Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Kentuckians and their senior senator diverge on democracy reform, poll finds

Perhaps Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not as invulnerable as he sometimes seems, especially when it comes to the politics of opposing the "democracy reform" movement.

Kentucky, where McConnell is asking for a seventh term next year, seems none too happy with him at the moment. A survey out Monday from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling found the most powerful Republican in Congress is underwater back home: 39 percent approve of his job performance and 51 percent do not. The same poll, by contrast, showed a 55 percent approval rating in the state for President Trump.


McConnell has vowed to prevent any Senate consideration of HR 1, the comprehensive political process overhaul that Democrats labeled their top legislative priority after reclaiming control of the House and pushing it through that chamber this winter. More regulation of money in politics is at the heart of the bill, something McConnell once mocked as ranking up there with "static cling" in the minds of voters.

But the poll (commissioned by the campaign finance advocacy group End Citizens United) found 23 percent of Kentuckians choosing "ending political corruption" as the most important issue facing the country. Only lowering the cost of health care and drugs finished higher, at 25 percent. And 71 percent of those polled said they supported the concepts embodied in HR 1.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Read More

Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy
a person standing on a sidewalk with a hat on
Photo by Chris Weiher on Unsplash

Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy

When the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled on Easter Monday, announcing Pope Francis's death at 88, they rang for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics and all of humanity. During the moment of transition for the Catholic Church, we witnessed the conclave, a ritual of power transfer that predates modern democracy yet might offer surprising lessons for our contemporary political moment.

The death of a pope represents more than a religious milestone. It is a moment that transcends theological boundaries, offering insights into how institutions navigate succession, how power transfers in an age of global uncertainty, and how ancient traditions might illuminate modern challenges.

Keep ReadingShow less
Surviving the Cold: How Private Hypothermia Shelters Are Stepping In for the Community in Washington, D.C.
Shifting the narrative on homelessness in America
Getty Images

Surviving the Cold: How Private Hypothermia Shelters Are Stepping In for the Community in Washington, D.C.

Walking up and down the metro escalators was the only way David Jackson could stay warm during the winter nights of 2021.

While Jackson knew he could call District officials to come pick him up in a van and drive him to a hypothermia shelter, he kept hearing negative experiences from others. According to the 2024 annual Point in Time study, which reports homelessness in the Washington metropolitan area, there are 3,960 people experiencing homelessness. However, findings show 1,778 beds available for homeless people looking for hypothermia shelters, which only offer overnight emergency housing without additional support.

Keep ReadingShow less
Finding Joy in Our Differences: Not As Crazy as It Sounds

Lance and Rodney team up to navigate the rapids of the Nantahala River in western North Carolina

Finding Joy in Our Differences: Not As Crazy as It Sounds

It's no secret that most of us in America find ourselves in a wildly different place these days.

It's a place that some of us might say we barely recognize. I wish I could describe it as being a happier place, but instead, it's a place that seems to have more anxiety, fear, anger, intolerance, and even hatred. It's a place where dialogue is often avoided for fear of igniting a firestorm of controversy. And it's a place where many of us would say that joyfulness is becoming harder and harder to find. It's not surprising, then, that we find ourselves immersed in this unprecedented "epidemic of loneliness."

Keep ReadingShow less
Winning the Global AI Race: Senators Discuss Ensuring US Dominance

U.S. Capitol Building, Thursday, May 8, 2025

Credit: Erin Drumm

Winning the Global AI Race: Senators Discuss Ensuring US Dominance

WASHINGTON—On Thursday, senators from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discussed the need to accelerate U.S. artificial intelligence innovation to maintain global leadership in AI development.

“The United States leads today, but what I would like to say is, it is a race. Leadership is absolutely not guaranteed.” Dr. Lisa Su, CEO and Chair of Advanced Micro Devices, said.

Keep ReadingShow less