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How Weak Federal Ethics Laws Enable Presidential Profiteering

How Weak Federal Ethics Laws Enable Presidential Profiteering

The Iran War’s Price Tag: Billions Lost While Americans Go Without

The Iran War’s Price Tag: Billions Lost While Americans Go Without

Protestors holding signs, many that say "Stop Bombing Iran."

Trump’s ‘Just for Fun’ War Talk Shows a Dangerous Trivialization

Trump’s Racism Carries No Consequences—And That’s Scary

Trump’s Racism Carries No Consequences—And That’s Scary

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House

Trump’s Troubled Appointees Face Scandals, Backlash, and Low Support

Democracy in Action: February Retrospective

Opinion

Democracy in Action: February Retrospective

Calendar page February of the year 2025 white color in meeting room in office.

Getty Images//Midnight Studio
Hugo Balta
By Hugo BaltaMar 15, 2025
Hugo Balta
Hugo Balta is a journalist, educator, and communicator. Hugo is the executive editor of the Fulcrum and a board member of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the parent organization of The Fulcrum. He is the publisher of the Latino News Network, a trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network, and an adjunct professor teaching journalism courses.
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Welcome to Democracy In Action, insights and discussion about some of the most talked-about topics of the previous month with Fulcrum collaborators.

Consistent with the Fulcrum's mission, this program strives to share many perspectives to widen our readers' viewpoints.

There is, as always, so much to talk about…including President Trump and V-P JD Vance are accused of ambushing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, Elon Musk leading an assault on USAID, and Linda McMahon being confirmed as secretary of education.

Joining us to discuss these topics and more are:

Doris Maldonado Mendez, a member of the Connecticut Mirror’s Community Editorial Board.

Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, a futurist and the author of the award-winning book The Future of Smart. Her research and writing focus on bridging cultural and ideological divides during periods of rapid social change.

Seth David Radwell, author of “American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing our Nation” and he serves on the Advisory Councils at Business for America, RepresentUs, and The Grand Bargain Project.

I am the executive editor of the Fulcrum and a board member of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, the parent organization of The Fulcrum. He is the publisher of the Latino News Network and a trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network.

We began the conversation with President Trump’s threat to shut down the Department of Education.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Check out:

Project 2025: Department of Education

DEI programs are essential to tackle systemic barriers

Americans may have voted to dismantle government, but they must not leave their children behind


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The Antidote to Our Growing Crises Must Transcend Politics
blue white and red flag
Photo by Mark König on Unsplash

The Antidote to Our Growing Crises Must Transcend Politics

Each day, the challenges in our nation pile up. In just recent weeks, there has been the ongoing war in Iran and the Middle East, and ongoing debates about the growing negative impact of the Internet, looming AI challenges, and the Epstein files. The anticipation of divisive, even ugly, midterm elections only adds more angst to our woes. It can feel like we have lost control over our present and our future.

Is there an antidote? Yes. But we must seize it together.

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A new Pew Research survey shows most Americans question each other’s morality. Can civic friendship—championed by Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln—restore trust in U.S. democracy?

Getty Images, Boris Zhitkov

Can Democracy Survive When Americans See Each Other as “Bad People”?

Last week brought more bad news for American democracy when the Pew Research Center released survey results showing that “Americans are more likely than people in other countries surveyed in 2025 to question the morality of their fellow countrymen.” As Pew reports, “The United States is the only place we surveyed where more adults (ages 18 and older) describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad (53%) than as good (47%).”

It is one thing for people in a democracy to disagree about policies or who should lead the country. It is quite another for them to think of their fellow countrymen as immoral. Without a presumption of goodwill, even among those with whom we disagree, democratic politics runs aground.

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A stone bench with the word "Trust" etched in its side.
Photo by Dave Lowe on Unsplash

America’s Love and Trust Crisis

Last night, the President of the United States stood before Congress for nearly two hours and showed us exactly what America’s love and trust crisis looks like.

He called Democratic lawmakers “crazy.” He accused them of cheating. He pointed at half the chamber with contempt. Members of Congress shouted back. One was escorted out for holding a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes”—a reference to a video the President himself posted depicting the Obamas as primates. Democrats walked out. Republicans roared. The longest State of the Union in modern history became a spectacle of mutual degradation in the very chamber where we are supposed to govern ourselves together as one people under God.

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