The Wisconsin Idea

Rural America

Study: “Salmon Remain on the Brink of Extinction. And Time Is Running Out.”

Between dams and warming waters, West Coast populations of wild salmon have plunged by 98%. What will it take to stop the decline?

Tara Lohan

Rural America

“In for a Fight": Rural Wisconsinites Resist Influx of Industrial Hog Facilities

Despite local efforts to block new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), corporate agriculture interests are legislating and intimidating their way out of accountability.

Simon Davis-Cohen

LaborFeature

A Year in the Life of Safeway 1048

America says it respects front line workers. These grocery workers tell a different story.

Hamilton Nolan

Viewpoint

If You Want Student Loan Debt Cancellation, the Time to Act Is Here

The Debt Collective is making clear to the Biden administration that it’s time to cancel every cent of student debt.

Umme Hoque

Labor

The 'Trashman' Who Became an Influencer

Instagram sensation Terrill Haigler reflects on his newfound micro-celebrity and the crucial work of city sanitation departments.

Maximillian Alvarez

Viewpoint

Why the Left Sees an Opening for a ‘Realignment’ in U.S. Politics

Left-wing groups such as the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats are reviving the old idea of realignment, with hopes of provoking new political transformations.

Mark Engler and Paul Engler

Labor

At a Major Education Company, Freelancers Must Now Pay a Fee In Order to Get Paid

McGraw Hill is clawing back 2.2% of every invoice, and a worker says it feels like "wage theft."

Hamilton Nolan

Feature

What a Right Wing Militant in Wisconsin County Politics Reveals about Extremism

A staunchly conservative county official from Green Bay doubles as a right wing militia member.

John McCracken

Viewpoint

The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Lining Up Behind Far-Right Authoritarians

As climate change intensifies and countries turn to clean energies, Big Oil will take increasingly desperate measures to survive.

Basav Sen