One quick word about Epstein and then the rest of the newsletter can focus on what's really going on, ok? So the story about the breakup in the Trump-Epstein bromance changes almost every day. And every time it gets creepier and more openly reveals Trump's knowledge of Epstein's pedophilia, and perhaps Trump's connivence. We've had the 2002 gush (New York, October 28, 2022): Jeffery is just a "terrific guy" who happens to really enjoy his social life with beautiful women "on the younger side." Several more bombshell stories later, we now have yesterday's account — belied by the actual timeline of events — that he banned Epstein because Jeffery "stole his people" (like Trump owned them) including Virginia Guiffre who was 16 at the time and who committed suicide three months ago!

The break between the two men did not happen in 2000 when Giuffre was "stolen," however, but four years later — in 2004 (listen to this PBS account). So that's where we are: lie piled on lie as usual. Will it make any difference to voters' views of the man, to their views of what he is doing to our country? Who knows. Because the Epstein files have such salience with the MAGA crowd in so many different ways, it could. And already it's having a measurable effect on independents (a mere 29% approve of him according to a new Gallup poll).

Nancy Pelosi has called the whole Epstein saga a distraction. While I disagree, it's true that there are lots of other consequential news we need to know. Beginning with understanding our right to protest and to keep ourselves safe while doing so. And that's what our One Million Rising Workshop is designed to address.

So let's get to the heart of where we are as a country and where we seem to be going. In my amateur opinion, what we are witnessing is a full-scale assault on our cherished structure of three independent and co-equal branches of government: Congress, Judiciary, and Executive. And that's because the executive branch — helmed by the president and surprisingly aided by the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) — is gobbling up the other two branches of government, and indeed its own internal, quasi-independent structures designed to promote accountability or to exercise its professionals' best judgment with as little political pressure as possible. Here's what I see.

Congress and the power of the purse. In an interview with Steve Inskeep on PBS recently, Jonathan Martin, a journalist with Politico, notes that the Republicans in Congress are giving up their "most prized power, which is the ability to control federal spending. You know, lawmakers crave the ability to direct spending in their states and districts." He was directly addressing the so-called rescissions package that retroactively "approved" what amounted to the illegal impoundment of congressionally mandated funds to various agencies and grants. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 prohibits presidents from failing to spend "money that has been appropriated by the U.S. Congress" and SCOTUS found the law to be constitutional (Wikipedia). Even with the passage of the rescissions package, the Trump regime is still sitting on billions of dollars of legally appropriated funds. So illegal impoundment continues.

The US Senate's power to advise and consent to high-level appointees and judgeships nominated by the president. In at least two different districts, the president has brushed aside the legal obligation of that federal judicial district's judges to appoint a US attorney if there is no Senate-confirmed one after an interim US attorney has served for 120 days. The judges can choose to appoint the person who had been the interim US attorney in their district, but they are under no obligation to do so. In the two cases in question, the Northern District of New York and in New Jersey, the Trump regime is trying to circumvent the law by firing the attorney the judges elected and installing the previous interim attorney as the first assistant US attorney in that district, "triggering a separate law that elevates top deputies to lead the office in an acting capacity for up to 210 days." In the New Jersey case, the Department of Justice "argues that acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba was properly appointed because the administration fired the deputy selected by judges to replace Habba before their order could go into effect." The stratagem circumvents both the district judges' legal role AND the Senate's to advice and consent.

The Federal Judiciary. "Group Founded by Trump Ally Stephen Miller Sues John Roberts in Bid to Control Courts" shouts a headline at Democracy Docket from May 2, 2025. The suit, which Democracy Docket calls a "brazen but unlikely attempt to seize control of the federal court system," argues "that the Judicial Conference of the U.S. and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts — two key judicial branch bodies that frame policy and handle the basic functions of the federal courts — are executive branch agencies." Talking Points Memo's headline reads "John Roberts in Court Filing: I Manage the Judiciary, Not the President." The article notes a central irony: "Roberts and the Republican-appointed majority on the court have spent this year rejecting similar arguments when applied to independent executive branch agencies. As they’ve dismissed those arguments, granting more power to President Trump, they’ve carved out exceptions that make sense practically but which legal experts criticize as incoherent: the National Labor Relations Board may not be an independent agency, the court ruled in May, but the Federal Reserve is."

Just yesterday, Attorney General Bondi "filed a misconduct complaint against...Judge James E. Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, 'for making improper public comments' about the president and his administration" (shared from the New York Times, July 29, 2025). The NYTimes article cites several additional actions against federal judges: in February against the judge "overseeing a challenge to Mr. Trump’s ban on transgender people in the military," in June suing Maryland judges, "accusing them of intruding on the president’s inherent powers to 'enforce the nation’s immigration laws,'" and in July accusing "members of the federal bench in New Jersey of being 'rogue judges' during a fight over who would be the state’s next acting U.S. attorney."

Independent Agencies within the Executive Branch. These include such entities as the National Labor Relations Board and the Merits Systems Protection Board. But the court oddly carved out a tortured reason why the same principles would not apply to the Federal Reserve Board. The ruling granted the Trump regime's request to "pause orders by federal judges that required government officials to allow board members at two independent federal agencies to stay in office after President Donald Trump tried to fire them" (SCOTUSblog, May 22, 2025). In some cases, firing some members of these independent boards has rendered the boards unable to act because they lack a quorum!

This abbreviated account hardly touches on all the rot and corruption we are seeing. So let's face it: America as we have known it is in serious trouble. Rather than watch our entire system of government collapse in front of our eyes, though, we are planning to take power back from the MAGA hordes now running Congress into the ground. The 2026 elections will tell us a lot — probably all we will need to know — about our country and its potential for recovering from what currently ails us. But we're not waiting until a year from now to get busy. I hope you will join us. In particular, Grassroots North Shore will be organizing phone calls and texts to voters in Wisconsin Congressional District 1 (Bryan Steil's district). And the Wisconsin Democrats have organized virtual phone banks to call into Wisconsin Congressional District 3 (Derrick Van Orden's district). Please sign up to participate in one action or the other. The volunteer page will provide a more detailed explanation of each.

TAKE ACTION

The Comité sin Fronteras, an immigrant-led arm of Voces de la Frontera, needs volunteers to respond to raids in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Involvement can range from taking "verifier" training to be able to identify and report ICE presence in your neighborhood, to actively participating in monthly planning and discussion meetings, to financial support.

Verifier training is every held every other Saturday from 1-3 (Aug 2, 16 and Sept 6, 20). A verifier travels quickly to reported nearby locations to confirm or deny ICE activity. This requires reliable transportation and some daytime flexibility. Please use this form to sign up.

Concerned Citizens at Eastcastle hold a protest every Saturday from 1:00 to 1:30pm on E Bradford Avenue between N Downer Avenue and N Prospect Avenue. Concerned Citizens are a group of Eastcastle residents but they would welcome some participation of other like-minded people, and especially supporters from Grassroots North Shore. We need to show as much support as we can for self-organizing groups like this one. So if you have an hour to give and a sign left over from the Hands Off or No Kings rallies, drop by to stand — or sit — with these good folks!

Forward Scholars, a specialized tutoring program for a select group of Milwaukee Public Schools, is gearing up for tutors for the 2025–2026 school year! We’re looking forward (pun absolutely intended!) to another incredible year together. As of July 10th, Forward Scholars has 133 amazing tutors signed up — but our goal is 315, and we need your help to get there!

We are expanding to 10 Milwaukee schools this year and send this recruitment message for friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Every new tutor means more students get the one-on-one support they deserve. If you're interested, please submit the 👉 Forward Scholars Interest Form '25-'26 School Year. Attend the next virtual session for volunteers on Aug. 7th at 1 PM. Register with friends or contacts who may be interested in tutoring.

t seems like there's more than a week's worth of news to report; there's just so much of it. The media have a laser-like focus on the Jeffrey Epstein case — all except Faux News, of course. But before we get to the firehose, I want to mention two programs Grassroots North Shore wants to promote.

The first is a joint production of Grassroots North Shore and our sister organization Worth Fighting For Wisconsin, called the One Million Rising Workshop, featuring former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Jim Santelle. Today, federal forces — including military forces ordered to act against American civilians, ICE and other federal agents ordered to snatch people off the streets, and national guard troops co-opted by the federal government — are acting with impunity. We have seen what they have done in California and Chicago.

Are we prepared for them here? It's critically important that we understand what "The Feds" can and cannot do, and understand what our best response would be if they do what they aren't supposed to do. To make sure we're ready, we will provide an overview of a One Million Rising training the leadership attended on July 16. (You can see the whole training on YouTube.) The trainers described how Trump and his would-be authoritarian regime have worked to take over the “pillars of support” that undergird political leaders. Then we’ll dive into one of the pillars: Military / Police. We’re calling it “The Feds.” Jim Santelle will guide our discussion and help explain our rights as we protest, accompany immigrants to ICE/Court hearings, etc., and track ICE or other federal activities. Please sign up to participate.

The second is a Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition on a STATEWIDE TOUR, coming to Waukesha on August 20. So save the date and plan to attend one. Why? Because we may have fair maps now, but they’re only temporary. Without lasting legislation, we risk going back to a system where politicians pick their voters — and ignore the will of the people. When maps are rigged, we don’t get what we want or need: clean air and water, strong public schools, affordable healthcare, and real accountability. We need to enshrine in law, and ultimately in the state constitution, an Independent Redistricting Commission to take the task of drawing electoral maps out of the hands of politicians — who tend to produce gerrymandered maps to protect the party in power and their incumbents — and into the hands of voters. The Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition is mounting this tour to hear from YOU. But if you can't attend, you can read a first draft of a proposal, written by activists and volunteers with the Fair Maps Coalition, here and comment so it can be revised to reflect the ideas of Wisconsin's citizens.

Now on to tariffs — the very mention of the word starts me yawning. As you may know, Trump has been very busy announcing a new rounds of them, many of them seeming as arbitrary as the last ones. According to Reuters's timeline of tariff and trade deal announcements since the Orange Man took office, July has been a busy month for them. Threats of draconian tariffs came up on July 3, 6, 7,10, 12, and 15. For example, on July 3, he says he will "place a 20% tariff on many Vietnamese exports, with trans-shipments from third countries through Vietnam facing a 40% levy." On July 10, it was Canada's turn: "a 35% tariff on imports from Canada in August and plans to impose blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most other trading partners." On the 12th it was "to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU" and on the 15th, it was a "19% tariff on goods from Indonesia." Finally, yesterday, the man singlehandedly destroying the global economy says he struck a trade deal with Japan that "lowers tariffs on auto imports to 15% and spares Tokyo from punishing new levies on other goods." Only "lowers" is a misnomer since the 15% tariff on auto parts and imports is certainly lower than the 25% tariff he announced on April 3, 2025, but still higher than it had been before Trump started his trade wars.

The impact of Trump's trade strategy, if we can call it that, has already been felt — and not in a good way — in Wisconsin. Joe Schultz of Wisconsin Public Radio, writing in yesterday's Urban Milwaukee, claims that "President Donald Trump’s tariffs are making it harder for Wisconsin businesses to predict the price of raw materials and are straining decades-long relationships with trade partners — and more tariffs are expected to take effect next month." He goes on to say that "tonnage through the Port of Milwaukee since the start of 2025 was down by about 30 percent as of May compared to the same period last year."

The TACO tag just won't go away. Every week, it seems, brings a new tariff threat and a new tariff "reduction." Once a month or so, we hear that the tariff the Trump regime had imposed some time earlier is now going to be postponed, maybe for 90 days, maybe just for three weeks. And unpredictability seems to be the point. Stock markets in Japan and around the world rallied after the trade deal was announced: "Share prices rose sharply in Tokyo, where the Nikkei index of leading Japanese companies increased by 3.5%. European markets followed, with the FTSE 100 gaining 0.4% to close at a fresh record high of 9,061. US markets posted further gains with the Dow Jones rising by over 1% and the S&P closing up 0.78% at a record high" (The Guardian, July 23, 2025).

The mainstream media seem to consider this trade deal a success and a "win" for the Trumpistas. Here's CNN's take: How Trump turned the tide in his trade war. And from Axios: How Trump has shifted trade war psychology. "Six months ago, the prospect of a 15% tariff on all goods from a major trading partner like Japan — vastly higher than seen in modern times — would likely have spooked financial markets and caused a wave of economic worry. Now it brings relief.... Financial markets and manufacturers alike...[have] concluded that it's not so terrible, considering it could be worse." So my head still hurts, just not as much as it was when I was still smashing it into the wall? Some win!

The outrage about the Epstein files coming from both the MAGA base and increasingly from Democrats is kind of deafening. Much of the coverage, though, focuses on Trump's betrayal of his promise to be the most transparent administration EVER. Or something like that. ("I like transparency here. And I’m the most transparent President in history." In the White House Archives. ) But the real issue is the tissue of conspiracy theories that grew up around the pedofile's activities. You see, Epstein was supposed to be the center of a cabal of elites, especially prominent Democrats like the Clintons. Members of the cabal supposedly paid Epstein money to pursue the sexual abuse of children while the "deep state" was (and is) withholding the files to protect the elites. (See Why do Trump's MAGA followers care so much about the Epstein files? ABC News, July 19, 2025). And Trump was supposed to expose EVERYTHING. Now the administration wants everyone to move on. As a result, at least in my naive opinion, it is now impossible for it to release enough information to satisfy the baying hordes. Because whatever they manage to release, the information will never corroborate the whole fabulous (in the sense of a wildly unbelievable) conspiracy.

Enough of that. Let's turn to a mystery here at home. Speculation runs rampant about Justice Rebecca Bradley's lack of fundraising for her supposed re-election bid. A week ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that she had raised NO MONEY during the finance reporting period that ended in June. Meanwhile, Judge Chris Taylor, who is running for the seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, has raised "raised more than $583,000 since she launched her campaign in May." That two-month haul outpaced "Justice-elect Susan Crawford's $460,000 haul in the same timeframe." The Journal Sentinel's article does not reach the obvious conclusion, but several other media outfits have: WPR went with the headline Justice Rebecca Bradley is up for election. But will she be on the ballot?. Mark Belling was an early bird on this story, writing on June 11, before the June 30 closure of the finance period, EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Bradley Unlikely To Run For Reelection To Wisconsin Supreme Court: "Sources close to Bradley say she has been discussing her options on a run with close advisers and political strategists. Those familiar with Bradley’s thinking say she has not made a final decision but that it is unlikely that she will run."

Bruce Murphy's latest in Urban Milwaukee has a pretty interesting view: "Does Justice Rebecca Bradley Face An Enthusiasm Gap?" He writes that "speculation abounds: that she’s tired of being a minority judge on the high court, which is no fun. That she’s not excited about undergoing the personal attacks that are inevitable in a hard-fought, red-versus-blue election." But he wonders whether "Republicans aren’t excited about working for her reelection." Republicans, he speculates, "will want to portray Chris Taylor as a liberal extremist" but may find it difficult to do because, as Murphy says, Bradley holds "some of the most extreme views in modern Wisconsin history." Needless to say, it is probably easier for Chris Taylor to win in a race with an open seat than it would be for her to run against an incumbent.

There's a lot more to cover, alas. But it's time for everyone to hop off the couch and DO SOMETHING to make our state and country just a little bit better!

TAKE ACTION

Fighting Oligarchy Coalition community assemblies:
In Milwaukee, Saturday July 26, at 2:00pm. Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N Vel R Phillips Ave.
In Franklin, Sunday, July 27, at 2:00pm. Whitnall Park, 5879 S 92nd St.

A broad coalition of labor unions, grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, and working-class leaders has launched the Fighting Oligarchy Tour, a two-part journey across Wisconsin to build support for The New Wisconsin Idea—a bold economic justice vision for a state that works for the working class, not the billionaires. The coalition is calling out the corporate greed that has left working families behind while billionaires grow richer. With a clear message—“Make Wisconsin work for the working class, not the billionaires”—the tour aims to galvanize communities around a shared vision for economic justice for every Wisconsinite. Download the event flyer for a synopsis of the New Wisconsin Idea.

Ozaukee County Fair Volunteers Needed: Please sign up to work a shift at the Ozaukee Dems' booth at the Ozaukee County Fair, July 30 - August 3. We're only asking for 3-4 hours of your time. It’s fun, it goes by fast, and you never are there alone Please sign up TODAY!.

From WisDems: Poll Workers are essential to the voting process and protecting the rights of voters and small-d democracy. It also provides an opportunity for you to serve your community in an essential civic capacity and to get to know your neighbors better. Sign up to become a poll worker for the 2026-2027 election cycle! Curious about what it entails? Join our Poll Worker Info Sessions! These 30-minute Zoom sessions will run every Tuesday night (5-5:30pmCT) and Thursday afternoon (1-1:30pmCT) throughout this summer and fall. We’ll discuss the specifics of the nomination process, as well as the requirements and basics of being a poll worker, and you can ask our team any questions that you might have!

Also Weekly Voter Protection Phonebanks are back!! Love talking to voters and giving them an opportunity to protect our democracy? You’re in luck! Help our team recruit poll workers for the 2026-2027 election cycle at one of our weekly phonebanks! We’ll train you how to make phone calls to potential poll workers, and provide a script. Our phonebanks will run weekly on Monday nights from 5-7pm CT. Head to the signup page now to find one that works for you.

From Vote Forward: In April 2023, Vote Forward volunteers sent tens of thousands of handwritten letters to voters across Wisconsin, encouraging them to participate in the state’s Supreme Court election. With our letter writing campaign in this year’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court election already underway, we’re counting on volunteers like you to help us replicate the impact we made in Wisconsin.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has made rulings with enormous implications for voting rights in recent years, including striking down the state’s gerrymandered congressional map in 2018 and extending the mail-in ballot deadline amidst the pandemic in 2020. It’s safe to say the outcome of this year’s retention election will also have huge implications for the future of our democracy, so will you sign up to send letters to voters in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court campaign today? Sign up.

From Postcards to Swing States: Sign up to write postcards to rally Democrats to vote in the November 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Here's how it works:

1. We mail you the postcards for free, along with voter lists and instructions with proven message options. Expect delivery within 1-2 weeks of when you sign up.
2. You handwrite one of our short message options and hand address the voter's address. Please do not make up your own message.
3. You provide Postcard Stamps (currently $0.62) and mail the postcards on the October date indicated on your instructions.

News Boosting postcards, a new program this year. Sign up now to help write our innovative News Boosting postcards to spread the truth to voters across Virginia. Target voters will receive 10 postcards between July and October — each volunteer will send just one headline and have at least four weeks to write their 100+ cards before the assigned mailing date.

We're measuring the effectiveness of this new approach on both turnout and vote choice in a large randomized controlled experiment, which will help inform Democratic strategy.

See the 1-page flyer that explains this new and innovative effort in greater detail.

Yesterday, there was more bad news from the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). In the latest shadow docket ruling the court once again overruled lower courts by allowing the Trump regime to fire federal workers en masse while the lower courts continue to deliberate, and deliberate, and deliberate on the matter. There was only one written dissent — from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. "She said President Donald Trump is unleashing a 'wrecking ball' on the federal government, and she slammed the court’s majority for its 'demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President’s legally dubious actions in an emergency posture' "(Politico, July 8, 2025). The lower court's injunction at least temporarily stopped the Trump regime from laying off employees at the departments of State, Treasury, Transportation, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, among others. The Supreme Court has now made it possible for those agencies to take their own figurative chainsaws to their workers.

Jackson's dissent comes with a dire warning: she has "no doubt that executive lawlessness will flourish because of the decision" and she predicts "executive power will become completely uncontainable" (ABC News, July 8, 2025). Justice Sotomayor, who voted with the majority to stay the lower court's injunction, defended the ruling: "I agree with Justice Jackson that the President cannot restructure federal agencies in a manner inconsistent with congressional mandates. Here, however, the relevant Executive Order directs agencies to plan reorganizations and reductions in force ‘consistent with applicable law’ … and the resulting joint memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management reiterates as much." It's not clear, however, that agencies are in fact doing much planning. And the federal government can easily be decimated by the time any court rules on the merits of these cases. Stay tuned.

Apparently, last week's catastrophic flooding and rising body count did not factor into the SCOTUS decision. Vacancies in important positions in the National Weather Service MAY have played a role in the failure of the area's officials to respond adequately to warnings, though there seems to be a lot of finger pointing going on around this tragedy. According to a Snopes report (July 9, 2025), "The weather service issued a series of timely alerts: a flood watch early in the afternoon on July 3, a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. July 4, and a flash flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. July 4, before any in-person reports of flooding had been received." The 4:00 a.m. warning did specify that it was an emergency, which should have triggered evacuations.

According to the National Weather Service, a flash flood WARNING is issued "when dangerous flash flooding is happening or will happen soon." It goes on to say "this is when you must act quickly as flash floods are an imminent threat to you and your family. You may only have seconds to move to higher ground." In other words, a flood warning is a serious matter requiring fast action. A flash flood EMERGENCY, like the one issued at 4:03am, is "issued for the EXCEEDINGLY RARE situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon. Typically, emergency officials are reporting LIFE-THREATENING water rises resulting in water rescues/evacuations." At the time the emergency warning was issued, the Guadalupe River was already rising, but the warning should have alerted authorities to react quickly to move people out of harms way.

In other court news, the ACLU is suing again to stop Trump's assault on birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court issued a ruling that could allow the government to deny citizenship to certain American-born children – so the ACLU is suing again. In an email to supporters, the group wrote:

In a bright spot for this litigation round-up, we should not ignore a huge loss for the Trump regime: "A federal judge ruled as unlawful an executive order by President Donald Trump that barred asylum by claiming an 'invasion' at the southern border and the need to protect states" (Wisconsin Examinar, July 2, 2025). The July 2 ruling prevents the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing the executive order. Although Judge Moss put his order on hold for 14 days to give the federal government time to appeal the ruling, he also "also agreed to certify a class for potential asylum-seekers, which comes after last week’s Supreme Court ruling that curtailed nationwide injunctions from lower courts. Certifying a class was suggested by the court to give judges an avenue to make an order broader."

In local court news, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the results of today's hearing in the case of Judge Hannah Dugan: Once on a fast track, a trial for Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan now likely months off. A U.S. Magistrate Judge's report on the motion to dismiss the case recommended denying the motion. But that is not the end of the story. "During the four-minute hearing, the defense and prosecution agreed that the next round of filings on the defense's motion to dismiss will be filed later this month. Then it will be up to [U.S. District Judge] Adelman to rule on the motion in August at the earliest." Either way the case goes, the losing party can appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Nothing about our system of justice seems to be expeditious enough to meet the moment. And for the duration, presumably, Judge Dugan remains suspended with pay.

And while we're on the subject of litigation, I almost missed an announcement from mid-June that a Wisconsin lawsuit seeks to ban Elon Musk from offering $1 million checks to voters. "The lawsuit filed ... by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says that Musk’s actions create 'the risk that Wisconsin elections will become an open auction, where votes go to the preferred candidates of the highest bidders and the election outcome is determined by which candidate has a patron willing and able to pay the highest sum to Wisconsin voters.'" Our own former chair, Debbie Patel, is one of the plaintifs in the suit. The remedy the suit seeks — an order that Musk and his affiliated PACs never offer similar payments to voters again — seems simple and obvious enough. With another supreme court election scheduled for April 2026, we will be watching!

Budgets, we like to say, are moral documents. They tell us what the authors value in unmistakeable terms. So before the president could sign the One Big, Bad Budget Bill into law on July 4, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffires used his "magic minute" to deliver the longest House speech in history — 8 hours and 46 minutes! — blasting the bill as immoral for taking from the poor to give even more riches to millionaires and billionaires. Although it was clear that the bill would pass, and that Democrats lacked the votes to prevent it, Jeffries' speech delayed the proceedings so that at least Republicans would have to hold their vote, not in the wee dark hours of the morning, but in the bright light of midday. His speech shone a rhetorical spotlight on the heart of the matter: the bill is "a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-back health insurance and food aid benefits" (Reuters, July 3, 2025).

At almost the same moment as the One Big, Bad Budget was being passed in Washington, Governor Evers signed the new biennium budget for Wisconsin, what he hailed as a welcome compromise. Here are the provisions the Washington Examiner highlighted: "The budget cuts taxes by $1.3 billion, makes investments in the University of Wisconsin system, boosts public schools’ special education reimbursement rate to 45% and allocates about $330 [million] for child care." The timing of Evers' signature was significant: "a provision in the state budget that increases a Medicaid-related hospital assessment from 1.8% to 6%, the current federal limit, to supplement the state’s Medicaid resources" needed to be signed into law before the president could sign his Big, Bad Budget Bill that would restrict Wisconsin (and all other states) from raising the assessment. That provision is "estimated to result in over $1 billion in additional Medicaid revenue that will go back to Wisconsin hospitals."

It's important to recognize that not all Democrats voted for the budget while some Republicans did. Wisconsin Public Radio notes that "In both the Assembly and the Senate, the bill had bipartisan support — as well as bipartisan opposition." Even though the bill passed in the Assembly, "most Democrats and one Republican opposed" it. Still, "during a long day of debate over the new state budget, Democratic lawmakers repeatedly said the [new legislative] maps ... made a difference." We may actually be seeing the positive effects of having fairer electoral maps because those new maps led to much smaller Republican majorities in both houses. Hence the need for compromise. Let's hear it for fairness, a quintessential American value.

COUNTY & STATE FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER with the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County: "Please consider signing up for 1, 2, 3 or more shifts. This year, the State Fair runs July 31st–August 10th. We could really use your help and experience. It's important that we can represent Democratic Party values, find volunteers to win elections, give our friends the information they need, and let the other side know we're not going away. To do this we need people to volunteer at the State Fair Booth. The issues we face in the future are crucial and we will have the opportunity to come in contact with thousands of people during our time at the fair. We appreciate all the help that we get. There will be 3 shifts per day: 10:00 a.m.-2 p.m.; 2-6 p.m.; and 6-9 p.m. Free admission to the fair is included!" Sign up.

Sign up with the Fighting Oligarchy Coalition: The FOC is seeking volunteers to table/organize at county fairs around the state. FOC will have printed copies of the Economic Justice Bill of Rights flyers and other lit about the impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill. The sign-up form lists all the counties' fairs with in order by their dates so you can sign up for any one (or more) that you want. Sign up.

TAKE ACTION

SIGN UP FOR TRAINING with Indivisible: This summer, Indivisible is launching One Million Rising—a national effort to train one million people in the strategic logic and practice of non-cooperation, as well as the basics of community organizing and campaign design. This is how we build people power that can’t be ignored. You’re invited to join us—and lead. Let’s build a force bigger than fear and louder than hate. Let’s get ready. Let’s get organized. Let’s stop Trump. Sign up.

POSTCARDS TO SWING STATES: "In just the first three weeks of sign-ups for our innovative News Boosting postcard program, volunteers have signed up to write 560,000 postcards. But we still have 2,568,960 postcards to go to complete this important study.

What is News Boosting? We're sending postcards with useful headlines to Democratic-leaning voters in Virginia to combat disinformation and to make sure they learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for most people. Target voters will receive 10 postcards between July and October—but each volunteer will send just one headline and have at least four weeks to write their 100+ cards before their assigned mailing date.

We're measuring the effectiveness of this new approach on both turnout and vote choice in a large randomized controlled experiment, which will help inform Democratic strategy." Sign up.

WRITE POSTCARDS FOR NOV 4, 2025 ELECTIONS: "Our large postcard campaign for the November 4 elections is well underway! We're just over halfway to our goal of sending 6.9 million postcards to rally Democrats to vote in the important November 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Both Virginia and New Jersey have important gubernatorial and state legislative elections this fall. And in Pennsylvania, the Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court is at stake." Sign up.

NO MORE CUTS TO NOAA: The Union of Concerned Scientists and MoveOn have created a petition to Congress: "Protect NOAA: Our Safety in a Climate-Changed World Depends on It." Although the petition was created before the tragic flooding and loss of life in Texas, it seems especially apt right now. Sign the petitiion.

For the 4th of July holiday, let's begin the newsletter with uplifting, positive news for a change.

NO KINGS Day was a huge deal and a monumental success. G. Elliott Morris, author of the substack Strength in Numbers, undertook what he calls a collective crowdsourcing effort "involving many members of the independent data journalism community." Here's what that early report found:

Here in Milwaukee, at least 12,000 people turned out! Grassroots North Shore was no small part of its success: we provided a donation page to raise the funds needed for the sound system and the porta-potties and other rally needs and we provided lots of the publicity also. We owe a big thanks to Cheryl Maranto who did much of the heavy lifting for the event.

So give yourself a treat and watch Indivisible's compilation of the more than 2100 protest events nationwide. It takes about 2.5 minutes. The Milwaukee protest shows up at about 1:48. But the song playing over the images is well worth your time for the whole thing.

In other welcome news, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the 1849 law "that had banned abortions in nearly every situation" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 2, 2025). The MSJ piece makes sure you know that it was the liberal justices who "affirmed a lower court's previous decision that overturned the 19th Century law." Surprisingly, perhaps, the New York Times has a much more comprehensive account of the context and the effects of this latest Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in its article Wisconsin Supreme Court Strikes Down 1849 Abortion Ban (gifted so you can get past the paywall).

There's mixed news about the bienniel budget in the works for Wisconsin. Yesterday, Republican and Democratic legislative leaders and Governor Tony Evers "reached a tentative agreement on the 2025-27 state budget, agreeing to invest hundreds of millions in the University of Wisconsin system, to create new grant and payment programs for child care facilities, further boost investment in special education and cut $1.3 billion in taxes" (Wisconsin Examiner, July 1. 2025). The deal, however, is not completely done: "elements of the spending plan could change before the final bill gets to Evers' desk" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 2, 2025). The legislature's Joint Finance Committee has released the bill. The Assembly and the state Senate will vote on it this week.

According to another article in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, complaints and unhappiness about the compromise have appeared both on the left and on the right. Wisconsin Public Education Network, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, WISDOM, W.E.C.A.N. ane WEAC released a joint statement statement detailing the bill's shortcomings from their perspective: Public Education, Health Care, Criminal Justice, and Child Care Advocates Urge NO Vote on State Budget Deal.

On the national front, the Senate squeaked out enough votes, with Vice President J.D. Vance providing the tie-breaker, to pass Trump's Big Bastard Budget Bill. But the Senate's amended version still needs to pass the House of Representatives where the so-called "Freedom Caucus" want yet more changes, as of 1:30 pm CDT on July 2, The Guardian reports: "It remains unclear if he [Speaker Mike Johnson] has the numbers needed to pass the bill as the House prepares to take a key procedural vote to get the bill closer to final passage." But there's still time to twist arms to get the product to the president's desk so he can sign it with his usual tacky flourishes on July 4, as he has been demanding.

In tariff news, there's this nugget: "Trump's tariffs beat up economy as private sector loses jobs in June." The Daily Kos post explains that "President Donald Trump's destructive trade policy appears to finally be having the devastating impact on the job market that economists predicted, as ADP reported on Wednesday that private employers shed 33,000 jobs in June amid uncertainty created by Trump’s nonsensical tariffs." Just as experts had foretold.

Finally in schadenfreude-inducing reports, the AP's headline reads "Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce." The story emphasizes Musk's political views as a key driver: "Sales of Tesla electric cars fell sharply in the last three months as boycotts over Elon Musk's political views continue to keep buyers away, a significant development given expectations that anger with the company's billionaire CEO would have faded by now." The New York Times article, which I won't link to, blames Musk and the company's focus on self-driving cars rather than putting resources into new models aimed at attracting buyers and calling its current offerings an aging lineup.

TAKE ACTION

Support Judge Hannah Dugan: On Thursday, July 9, there is a hearing scheduled in the Judge Dugan case at the Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee. A faith vigil outside the courthouse is schedule to begin at 7:30am with the program starting at 8:00am. The hearing is an in-person status hearing although Judge Dugan is not required to attend. The judge presiding over the case, Judge Lynn Adelman, has delayed the July 21 trial date in the federal criminal case to ensure there is enough time to rule thoughtfully on the defense's motion to dismiss the case altogether. So even though the defendant need not be present at this hearing, it's important for her supporters to show up! Hope you can make it.

The Omnibus Big Bad Budget Bill:It's not too late to call your Representative, especially if your rep. is a Republican, to register your view that the House member should vote NO on the reconciliation bill currently being "tweaked" so it can garner enough Republican votes. You can find the number for your congress person here. Call now! Especially if your representative is Glenn Grothman! (And by the way, after weeks if not months of swearing he could not possibly vote for the budget-busting bill the President is pushing, Senator Ron Johnson nevertheless voted "yes" when it came time to pass it.)

From the ACLU: Send a message to US Representatives. This piece mentions Medicaid cuts but really homes in on how its spending items "turbocharge President Trump’s mass deportation machine. The bill includes $170 billion for immigration enforcement – with $45 billion allocated for the detention of more than 750,000 children, families, and adults in ICE detention facilities notorious for abuse. " Send the message.

From the Democratic Pary of Milwaukee County: Volunteer with the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County at State Fair. This year, the State Fair runs July 31st–August 10th. There will be 3 shifts per day: 10:00 a.m.-2 p.m.; 2-6 p.m.; and 6-9 p.m. Free admission to the fair is included! So Sign up for one or more shifts!

Any questions or having problems with sign up, please contact Mary Jonker, [email protected] or call 262-497-4672.

So we bombed Iran and all we have to show for it is this lousy Battle Damage Assessment (gifted from the New York Times, June 24, 2025) and this paltry newsletter!

Seriously, though, this will be a short one. Technically, I am on vacation. But stuff still happens, both nationally and in Wisconsin. In today's TAKE ACTION section, you will find two easy-peasy things to do, both urging you to contact an elected official to vote no or to veto some legislation. So when you get to that section, just pick up your phone or go to your computer and take care of business!

In addition to those two activities, Debbie Patel together with her co-host Brittany Vulich is holding a garden party to support the Comité sin Fronteras (Committee without Borders) on Sunday, June 29, at 3:00pm at her house (9130 N Spruce Rd, River Hills). It's a Friend- & Fund-Raiser Garden Party. So registration is required. The financial goal is to raise $5,000 at this event, which Debbie will match. Donations can be made online. All funds will be used to support immigrants in the greater Milwaukee area, and will go where the need is greatest.

Comité is a group of young immigrant leaders and activists focused on immigration reform. Today’s immediate focus is training volunteers to verify and document ICE raids. We do not interfere or break laws. Instead, we help immigrants know their rights, and bear witness when those rights are violated. This work helps all of us in the fight to protect democracy and the rule of law. Do what you can to get behind this effort. Donate here. Register to attend here.

A big topic in the national news is the fate of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" in Congress and, more importantly, in public opinion. Sahil Kapur at NBC News surveys the polls for us. One interesting poll he cites comes from Fox News: "A Fox News poll found that 38% of registered voters support the “One Big Beautiful Bill” based on what they know about it, while 59% oppose it." There are a bunch of other polls in his piece showing the same sort of public response. Read the whole thing.

While the Big, Ugly, MAGA-backed reconciliation bill bumbles along in the Senate, Wisconsin's legislature seems even more bizarre as it tries to pass its budget bill for the 2026-2028 biennium. Here's how the Wisconsin Examiner summarizes the current state of affairs: "With the state’s budget deadline less than a week away, the Wisconsin State Assembly approved a slate of bills that would create new programs but withheld funding, which Republicans said would come later. Democrats criticized Republicans, saying they couldn’t trust that the funding would actually be passed." Meanwhile Governor Evers has said publicly that he will not sign a budget if it fails to provide funding for the Child Care Counts program.

In an effort to see into the future — sort of like holding up a wet finger to the wind to find out what the weather will be like 18 months from now — a post in Daily Kos today (June 25, 2025), extrapolates from a very good primary for progressives in New York City and also in Syracuse and Buffalo. The blogger calls it a "strong night for left" and implies that it augers well for the midterms. Let's hope he's right.

And that's all for today. Stay cool but get busy.

TAKE ACTION

We expect the Big Bad Budget Bill debate to begin on the US Senate floor Wednesday evening, with a final vote on Thursday. The House may vote on the final version on Friday or into early next week. Contact Senator Ron Johnson and tell him to VOTE NO!

Contact information for Senator Johnson:
email web form
phone his Washington, D.C., office: (202) 224-5323.
phone his Milwaukee office: (414) 276-7282.

CALL TO ACTION: Urge Governor Evers to VETO the Modern-Day Poll Tax  
Wisconsin lawmakers just passed AB 87 / SB 95, a bill that would strip voting rights from people with past convictions unless they can afford to pay restitution and fees, even after serving their time and completing probation. Let’s be clear: this is not about justice. This is a Jim Crow-style poll tax designed to silence voters and suppress turnout, particularly in Black and brown communities. We need your voice right now to help stop it. TAKE ACTION NOW: Send a letter to Gov. Evers using this form. Learn more from the CCWI Press Release.

Before we get to the part where we can crow and chortle over our successes on June 14, Grassroots North Shore is already looking to the next big thing for us: Wisconsin Helps Wisconsin Volunteer Fair. As Professor Timothy Snyder exhorted the 100,000+ people at the NO KINGS Rally in Philadelphia, "We act together today and we DO SOMETHING TOGETHER tomorrow." That's because freedom comes after we kick out the kings, the wannabe dictators and tyrants through struggle, together. So Sunday, June 22, we are coming together in Doctors Park (1870 E Fox Ln, Fox Point) from 4:00 - 5:30pm, to meet, hear from, and sign up with a range of grassroots groups who will be undertaking various actions that collectively advance the cause of freedom for our families and our futures. I hope you'll be there to carry on the struggle.

In case you haven't heard, a HUGE number of people turned out for the NO KINGS events — old, young, black, brown, white and everything in between. We demonstrated and marched as American patriots, a melting pot of opposition to the current regime whose goal on that day was to suppress, intimidate, and frighten people — after all, that was the message the illegal deployment of the California National Guard and the US Marines over the objections of Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom was supposed to send to the rest of us. We understood the message. We just chose to defy it. To get a sense of the diversity, the energy, and the sheer size of the more than 2,100 NO KINGS events, Indivisible created this NO KINGS Indivisible mash-up. You should take some time to watch it: Milwaukee and Baltimore (where I was that day) both make the cut!

The Milwaukee rally attracted more than 12,000 people, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. Cathedral Square Park was packed with an overflow crowd who stood off to the side in the shade. Cheryl Maranto, co-chair of Grassroots North Shore and an essential participant in the planning committee, deserves our thanks and congratulations: she worked with the city to obtain the necessary permits, to provide the insurance certificate, to rent the portapotties, and to make sure the police were notified and prepared to ensure the safety of the protesters. As the Examiner notes, "There was no evidence of property destruction or clashes with police, and counter protesters were nowhere in sight." It was a great and glorious day!

Because I was in Baltimore on June 14, I had to find a demonstration I could attend with my family and friends, including our 8 year old grandson. So we all went to one in Catonsville, a Baltimore suburb where, as it happens, my husband was born and raised. A blogger at Daily Kos posted about it: "there appeared to be some 700-800 people at the protest in Catonsville." We all had made signs and wore matching NOPE t-shirts in a range of colors.

The number of participants nationwide is still somewhat in flux, as you can imagine. Some of the NO KINGS events took place in highly visible and centralized locations, such as the ones in Philly, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and LA. But many took place in small locations, like Eagle River, WI! Getting all the data from so many different places takes a bit of doing. The substack Strength in Numbers published an account of the data from about 40% of the events and extrapolated from there. The result? "According to our back-of-the-envelope math, that puts total attendance somewhere in the 4-6 million people range. That means roughly 1.2-1.8% of the U.S. population attended a No Kings Day event somewhere in the country yesterday."

The centerpiece of the day, of course, was supposed to be Trump's military parade ostensibly to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army but really to celebrate his 79th birthday. So how did it go? Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo reports. The Biggest Loser: The Public Is Rejecting Trump’s Degenerate Police State Antics. "The soldiers manning the tanks trundling down the city streets were all smiles, waving at the admittedly sparse crowd, saying “hi” to kids. I don’t think that’s the kind of parade Trump wanted. That’s not what a strongman’s military parade looks like. The soldiers are impassive. Their eyes are fixed on El Jefe. This wasn’t that."

Here's how Rex Huppke in USA Today (June 16, 2025) assessed it: "All he wanted was to celebrate his 79th birthday with a massive military parade that made him look powerful, scary and beloved. Instead, thanks to millions of Americans and their stupid First Amendment rights, he got a derpy, dull parade overshadowed by massive nationwide protests denouncing him."

Charles Pierce, writing I Went to Trump’s Military Parade. Everything About It Was Wrong in Esquire, called the parade "this leaden spectacle." He goes on to say "I have never experienced such a joyless, lifeless, and sterile mass event in my entire life. Grim-faced soldiers, marching past half-empty grandstands, many of them obviously wanting to be somewhere else. No bands. Little bunting. Just piped-in rock music and MAGA hats. If this truly was meant to honor the 250 years of the United States Army, all we got was an endless procession of uniformed troops looking like they’d prefer to have been at Valley Forge."

The nationwide protests carried the day and the military parade was a flop. But those events were marred by the assassination of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. Another legislator and his wife were wounded but survived. Although several prominent Republicans used their official social media accounts to condemn the violence, some — including Representative Derrick Van Orden — used their personal accounts to joke about it or to insinuate that the shooter was a liberal or to point fingers at Governor Walz. See the story in Monday's Journal Sentinel. Shame on them. Senator Baldwin, Representative Pocan, and Representative Moore were among the other 70 or so names on the assassin's list of targets. Let's hope the shooter does not become a model for others.

And in other news, Trump flip-flops on ICE raid policies. First he announced on Thursday, June 12, that immigrant farm workers — including aquaculture, meat-packing plants — and those in the hotel and leisure businesses would be exempt from the mass deportation effort currently underway. But TACO Don reversed course, as we knew he would, once "pressure from Stephen Miller and other anti-immigration zealots in the Trump administration convinced the president to flip-flop again and re-start the ICE raids." Needless to say, the on-again-off-again policy deeply affects Wisconsin and other states with large agricultural and hospitality concerns. So much so that "one of its biggest business groups, the MMAC wants a policy stopping the deportations of workers needed in all industries" (Urban Milwaukee, June 17, 2025). Deporting lots of immigrants sounds great until one's own ox (or cow) is gored!

I'll leave you this week with some Gandhi wisdom: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." I think we're at the laughing at us and fighting us stages. Next up, WINNING!

TAKE ACTION

From Wisconsin Public Education Network: It is not too late to raise our voices about the terribly inadequate budget proposal put forward by Joint Finance Republicans last week: every legislator still has to vote on this, and the Joint Finance Committee is not the final decider on what the budget will look like. Both houses now have the power to improve this budget, and the governor has the power to reject any budget that fails to meet the needs of our kids and their public schools. With exactly two weeks until the July 1 target date for budget signage, now is the time to be a voice for Wisconsin kids and their public schools!

• Sign our letter to Governor Evers calling on him to reject any budget that does not meet Wisconsin's needs & priorities: sign on here and share widely (both individuals and organizations may sign).
  
  
• Contact your legislators: It's time to connect with our own lawmakers across the state to tell our local stories and make sure they know what’s at stake for local students. This is about meeting kids’ needs and providing them with the conditions it takes to thrive in our public schools. Let them know you appreciate our public schools and expect an investment in the 2025-2027 state budget that puts kids first. See our budget priorities here in English and in Spanish.

From LuAnn Bird (Birds on a Wire): The vote on the big awful budget bill is coming up in the Senate, perhaps as soon as this week. LuAnn writes, "Our Senator Ron Johnson was a no vote! He is adamantly opposed to adding to the debt, but after a conversation with Trump last week he started waffling! We can't let that happen! Now is the time to be a Superhero and use your superpowers - calls, letters, emails, etc. to make your views known. We know he does not care about the cuts but he does care about the budget deficit. Here is a script you can use!""

The next big nationwide event to show the strength of opposition to TRUMP 2.0 is happening in about 10 days. The more than 1,400 peaceful demonstrations registered with the NO KINGS site provide both national and local media a response to our dictator-wannabe's expensive military parade — an unprecedented display most commonly seen in authoritarian countries. The date for NO KINGS (and for Trump's parade) is hardly random. June 14 is Flag Day, the 250 birthday for the US Army (so they say), but most importantly our TACO's 79th birthday. The numbers we bring to the streets will show a different kind of strength — without any armaments or threats of any kind.

I hope all of you will attend a rally. In Wisconsin, there are at least 46 separate NO KINGS events, including in such unlikely places as Eagle River, Minocqua, Baraboo, West Bend, Cedarburg, Brookfield, and Delavan! Large, boisterous, and inspiring events will take place in Milwaukee — at Cathedral Square Park (520 E Wells St, Milwaukee, from noon to 2:00pm) — and in Madison (at the UW Library Mall from 2:00 - 5:00pm).

Not in Milwaukee or Madison or even in Wisconsin? Find a rally near where you'll be on the NO KINGS site. Sign up for one (just click on the map's circle for the location you want and you will see an RSVP link for that rally). Encourage like-minded friends and family to join you. And if you have a Bluesky account, make sure you SPREAD THE WORD by posting one of the NO KINGS promotions you'll find below the nationwide map of events. There are SIX varieties to choose from.

Also, we could use a little help from our supporters to cover the cost of renting a robust sound system, some portapotties, and a clean-up crew. You can make a donation online or you can send a check: please make the check out to Grassroots North Shore and include "NO KINGS" on the memo line. Send your check to PO Box 170684, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217-8056. We deeply appreciate whatever support you can give: publicizing the rally, showing up, bring friends and family wiith you, and giving some financial support. It all counts.

Ghastly news, alas, keeps pouring in. Right here in Milwaukee, a man allegedly "tried to get a witness in the armed robbery case against him deported so he wouldn’t be able to testify. Seizing on anti-immigrant fervor, the man sent letters in the name of the witness threatening to assassinate President Trump. The witness was arrested, but law enforcement eventually figured out the scheme and have filed new charges against the imposter" (Talking Points Memo, June 4, 2025). And ICE or HSI or who knows who tried to pose as utility workers (Arizona Daily Star ), using the deception to try to enter the home of a man they were seeking — without any kind of warrant I might add. A quick-thinking neighbor intervened to prevent the imposters from arresting the man who lived there.

As the verbal attacks on judges emanating from the administration continue apace, "Federal judges across several states are being delivered unsolicited pizza orders — an act of harassment and attempted intimidation, they say, from people who are unhappy with their rulings involving President Donald Trump." Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a faux pizza delivery man, knows what it means: “'We know the first is, ‘I know where you live.’ Second is, ‘We know where your children live.’ And the third now is, ‘Do you want to end up like Judge Salas? Do you want to end up like Daniel?'” (Truthout, May 13, 2025).

Lying, cheating, wearing masks, excoriating and arresting judges, arresting mayors, arresting congressional representatives, deporting people without due process, deporting people who have protective orders, deporting people by "mistake" and then shrugging about it: it's all in the MAGA playbook. But we do not need to be silent about these egregious actions. We WILL make our voices heard!

There's a smidgeon of good news, though, coming from the few town halls Republicans are holding. Call it "buyer's remorse." Here's a Newsweek article: Has Trump Buyer's Remorse Already Set In?. The New York Times (gifted article) chimes in: After Muscling Their Bill Through the House, Some Republicans Have Regrets. There's the response to Senator Joni Ernst's bizarre "We're all going to die" remark when asked about the deaths that will follow from Medicaid cuts (Bloomberg News). And of course there's Elon's implicit threat to primary every Republican House member: "'Shame on those who voted for it,' said Musk, hinting that he may try to unseat the politicians responsible at next year's midterm elections" (BBC News, June 4, 2025). Good luck with trying to unseat all of the 215 Republicans who voted for it. And does that mean he'd support Democrats? Geez. That'll be the day.

So our job now is to work on ramping up the buyer's remorse out there. We have roughly 18 months until the 2026 elections. Now is the time to hone messages and to make plans. We need to flip a minimum of two state Senate seats and a handful of state Assembly seats (and of course elect a Democratic Governor) to enjoy control of state policy. We will also need to help flip the US Congress. And just our luck, there are two possible candidates — even if the congressional electoral maps don't change in time for the 2026 elections. So we have a concept of a plan. We'll be seeking volunteers to help lead and execute it, though. So we are counting on your grit and persistence!

Meanwhile, as we prepare for what is bound to be a busy and impactful political year, a lot of the focus in the news right now has been on the Medicaid cuts the big, ugly bill proposes. To see just how the cuts are likely to affect each congressional district, the Center for America Progress (CAP) has put together a tool to show how many Medicaid recipients are in each district and how much funding will be lost in each district if the bill passes as is. Medicaid expansion could significantly mitigate the cuts, though. The Department of Health Services explains that expanding Medicaid (aka BadgerCare) is the "'cornerstone' of its two-year budget proposal. It projects that taking federal dollars to expand Medicaid would lower state health-care costs by $1.9 billion over the next biennium, which runs from July 1 through June 30, 2027" (Public Health Watch, May 29, 2025). You know what to do: call your Assembly and Senate representatives to discuss the issue.

CAP has also provided an interactive map that will allow you to explore DOGE Cuts by City, State, and Congressional District. A cursory glance at the data suggests some political targeting, with a large number of cuts in the two congressional districts represented by Democrats. But the disparities might also reflect the number of grants at the two state research universities — UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. Or a combination of retribution and going where the money is.

Let's get busy.

TAKE ACTION

From Indivisible: Email your senators -- Republicans and Democrats -- to demand they speak out LOUDLY against the No Contempt Clause! The GOP hid a reckless provision to shield Trump officials from contempt of court in their Medicaid-slashing megabill. We need to get Republican senators on the record about that sneak-attack on democracy -- and push Democrats to disrupt Republicans’ anti-democracy agenda with every tool at their disposal.

Also from Indivisible: Call folks in key states to connect them with GOP senators and disrupt the Republican Tax Scam. As the Senate rewrites the reconciliation bill, we’re making sure vulnerable senators hear from their angry constituents by calling people to connect them directly to senators' offices! Phonebanks happen weekly, and anyone can join with just a phone and computer. Here’s a recorded phonebank training to hit the ground running!. Phone banks are scheduled on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 - 11:30am CDT through June 26.

From the League of Progressive Seniors: "Call our US Senators and tell them not to cut Medicaid and Medicare. Remind them that Wisconsin spends $ 2.1 billion a year to pay for long term care for the elderly and disabled persons. Medicaid covers the cost for about 6 in every 10 persons in nursing homes. If federal funds are cut WHO WILL PAY ?

Call:
Senator Ronald Johnson : DC Office 202-224-5323; Local Office 414-276-7282.
Senator Tammy Baldwin : DC office 202-224-5653; Local Office 414-297-4451.

And while you have them on the line, remind them to read the bill carefully and remove language that allows the administration to ignore the rule of law!"

From WAVE: Yesterday, some legislators introduced a package of lifesaving gun violence prevention bills. "The package includes some of our top policy priorities—evidence-based measures shown to reduce gun deaths in states where these policies are already law. It contains bills to:

• Require background checks on all gun sales – because Wisconsin must keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of already-prohibited people.
• Create an extreme risk law – because those closest to someone in a crisis must be empowered to stop a tragedy.
• Reinstate the 48-hour waiting period, which Republicans rescinded – because rage and despair should never pull the trigger.
• Prohibit ghost guns – because untraceable firearms keep showing up at crime scenes.

" WAVE points out that the measures won't move forward without bipartisan backing. So contact your legislators today and urge them to support these bills!

Postcards to Swing States: "Sign-ups for our postcard programs for this November's elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are off to a great start — click here to order those now. So far, volunteers have signed up to write 4 million postcards with us this year."

The page of instructions notes that the stamps currently cost $0.56. But it does not note that the price will increase to $0.62 on July 13. Since it takes up to 4 weeks for you to receive your postcards, you might want to purchase the stamps for them now.

The big news this week is the emergence of a progressive candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court. Judge Chris Taylor, who currently sits on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in District IV, has announced her candidacy. She will face current Justice Rebecca Bradley who is running for reelection. More about Justice Bradley below.

Judge Taylor served in the Wisconsin Assembly from 2012 to 2020, when Governor Evers appointed Taylor to the Circuit Court in 2020. She was elected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in 2023. Before her election to the Assembly, she served as the public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. You can read more about her values and her career at her website. See also her X (Twitter), her Facebook page, and her Instagram.

It's early days yet and it's possible other candidates will emerge in the next few months. But if you are so moved, you can donate online. Or you can donate by check. Make the check out to Chris Taylor for Justice and send it to PO Box 1921, Madison, WI 53701. Just remember: early money is like yeast; it makes the dough rise!

Now about Justice Bradley. Here she is in her own words after the election of Susan Crawford to the Supreme Court:

Her pretense of caring about judicial politicization is pretty rich, coming from a justice whose "right-wing partisan activism has earned her an award from the Federalist Society, an extreme group that seeks to exert dangerous right-wing influence on courts and judicial systems both nationwide and right here in Wisconsin" (from A Better Wisconsin Together Press Release, December 5, 2024). According to a piece in the Wisconsin Examiner, "the award was for her 'work on behalf of' the right-wing legal group’s 'legal principles.'”

In an undated McGiver Institute article, three of Bradley's dissenting opinions on the court come in for special praise. She has

As the campaign progresses, we are likely to hear much, much more from the "conservative" echo chamber that supports her and from the Taylor campaign.

Before turning our attention to the fire-hose of excrement emanating from D.C., there's news on the legal action with Judge Hannah Dugan. On Wednesday, July 9, there will be a hearing to handle pre-trial motions at the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee. The trial date has been set for July 21. On both dates, rallies to support her will take place. Unless of course the motion to dismiss that her lawyers filed the day before she was arraigned is successful! The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, however, that the motion to dismiss "will take time to play out. The government will need to reply, and then there may need to be oral arguments." Stay tuned for rally news!

The national news is both laughable — see Kristi Noem's explanation of the writ of habeas corpus — and dire. As Katherine Clark, Democratic Whip calls it, the "big, bad bill that benefits billionaires" will explode the deficit "so badly it will trigger automatic cuts, including over half a trillion dollars from Medicare." So the $880 billion cut from Medicaid that will cause more than "seven million Americans to lose health insurance and millions more to face higher medical costs" (a partial CBO estimate, The Bulwark, May 18, 2025) is not a big enough cut to make the bill revenue neutral. Meaning that it will not match new expenditures — chiefly the big, beautiful tax cuts for billionaires — with new revenue and so will increase the deficit. "According to the CBO, the bill's addition to the deficit would trigger a process known as sequestration under the Statutory Pay‑As‑You‑Go (PAYGO) Act of 2010" (Common Dreams, May 21, 2025). And that means BIG CUTS TO MEDICARE (and a lot of other stuff too).

You know what to do, right? Call your Congressional Representative and your Senators right now! Republicans don't have the votes yet to pass the monstrosity. In fact in an article published at noon today, ABC News is reporting that "a last-minute White House meeting that sources tell ABC News is between President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican holdouts on Wednesday afternoon comes as the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' appears to be in big, bad trouble." So call NOW! The League of Conservation Voters has How to Call Your Members of Congress in 3 Steps to guide you through.

And this hot off the press: Talking Points Memo is covering the blow-by-blow of an emergency hearing before Federal Judge Brian Murphy today about more deportations without hearings, with the issue of criminal contempt in the mix. The judge has noted that the case involves a large number of errors, some perhaps verging on lies the government has offered under oath: "'Everyone who is involved in an illegal deportation risks criminal contempt from the lowest person involved all the way up,' Murphy said" (Talking Points Memo, May 21, 2025).

So while I was eating lunch, Judge Murphy issued a ruling: "the Trump administration had violated an order he issued last month barring officials from deporting people to countries not their own without first giving them sufficient time to object. The finding was one of the strongest judicial rebukes the administration has faced so far in a series of contentious cases arising from its sprawling deportation agenda." Exactly what Judge Murphy will do now is uncertain. And of course a number of other federal courts are engaged in examining similar issues.

On the retribution front, the Trump administration has now charged a sitting member of Congress with a felony and opened an investigation into Andrew Cuomo, now running for Mayor of New York City, and another into James Comey for some reason. Trump's also pursuing Attorney General Letitia James, Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, and probably some dog catcher somewhere who once contributed to a Democrat. The charges against Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, have been dropped. I suspect these other ones will be too. Can the Trump Administration's lawsuits be dismissed as frivolous? That'll be the day.

TAKE ACTION

The budget reconciliation bill threatens to deliver severe blows to our less fortunate friends and neighbors. And the tariffs are going to exacerbate the problems by accelerating inflation. Each of us needs to call our House representative and our two senators, repeatedly, to register our opposition to the "big, beautiful bill" or ANY TAX CUTS FOR BILLIONAIRES and our opposition to the tariffs Trump capriciously imposes and changes at will. You can use 5 calls for a whole host of issues, including the two I have focused on here.

From the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin: Contact Your Assembly Rep: Support Extending Medicaid Services to 1 Year Postpartum. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin supports the passage of Assembly Bill 97, the companion bill of SB 23 which was passed almost unanimously by the Senate on April 22, 2025! This bill extends postpartum healthcare for one year after giving birth for those who are Medicaid eligible. Currently, postpartum care for those who are Medicaid eligible is only 60 days, with Wisconsin and Arkansas as the only states not providing one year coverage.

We are asking voters to call their state legislators in the Assembly to urge them to request that the Speaker of the Assembly bring the bill to the floor for a vote and to pass AB 97. There is overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill–yet, the bill still has not passed for over 2 years because it has not been brought to the floor for a vote.

A phone call script and more info here. Find your legislators.

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www.grassrootsnorthshore.com

As you already know, Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested — and in a way that would maximize her humiliation AND intimidate judges everywhere. It has not and will not deter judges from ruling according to the Constitution and the law. More on legal developments below.

The next step in the judicial process for Judge Dugan is her arraignment at the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse on Thursday, May 15. Hannah has been a long-time member of Grassroots North Shore and regularly attends our events. Grassroots North Shore is co-sponsoring the Defend Our Democracy: Protect Our Freedoms rally outside the courthouse (517 E. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee) from 7:30am to 10:30am. So we need to show her some extra love. Please join the democracy defense watch outside her arraignment. We demand that the charges be dropped and that Judge Dugan be freed so she can return to presiding in her courtroom.

The Trump regime wants to silence our voices and strip away our right to due process. We will not let them take away our freedoms! As you have undoubtedly heard, Tom Homan (Trump's so-called "border czar") issued a vague threat to arrest our governor for the "crime" of providing guidance to state employees if ICE or other agents show up in their offices. Governor Evers responded: "I am not afraid." And neither should we be. So show up for Hannah. Show up for freedom from oppressive government actions! (You can see Governor Evers's full response to the threat.)

Turning to judicial action in outside of Wisconsin, Trump recently directed the Department of Justice to try to free Tina Peters, former county clerk for Mesa County, Colorado. "In August, Peters was found guilty by a jury of Mesa County residents on seven counts, including four felonies, after she helped facilitate unauthorized access to county voting equipment that she was supposed to safeguard in search of voter fraud." (CPR News, May 5, 2025). Peters is currently serving a nine-year sentence for state crimes. So Trump cannot pardon her outright as he did all the January 6 insurrections. The attempt to free Peters while his administration threatens governors and congress people and judges whose rulings he dislikes provides further evidence of Trump's MO: for my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.

But so far, the law in at least some areas is not yielding. In the last few days, three different federal judges have ruled that the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 cannot be the basis for removing — or as one judge put it, snatching — people off the streets and sending them directly to a gulag in El Salvador without any opportunity for those arrested to contest the claim that they are members of a Venezuelan gang. "Two more federal judges on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s use of deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, saying the wartime power shouldn’t be used. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said the administration is indefinitely blocked from removing migrants from the Southern District of New York under the act.... US District Judge Charlotte Sweeney [in Colorado], an appointee of former President Joe Biden, similarly said that Trump had likely exceeded his authority in trying to use the wartime authority for quick deportations" (CNN Politics, May 6, 2025").

In another significant win for the Constitution and the rule of law, Judge Beryl A. Howell issued a 102-page summary judgment in the Perkins Coie LLP case. The suit arises from an executive order that "terminates government contracts with the firm's clients, denies employees of the firm access to federal buildings, and suspends security clearances for firm employees" (Lawfare Litigation Tracker). Howell's opinion begins "No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit targeting a prominent law firm with adverse actions to be executed by all Executive branch agencies [emphasis added] but, in purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: 'The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.' ... Eliminating lawyers as the guardians of the rule of law removes a major impediment to the path to more power" (Memorandum Opinion, United States District Court for the District of Columbia, May 2, 2025). [I've edited the text to remove all the legal citations.]

The opinion concludes:

Indeed, the courts are finding themselves flooded with cases challenging the current administration's Executive Orders and actions. If you have the patience to look through them, you can find a listing of them, together with when the listing was last updated and its current status, in Lawfare's Trump Administration Litigation Tracker. It covers more than 220 cases and counting.

In a long and erudite piece, Quinta Jurecic tackles The Courts Versus Trump, Then and Now (Lawfare, May 7, 2025). She finds the courts more effective and more willing to take on what she calls "an aberrant executive."

It's a relief to know that the justice system as a whole has learned some lessons from the first Trump administration and is more willing to act to stop executive overreach, at least as Jurecic tells it. As lawyers and judges do their jobs and continue to uphold the law, we must also do our part. Here are five actions you can and should take in the next eight days or so.

TAKE ACTION

Worth Fighting For WI meeting, 7:00pm Monday May 12 (virtual): “Fighting Tyranny (MAGA): The Immigration / Education Edition”

With so much going wrong, it’s hard to know where to focus. But the fight for both immigrants’ rights (actually EVERYONE’s due process rights) and public education seem top of mind in Wisconsin right now, so that’s the focus of the WFFWi meeting on May 12. Guests include Immigration lawyer Cain Oulahan, immigration activist/organizer Iuscely Flores, WI DPI Superintendent Jill Underly, and UW Madison Professor of Educational Policies Studies Nancy Kendall. Register now.

DEFEND DEMOCRACY: Protect Our Freedoms, Thursday, May 15, 7:30 - 10:30am at the Milwaukee Federal Courthouse (517 E Wisconsin Ave). We will hold a press conference and a rally to support Judge Hannah Dugan and to everyone's right to due process. We are demanding that the charges against Judge Dugan be dropped and that she is freed. Please join us.

Become a delegate to the Democratic State Convention being held at Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells on June 14th and 15th! You can find more information, buy a Convention ticket, and fill out a 2025 State Convention Delegate Form. PLEASE NOTE: This form will stop accepting submissions at 4:59 PM on Saturday, May 17th. If you wish to request delegate status between May 17th and the final deadline for County Parties to submit their delegate & alternate lists on May 24th at 5pm, you must communicate directly with your County Party by May 23rd.

Individuals who wish to serve as delegates must be a WisDems member in good standing whose membership is set to expire no earlier than June 15th, 2025. Join or renew your membership.

Support the passage of Assembly Bill 97, the companion bill of SB 23 which was just passed almost unanimously by the Senate on April 22, 2025! This bill extends postpartum healthcare for one year after giving birth for those who are Medicaid eligible. Currently, postpartum care for those who are Medicaid eligible is only 60 days, with Wisconsin and Arkansas as the only states not providing one year coverage.

We are asking voters to call their state legislators in the Assembly to urge them to request that the Speaker of the Assembly bring the bill to the floor for a vote and to pass AB 97. There is overwhelming bipartisan support for this bill–yet, the bill still has not passed for over 2 years because it has not been brought to the floor for a vote. Find your legislators.

You can use the following script in order to contact the Representatives for your district. Phone calls are more effective, but emails are a valid option as well:

"My name is (your full name) and I live at (full address). I’m calling to urge (Representative's name) to support AB 97, the bill that expands Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 1 year postpartum. This bill is critical to pass in order to prevent pregnancy-related deaths of 50 women in Wisconsin, on average, who die every year. Over half of these deaths occur within 1 year postpartum and 90% of these deaths are preventable with adequate healthcare, according to the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team. Passing AB 97 has long-term humanitarian and economic benefits by keeping parents alive and families intact. Please don’t let Wisconsin be the last state in the US to pass this important legislation! Thank you for your attention and consideration."

Participate in Municipal Clerk Appreciation Week - May 4-11, 2025
During of the week of May 4-11, we must pause to recognize the municipal clerks who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our elections are secure, accessible, and fair. Their dedication to accuracy, transparency, and service is foundational to our democracy — and to the work we do as League members.

Whether they’re processing voter registrations, managing polling places, or answering late-night questions, clerks are trusted stewards of the democratic process in every Wisconsin community.

Let’s show our gratitude! Reach out to your local clerk this week with a thank-you note, social media shoutout, or kind word. Together, we can lift up the public servants who make our elections possible.