So Long Ukraine, and Thanks for All the Hotdogs*
As I reflect on my second assignment to Ukraine from June to July, and the corresponding news series of articles, interviews, and photo essays I produced, a flood of thoughts come to mind. One in particular involved a hotdog. I originally intended to post the image...
Seeking Truth: Journalistic integrity in the face of Russian propaganda, lies, and disinformation
“A country that cannot face its past has no future.” – Yang Jisheng Recently, someone asked me about how I keep my journalistic integrity when I cover Ukraine and get so close to traumatic events. I said firstly, ethics in school and ethics in...
2024 election: Polls show Trump remains popular with Republicans as he faces 91 felony charges
After every new indictment, Donald Trump has boasted that his standing among Republicans only improves, and he has a point. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans, 63%, say they want the former president to run again, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC...
Why voting went down in Black areas of the South as Confederate-glorifying monuments went up
By Alexander N. Taylor, PhD Candidate in Economics, George Mason University Confederate monuments burst into public consciousness in 2015 when a shooting at a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, instigated the first broad calls for their removal....
From Montana to Wisconsin: Mountain Biking finds a home in Milwaukee after 100 years
“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.” These words by noted environmentalist and poet, Gary Snyder resonate deeply with me, and any who venture outdoors to hike trails, ride their bikes through a forest, or simply lay on their back to look up through the trees....
Lessons from Madison: How developers can reclaim urban space from traffic by reducing reliance on cars
By Chris McCahill, Managing Director, State Smart Transportation Initiative, University of Wisconsin-Madison The U.S. has a car-centric culture that is inseparable from the way its communities are built. One striking example is the presence of parking lots and...
Politics and profits: Why progressives embrace Disney in the battle with DeSantis over LGBTQ+ rights
By Steven Gerencser, Professor of Political Science, Indiana University The battle between The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over LGBTQ rights and whether those rights should be acknowledged or taught in schools has spurred an unlikely alliance...
Reagan’s Federalism: How the “rights of states” was confirmed by Georgia’s indictment of Trump
By Stefanie Lindquist, Foundation Professor of Law and Political Science, Arizona State University For the past 50 years, Republican policymakers and judges have sought to bolster federalism in the United States. Since Ronald Reagan’s first inaugural address in 1981,...
Fani Willis: How the most sprawling criminal case was built against Donald Trump in Georgia
Long before the FBI began investigating Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents or Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special prosecutor to probe the former president, Fani Willis was at work. Just one month after Trump’s infamous January...
Fani Willis: Why the Black female prosecutor faces an unequal burden of both racist and sexist attacks
By Bev-Freda Jackson, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University School of Public Affairs On the day he was indicted on financial fraud charges in a New York City courtroom, former U.S. President Donald Trump launched an attack against Fulton County District...
The 4th indictment: Key takeaways of maybe the biggest criminal case against Donald Trump
The fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump may be the most sweeping yet. The sprawling, 98-page case unveiled on August 14 opens up fresh legal ground and exposes more than a dozen of Trump’s allies to new jeopardy. But it also raises familiar legal...
Local Investment: President Joe Biden visits Milwaukee to highlight the success of his economic policies
President Joe Biden traveled to Wisconsin on August 15 to highlight his economic policies in a state critical to his reelection fortunes, just a week before Republicans descend on Milwaukee for the party’s first presidential debate. His arrival in Milwaukee came...