Skip to content
Project 2025
Donate to support
diverse voices
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories
How do you solve a problem like Candace Owens?

How do you solve a problem like Candace Owens?

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

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

Congress Shouldn’t Let Federal Tort Claims Become Political Gifts

Congress Shouldn’t Let Federal Tort Claims Become Political Gifts

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

People voting at voting booths.

The Quiet Campaign That Could Rewrite the 2028 Election

Perspective Shifting and Choice

Perspective Shifting and Choice

Meditation

Portland Press Herald / Contributor/Getty Images
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumSep 20, 2021
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
See More Writings by author

Dr. Amit Ray is an Indian author and spiritual master. He is known to the world for his teachings on meditation, yoga, peace and compassion.

This quote from Ray perhaps can be applied to the divide that separates us as a nation.

Mind is a flexible mirror,

Adjust it, to see a better world.

If we all took a moment each day to adjust our personal mirror, we might better understand differing perspectives.

According to Ray, changing your point of view can improve how you see the world. If your mind chooses to see the best in people, it will … and the opposite is also true. Yet this is often very difficult to do in everyday life as mainstream media regularly bombards us with divisiveness.

In the coming weeks and months The Fulcrum will present stories and writings on how mindfulness can play an important role in creating the healthy and productive democracy that we need so badly. As always we encourage input from our readers so please feel free to email us with ideas at pop-culture@fulcrum.us.

Latest news

Retired Federal Judge Warns of Rising Threats to Judicial Independence
Justice

Retired Federal Judge Warns of Rising Threats to Judicial Independence

U.S. and Puerto Rico flags
Governance & Legislation

Puerto Rico’s New Transparency Law Attacks a Right Forged in Struggle

The SHAPE Act and the Fight to Protect State Department Workers
Governance & Legislation

The SHAPE Act and the Fight to Protect State Department Workers

Read More

Trump’s Second Year and the Crossroads Facing Latinos

illustration depicting Latinos at a crossroads

AI generated

Trump’s Second Year and the Crossroads Facing Latinos

As President Donald Trump enters his second year of his second term, the nation’s 62 million Hispanics and Latinos are bracing for a turbulent 2026 shaped by economic uncertainty, shifting political allegiances, and intensified immigration enforcement. New polling and research released throughout late 2025 paint a complex picture of a community that is increasingly anxious about its future and deeply skeptical of the administration’s direction.

Across multiple surveys, Latino voters consistently identify the economy, affordability, and jobs as their top concerns heading into 2026. A sweeping national survey of 3,000 registered Latino voters found that 65% believe President Trump and congressional Republicans are not doing enough to improve the economy, a five‑point increase since April. Half of respondents said they expect Trump’s economic policies to make them personally worse off next year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) lat the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Can Things Get Even Worse for Mike Johnson?

Two weeks ago, a column in the Fulcrum warned that Speaker Mike Johnson was entering a political season defined by "ritual human sacrifice," noting that in a Trump‑branded GOP, someone must absorb the blame when governing goes sideways. In this context, the "sacrifice" refers to the erosion of institutional norms, accountability, and the potential jeopardy of individual reputations. Jonah Goldberg wrote that "Mike Johnson might as well be tied to a stake in the lion’s den."

That line feels understated now, as cascading crises over the past several days have closed in even further around Speaker Johnson.

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

Hollywood sign and The Capitol

AI generated picture

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

The following article is excerpted from "Citizen’s Handbook for Influencing Elected Officials."

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs: A Defining Force in Milwaukee

Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity

Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs: A Defining Force in Milwaukee

Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs has been a defining force in Milwaukee civic life for nearly two decades, combining deep community roots with a record of public service grounded in equity, cultural investment, and neighborhood empowerment. Born and raised in Milwaukee, she graduated from Riverside University High School before earning her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Fisk University, where she studied Business Administration and English.

The Fulcrum spoke with Coggs about the work she leads, including eliminating food deserts in her district on an episode of The Fulcrum Democracy Forum.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2026