind where it was a year ago when Susan Crawford was running. Here's a list of canvassing staging locations for the Get Out the Vote end game:

• Brown Deer, April 4, 5, 6, and 7
• Fox Point/Bayside, April 3, 4, and 6
• Glendale, April 3, 4, and 6
• Germantown, April 2, 4, 6, and 7
• Grafton & Cedarburg, April 4, 6, and 7
• Lakefront, April 4, 6, and 7
• Mequon, April 2, 4, 6, and 7
• West Allis, April 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7
• Whitefish Bay, April 3, 4, and 6

People don't seem to feel the same sense of urgency about this election that they felt a year ago when the balance of the court was in the contention, but they should. With a solidly liberal majority currently on the court, what's the big deal this year? There's a lot less money sloshing around this race — and no Elon Musk to act as villain. Yet, a little reflection reveals that electing Chris Taylor solidifies control of the court until at least 2030, when the next census takes place. That means protecting fair maps, voting rights, and reproductive rights — not to mention election challenges emanating from the 2028 elections!

Campaigns are always interesting windows into the character of candidates. So I was thrilled when I accidentally received a post card from the Lazar campaign. I thought I'd share with you the way her campaign portrays her opponent and herself. The photo of Judge Taylor speaks volumes, as does the characterization of her as "The Activist."

Although Judge Taylor has been on the bench since 2022, the Lazar campaign pronounces her a "career politician" and fails to note that she is a sitting judge. She's depicted in a clearly darkened photograph, microphone in hand and no judicial trappings in sight. Adding that she worked for Planned Parenthood is simply a way of saying that she supports reproductive rights without having to come out and say directly that Maria Lazar is opposed to abortion!

Meanwhile, the Lazar campaign portrays the candidate in a bright light, smiling, in front of what appears to be a library of law books. The card uses her title and proclaims that she has "12 years of Honorable Judicial Experience" without providing a clue about her judicial philosophy, let alone her ideology.

The headline above the two pictures reads "TWO RECORDS. ONE CHOICE." The reverse side of the card, however, reveals a great deal about Lazar's views: "Wisconsin's Supreme Court is our last line of defense. The Madison political machine is spending millions to install a career activist who will put her partisan agenda first." The reference to the "Madison Machine" is simply code for lefties we don't like. And of course, there's an appeal for a donation complete with QR code.

As for the money race, the financial reporting for February 3 through March 23 came out on Monday. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel put it on March 31, "Chris Taylor outraising, outspending Maria Lazar in Supreme Court race." Their analysis shows "Taylor and her supporters have outspent Lazar and her backers 15-1." It's no wonder the Republican party, which paid for the Lazar campaign piece I received, is so eager to funnel donations to their candidate!

It's pretty late in the cycle, but the two candidates are going to debate on April 2 — that's tomorrow — from 7:00 - 8:00pm on WISN 12 News. Even if you've already voted, it is worth watching I should think.

In no election, no matter how small, can we afford to sit on our hands. So please, get busy. If you cannot canvass, you can make phone calls, send texts, talk to like-minded family and friends, urging them to get out and vote.

And thus endeth the lesson!

Our demented leader plans to address the nation tonight. Any bets on whether he rambles on about his ballroom, about rogue judges, about the pens he uses? Will he declare victory in Iran and leave? Does he think the price of gasoline will magically decline Thursday morning if he announces that he's won? After all, according to his highness, the war has already achieved regime change: "President Trump on Sunday suggested that 'regime change' in Iran had been achieved because so many of its top leaders have been killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, as he sought to show progress in a war that has entered a second month." So said the New York Times on Monday.

Today, though, the story is a little different. Here's the Times' headline: Trump Seeks to Redefine ‘Regime Change’ in Iran War. The flip-flopping stars in the story: "Regime change has occurred in Iran. Or it hasn’t. It is a goal of the war. Except it isn’t. Those are some of the dizzying messages that have come from President Trump and his aides in recent days. The phrase 'regime change' has flown from lips this week like fighter jets crisscrossing the Persian Gulf" (March 31, 2026). Maybe it's time for some regime change here at home.

Let's end this report with some really good news. CNN Politics looks at the two special elections in Florida that took place on March 24 and finds that they "provided more evidence that the Democratic success in elections since Donald Trump’s return to the White House rests not just on a motivated base but also on winning over Republicans and independents." To get at the reasoning, I need to quote the piece at some length.

We have the wind at our backs. So do something good for your soul, your community and your country.

TAKE ACTION

5 Calls has you covered for a number of highly urgent matters. As always, the site provides information about each subject, contact numbers for the relevant officials, and a script you can use or modify. Here are two salient issues right now.

• Oppose Healthcare Cuts to Fund ICE and Illegal War
  
  
• Say No to War with Cuba

MoveOn has a petition asking senators to block the nomination of Casey Means, who is not a doctor, to the post of Surgeon General. Sign it.

In remarks ahead of his Thursday address to the nation on the Iran war, Donald Trump told a White House audience that the federal government cannot afford to fund Medicare, child care, and other domestic programs because of the wars he wants to pursue.

That raises a fundamental question: what are the most immediate threats facing everyday Americans? Is it a lack of military strength—or is it access to healthcare, the affordability of food, and the rising cost of living?

A strong military may stir patriotic pride, but it does little to address the daily vulnerabilities people actually face at home. Unless these expanded military ambitions are paired with a willingness to ask more of those at the very top, the burden will fall on domestic priorities that directly impact Americans’ well-being.

Our national security should not come at the expense of our economic and social stability.

As voters across Wisconsin consider school referendums this spring, much of the public conversation will focus on taxes, borrowing, and whether residents “with no kids in the schools” should have to pay. These debates are familiar, and they often miss the central economic fact that should guide every homeowner’s thinking: the quality and reputation of a community’s schools are directly capitalized into the value of its homes. A referendum is not merely a question of public spending. It is a question of protecting the equity in one’s single largest asset.

         Wisconsin is not an average state when it comes to public education. It consistently ranks among the top systems in the country, trailing only a few states like Massachusetts and Connecticut.   Within Wisconsin, communities like Whitefish Bay and the Arrowhead School District have built reputations that extend far beyond the Milwaukee metro area. When a high school is ranked number one or two in a state known for excellence, that distinction becomes part of the village’s identity—and part of every homeowner’s property value.

         This is not a matter of civic pride. It is how markets behave. Homebuyers do not simply purchase a structure; they purchase a location, and the most important feature of that location—especially for buyers of multi‑bedroom, family‑oriented homes—is the school district. Realtors know this. Appraisers know this. Economists have documented it for decades. When school quality rises, home values rise. When school quality slips, home values fall. The mechanism is straightforward: demand follows reputation.

         Even residents who have never set foot in a school building benefit from this dynamic. A retired couple living in a four‑bedroom home may not personally use the schools, but the next buyer almost certainly will. That buyer’s willingness to pay is shaped by their perception of the district’s strength. If the district is seen as slipping—whether because of aging facilities, declining performance, or a sense that the community is no longer willing to invest—buyers look elsewhere. And when buyers look elsewhere, prices soften.

         The financial stakes are not subtle. A typical referendum might increase a homeowner’s taxes by a few hundred dollars per year. But a decline in school quality can easily reduce a home’s market value by tens of thousands of dollars. A five to ten percent drop in value is not unusual when a district’s reputation erodes. For a $600,000 home in Whitefish Bay, that represents a loss of $30,000 to $60,000—far more than the cumulative cost of most school bonds. In purely economic terms, the referendum is not a burden; it is a form of insurance.

         Some residents argue that they should not have to pay for schools because they no longer have children enrolled. But this misunderstands the nature of the asset they own. A home is not a static possession; it is a claim on future demand. The next family who considers buying it will evaluate the same factors families have always evaluated: safety, community, and above all, educational opportunity. Whether a homeowner personally values the schools is irrelevant. The market does.

         Others frame school borrowing as a “gift” to the district. But the more accurate description is that it is a capital improvement to the neighborhood. Just as a city invests in roads, parks, and utilities to maintain livability, a community invests in its schools to maintain desirability. A high‑performing school district is   foundational for local property values.   If one district signals retreat while another signals commitment, families vote with their feet. Once a district loses its competitive edge, restoring it is far more expensive than maintaining it.          Whether one has children in the schools or not, the financial health of the district and the financial health of the housing market are inseparable. A community that invests in its schools is investing in itself.   

Before we get to the delicious news from the latest polls, I just need to remind you in case you haven't given it much thought:

NO KINGS THIS SATURDAY!
MAKE YOUR PLAN NOW — AND BRING A FRIEND!

The main event is being held at Washington Park at the bandshell (1859 N. 40th Street, Milwaukee) from noon to 3:00pm. Speeches are scheduled to begin at 1:00pm. Here's a map of the Park.

No Kings rallies and marches are a joyous and peaceful way to celebrate our freedom to assemble and to protest: NO KINGS and NO WAR IN IRAN. If you don't already have a sign to bring, or you just want to make a new one, there will be a sign making station at the Park. If you want to do it in advance, here are some ideas!

The venue is bigger than the last one to make sure there's room for everyone. Plan to attend! But be forewarned: there is very little parking nearby. So why don't you RIDE THE BUS with Grassroots North Shore? We are chartering as many school buses as we need, but first we need YOU to do TWO things:

1. Make a reservation so we will be sure to be able to accommodate you.
   
   
2. Pay $10 PER RIDER to defray the cost of the rental.

If you have already reserved seats on the bus but have not paid for every person, including yourself, who plans to ride with us: DO IT NOW please.

Find other solutions to the parking problem — including some parking suggestions if you are driving and route information if you want to take public transportation — on the pdf we are providing. Of course, you can carpool with friends. Or consider using UBER or LYFT!

If you can't make it to Washington Park, there are other No Kings rallies scheduled around the area. Each one has a different time. So click the link for the one you might like to attend to find out the details.

• Shorewood
• Grafton
• West Bend
• Brookfield
• Greenfield

Now for some news. The new Marquette poll came out yesterday. Although many likely voters claim they are still undecided, Chris Taylor leads Maria Lazar by 8 points. The degree of uncertainty is a bit disquieting but on a hopeful note, self-reported independents favor Taylor by 9 points. "Registered voters have become somewhat more familiar with both candidates since October, though more than 60% continue to say they haven’t heard enough to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of each candidate." Good news but no excuse for letting up. Run through the tape, always.

Unfortunately, the candidate debate originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed because Judge Taylor is recovering from kidney stones. No new date has yet been set for it. We hope she recovers soon. Kidney stones are no joke!

So here are some numbers to get you in the NO KINGS mood from Strength in Numbers: "President Donald Trump has had a bad month of news cycles (again). His new war against Iran is one of the most unpopular ever. The national average price of a gallon of gas is now $3.96, according to AAA — up over a dollar from $2.93 before the U.S. war in Iran began on Feb. 28, 2026. That price is now higher than at any point since 2022." The poll shows a 6-point margin in favor of Democrats on the generic ballot question. Moreover, he writes, "the party out of power has gained an average of about 5 points between February and November in modern midterm cycles. If that pattern holds — and the starting point is already D+6 — Democrats would be looking at a margin well into wave territory by Election Day."

Have a look at the approval-disapproval graphs on key issues from G. Elliott Morris' substack:

In more bad news for our malevolent leader, Emily Singer (staff on Daily Kos), headlines today's post "Men propelled Trump to the White House. Now they're turning on him." Harry Enten, the CNN data guy, put it this way in a March 24 post: "Trump won in 2024 because of men. They are abandoning him right now. He won men by 13 pt in 2024, but his net approval is now -7 pt with them. Men under 45: Trump won by 5 pt in 2024. Now he's 19 pt underwater with them." You can see his segment — and enjoy his high energy reporting style — in a post on The Daily Beast. It's 3+ minutes of WOW and worth a watch.

In other just-desserts comeuppance, NBC News is reporting that the activist who pushed 2020 election fraud claims was convicted of election fraud. And guess where this happy event occurred: right here in Racine, Wisconsin! "A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent." Huzzah!

Finally, despite Aileen "Loosey" Cannon's judicial order sealing the report from Jack Smith's investigation of the purloined classified documents our wannabe dictator took when he left the Oval Office in 2021, MS NOW reports that "Trump appeared to have business motive for keeping classified documents, Jack Smith finds." Here are the first two paragraphs of the news item:

Read the whole thing. It's mind-blowing!

TAKE ACTION

Campus Voter Engagement Volunteers Needed

Alerting students to upcoming elections is very rewarding. Volunteers will be informing students about the Supreme Court Election and providing them with information on registering to vote, early in person voting on the UWM campus and other city locations, and candidate information. Your job will be handing out flyers and holding a very quick conversation with students as they dash by to their next class. We need volunteers to work at UWM the week of March 30 – April 3 and April 6 and 7. A shift is approximately 1 ½-2 hours, and the work is outdoors (weather permitting) since we are handing out partisan flyers and need to stay on public sidewalks and Spaights Plaza at UWM. Please let Norma Gilson know if you can participate at [email protected], 414-588-1241.

Get Out the Vote: Early in-person voting began yesterday!

Pedal to the metal, folks.

• Brown Deer, March 28 and 29 plusApril 4, 5, 6, and 7
• Fox Point/Bayside, Saturday March 28 plus April 3, 4, and 6
• Glendale, Sunday March 29 plus April 3, 4, and 6
• Germantown, Early Vote, Sunday March 29
• Germantown, GOTV, April 2, 4, 6, and 7
• Grafton & Cedarburg, Early Vote, Sunday March 29
• Grafton & Cedarburg, GOTV, April 4, 6, and 7
• Lakefront, Saturday and Sunday March 28 & 29 plus April 4, 6, and 7
• Mequon, Early Vote, Saturday and Sunday March 28 & 29
• Mequon, GOTV, April 2, 4, 6, and 7
• West Allis, Saturday and Sunday March 28 & 29 plus April 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7
• Whitefish Bay, Saturday and Sunday plus GOTV days March 28 & 29 plus April 3, 4, and 6

Grassroots North Shore is co-sponsoring a virtual meeting between the Democratic National Committee and various grassroots groups, including Swing Leftand the Swing Blue Alliance. This is the first time that I can recall that the Democratic Party is meeting with grassroots groups. So I hope Grassroots North Shore supporters will sign up to make sure we have a good showing and to find out how the party intends to "Flip the House." The event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, at 7:00pm Central Time. And just FYI, both Derrick Van Orden (Wisconsin CD3) and Bryan Steil (CD1) are on the flip list.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! NO KINGS 3 is coming on March 28! And we need YOU! Not only do you need to attend a rally, either the main one in Milwaukee at Washington Park from 11:00am - 3:00pm or one of the other smaller gatherings around the city (see the list below or visit nokings.org for a complete map) but you also need to DO SOMETHING MORE. Grassroots North Shore needs volunteers to work the crowd. The goal is to persuade others to step up, to go beyond attending protest rallies and marches. Here's what you'll do:

1. chat with attendees and thank them for coming;
2. hand them a flyer and encourage them to find ONE action they can do to make a difference in their communities;
3. ask them to follow the flyer's QR code to sign up for an action then and there.

SIGN UP to volunteer.

If you cannot canvass (or even if you can), PLEASE DONATE to fund the sound system, the port-a-potties, the garbage cans, and some extra screens so everyone in the crowd can see and hear the speakers.

Here's a list of other rallies around Milwaukee. The times vary so check with and sign up for the rally you want to attend.

• Shorewood
• Grafton
• West Bend
• Brookfield
• Greenfield

While we're in the midst of one campaign for a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, comes news that Justice Annette Ziegler plans to retire in August, 2027, at the end of her current term. Which means in spring 2027 when there is yet another election for the court, the seat will be open! Defeating a sitting justice has been next to impossible. So it is to our advantage to have another open seat next year.

Although Annette Ziegler did not cite the change of the court's ideological make-up, as Rebecca Bradley did when she announced that she would not run again, Wisconsin Public Radio notes that "her tenure was not without its disputes with what recently became a liberal majority on the court. In 2023, after Justice Janet Protasiewicz took the bench, flipping the court’s ideological stance for the first time in 15 years, Ziegler accused her liberal colleagues of going “rogue” and undermining her authority as chief."

Now we're only weeks away from this spring's election. Early in-person voting begins March 24 and ends in most of the suburbs on April 3. You can check your community's website for days and hours. You can also still request an absentee ballot at MyVote.WI.gov. You may be able to return it through a drop box (again, check with your community's clerk for more information). If you use the postal service, be sure you do so as early as possible, because the mail has been slower than in the past. And the new process for postmarking mail means that your ballot will not necessarily be postmarked the day you put it in the mail! See the postal service's explanation and what you can do to ensure your ballot is postmarked appropriately here.

In these last few weeks before Election Day, it is vital that we contact as many supportive voters as we can! That's why the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has organized canvasses all over the state. Below you will find a list of staging locations together with dates and times. But NOTE: there is a special canvass at the Glendale staging location (6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale 53209) you won't want to miss: former White House chief of staff and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel will cheer us on and knock doors with us starting at noon on Sunday, March 15. Sign Up to attend.

The City of Milwaukee has been preparing for ramped up immigration enforcement with a trio of proposals for its "ICE Out MKE" campaign. Two of three proposals — one of which "declared opposition to ICE activity in the US" and the other of which called on "Milwaukee Police to intervene if anti-ICE protesters’ rights are violated" — have been passed by the Council and were signed by Mayor Johnson on March 6. The third proposal would prohibit ICE from using City-owned property for any of its activities (620WTMJ Radio Station, March 9, 2026).

The internet at my house has been spotty lately. And while I can't make a direct connection between its sporadic failures and the illegal war we are waging in Iran, CNBC (March 11, 2026) notes that "Data centers have already been targeted. Iran’s wave of retaliatory attacks hit AWS facilities in the UAE and Bahrain, causing banking, payments, enterprise and consumer services to experience outages." The article begins "Tech companies have been funnelling billions of dollars into AI infrastructure projects in the Middle East over the past few years, drawn in by cheap and readily available energy and land, alongside local government support." Data centers in Wisconsin threaten to raise utility rates and use huge quantities of water to keep the servers cool. Let's hope our legislature takes heed before it is too late.

This just in: "Trump says he’ll tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve to cut energy costs" (CNBC, March 11, 2027). Meanwhile "The International Energy Agency has ordered the largest release of government oil reserves in its history in an effort to calm the oil price shock triggered by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. All 32 members of the world’s energy watchdog agreed unanimously to release about 400m barrels of emergency crude, a third of the group’s total government stockpiles and more than double the IEA’s previous biggest release, the IEA said" (The Guardian, Middle East Crisis Live, March 11, 2026).

Not everything is grim, though. A new satirical statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein has appeared on the National Mall. On Tuesday, the third golden statue appeared "depicting Donald Trump and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as doomed lovers from the movie Titanic" (The Guardian, March 11, 2026). I think you'll want to see it.

There is also a "Jeffrey Epstein Walk of Shame." It was "installed last weekend in Farragut Square, a public park close to the White House, naming and shaming public figures associated with the late child sex offender and trafficker" (MEDILL ON THE HILL, March 4, 2026). The installation consists of stars — modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — "featuring prominent politicians, billionaires and celebrities tied to Epstein. Each star carried a QR code that directed visitors to specific entries in the Epstein files or news articles detailing their connection to him."

"Hurry up, please. It's time." That's from T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. And it begins "April is the cruelest month." Let's make sure it's not cruel this year: get your absentee ballot, plan to vote early in person, see what's on your ballot at MyVote.WI.gov. And then get busy!

TAKE ACTION

Campus Voter Engagement Volunteers Needed: Alerting students to upcoming elections is very rewarding. Volunteers will be informing students about the Supreme Court Election and providing them with information on registering to vote, early in person voting on the UWM campus and other city locations, and candidate information. Your job will be handing out flyers and holding a very quick conversation with students as they dash by to their next class. We need volunteers to go to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) during the week of March 23-26 and possibly April 6 and 7. We need volunteers to work at UWM the week of March 30 – April 3 and April 6 and 7. A shift is approximately 1 ½-2 hours, and the work is outdoors (weather permitting) since we are handing out partisan flyers and need to stay on public sidewalks and Spaights Plaza at UWM. Please let Norma Gilson know if you can participate at [email protected], 414-588-1241.

From Indivisible: Tell your Members of Congress: End Trump’s illegal war with Iran. Trump’s war has already cost the lives of US servicemembers, at least 1,000 Iranian civilians, and others caught in the crossfire throughout the region. Democrats' efforts to end it with a War Powers Resolution failed last week, but the fight is far from over. The regime will soon ask for billions more of taxpayers' money to continue their bloodsoaked recklessness. Use the link above to email your Members of Congress, then call your senators and your representative and demand they refuse to fund Trump's war.

March is for MARCHING FORWARD. And there is so much to do that I am going to devote the bulk of today's newsletter to the many civic engagements and volunteer possibilities in our area, beginning with the needs of Grassroots North Shore. Followed by some newsy bits.

First up, Campus Voter Engagement Volunteers Needed: Alerting students to upcoming elections is very rewarding. Volunteers will be informing students about the Supreme Court Election and providing them with information on registering to vote, early in person voting on the UWM campus and other city locations, and candidate information. Your job will be handing out flyers and holding a very quick conversation with students as they dash by to their next class. We need volunteers to go to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) during the week of March 23-26 and possibly April 6 and 7. We need volunteers to work at UWM the week of March 30 – April 3 and April 6 and 7. A shift is approximately 1 ½-2 hours, and the work is outdoors (weather permitting) since we are handing out partisan flyers and need to stay on public sidewalks and Spaights Plaza at UWM. Please let Norma Gilson know if you can participate at [email protected], 414-588-1241.

Second, Canvassing in your area: The latest Marquette poll finds that two-thirds of voters say they are undecided about the race for the Supreme Court. You can make a dent in that number! Here's a list of opportunities. So put on your running shoes or just a comfortable pair for walking so you can start turning out the vote. Here's the canvassing schedule for the North Shore and some parts of Milwaukee. Please sign up for one or more shifts in a location near you.

• Canvass in Fox Point/Bayside, Saturdays: March 7, 14, 21, & 28.
• Canvass in Glendale, Sundays: March 8, 15, 22, & 29.
• Canvass in the Lakefront, Saturdays: March 7, 14, 21, & 28.
• Canvass in Shorewood, Saturdays: March 7, 14, 21; Apr 4.
• Canvass in West Allis, Saturdays: : March 7, 14, 21, & 28.
• Canvass in Whitefish Bay, Saturdays: March 7 & 21.

Attend the next meeting of Worth Fighting For Wisconsin on Monday, March 9, at 7:00pm. Why? Anat Shenker-Osorio from ASO Communications is the featured speaker. Anat is a researcher and campaign strategist par excellence. Many of us have attended her monthly (now bi-weekly) Movement Briefings for years, learning how to frame issues and use winning narratives. WFFWi (and North Shore Maps before it) use her messaging advice, as do thousands — probably hundreds of thousands — of people around the world. Also, Court of Appeals Judge Chris Taylor will talk a bit about herself and her campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This discussion will be STRICTLY NONPARTISAN!. Join the virtual meeting!

Some other NO KINGS events in our area:

• NO KINGS SHOREWOOD, 2:00-3:30pm. RSVP for specific directions.
• NO KINGS BROOKFIELD, 10:30am - 12:00pm. RSVP for specific directions.
• NO KINGS GREENFIELD, 10:00 - 11:30am. RSVP. Rally at S 76th St and W Layton Ave, Greenfield.
• NO KINGS WAUKESHA, 1:30 - 3:00pm in Cutler Park, 321 Wisconsin Ave, Waukesha. RSVP.
• NO KINGS GRAFTON, 10:00 - 11:00am. RSVP. Rally at North and South sides of Washington St (between Port Washington Rd & Cheyenne Ave), Grafton.

Support Chris Taylor for the Supreme Court: MAKE A SHORT VIDEO explaining why you are voting for Judge Taylor and what this election means to you. (If you can do a selfie, you can make a short vertical video!) As you know, hearing from friends, family and neighbors is the best way to motivate others to vote. Videos like these are incredibly impactful — an easy way to make a big difference in this election! A Better Wisconsin Together, the organization putting this effort together, will send you talking points. They'll use the videos in social media around the state to drive turnout for this crucial election. (NOTE: You will be identified by your first name only.) To get started, just send a quick email to [email protected] for more details.

Souls to the Polls: Free Rides to the Polls 2026. We need you to show up! Free and fair elections are the foundation of a healthy democracy, but they only work when people actively participate and protect them. Showing up — whether to vote, volunteer, advocate, or support voter education — ensures that every voice has a chance to be heard and that the rules of our democracy are applied equally to all. The stakes could not be higher in this election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We need in-person poll drivers and volunteers in the Virtual Call Center to make calls to voters and answer our hotline to schedule and dispatch rides to vote. Together, we can make voting accessible to all those who want their voices heard. Please complete a short form to let us know where your skills, interests, and passion fit best.

Milwaukee Voter Project: MVP needs to fill a third of its shifts at various DMV sites. Please donate some time to help us reach more voters. Even if it is only one shift it will make a difference. Shifts are 2 hours long and the MVP will train anybody who is new to this project. Sign up for one or more shifts on the DMV Signup Genius.

League of Women Voters Volunteers Needed - Be an Election Observer! Help the League monitor Wisconsin's elections. We are seeking volunteers to be trained as Election Observers and placed in polling places in specific areas around the state. You don't need to be a League member to volunteer for this &mdassh; although we'd love to have you join us!

The Election Observation Program works

• to be sure there is no disenfranchisement;
• to monitor the voter experience - including registration and showing ID<;/li>
• to monitor the absentee ballot counting process;
• to track any problems that can be fixed in future elections.

The LWV is currently recruiting Election Observers for the April 7th Election. Sign up by March 16th to volunteer. Join us! Let’s celebrate the freedom to vote in 2026! More information and sign up.

Also the League has yard signs for just $24. Buy one with a donation to the League of Women Voters.

Finally, Grassroots North Shore has placards to put in car windows (or house or apartment windows). Displaying a placard or a yard sign doesn't substitute for more substantive engagement. So by all means show your support as you drive around town, but be sure to lean in to one of the many ways to get more engaged I have noted above. To get a placard, all you have to do is contact the person who lives nearest to you. and has some signs to give away.

The placards are 17"x14". Here's what they look like:

Here's where you can get yours:

• Karin Adelmann, [email protected], Fox Point.
• Mark Gennis, [email protected], Mequon.
• Cheryl Maranto, [email protected], Glendale

Just send an email to get the address and to arrange a time to pick one up. 

Another placard that might tickle your fancy is available for download and printing. It's an homage to the lockeroom sign in the beloved Ted Lasso TV series. Perfect window dressing! Enjoy.

Also note that today, March 4, is the last day to BUY TICKETS to the Annual Gala of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County on Sunday, March 22 at the Italian Community Center (631 E. Chicago Street, Milwaukee). The special attraction this year is a 2-hour happy hour featuring the Democratic gubernatorial candidates! All the candidates. One room. Two hours to actually talk to them. Tickets start at $100 for an individual attendee. A sponsorship is $150 and includes an individual ticket plus a $50 donation. You can be listed as a Host for $250. And you can purchase a table of 10 seats for $1000. Doors open at 4:00pm. Please RSVP names and dietary needs by March 4th to Brady Coulthard.

Newsy Bits

In his Recombobulation Area analysis of the latest Marquette poll — which found that 66% of Wisconsin registered voters were undecided in this two-person race for the Supreme Court seat — Dan Shafer notes that "President Donald Trump’s net job approval [in Wisconsin] just reached another new low for his second term, and has been on the decline since his return to office. It’s at a net minus-10 now, nearing his lowest mark overall in the poll across his two terms." And this poll took place before he began bombing Iran, a move that does not have a lot of American support. Let's see how low he can go.

My favorite data substack, G. Elliott Morris's Strength in Numbers has a new poll showing that Trump's SOTU “pivot” to affordability didn't work. Among Americans who watched the speech, 57% thought our orange overlord mostly focused on topics other than the issues that mattered most to the respondent. And those respondents were not wrong. "According to an analysis of Mr Trump’s speech by Strength In Numbers, the president spent just 13% of his time Tuesday night talking about affordability, jobs, and health care — the top 3 issues voters say they care about today. In comparison, he spent 24% of his SOTU address on immigration, including deportations and mentions of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, and 20% on foreign policy." Here's a complete view of respondents's answers to the question which issues are most important to them compared to which issues Trump focused on in his 108 minutes of the speech:

And last, a reminder that the Milwaukee County Democratic Party is holding a series of events in their Bay View office — 2999 S Delaware Ave, Milwaukee — to provide an opportunity for people to meet the gubernatorial candidates one at a time. Here's the list of all the meetings. Be sure you save the dates and times for the candidates you want to meet.

• Francesca Hong, Sunday, February 22, 1:00 - 2:30pm
  
  
• Kelda Roys, Thursday, March 5, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  
• David Crowley, Saturday, March 7, 12:00 - 1:30pm
  
  
• Missy Hughes, Wednesday, March 11, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  
• Joel Brennan , Monday, March 16, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  
• Mandela Barnes, Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 - 7:30pm

Robin Vos, the longest serving Assembly Speaker in Wisconsin history, will not be running for reelection this year! Yippee!!! Here is Dan Shafer's quick summation in his substack The Recombobulation Area (February 20, 2026 ). "The era he’s presided over has been destructive and damaging for Wisconsin, and he’s been at the heart of it all. Wisconsin is unequivocally worse off for his years of leadership in the state. His calculating, power-consolidation-at-all-costs approach has held the state back time and time again. His clear disdain for his opposition, lacking even a baseline level of respect, is abhorrent. The way he’s deployed a politics of dismissive cruelty to blue cities like Milwaukee has been repulsive. His stubborn refusal to act at a moment of genuine crisis in 2020 was cataclysmic, and is one of endless examples when he’s put politics over people. He’s been a singular force against good governance throughout his time as Assembly Speaker. The way he operates is the antithesis of everything politics should be." About Vos's retirement, he says: "For the good people of Wisconsin, this is true cause for celebration." Amen to that!!

Vos decided to close up shop for the remainder of the year, ending the legislative session last week. And he was determined to bury a bill extending postpartum care to lower income mothers, keeping it bottled up in committee even though it had already passed the Senate. Democrats used an arcane strategy that threatened to up-end the legislative calendar but Vos finally relented at the urging of several Republicans who were also sponsoring the bill — and perhaps in a sign that with his retirement pending he no longer held an iron grip over his caucus. The measure passed! (ProPublica, February 19, 2026). Dems used the same strategy for a bill on insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings, and got that one passed too! Now Vos can go home and watch the paint dry: there will not be a regular legislative session for the rest of the year.

Nevertheless, in his State of the State address Governor Evers "announced he will be signing an executive order calling the Wisconsin State Legislature into a special session later this spring to pass a constitutional amendment banning partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin" (WisPolitics, February 17, 2026). More happy, happy, joy, joy!!

To amend the Wisconsin Constitution requires two successive state legislatures to pass it. Then it goes to the people for a referendum. So this effort has a ways to go. And Governor Evers will no longer be in office if the legislature manages to pass the proposed amendment. And that makes it all the more imperative that we elect Democrats to the governorship and provide Democratic majorities in both the Assembly and the Senate in November. So get your skates on so you can start now with turning out the vote for the Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April and support for the Democratic ticket in the fall! Here's the canvassing schedule for the North Shore and some parts of Milwaukee. Please sign up for one or more shifts in a location near you.

So I have to say a word about the Trump show last night. You know — the State of the Union address that took more than 100 minutes to deliver. I did not watch it. You may not have either. My word about it, nevertheless, is peeyew. Apparently he avoided some subjects like ICE and Epstein. Instead he lied his way through, claiming that "this is the golden age of America." He "bragged about tax cuts for billionaires, claimed 'no inflation' and said 'prices are plummeting downward,' bragged about how all his job creation was in the private sector (conveniently ignoring that the country only created 181,000 jobs in all of 2025), and claimed he secured $18 trillion in new investment—a number so ludicrous that the libertarian CATO Institute called it 'mostly fake,' 'wildly exaggerated,' and 'ridiculous'" (Daily Kos, February 25, 2026). Kos sums up like this: "He was nasty, rude, divisive, and as always, full of lies."

In an admirable bit of snark, a headline in today's The Guardian reads "‘Nobel prize for fiction’: Trump’s State of the Union provokes polarized reactions." In her opinion column in The Guardian today, Moira Donegon notes "Trump has lost the ability to entertain. Sadly, he hasn’t lost the ability to offend." And that's all the time I intend to devote to his fantasies.

And once again, the courts, however slowly, are pushing back on some of the regime's most noxious policies. Just today a Federal Judge Finds Third-Country Deportations Unlawful (the link is shared to avoid the paywall). "The ruling amounts to a sweeping repudiation of one of the administration’s most aggressive deportation policies, one in which immigrants are flown to distant places to which they have no ties, including Eswatini, Rwanda and Ghana."

Now it's time to get busy!

TAKE ACTION

On February 1, Grassroots North Shore hosted a fabulous webinar focused on the role of the courts in preserving our democratic republic, featuring three renowned litigators: Jeff Mandel founder, president and general counsel at Law Forward; Mary McCord from Executive Director of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP); and Paul Kiesel from Speak Up for Justice. If you missed it or just want to refresh your memory, you can watch it on our YouTube channel.

There are so many depredations emanating from the Trump regime that you could probably attend a different demonstration every day from now until 2028! And now that the weather in Wisconsin is a bit more hospitable for big outdoor crowds, it's time to get engaged. So here are two coming right up.

First, there will be Stand Up for Science rallies all around the country on Saturday, March 7. You can find the nearest one on the website. When I looked last week, the nearest one will be in Madison — sign up for it here. There may be one in Milwaukee too. Check it out.

Second, the next NO KINGS rally is scheduled for March 28 in Washington Park in Milwaukee. I'll have more details closer to the date but right now make sure you mark your calendar and plan to attend. Also, staging big rallires is not cost free. If you can afford to give a few shekels, here's where to go: nokingsmke.com.

Prepare for ICE incursions: Help save children and hardworking parents from DHS and ICE incarceration!

Kathleen Blake is offering a flyer you can use to host your own Whistle & Zine packet construction party. You can download it here. She will supply the whistles and a pdf of the zine (instructions). The flyer is intended for anyone – neighbors, church friends, Zentangle enthusiasts, gardening clubs, or family projects. Let's create positive change! She has listed locations that urgently need DROP-OFFS of whistle packets. Call her for addresses. Spread the word! Use the space at the top right for your DIY party details. Get others involved!

We provide the whistles and zines; you simply enjoy the company of friends while contributing to the safety of our neighbors and loved ones. Order your materials today: Kathleen@[email protected].

From the national Indivisible weekly newsletter: Join the week of action to halt ICE/Border Patrol terror. Members of Congress return to DC tomorrow; this will be a critical week in our fight against new ICE and Border Patrol funding without meaningful guardrails and a stop to the violence in our communities. Groups are encouraged to organize nonviolent rallies outside congressional offices, and everyone should use our call and email tools to keep up the pressure on their Members of Congress.

The Milwaukee County Democratic Party is holding a series of events in their Bay View office — 2999 S Delaware Ave, Milwaukee — to provide an opportunity for people to meet the gubernatorial candidates one at a time. Here's the list of all the meetings. Be sure you save the dates and times for the candidates you want to meet.

• Francesca Hong, Sunday, February 22, 1:00 - 2:30pm
  
  
• Kelda Roys, Thursday, March 5, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  
• David Crowley, Saturday, March 7, 12:00 - 1:30pm
  
  
• Missy Hughes, Wednesday, March 11, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  
• Mandela Barnes, Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 - 7:30pm
  
  

Americans are understandably frustrated with the cost of living. In the aftermath of the pandemic, prices for nearly everything — groceries, rent, cars, insurance — surged in a short period of time. Inflation peaked around 10 percent in 2022, and although the inflation rate has since returned to something closer to normal, the elevated price level remains. People still feel squeezed because their paychecks have not fully recovered the purchasing power they lost during the spike. The frustration is real, and it has a clear economic explanation.

         Much of the public debate has been clouded by a basic misunderstanding of inflation itself. Inflation measures the rate at which prices rise, not the price level. When inflation falls from eight percent to three percent, that does not mean prices decline; it simply means they are rising more slowly, i.e., rising at 3% per year instead of 8% per year. The only way to make prices fall broadly is through deflation — a sustained drop in the overall price level — and both economic principles and experience  show that deflation is only accomplished by constraining the economy into severe recessions. Promises to “bring prices back down” ignore this reality. Once a price shock occurs, the economy cannot simply be  unwound.

         The pandemic created enormous supply‑side disruptions: factories closed, shipping networks broke down, labor markets shifted abruptly, and consumer demand changed overnight. These shocks produced a rapid jump in prices. What did not kept pace was the wage rate.  Even though pay has recently been rising faster than prices, for many it still has not fully closed the gap created by the initial surge. The result is a lingering loss of purchasing power compared to pre‑COVID conditions.  

         The responsible goal for policymakers is not to push prices back to 2019 levels. It is to foster policies that raise purchasing power so that Americans can afford the lives they built. That requires supporting productivity growth, easing supply constraints, and avoiding policies, such as broad tariffs, that unnecessarily raise household costs. It means focusing on long‑term labor‑market strength rather than chasing the illusion of price-level rollback.

Our Wisconsin legislature seems to be wrapping up business this week and ADJOURNING for the rest of the year! Meanwhile, Governor Evers in partnership with the Democratic Party is raising money to hand over to the campaign of whoever wins the Democratic primary on August 11. Named the Wisconsin Governor Readiness Project, it aims to build a war chest and the campaign infrastructure the winning candidate will need to hit the ground running on day one of the general election campaign. The donation page has high preset amounts on it but you can type in whatever you can afford. Because the Governor is right: "In 2026, we need to protect the progress we’ve made by electing a Democrat who believes in supporting working families, strengthening public schools, and protecting our rights and freedoms" (WisDems website, September 22, 2025). We need to make sure we elect a state government that works for us. Please give what you can.

And just FYI, Grassroots North Shore will be holding a forum for the gubernatorial candidates at Nicolet High School on Sunday, May 17. Save the date in your calendar now so you don't miss it. Kathleen Dunn (a longtime radio host and inductee into the Milwaukee Media Hall of Fame) will moderate the event. The forum will take place from 2:00 — 5:00pm. Other details will be finalized and announced soon. But you can sign up now!

Most of our communities did not have a primary for the nonpartisan election that will be held on April 7. But that does not mean the election isn't important. The ballot is usually filled with candidates for city, town, or village boards and judges. You can preview your ballot at MyVote.WI.gov. While you're there, make sure you check your registration. And plan to request an absentee ballot! It's becoming increasingly important to vote early, whether by absentee ballot or during the early in-person period before each election. For April's election, early voting in most communities will take place weekdays from March 24 through April 3. Check your own municipality's website for specific information where you live.

Why does voting absentee or voting early in-person matter so much this year? We've all heard our loathsome leader bloviate about nationalizing the 2026 elections, or even calling them off altogether. He threatens to issue an executive order to forbid mail-in ballots (which he himself uses to vote in his south Florida district)! Of course the executive branch of the federal government has no role in the administration of elections. The US Constitution assigns that power to the states, although Congress can pass some regulations to make the system more uniform across all the states. In many areas of the country, election officials are preparing for a range of possibilities. "While many Republicans brush off the president’s threats, election officials are rushing to organize meetings and conference calls to prepare for scenarios in which Trump might use federal agents, troops or MAGA-aligned local officials to interfere in elections" (MSNOW, February 9, 2026). Voting absentee or early in person makes crowds at the polls less likely and can reduce the amount of time voting is interrupted by challenges to voters.

One of the ways those of us who probably don't live in areas that could be subject to ICE, National Guard, or other federal agents seeking to intimidate voters — most likely in densely urban and Democratic areas like Milwaukee — is to vote early and then volunteer to be an observer at polls where such threats might materialize. As a citizen of the state you can observe at ANY POLLING LOCATION. The League of Women Voters has an excellent Election Observation Program that has been running since at least 2016. The League will train volunteers who must be available on election day for two-hour shifts. You can begin for the April 7 election if you sign up by March 16. Start at the League's page for volunteer opportunities and the click the link to Sign Up Today!

Why is electing Chris Taylor so vital? After all, when we elected Susan Crawford in a landslide last year, we produced a liberal leaning court for the first time in forever. And we definitely want that to last! The next justice to be up for re-election is Rebecca Dallet, one of the key defenders of our freedoms. Her election will take place in April 2028. So Chris Taylor is our insurance policy keeping the court in the hands of those who have brought us fair maps, will ensure reproductive rights, and protect the rule of law. The liberal majority, with Chris Taylor, holds the court through the next census. And that could be vital for ensuring that the legislature draw fair, nonpartisan election maps.

Taylor's opponent, Maria Lazar, has tried to make herself sound like a reasonable and fair-minded judge. But she just isn't. American Bridge 21st Century spells it out: "Maria Lazar is running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court with a record that shows she is unfit for Wisconsin’s highest court. Throughout her career Lazar has repeatedly taken positions and issued rulings that narrowed fundamental rights, favored political power over fair representation, and discounted harm to victims and voters."

Here are a few key issues:

• Supports extreme abortion positions;
• Supports gerrymandered maps;
• Makes decisions (since overturned) aiding election deniers.

In contrast, Judge Taylor

• Supports reproductive rights and freedoms ;
• Spent 10 years in the state Assembly championing progressive issues;
• Supports the right of workers to unionize.

Finally, you've probably seen the news that the FCC leaned on CBS who told Stephen Colbert in no uncertain terms that he could not air an interview with Jim Talarico, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Texas. Naturally what happened next is that the segment was posted on the CBS YouTube channel and "aired" in its entirety there. The FCC can bluster all it wants about stuff using the public airways, as CBS does. But not the Internet. And now the results are in: How the GOP’s latest media meddling is a major self-own shows interest in Talarico skyrocketing, both nationally and in Texas. (Scroll down to see the graphs.) And it's not just googling. CBS Austin reports the Talarico campaign raises $2.5M in 24 hours following 'Late Show' appearance. Early voting in the primary began yesterday. The primary will be held on March 3. We'll be watching!

I've repeated the links to sign up for this weekend's canvasses in the North Shore. None were listed for Ozaukee County. So if you are able, please sign up to alert voters to the coming election and its importance to the future of our state. Below the box for the canvass stations is a box of dates the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County is holding for the public to meet gubernatorial candidates one at a time. It's an up close and personal way to hear directly about issues that matter to you. You should go!

TAKE ACTION

5 Calls: This site makes it dead simple to call your Senators and your Representative on key issues of the day. The site provides an explanation of the issue, phone numbers for your Reps, and a script to follow. This week, we are urging you to make calls on the following issues:

• No funding deal for the Department of Homeland Security, the department in which ICE, CBP, and other immigration organizations are housed, until meaningful guardrails for ICE, CBP, and other similar organizations are implemented in the funding bill.
  
  
• Claw Back the $170B Slush Fund for ICE and CBP. Congress must immediately claw back the tens of billions of dollars being used to terrorize and murder people across the United States at the expense of government programs that keep our communities safe.
  
  
• Demand Full Epstein Case File Release and Public Hearings. Congress must demand the DOJ release all files as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, call for public hearings on the released files’ contents, and hold the DOJ accountable for shielding perpetrators.
  
  
• Impeach Attorney General Pam Bondi!

Epstein just won't die! So, some Congressional Representatives have been able to look at the Epstein files with the redactions removed if they personally traipse to the Department of Justice to view them. They are not permitted to take any electronic devices into the room with the computers that display the files, but apparently they can take notes. This morning's Daily Kos feature — Abbreviated Pundit Roundup — features images of Tuesday evening's New York Times front page to show how much real estate the newspaper devoted to Epstein-related matters: six top stories in all.

If like me you are getting a bit tired of how much the Epstein matter still dominates the news, you might be amazed at how far the scandal reaches. The BBC News has a half-hour program explaining how the files are impacting a range of countries. The presenter notes that there are now investigations in 10 countries! If you have the time, it's worth a listen. The sex trafficking now seems to be the least of it, or at least coexists with financial and political revelations. The web of powerful people revealed in these files so far has recently overtaken more salacious stories. Reports of whose names are in the email exchanges are always careful to explain that social relationships with the convicted sex offender is not itself a crime. But oh what these files reveal about elites and their behind-the-scenes activities, events and relationships they have desperately wanted to remain hidden.

Big surprise! Bad Bunny has now become the great dividing line between MAGA and the rest of us. Yahoo News proclaims Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Gets ‘Awful’ Reviews From MAGA and Most of the Internet. On the other hand, Time leads with Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Was an Exuberant Act of Resistance: "Bad Bunny’s halftime show was a fierce act of resistance, and a triumph on many levels. It was an exuberant exercise in spectacle, stagecraft, choreography and camera work; you could have not understood a single word and still had a blast." The opposing views certainly speak to our political and cultural moment. Another article on Yahoo News, MAGA Civil War Erupts Over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show, says it all.

Yesterday there were several national notices of important election issues. The New York Times analysis notes that the affidavit authorizing the search of the Fulton County Georgia Election offices said the "FBI criminal investigation originated from a referral sent by Kurt Olsen, Presidentially appointed Director of Election Security and Integrity." It goes on to say "many of the claims in the affidavit refer to long-held — and consistently debunked — conspiracy theories about elections in Georgia, including arguments about fraudulent and duplicate absent ballots, election-machine tabulator tapes and missing ballot images. The claims often focus on small administrative errors or easily explainable abnormalities as evidence of fraud." The NYT article is gifted to you to avoid the paywall.

Kyle Cheney, alas on X so I will not link to it, notes that "A federal judge in Michigan has rejected the administration's attempt to obtain the state's voter rolls. Judge Hala Jarbou, a Trump appointee, said the law does not require the state to turn them over." The judge — chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan — dismissed the case. NBC News points out that this is the "the third time a court has tossed a lawsuit by the Trump administration in its efforts to obtain voter registration lists from the states."

The Trump regime's losses in courts keep piling up. No doubt you've already heard the acting U.S. Attorney for DC Jeannine Pirro tried and failed to get a grand jury "to indict Democratic lawmakers over a video urging members of the military and intelligence communities not to comply with unlawful orders" (NBC News, February 10, 2026). The story goes on to list other failures to indict Trump's political enemies like James Comey and Letitia James, who the U.S. Attorney's office tried and failed to win an indictment with TWO DIFFERENT grand juries! And a jury trial acquitted the man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal officer, also in DC. The piece ends with this observation: "It’s very rare for federal grand juries to say prosecutors failed to meet the probable cause threshold for an indictment." Looks like it's getting more common lately.

As we look toward the fall elections, it is helpful to keep an eye on the big picture. Here's an NBC News take on how current Senators and Representatives are seeing the fall outcome: Members of Congress are fleeing the job at a historically high rate. "Fifty-one House members and nine senators have decided not to run for re-election, the most retirements from Congress this century." In 2018, a year when Democrats gained 40 seats in the House, 34 Republicans decided not to run again. The picture is a bit complicated by the fact that some who are choosing not to run for their House or Senate seats have decided to run for a different office — for governor, for example, or for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

In other election news you might have missed, Analilia Mejia has won the latest special election primary — in New Jersey. She bested a large field that included a former Representative, Tom Malinowski. Mejia is described as a "progressive activist" who "ran on a platform of affordability for the working class, including more funding for child care and raising taxes on the highest earners" (The 19th, February 10, 2026). The seat became open when Mikie Sherrill was sworn in as Governor of NJ. It's not a competitive district, so Mejia is expected to win the seat. But she'll have to do it all over again for the fall election!

And that's the news portion. Now it's your turn to get engaged. The two boxed items just below are both concerned with upcoming elections and provide you with opportunities to help knock on doors in your neighborhood and to meet some of the gubernatorial candidates ahead of the August primary. After that come our weekly ACTION items and then a really long list of area events. Get busy!

TAKE ACTION

5 Calls: This site makes it dead simple to call your Senators and your Representative on key issues of the day. It always provides an explanation of the issue, phone numbers for your Reps, and a script to follow. This week, we are urging you to make calls on the following issues:

• Oppose the SAVE America Act - HOUSE VOTE THIS WEEK. This bill would hinder millions of eligible Americans, including married women who changed their name, from registering to vote by requiring citizens to present a birth certificate or passport in person to register and again when they go to the polls.
  
  
• No Continuing Resolution (CR) for the Department of Homeland Security, the department in which ICE, CBP, and other immigration organizations are housed. This would cut off funding for DHS until appropriate restraints on ICE and CBP are implemented in law.
  
  
• Claw Back the $170B Slush Fund for ICE and CBP. Congress must immediately claw back the tens of billions of dollars being used to terrorize and murder people across the United States at the expense of government programs that keep our communities safe.
  
  
• Demand Full Epstein Case File Release and Public Hearings. Congress must demand the DOJ release all files as mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, call for public hearings on the released files’ contents, and hold the DOJ accountable for shielding perpetrators.

Saturday, March 7

Monday, March 9

Tuesday, March 18

           As Wisconsin heads into another governor’s race, we can expect that faculty tenure will once again be dragged into the political arena. It’s an easy target—often caricatured as a cushy system that protects “lazy professors” with lifetime job security. That talking point gets applause, but it gets the issue completely wrong.

            Tenure isn’t about protecting people who don’t work hard.  It’s about protecting the integrity of research itself.

What Tenure Actually Does

            True, research is produced by people, and so protecting research means protecting the people who conduct it. That’s the heart of tenure. But here’s the part that rarely enters the public conversation: academic disciplines are global communities. A physicist or economist or Shakespeare scholar isn’t judged primarily by colleagues on their own campus. Their work is evaluated by experts around the world.  Hiring, promotion, and salary decisions depend heavily on outside reviewers—people who aren’t part of the university, the state, or   political system. That global peer‑review process is what guides quality and credibility.

            University administrators—department chairs, provosts, chancellors, system presidents, and boards of regents—play important roles, but they are not the ones who determine whether a piece of research is groundbreaking or trivial. They can’t. No single campus contains the expertise to evaluate every field.  Weakening tenure would shift that authority away from worldwide experts and toward politicians, political appointees, and administrators. That’s a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of people who are not equipped to judge scholarly work.

Academic Freedom Strengthens Research Quality

            Academic freedom is another concept that gets tossed around without much understanding. It means the freedom to choose research topics, decide how much time to devote to them, and—especially in the STEM fields —determine how to pursue and fund that work. Without academic freedom, research becomes vulnerable to political pressure. The topics that would survive would be the ones politicians approve of, not the ones that advance knowledge within a discipline.

Teaching and Research Strengthen Each Other

            Critics often claim that research distracts from teaching.   The opposite is often true. The best teachers are frequently active researchers. Their enthusiasm for and knowledge of their subject spills into the classroom. Students feel that energy.  Moreover, working with research professors creates hands‑on learning opportunities; undergraduate and graduate students work as research assistants, gaining experience that greatly enhances what they get from classes and textbooks.

What’s at Stake for Wisconsin

            Some candidates have proposed eliminating or significantly weakening tenure. If that happens, the UW System—already strained by years of tight budgets—will struggle even more to hire and retain top faculty. Talented scholars have options, and they will choose institutions where their work is protected and valued.

            And here’s the irony: if tenure supposedly encourages laziness, how has Wisconsin produced not one but two top‑tier research universities as classified by the Carnegie Foundation?

• UW–Madison ranks among the top five universities in the nation for federally funded research.
• UW–Milwaukee, though much smaller, is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as an R1 research university—a distinction reserved for institutions with the highest quality research activity.

These achievements don’t come from a system that rewards complacency. They come from a system that protects rigorous, world‑class research.

            In the upcoming gubernatorial race, voters should recognize that tenure is a safeguard—one that keeps research independent, protects academic freedom, and helps Wisconsin compete for the most productive faculty.   Weakening it would not make our universities stronger or more accountable. It would make them less competitive, less innovative, and less capable of serving the state.

So much is going on, and the news items come so quickly on top of each other, that I am going to begin the newsletter with actions you need to take RIGHT AWAY.

TAKE ACTION

For residents of the city, the ACLU warns that "the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission is holding a meeting Thursday night, and the Milwaukee Police Department’s proposed use of facial recognition technology (FRT) is on the agenda. Despite overwhelming local public opposition regarding FRT’s racial bias, the inevitability of wrongful arrests, and the ongoing weaponization of surveillance by the federal government against immigrants and protesters–MPD still wants to use FRT on Milwaukee residents."

This notice comes too late for you to attend the meeting tonight but not too late for you to contact your Milwaukee Common Council representative. The Milwaukee Turners provides email and phone scripts you can use. The ACLU provides an online form and an editable message that will be sent to your Alderperson and the Mayor.

Indivisible asks EVERYONE to call their Senators and Representative "to insist on real guardrails that put an end to ICE and CBP’s lawless thuggery and get them out of our cities. We can’t settle for insufficient reforms like body cams -- we’ve all seen that Trump’s goons are perfectly happy to gas, tackle, and kill innocent people on film."

• Call your Senators with phone numbers and script.
• Call your Representative with phone number and script.
• Email your members of Congress with contact information and message.

New Postcard Project:  GRNS has been contacted by Swing Blue Alliance from Boston, MA.Their  project is to send 60,000 postcards into WI for the Supreme Court election.  The cards are nonpartisan (not mentioning Judge Chris Taylor) but  express democratic values and are being sent to low turn-out Democratic voters  in Congressional District 3 (seat held by Van Orden). The goal is to boost Dem turnout for the Spring Election of low turnout voters for all three elections:  April 7, Primary - August 1, and General Election -  11/3

Here are the details:

• HOSTS  find  group of friends  to share an order of 12 packets of cards - 25 cards per pack.  
• The message is mostly preprinted with a simple handwritten sentence required.
• Cards, address labels  and instructions will be mailed to  the host to give to the group and the postcards must  be mailed on March 21, 2026.
• Cost: of the Packets of 25 cards = $5.25, Stamps, $15.25, Shipping $16.95. Total per pack = $262.95 The idea is to share the cost with your group.  
• The host will communicate with the project coordinators from Swing Blue Alliance to sign up for the project and place an order.  
• If we have at least two people willing to be Hosts for this project, GRNS will cover the cost.  It would be great if there were more Hosts and groups and if the cost can be covered by the groups.  

If you are interested please contact Norma at [email protected] or 414-588-1241.

The National Campaign for Justice also urges us to tell Congress: "Pass systemic reforms that restrict ICE from terrorizing our cities and reallocate funding to invest in healthcare instead." Here's what the National Campaign for Justice recommends — but you can do your own thing once you fill out the form on the right-hand side of the screen and then click the button to "start writing."

"As Congress negotiates DHS funding, lawmakers must move beyond minor reforms and impose real restrictions that protect people and communities. That means

• Cutting ICE funding enough to restore expired ACA subsidies and Medicaid cuts passed in 2025.
• Banning ICE raids at schools, hospitals, courts, day cares, and houses of worship.
• Prohibiting the arrest or detention of children and ending the use of kids as leverage.
• Stopping CBP from assisting ICE far from the border.
• Requiring a warrant before entering any home or private business.

Congress has the power to do this right now. What happens next depends on public pressure."

Now for the Newsletter!

Worry about the upcoming mid-term elections is ratcheting up in part because Steve Bannon announced on his War Room podcast on February 3rd "that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be deployed to swarm polling places during the upcoming midterm elections" (Truthout, February 5, 2026).

That provocative boast coincided with Trump's call for "Republican officials to 'take over' voting procedures in 15 states, though he did not name them. 'The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’ he said. 'We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting'" (New York Times, gift article, February 3, 2026).

The White House tried to walk back the assertion, but Trump was doubling down, saying on February 4 "that he believed the federal government should 'get involved' in elections that are riddled with 'corruption,' reiterating his position that the federal government should usurp state laws by exerting control over local elections."

So now what? CcatSun at Daily Kos (February 5, 2026) lays out how the Trumpistas plan to steal the midterm election and then offers a nascent plan to counteract the unconstitutional moves:

Deep in a long article about this dangerous development, CNN gets around to noting that the US Constitution "tasks individual state legislatures with determining how congressional elections are to be held." The article goes on to state "Crucially, the Constitution provides no avenue for a president to decide how elections are run. So regardless of what Trump means by nationalizing the elections, it is not something that he has the power to order on behalf of the executive branch alone." As January 6. 2021, has demonstrated, however, Trump is willing to do ANYTHING to control elections. As with so many issues these days, it's up to us to stop any illegal effort to intimidate voters or suppress voting.

Wiser and more learned heads than mine will no doubt be addressing how we can thwart this looming disaster, but meanwhile those who can should definitely volunteer to be observers at the polls, especially in areas where people may be at risk of detention by ICE and CBP, even if they are US citizens entitled to vote. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has extensive information about how their program for election observers has functioned in the past. At the end of the piece, there's a link you can use to learn how you can become an Election Observer with the League.

The storied Washington Post, whose former motto was "Democracy Dies in Darkness," has, it seems, entered its own twilight as The Guardian's headline announces "Mass layoffs fuel fears of ‘death spiral’ at Washington Post" (February 5. 2026): "Nearly one-third of the entire company – which stood at 2,500 employees in late 2023, before a round of buyouts – was axed."

Clearly the shape of journalism, once dominated by newspaper and television businesses, is changing dramatically. Many star journalists, like Jennifer Rubin (formerly an opinion columnist for the Washington Post), now have individual substacks or have gathered into collectives like The Contrarian, a venture started by Rubin and Norm Eisen, or The Bulwark. The result, of course, is the same kind of fragmentation we see with video streaming services. Of necessity, all of these authors and collectives need subscribers. And the result is that it becomes ever more expensive to read all the views that're fit to print.

Finally, our own beloved Ben Wikler is publishing a book — THIS IS THE PLAN: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy, to be available as an old fashioned paper book, an ebook, and an audio book narrated by Ben himself on July 21. You can pre-order it now. According to Wikler, the book shares the story of how "a state that was (fairly recently) categorized as a “democracy desert” is now a toss-up for a Democratic trifecta in the 2026 midterms. To hear Wisconsin’s story, told from the inside, is to realize that there’s a way out of this mess. The book shares that story—and then applies its formula to a national plan to win elections, remove democracy’s saboteurs from office, and make America work for all of us."

There's so much more to cover, but I can't get to everything today! So I'll just finish up by pointing out that Saturday, February 7, is an especially event-full day. There are so many events that I could not add all the area canvasses that are happening around Milwaukee. The best thing you can do to find events near you is to go to mobilize.us, and use the filters to type in the area where you live and the date. You will get a list of events happening more or less near you. Plan to participate in SOMETHING, if not on the 7th, then on a day that's convenient for you.

And a last note: a number of rallies and marches are taking place in the next week or two. Rallies and marches are energizing and demonstrate to us that we are not alone. But attending them is no longer enough to create the kind of change we will need to begin the work of repairing the world. I urge you to move outside your comfort zone and to engage in the organizing we need to do if we're going to get to the other side of the deluge.

Hear from the Democratic Candidates on May 17th

Our moderator will be Kathleen Dunn            

I want to begin today's missive with a stirring speech by David Jolly, former Republican Congressman from Florida and now a Democrat running for governor of that state. He exhorts us to "choose the right side of history." Although some of the speech is obviously part of his campaign, the truths he tells are what Americans need to hear: "Minnesota matters.... There is a rot in the soul of America." The speech is less than eight minutes long. Take time to watch.

Minnesota's resilience and resistance to the depredations of ICE and CBP — it was Customs and Border Patrol agents who murdered Alex Pretti — just may represent a tipping point for America. In his substack Strength in Numbers post, The ICE shootings are a tipping point, G. Elliott Morris shows the rapid decline in approval of Trump's immigration policies and then discusses it in comparison to other tipping points in recent American history. First he shows that there has been a 50 point change in Americans' attitudes towards  abolishing ICE. "This extreme shift, in a position previously considered extreme, is why I think we have reached a tipping point on immigration."

Morris identifies the Jan.-Feb 1968 Tet Offensive as a classic tipping point. The event precipitated the collapse of public support for the Vietnam war: "By the autumn of 1968, support had fallen to the mid-30s, and opposition surpassed 50%." The Abu Ghraib scandel similarly led public support for the Bush administration's pursuit of the war in Iraq to plummet. Like the earlier tipping point events, accounts of the ICE shootings in Minneapolis have gained wide distribution even among folks who have not focused on political issues. "I’ll note that social media accounts with no political affiliation — bourbon enthusiasts, hobby communities, sports brands, etc — are now posting anti-ICE content." Criticism of ICE and CBP policies now come from both the left and the right, and even from within the Trump regime.

The article is long and detailed — but certainly worth a read if you have time. Morris ends with this salient observation: "Tipping points, once crossed, don’t usually reverse — that is why they are called tipping points. ICE and DHS are remarkably young institutions. Sixteen months ago, the idea that they might face genuine accountability, structural reform, or even abolition seemed politically absurd. Today, it doesn’t." In short, the killings and the cruelty have now created a tipping point. Brighter days lie ahead.

Although the country is increasingly opposing the cruel and probably illegal methods the federal government is deploying against immigrants, here in Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area we need to be better prepared for a heavy ICE presence even if the Trump cabal has shown some few, faint signs of softening its approach to detaining and deporting immigrants. To that end, mark your calendars for Bystander Intervention/De-escalation Training on Sunday, February 15, from 1;00 - 3:00pm. The event is sponsored by Bay Bridge, Grassroots North Shore, and Grassroots Germantown and hosted by ACTive Bystander WI. It will be held at the Whitefish Bay Public Library, 5420 N Marlborough Dr. Space is limited so sign up NOW.

There are many legal efforts underway to constrain the Trump regime's rampage. So on Sunday, February 1, from 4:30 - 6:00pm, online, Grassroots North Shore is hosting a program on the crucial role of the courts — both state and federal — in defending our freedoms. Please RSVP for Protecting This Wall of Democracy: Defending the Courts and Constitution in the State and the Nation. We have a stellar group of speakers lined up:

• Jeff Mandell, President and founder of Law Forward;
  
  
• Mary B. McCord, Director of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection;
  
  
• Paul L. Kiessel, attorney and founder of Speak up for Justice, a nonpartisan initiative projecting the rule of law, our democracy, and our judges.

This event is also our Grassroots North Shore Annual Fundraiser to support all of our activities — including phoning, sending postcards, and leafletting voters for every election, a forum in May for the state's gubernatorial race that will take place in a primary in August and in the November 3 general election, and other educational programs during the year. This year, we've expanded our ambitions to include two Assembly races, two state Senate races, two Congressional races, and the five statewide offices up in this year's general election! That means a LOT of postcards to produce and send! That's where the funds we raise will go. Please be generous and support Grassroots North Shore with a donation. (If you've already signed up for the event but haven't yet donated, you can do so now.)

Meanwhile, we have a vital election looming, on April 7, for a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. The WisDems are starting their weekends of action THIS WEEKEND, January 31 and February 1! Here's a list of all the Friendbanks and Canvasses I currently know about.

• 65 Days to Victory Spring Election Canvass in Brown Deer! Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.
• 65 Days to Victory Canvass in Foxpoint/Bayside! Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am, 12:00pm and 3:00pm.
• 65 Days to Victory Friendbank in Glendale! Friend-to-Friend Outreach on Saturday, January 31, from 3:00 - 6:00pm at 6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale.
• Shorewood Canvass on Saturday, January 31, 4516 N Newhall St, Shorewood. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.
• 65 Days to Victory Friendbank in Whitefish Bay! Friend-to-Friend Outreach on Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.
• Mequon Democrats 65 Days to Victory Canvass! Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.
• Grafton and Cedarburg Democrats 65 Days to Victory Canvass! Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.
• Menomonee Falls Democrats 65 Days to Victory Canvass! Saturday, January 31. Address upon sign-up. Shifts at 9:00am and 12:00pm.

You will find more WisDems events for the kickoff weekend for Waukesha County in the Events list below.

TAKE ACTION

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin OPPOSES the upcoming passage of Senate Bill 553 in the Assembly which already passed in the Senate on November 18, 2025. This bill redefines the legal definition of abortion in order to appear concerned about a pregnant patient requiring abortion healthcare. In fact, it further restricts their life-saving options. We are asking voters to call their legislators today to urge their Assembly Representatives vote to OPPOSE SB553. The League has held the position of the individual’s right to privacy in making reproductive health decisions, inclusive of abortion, since 1983. This bill attempts to dictate the care a physician can provide and potentially interferes with the doctor-patient relationship. Find your legislators. See a fuller discussion, the script for calls, and a link to record your action.

Postcards to Swing States: News Boosting Postcards. Sign up to write News Boosting postcards to help combat disinformation and make sure voters in states with the most competitive Senate elections in 2026 learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for them.

Research results show their postcards increase turnout by 1.3%. In a state like Wisconsin, where many elections have very small margins of victory, a 1.3% increase in turnout can make a big difference. Right now, postcards are going to states with potentially flippable US Senate races. But starting on May 1, Postcards to Swing States will start sign-ups for its Get Out the Vote efforts and will include additional states as well as competitive US House districts. Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district might be included in that GOTV program.

There's tons of things to cover this week but I want to start with an invitation to the Annual Grassroots North Shore fundraiser, and not just because we need your financial support for our work! We're holding it online on Sunday, February 1, from 4:30 - 6:00pm. This year's fundraiser focuses on the role of the courts — both state and federal — in defending our freedoms. So please RSVP for Protecting This Wall of Democracy: Defending the Courts and Constitution in the State and the Nation. And support Grassroots North Shore with a donation. (If you've already signed up for the event but haven't yet donated, you can do so now.)

As our Supreme Court casts aside precedent and voter protections, as legislatures redraw electoral districts, and as unwelcome ICE and national guard deployments march into multiple states, the courts now define and protect the country’s norms and laws. We have a stellar lineup of speakers to address those issues:

• Jeff Mandell, President and founder of Law Forward;
  
  
• Mary B. McCord, Director of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection;
  
  
• Paul L. Kiessel, attorney and founder of Speak up for Justice, a nonpartisan initiative projecting the rule of law, our democracy, and our judges.

The money we raise makes all our work possible — election activities as well as events to keep us informed and engaged. So please be as generous as you can. You can donate online. If you'd rather send a check, make it out to Grassroots North Shore. Please put "fundraiser 2026" on the memo line. And mail it to PO Box 170684, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217-8056.

Before we get to this week's ghastly events, I want to talk a bit about voting in the elections this year and why we are urging everyone to check their registration NOW and to request absentee ballots for all the elections this year by visiting MyVote.WI.gov. If you don't want to use an absentee ballot — which can be put in the US mail or deposited in a drop box in your municipality — you can also plan to vote early in person at your municipal clerk's office. For the April 7 election, early in-person voting runs from March 24 - April 3. Times can vary by community, so contact your clerk for specific information.

Here's why: Republicans are doing all they can to rig the election to make sure our Orange Overlord Wannabe does not lose the majority in the House of Representatives or the Senate. One of their strategies, which they used in some areas in the 2022 elections, is to disrupt and slow down the process of voting at the polls. GOP poll "observers" have been known to challenge many in person voters. Even though "the vast majority of challenges are deemed invalid", they add significantly to the work of election administrators. Moreover, these challenges can intimidate voters. And the whole process at that polling place slows down, causing other voters to have to wait longer to cast their ballot.

So, if you can, vote absentee. If not, then vote early in person. The MyVote site has early in person voting information for at least some areas of Wisconsin. Or it directs you to contact your municipal clerk, with email address and phone number. The same site also provides an opportunity to become a poll worker in your area.

Now on with the carnage and threats du jour.

In December a US District judge had ruled that "federal agents deployed to the state under the operation are prohibited from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters." Yesterday "an appeals court has temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that barred immigration agents from arresting protesters or using non-lethal weapons against them" (ABC News, January 21, 2026). Today Vice President JD Vance is going to Minneapolis for "a roundtable discussion with local leaders and members of the community, ... amid escalating political tensions over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence there" (NBC News, January 20, 2026).

A few days ago, "the Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota" (Reuters, January 18, 2026). They have not yet deployed to Minnesota and there's some speculation that their real destination — since they are trained for arctic warfare — might secretly be Greenland! Meanwhile, Governor Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard, signing "an executive order authorizing Guard deployment to support civil authorities if protests threatened public safety, stating Minnesota must remain prepared to protect residents and infrastructure" (Military.com, January 19, 2026). Apparently the National Guard will wear reflective vests over their uniforms to distinguish them from ICE and other federal goons (Task & Purpose, January 20, 2026). In his executive order, Walz outlines the actions the National Guard can undertake at the behest of local law enforcement: to "support local law enforcement efforts to protect life and property, ensure public safety, and protect freedom of speech by allowing for peaceful demonstrations" (Executive Order 26-01, January 8, 2026).

Trump's saber rattling about possessing Greenland has been met with a massive backlash among European leaders. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, was especially forceful and clear-eyed about what Trump's threats mean. Watch his full speech in English on YouTube or read the transcript provided by the World Economic Forum at Davos. Yesterday  Trump said he was dropping his threat to impose tariffs on European allies as part of a pressure campaign to gain control of Greenland, saying after a meeting with the NATO secretary general that there was an unspecified "framework" of an agreement. The framework might involve "a compromise in which Denmark would give the United States sovereignty over small pockets of Greenlandic land where the United States could build military bases" (gift article in the New York Times, January 21, 2026).

The Guardian's take on Trump's Davos speech blasts him: "Trump paints himself as great white hope in racism-drenched Davos speech." You just have to read a key paragraph to get the gist: "Trump’s speech had the fingerprints of Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and architect of his draconian immigration policy, all over it. It chimed with an entire discourse of white identity politics festering on the US right." Along with his racist tirades, "Donald Trump turned up in Davos wielding an insult bazooka. He mocked Emmanuel Macron’s aviator sunglasses, chided Mark Carney ('Canada lives because of the United States'), asserted that the Swiss are 'only good because of us' and had a dig at Denmark for losing Greenland 'in six hours' during the second world war." Plus, during his rambling cringe of a speech, he confused Greenland for Iceland several times (Daily Kos, January 21, 2026). What an embarrassment our felonious leader is!

For a palate cleanser, here are a few great essays to read.

• A grand unified strategy to uphold the Constitution: A wave of proposals to strengthen the tools, not the rules. By Ben Raderstorf.
• A Prosecutor's Take on the Minnesota Shooting: I worked on the Rodney King case. Here’s how I see the Good Case. By Harry Litman.
• MAGA Delusions of Economic Leverage by Paul Krugman.

TAKE ACTION

MILWAUKEE STANDS WITH MINNEAPOLIS, a mass march for all victims of ICE terror. Red Arrow (Dontre Hamilton) Park 920 N Water Street, Milwaukee. The event begins at 4:00pm on January 23. It will wrap up with a Resource Fair at Turner Hall. Dress super warmly but brave the weather!

Volunteer with the Voter Protection Team! Wisconsin is often referred to as the breaking point state—as goes Wisconsin, so goes the country. That means that Voter Protection is more important than ever. Every vote is critical, every voter should have their vote count, and every voter we can help make their voice heard brings us one step closer to taking our country back. Sign up.

It's hard to know where to start, given the avalanche of dreadful developments over the past couple of weeks. On January 3, our fearless, feckless leader illegally sent the military to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The event is bad enough but using it to make a pile of dough? Some grifter got a $400,000 payout on the prediction market Polymarket! Is the anonymous trader  high enough in the Trump camp to know about the raid in advance or tipped off by someone in the regime? Is he/she/they engaged in insider trading? Apparently at least some news organizations had learned about the operation in advance. So perhaps the trader had also.

On January 7, ICE agent Johnathon Ross murdered Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. Her pet dog was in the car with her and her wife was nearby when Ross fired 3 shots at close range into Good's head. If you have not already done so, you should watch the New York Times analysis of the event. The piece is gifted to get you past the paywall. The Department of Justice has decided not to investigate the shooting or its aftermath. Instead, the DOJ is investigating the victim's spouse. As a result, "at least six leaders of a Justice Department unit that investigates police killings [the Civil Rights Division] have resigned in protest over the administration’s handling of the fatal shooting of a motorist in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer" (MS NOW, January 12, 2026). In Minnesota, "at least six prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota have resigned over their concerns with the direction of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good" (NBC News, January 13, 2026).

On January 10, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, revealed that the Justice Department had served the Federal Reserve "with subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings" (BBC, January 12, 2026). Powell revealed the information in an usual video statement, measured in tone but defiant in message (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, January 11, 2026). The video takes about 2 minutes and the site also includes a transcript of Powell's remarks.

Today, our mafia boss wannabe renewed his threats to take over Greenland. "President Donald Trump said Wednesday that 'anything less' than US control of Greenland is 'unacceptable,' arguing the United States needs the territory for national security purposes, which could in turn strengthen NATO." The Danish foreign minister had this to say after a brief meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance: "Donald Trump remains intent on 'conquering' Greenland, the Danish foreign minster has said, as crucial talks with US officials failed to solve a 'fundamental disagreement' that has led to unprecedented tensions between Washington and a Nato ally." Although the meeting lasted less than an hour, the "two sides did agree to create a working group to discuss ways to work through differences as Trump continues to call for a U.S. takeover of the semiautonomous territory of Nato ally Denmark" (The Guardian, January 14, 2026).

Not to be outdone in the department of egregious events, Wisconsin's Assembly passed TWO measures that would become amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution if the state Senate also passes them and the voters approve by voting for them on the November 2026 ballot. One of them, AJR 102, "seeks to target diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in state and local governments, passed 54-45 with only Republican support." The other proposed amendment "would prohibit the state from ordering the closure of places of worship during a state of emergency" (Wisconsin Examiner, January 14, 2026). Neither one, in my view, belongs in the Constitution. But enacting them as laws, I'm guessing, would make it easier for a future legislature — perhaps one with Democrats in the majority — to undo the measures.

So here's some really good news to counter all the ick. Governor Evers and Democratic Party Chair Devin Remiker have established The Governor Readiness Project. "Remiker and Evers are joined by former state party chair Ben Wikler and Cassi Fenilli, a Democratic operative who successfully steered Evers to victory in 2018 and 2022 and led Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Susan Crawford’s winning campaign earlier this year. The goal is simple: Put together a ready-made campaign to hand off to the Democrat who wins the August 2026 primary (The Cap Times, October 27, 2025).

I only learned about it when Governor Evers called me for a contribution to the project so that, in addition to lining up strategists and the like, there will be enough money for the candidate who wins the August 11 primary to mount a vigorous campaign. In my view, this is good news because it addresses a problem that almost certainly hampered former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes when he ran two years ago against Senator Ron Johnson and lost by a smidgeon. One of the keys, apparently, was Barnes' inability to rebut attack ads that appeared the moment he won the primary because he lacked sufficient financial resources. You can of course support an individual candidate running in the primary. But if you'd like to support the person who wins the primary now, whoever that turns out to be, Act Blue is your friend!

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Support Grassroots North Shore! We're holding our annual fundraiser on Sunday, February 1, from 4:30 to 6:00pm online:  Protecting This Wall of Democracy: Defending the Courts and Constitution in the State and the Nation. The money we raise makes all our work possible — election activities as well as events to keep us informed and engaged.

As our Supreme Court casts aside precedent and voter protections, as legislatures redraw electoral districts, and as unwelcome ICE and national guard deployments march into multiple states, the courts now define and protect the country’s norms. We have a stellar lineup of speakers to address those issues:

• Jeff Mandell, President and founder of Law Forward;
  
  
• Mary B. McCord, Director of Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection;
  
  
• Paul L. Kiessel, attorney and founder of Speak up for Justice, a nonpartisan initiative projecting the rule of law, our democracy, and our judges.

and then SIGN UP.

Indivisible: Health insurance premium supports. Last year, Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” let Affordable Care Act tax credits expire. It was one of the many provisions of the bill that screwed over working Americans to pay for tax breaks for some of the richest people in history.

The impasse over healthcare affordability -- Democrats insisting the subsidies get funded, and Republicans refusing to negotiate at all -- led to last fall’s government shutdown. But last Thursday, there was a breakthrough. Seventeen House Republicans backed a Democratic bill to restore the subsidies and end the healthcare nightmare of the GOP’s own making. Now it’s the Senate’s turn to do the right thing and pass this bill. Click here to email your senators and demand they vote to extend ACA subsidies immediately.

EVENTS

Wednesday, January 14

Thursday, January 15

Saturday, January 17

Monday, January 19

Tuesday, January 20

Wednesday, January 21

Wednesday, January 28

Thursday, January 29

Saturday, January 31

Sunday, February 1

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As you probably know by now, Judge Hannah Dugan has been found guilty of a felony obstruction but not guilty of concealing an immigrant from federal agents.

Grassroots North Shore as well as a group of local and statewide nonprofits and progressive organizations have signed a statement put out by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign a press release and posted on its website. It says in part:

To understand more about the case, Ruth Conniff's commentary —   Making sense of the trial and felony conviction of a Milwaukee judge who stood up to ICE — in today's Wisconsin Examiner focuses on the prosecution's argument that Dugan interfered by letting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the defendant, leave the courthouse. So the agents ultimately had to arrest Flores-Ruiz on the street outside making the agents less "safe." "The federal agents called to the stand, the prosecutors in the courtroom, and Schimel [the Acting US Attorney], in his summary of the case, made a big point about the 'safety' of law enforcement officers. Repeatedly, we heard that immigration agents prefer to make arrests inside courthouses because they provide a 'safe' environment in which to operate."

Conniff concludes: "The real questions raised by Dugan’s case are whether we believe the 'safety' of the agents making those dubious arrests matters more than the safety of our communities, and whether we want the courts to be able to regulate the conduct in their own courthouses as a check on the government’s exercise of raw power."

For an explanation of the legal issues, Adam Klasfeld and Harry Litman, both legal scholars, discuss what happened and what comes next. One issue that might emerge from an appeal is "materiality," meaning that nothing Judge Dugan did materially affected the outcome: Flores-Ruiz exited Judge Dugan's courtroom through a door primarily used by juries but it led to the public hallway where the federal agents were waiting. Presumably they could have arrested him in the public hallway. One of them even accompanied the immigrant to the ground floor and presumably could have detained him before he left the courthouse! Subsequently Flores-Ruiz was arrested on the street outside the courthouse. So no harm, no foul? The discussion between Klasfeld and Litman is about 22 minutes long.

There is a legal defense fund for her. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine P. Geske oversees and serves as trustee of the fund. Because the case involves a sitting judge, there are strict rules on who can contribute. The gist of the rules are as follows:

• if you are not a registered lobbyist,
• you are not a Milwaukee County resident,
• or you do not have any business before the Milwaukee County Circuit Court system,

you are probably eligible to contribute as are your friends, family, and like-minded co-workers. Any amount you can give or can solicit from others will be appreciated. Contribute online through Stripe (rather than ActBlue) or write a check payable to “Hannah Dugan Legal Defense Fund” and send to:

          Hannah Dugan Legal Defense Fund
          1345 N Jefferson St., #172
          Milwaukee, WI 53202

In solidarity,
{{broadcaster.name}}
www.grassrootsnorthshore.com

Before we get to the newsy bits, there's something I need EVERYONE to do: read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article Protests over Port Washington data center signal new fears and fill out the survey at the end of the piece. Data Centers are popping up everywhere with little to no regulation. And with promises of riches for the communities where they are to be located. But the downsides of these projects don't get enough coverage. They have HUGE IMPLICATIONS for the amount of water and electricity they require. So pollution and the spiking price of utilities for everyone are real concerns. Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin has introduced a bill as a first step toward raising awareness and curbing some otherwise deleterious outcomes, but the current proposal does not regulate giving the companies who own and operate these centers discounts on taxes and electric rates. Have a look at the article, which tries to be even-handed, and then fill out the survey. You have my thanks in advance.

Now for the gobsmacking news! Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff at least for now, is everywhere! Her Vanity Fair interviews captured a lot of print pages and air time. But it's all a big distraction, right? Of course, it's appalling that she feels free to say in essence that the country is being governed by a roomful of broken clowns and headed up by a man who famously doesn't drink but who she describes as having "an alcoholic's personality." As Adam Gabbatt, from The Guardian put it, "So it appears Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, agrees with many of us: she thinks Donald Trump’s cabinet is bonkers."

However, Gabbatt's article — Susie Wiles interview might be a useful distraction from how poorly things are going for Americans — enumerates some of the key problems the Trump regime would rather not deal with.

And as I type this up, a NEW discharge petition has just been signed by four (vulnerable) Republicans to force a vote in the House of Representatives to extend the Affordable Care Act premium support subsidies for three years. The full article linked from the brief summary explains that the legislation "would not see action until January, after the subsidies have expired. And even if it were to succeed in the House, it would be all but certain to die in the Senate, where Republicans blocked a three-year extension last week." Here's the link to the full article — Republicans push Democrats’ bid to force a vote on health care subsides over the finish line. Of course these same Republicans could have signed the discharge petition weeks ago so that the vote could take place BEFORE the subsidies expire. The whole thing is yet another "performance" intended to appear virtuous. It's not.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Elections commission denies U.S. DOJ demand for voter personal information. "At a special meeting Thursday afternoon [December 11, 2025] and in a letter sent in response to the DOJ demand, WEC stated that Wisconsin law explicitly prevents the commission from sharing the personal information of voters." Boston Public Radio's report notes, "The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 on Thursday against turning over unredacted voter information to the Trump administration. The lone dissenter was Republican commissioner Robert Spindell." Note that Spindell was one of the fraudulent electors in the 2020 election cycle!

Other news that caught my eye recently includes this bittersweet notice: As hunger concerns linger, Wisconsin after-school programs host food pantry sites. The story focuses on an after school program in Madison but mentions that "other after-school programs have added food pantry services to their offerings for families who may not be able to afford to keep their cupboards full." It's a feel-good story of sorts but keeping children and families fed should not have to be the responsibility of after school programs!

And in other sad news, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant program is in all likelihood shutting down: "Without the stewardship fund, projects to conserve 1,300 acres of Northwoods forest near the headwaters of the Wisconsin River in Vilas County, hundreds of acres of 'ecologically significant' wetlands in Door County and dozens of acres of prairie and grassland in Dane County could go unfinished" (Wisconsin Examiner, December 9, 2025). Founded in 1989, the program had usually found large bipartisan support, but recently "some Republicans in the state Legislature — largely from communities in the northern part of the state — have grown hostile to it." What's more conservative than conservation of the natural environment, I want to know.

The trial for Judge Hannah Dugan is underway. WPR covers both the gathering of supporters ahead of the first day of the trial and some discussion of the early testimony as the trial begins. It's unclear to me when the defense will present its case or when the jury will retire to deliberate.

We're heading into two weeks of holiday cheer. So I am planning to take a brief vacation from producing this newsletter, which would otherwise be scheduled to come out on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Whether you are traveling or staying at home, entertaining or just chilling (while keeping warm of course) I wish you all a lovely and joyous holiday season. Next year will be chock-a-block with election activities. Rest up now and then get involved in as many of our efforts to win the elections as you can. We're counting on you. Don't disappoint!

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From the Women's March: Free America Walkout Pledge. On January 20 at 2 pm local time, we’re walking out of work, school, everywhere — because a Free America begins the second we refuse to fuel fascism with our labor, our time, or our dollars. When women and feminists pull our labor, our money, and our consent, the country doesn’t just wobble. It stops. We expose the truth: nothing in America moves without us. That’s our leverage. That’s our fire.

On January 20, we’re turning that power all the way on — together. Sign the pledge!