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Just the Facts: Canadian Tariffs

Just the Facts: Canadian Tariffs

Coins on top of countries.

If Countries Stop Buying U.S. Debt, Everything Changes.

Redistricting

Redistricting

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs on stage

Luke Combs, politics and healing our nation's divide

The End of the American Era

The End of the American Era

A fictional, fanciful sign depicts the results of voter suppression through the unfair, partisan manipulation of district lines (gerrymandering).

The worst congressional gerrymanders of the 2020s

Claim: Donations to Black Lives Matter actually fund Democratic campaigns. Fact check: False

Black Lives Matter protest
Karen Ducey/Getty Images
Sara Wilson, Medill School
By Sara Wilson, Medill SchoolJun 13, 2020
Sara Wilson, Medill School
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Conservative commentator Candace Owens shared a video Wednesday of someone attempting to donate to the official Black Lives Matter organization. Clicking on the "Donate" button on the BLM website redirects the user to an ActBlue URL. A condition on that page reads "ActBlue Charities is a registered charitable organization formed to democratize charitable giving."

ActBlue is the primary fundraising platform for donations to Democratic candidates, PACs, or 501c4 nonprofit organizations. Republicans have an equivalent online fundraising processing tool called WinRed. Donations at either of these sites go directly to the intended recipient; they are not pooled and then distributed across candidates. ActBlue charges a 3.95% transaction fee on every contribution.

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"Voter Here" sign outside of a polling location.
Electoral Reforms

Stopping the Descent Toward Banana Republic Elections

hundred dollar bills.
Governance & Legislation

Congress Bill Spotlight: Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act

​The U.S. Constitution.
Democracy

Call for a Constitutional Convention Veils Anti-Constitutionalism and Portends Political Chaos

Introducing The Expand Democracy 5

Introducing The Expand Democracy 5

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Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin
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Defining the Democracy Movement: Karissa Raskin

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

Karissa Raskin is the new CEO of the Listen First Project, a coalition of over 500 nationwide organizations dedicated to bridging differences. The coalition aims to increase social cohesion across American society and serves as a way for bridging organizations to compare notes, share resources, and collaborate broadly. Karissa, who is based in Jacksonville, served as the Director of Coalition Engagement for a number of years before assuming the CEO role this February.

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Business professional watching stocks go down.
Getty Images, Bartolome Ozonas

The White House Is Booming, the Boardroom Is Panicking

The Confidence Collapse

Consumer confidence is plummeting—and that was before the latest Wall Street selloffs.

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Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

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"Vote" pin.
Getty Images, William Whitehurst

Most Americans’ Votes Don’t Matter in Deciding Elections

New research from the Unite America Institute confirms a stark reality: Most ballots cast in American elections don’t matter in deciding the outcome. In 2024, just 14% of eligible voters cast a meaningful vote that actually influenced the outcome of a U.S. House race. For state house races, on average across all 50 states, just 13% cast meaningful votes.

“Too many Americans have no real say in their democracy,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Every voter deserves a ballot that not only counts, but that truly matters. We should demand better than ‘elections in name only.’”

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