Opinion
Chase A.
Tariffs, trade wars and immigration crackdowns
National polls show rural support for President Trump remains strong even as farmers are struggling and face an uncertain economic future.
Wisconsin Capitol photo: Teemu008 / Flickr
Madison is not D.C.
Although the polarization endemic to Washington, D.C. is felt here as well, there are stronger and more real currents in Madison that should provide some hope.
Oct 17, 2025
Tommy Washbush
The slash-and-burn approach to government reform
A government reform effort led by Vice President Al Gore, starting in 1993, was ambitious, focused and successful. DOGE has been the opposite.
Oct 7, 2025
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
A year of deep disruption
In Wisconsin, economic inequality by geography, gender, race and ethnicity is substantial and long-standing. And this year is no exception. But wait, there’s more.
Sep 4, 2025
Freepik assets
Are Madison and Dane County ready to fight for democracy?
President Trump has signed an executive order allowing a military response to ‘civil unrest’ in U.S. cities. These previously unthinkable police-state actions are already underway in Washington, D.C.
Aug 29, 2025
‘As a Jew, I can never accept the slaughter of innocents’
Jeff Spitzer-Resnick has condemned Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel’s siege of Gaza. But he felt he needed to do more as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza became increasingly desperate.
Aug 8, 2025
Tommy Washbush
Save the VA
Retired VA doctor Michael Siebers warns that the Veterans Health Administration is in a ‘crisis,’ with federal cuts to staff and services negatively impacting veteran care.
Jul 4, 2025
Submitted photo
Why Madison’s housing gatekeepers are getting uncomfortable
The argument that neighborhood preservation is a civic virtue treats structural exclusion as an unfortunate but immovable byproduct of planning. That narrative deserves scrutiny.
Jun 26, 2025
9:00 AM
Tommy Washbush / Freepik
After this year’s graduates leave Madison schools, what will be left?
Opportunities for middle class and low-income students are shrinking. The general excellence of our education system in Wisconsin and across the country is declining.
Jun 9, 2025
2:00 PM
Freepik
Not in our name
The fear of antisemitism is never far from my mind. But Donald Trump’s efforts are not about protecting Jews. They are about using antisemitism as a political weapon to attack academic institutions, suppress free speech, and dismantle DEI.
May 7, 2025
9:00 AM
Janet Bewley
In jeopardy: Our history, our future, our connection
Wisconsin Humanities was alerted April 3 that its federal funding was canceled, effective immediately. The organization had to tell groups statewide that their grants, too, had been terminated.
Apr 17, 2025
11:45 AM
Melissa Beck
The tragic, accidental death of Levi Iverson
Since the tragic death of her 19-year-old brother, Melissa Beck has been gathering support for Levi’s Law, an initiative that would raise the age to purchase AR-15-style rifles in Wisconsin from 18 to 21, aligning it with existing law for handguns.
Mar 5, 2025
6:00 PM
James Gill photo / Screenshots courtesy PBS Wisconsin
Bill Dixon, the political analyst
Madison attorney Bill Dixon died in January. Among his many public roles, he was a regular panelist on PBS Wisconsin’s WeekEnd show.
Feb 8, 2025
9:00 AM
In the November Nonprofit issue
Five nonprofits you should know about
Nonprofits are navigating challenging times while doing important work in Dane County.
Isthmus is a nonprofit, pass it on!
Isthmus will celebrate five years as a nonprofit next year yet some people in the community are unaware of the transition and many changes at the paper.
Access takes center stage
Audio description, live captioning and ASL interpretation are a few of the services offered by Madison’s performing arts groups for people with disabilities.
‘The 100 deadly words’
It’s been a fraught time for nonprofits since Donald Trump returned to the White House, especially organizations that serve immigrants, BIPOC communities, and women.
Past is present
Stonemason Jason Arndt works out of a converted creamery in Lake Mills. He’s made few updates to the 1878 building.
