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Get on democracy’s Love Train

Love Train feat. Jason Mraz, Chad Smith, Yo-Yo Ma | Turnaround Arts | Playing For Change (Click on Picture for Video)

It has been more than two months since The (New) Fulcrum was launched. At that time, we told you we would use the power of the arts to remind us of our shared heritages and traditions, which contribute to the health of our democracy.

Since then, we’ve presented music, poetry, theater and even comedy content as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics and policy that we publish daily. Our goal is to be a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement and problem-solving.


We thank you for your overwhelming support of this effort.

During this holiday season, a time of hope and celebration, what better way to bring in the new year than with a performance by Turnaround Arts, a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. They work in schools across the nation to use the power of the arts to improve our schools and connect communities.

The ability of Turnaround Arts to transform elementary and middle schools through arts education is clear. The initial three-year evaluation of the Turnaround Arts pilot schools, released in 2015 found, “significant improvement in academic achievement, reduction in disciplinary referrals and increases in attendance, among other findings. In addition, the study found that Turnaround Arts schools outperformed comparable schools in their city or state that received federal funds for school improvement (“SIG schools”).

The arts can indeed play a powerful role in turning our divided nation around. Please celebrate with us with this performance of “Love Train” featuring Jason Mraz, Chad Smith, Yo-Yo Ma, Jackson Browne and many more.

Get on board the Love Train with us as we strive to realize the dream of our nation's motto: “e pluribus unum.” Out of many, we are one.


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Bad Bunny Super Bowl Clash Deepens America’s Cultural Divide

Bad Bunny performs on stage during the Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour at Estadio GNP Seguros on December 11, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico.

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

Bad Bunny Super Bowl Clash Deepens America’s Cultural Divide

On Monday, January 26th, I published a column in the Fulcrum called Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Sparks National Controversy As Trump Announces Boycott. At the time, I believed I had covered the entire political and cultural storm around Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl performance.

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Hollywood Gets Congress Wrong—and It’s Costing America Trust in Democracy

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Since the 1970s, public trust in American institutions—including Congress—has steadily declined. Approval ratings for the House and Senate usually hover in the teens. Certainly, some misdeeds by our elected leaders have contributed to this decline, and mainstream national media can claim its fair share of “credit” in portraying Congress in a negative light. Yet another major ingredient in the ugly formula poisoning public opinion of Congress is Hollywood. Movies and TV shows routinely portray Congress as craven, corrupt, selfish, and completely indifferent to the public interest. Regrettably, this is a wholly incorrect portrayal of our nation’s legislators.

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