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Some MAGA loyalists have turned on Trump. Why the rest haven’t

Some MAGA loyalists have turned on Trump. Why the rest haven’t

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stands in front of a group of National Guard troops.

Trump's and Hegseth’s Officer Firings Put Pentagon Stability at Risk

Iran’s Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Believes in Iranian Regime Change — Experts Contradict Him

Iran’s Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi Believes in Iranian Regime Change — Experts Contradict Him

​Passengers are evacuated by small boat.

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The Problem isn’t Masculinity – It’s the Men Modeling It

What is an American Hero?

What is an American Hero?

Statue of Liberty


Grant Faint/Getty Images
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumSep 20, 2021
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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What is an American Hero? Sometimes American Heroes are famous people. However, not all famous people are heroes.

As we recently honored the 20th anniversary of 9/11, let us celebrate American heroes. These American heroes are ones that we may not know the names of; the first responders, victims, and their families.

September 11th is forever etched in the souls of those of us who witnessed the event.

Ten days after September 11th, Enrique Iglesias performed 'Hero' for the 'America: A Tribute to Heroes'telecast on Sept. 21, 2001. It is a profoundly moving rendition of a beautiful song.

The Fulcrum will be exploring American Heroes in greater depth in the coming months. Who is your American hero? What does the term American hero mean to you? What are the characteristics of a hero that you admire and aspire to? We would love to hear from you.

Please feel free to share your thoughts via email to: pop-culture@fulcrum.us

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Despite Court Order, NYPD Failed to Properly Monitor Stop-and-Frisks by Aggressive Unit

Members of the New York City Police Department’s Community Response Team conduct a raid on a smoke shop in lower Manhattan in 2024.

Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Despite Court Order, NYPD Failed to Properly Monitor Stop-and-Frisks by Aggressive Unit

More than a decade ago, a federal court found that the New York City Police Department had been unconstitutionally stopping and frisking Black and Hispanic residents. The ruling laid out required fixes, including something quite basic: The NYPD would review officers’ stops to make sure they were legal.

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America Is at an Impasse. What’s the Breakthrough?
As political violence threatens democracy, defending free speech, limiting government overreach, and embracing pluralism matters is critical right now.
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America Is at an Impasse. What’s the Breakthrough?

Our country and our politics are at an impasse. Just consider our past four presidents: Obama, Trump, Biden, and back to Trump. The country keeps swinging from one end of the political spectrum to the other with no clear, sustained direction.

Which begs the question: what’s the breakthrough we need to get us out of this impasse and moving in a more hopeful way—together?

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National Park Service budget cuts are reshaping America’s public lands through underfunding and neglect. Explore how declining park staffing, deferred maintenance, and political inaction threaten national parks, local economies, and public trust in government.

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They Won’t Close the Parks. They’ll Just Let Them Fail.

This summer, before dawn, the Liu family from Buffalo will load up their SUV, coffee in hand, bound for a long-planned trip out west. The Grand Canyon has been on their list for years, something to do before the kids get too old and schedules get too tight. They expect crowds. They expect long lines at the entrance. That is part of the deal. In recent years, national parks have drawn more than 325 million visits annually, near record highs.

What they do not expect are shuttered visitor centers and closed trails, not because of weather but because there are not enough staff to maintain them. What they do not see is the budget decision in Washington that made those trade-offs, quietly, indirectly, and without much debate.

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