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Just the Facts: Who Holds the Cards: The United States or China in Tariff Negotiations
A golden trump head stands before stacks of money.
Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

Just the Facts: Who Holds the Cards: The United States or China in Tariff Negotiations

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces. However, before our readers can analyze varying viewpoints, they must have the facts.

What is the current status?

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Thoughts on Gathering Storms

Category 4 Major Hurricane Helene approaching the Big Bend of Florida. At the same time the Pacific Category 3 Hurricane John making landfall on southwestern Mexico.

Getty Images, FrankRamspott

Thoughts on Gathering Storms

The North American hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. The season, therefore, is hard upon us, even as the federal government is not prepared for what it may bring.

For the past 45 years, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been responsible for planning and providing national emergency relief to areas in the path of or affected by catastrophic storms the season often brings. The National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), both of which are embedded in FEMA, provide critical information that FEMA used in its storm preparation process.

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AI Is a Weapon Pointed at America. Our Best Defense Is Education.

Elementary students raising their hands to answer the teacher's question in a class in the robotics mechanical and electric classroom.

Getty Images, Cravetiger

AI Is a Weapon Pointed at America. Our Best Defense Is Education.

Foreign adversaries are already deploying artificial intelligence as a weapon against America, not just on distant battlefields, but within our social media feeds, news sources, and critical infrastructure. AI-powered disinformation campaigns designed to sow chaos and division, sophisticated cyber attacks – these are no longer future hypotheticals; they are clear and present dangers. America's most significant vulnerability in this new era isn't necessarily a lack of technology but a lack of understanding among our own citizens. An unprepared public is fertile ground for manipulation and a weak link in our national defense. To secure our future, we must urgently equip Americans with the knowledge to navigate an AI-shaped world.

This isn't just about recognizing deepfakes. National resilience requires citizens who understand the basics of how algorithms shape their information environment and can think critically about AI's influence. Furthermore, our national security apparatus itself desperately needs more AI-savvy personnel. The Department of Defense faces alarming shortages in its cyber and tech workforce – tens of thousands of critical positions remain vacant – hindering our ability to develop, deploy, and defend against AI capabilities. Simultaneously, our economic edge depends on fostering widespread innovation and adoption of AI, which is bottlenecked by a lack of skilled workers across industries. Simply put, AI literacy is now a cornerstone of both national defense and economic competitiveness.

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English as the New Standard: Understanding Language Policies Under Trump

Writing "learn english"

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English as the New Standard: Understanding Language Policies Under Trump

English as the Official Language of the U.S.

On March 1st, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order declaring English as the official language of the United States. This marks the first time the country has ever designated an official language in its nearly 250-year history. Currently, thirty states have already established English as their official language, with Alaska and Hawaii recognizing several native languages as official state languages in addition to English.

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