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As Pressures Mount, Trump Faces the Most Precarious Moment of His Presidency

As Pressures Mount, Trump Faces the Most Precarious Moment of His Presidency

People voting at voting booths.

The Quiet Campaign That Could Rewrite the 2028 Election

The Minneapolis Shooting Is Not an Aberration — It’s a Warning of What Comes Next

The Minneapolis Shooting Is Not an Aberration — It’s a Warning of What Comes Next

Vance’s Claims on ICE Shooting Don’t Match the Evidence

Vance’s Claims on ICE Shooting Don’t Match the Evidence

Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

A democracy roadshow

A democracy roadshow
Darwin Brandis/Getty Images
David L. Nevins
By David L. NevinsFeb 21, 2023
David L. Nevins
David L. Nevins serves as publisher of The Fulcrum. Additionally, Nevins serves as co-founder and Board Chairman of the Bridge Alliance. Nevins brings business acumen, vision and a tireless this-must-and-can-be-done zeal to the burgeoning movement to bridge divides to transform the political process. As a business leader, Nevins excels at building bridges between people and organizations from the right, left and center for civilized conversation and then action. He co-founded the Bridge Alliance because, as he says, “No matter how well managed and how well funded anyone organization is, significant political reform will not happen without an alliance to further collaborative interactions. Together we can and will raise the collective impact of all.” He is a member of the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, with a focus on the Aspen Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, he established and continues to work with The Nevins Democracy Leaders program at Penn State University. Nevins graduated with honors in economics from Penn State in 1969 and received an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.
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Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

As the chairman of the board of the Bridge Alliance, I’ve been working with our incredible team and our more than 100 member organizations for the last seven years to create a movement for a thriving, just and healthy democratic republic.

For true change to happen in our democratic republic, Americans must become involved and realize they have the power to bring about the change they desire.

The Fulcrum and our sister project, Citizen Connect, serve as the connective tissue to activate 12 million Americans through our collective network.

Yet I believe more must be done and we have to think outside the box to engage, excite, and involve more citizens. This past year the pop culture section of The Fulcrum has proven to be one of our most popular sections of our publication. The power of connecting the dots between pop culture and activating millions of Americans to create a functioning and healthy democracy is something I strongly believe in as a catalyst for change.

The Fulcrum has been honored to celebrate culture as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics, policy, and the birth of a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement, and problem-solving. Many of you have taken the journey with us as we shared stories, music, poetry and dance to inspire our better angels as a way of addressing our problems and creating solutions. We won’t rest on our laurels and we are focusing on new ways to amplify the power of pop culture to engage millions more of you in our movement.

This past year has proven to us that art has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Music, theater, poetry, and all forms of pop culture have amazing healing and connecting powers. We know that when we join people together their energy for good can be amplified and scaled to help power our movement. The role of music in particular can play an important role in celebrating what unites us - rather than dividing us - in activating millions of Americans in a movement.

In the words of the great jazz artist Wynton Marsalis, “Music heals people because music is vibration, and the proper vibration heals.” Music indeed brings people together and multiplies their energy. When we join as one, we are more than the sum of our parts.

My dream is a Democracy Concert followed by a yearlong Democracy Call To Action Roadshow designed to Build a Movement; a movement that dismisses old definitions of right and left, and focuses instead on values, and an optimistic vision for the future of America. The roadshow I envision will inspire citizens to become active participants for healing and change. Imagine the passion and positive impact celebrities could inspire in this time of social media and internet driven divisiveness. Imagine the power of music and celebrity coming together, demonstrating unity for Democracy.

A kick-off concert bringing together artists from across the political spectrum - right, left and center - that includes a diverse group of musicians and celebrities of all genres would create a powerful tapestry representing the diversity of music in America while also reflecting the diversity of the citizens that is America. Musicians of all genres coming together can demonstrate a unity for Democracy. This is not about being a Democrat, Republican or Independent. It is about using the power of music to create a grassroots movement for a stronger Democracy, as well as a more diverse, more equitable, and inclusive Democracy.

Celebrities are powerful influencers in our society. The following are just a few examples of songs that provide the powerful message to bring Americans together:

Through the power of music and celebrity the healing power generated can drown out the divisive voices of the extremes on both the left and the right. I believe most Americans want leaders to exemplify the best in America and are willing to take the lead to bring our country together and to create the Republic that we all deserve.

In the fight for a more representative democracy, our greatest strength is our people. Everyday Americans are the muscle behind change, they are the faces to our stories, they are the carrot and the stick in elections. A Democracy concert and yearlong Democracy Call To Action Roadshow can be the catalyst to reach people’s souls so we can engage them to join in a grassroots movement that scales and amplifies our victories and advances our values for lasting impact.

So WE can make a difference!


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Zohran Mamdani’s call for warm ‘collectivism’ is dead on arrival

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji wave after his ceremonial inauguration as mayor at City Hall on Jan. 1, 2026, in New York.

(Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS)

Zohran Mamdani’s call for warm ‘collectivism’ is dead on arrival

The day before the Trump administration captured and extradited Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, many on the right (including yours truly) had a field day mocking something the newly minted mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, said during his inaugural address.

The proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America proclaimed: “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

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The Lie of “Safe” State Violence in America: Montgomery Then, Minneapolis Now

Police tape surrounds a vehicle suspected to be involved in a shooting by an ICE agent during federal law enforcement operations on January 07, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Lie of “Safe” State Violence in America: Montgomery Then, Minneapolis Now

Once again, the nation watched in horror as a 37-year-old woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The incident was caught on video. Neighbors saw it happen, their disbelief clear. The story has been widely reported, but hearing it again does not make it any less violent. Video suggest, there was a confrontation. The woman tried to drive away. An agent stepped in front of her car. Multiple shots went through the windshield. Witnesses told reporters that a physician at the scene attempted to provide aid but was prevented from approaching the vehicle, a claim that federal authorities have not publicly addressed. That fact, if accurate, should trouble us most.

What happened on that street was more than just a tragic mistake. It was a moral challenge to our society, asking for more than just shock or sadness. This moment makes us ask: what kind of nation have we created, and what violence have we come to see as normal? We need to admit our shared responsibility, knowing that our daily choices and silence help create a culture where this violence is accepted. Including ourselves in this 'we' makes us care more deeply and pushes us to act, not just reflect.

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Two groups of glass figures. One red, one blue.

Congressional paralysis is no longer accidental. Polarization has reshaped incentives, hollowed out Congress, and shifted power to the executive.

Getty Images, Andrii Yalanskyi

How Congress Lost Its Capacity to Act and How to Get It Back

In late 2025, Congress fumbled the Affordable Care Act, failing to move a modest stabilization bill through its own procedures and leaving insurers and families facing renewed uncertainty. As the Congressional Budget Office has warned in multiple analyses over the past decade, policy uncertainty increases premiums and reduces insurer participation (see, for example: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61734). I examined this episode in an earlier Fulcrum article, “Governing by Breakdown: The Cost of Congressional Paralysis,” as a case study in congressional paralysis and leadership failure. The deeper problem, however, runs beyond any single deadline or decision and into the incentives and procedures that now structure congressional authority. Polarization has become so embedded in America’s governing institutions themselves that it shapes how power is exercised and why even routine governance now breaks down.

From Episode to System

The ACA episode wasn’t an anomaly but a symptom. Recent scholarship suggests it reflects a broader structural shift in how Congress operates. In a 2025 academic article available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), political scientist Dmitrii Lebedev reaches a stark conclusion about the current Congress, noting that the 118th Congress enacted fewer major laws than any in the modern era despite facing multiple time-sensitive policy deadlines (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5346916). Drawing on legislative data, he finds that dysfunction is no longer best understood as partisan gridlock alone. Instead, Congress increasingly exhibits a breakdown of institutional capacity within the governing majority itself. Leadership avoidance, procedural delay, and the erosion of governing norms have become routine features of legislative life rather than temporary responses to crisis.

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America’s Two Economies - Soaring Stocks and Slashed Food Stamps

As 2026 begins, the U.S. economy is splitting in two—booming corporate profits and stock gains for the wealthy, deepening hardship for working families.

America’s Two Economies - Soaring Stocks and Slashed Food Stamps

The close of the 2025 holiday season has revealed a stark divide in the U.S. economy. As 2026 begins, the United States appears to be operating in two financial realities: record corporate profits and soaring stock values for the wealthy, alongside deepening hardship for millions of ordinary households. For many Americans, Christmas was overshadowed not by celebration but by economic strain, compounded by the rollback of key federal assistance programs.

The year’s economic data offered mixed signals. Online sales surged to $11.8 billion on Black Friday, and overall holiday spending is projected to exceed $1 trillion for the first time. Yet nearly half of all national consumption now comes from high-income households, whose spending on luxury goods and premium travel masks the growing struggles of families at the lower end of the income scale.

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