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Castro, Klobuchar put voting rights at forefront of social media efforts

The Washington Post recently released a nifty analysis of the policy issues most often mentioned on social media last month by the candidates seeking or exploring the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Post analyzed more than 5,600 social media posts from 15 candidates, coding keywords under eight broad categories. Policy-centric posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that included terms such as "electoral college," "filibuster" or "gerrymandering," for instance, were tagged as posts on "Voting Rights." "Campaign finance," "monopolies" and "lobbyists" fell under "Corporate Power."


Julian Castro, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration, topped the list of candidates in the percentage of his policy posts that focused on voting rights (22 percent). Sen. Amy Klobuchar (20 percent) was second. For both candidates, voting rights was their top policy issue on social media, according to the analysis.

Warren was first among candidates in the percentage of policy posts mentioning "corporate power" — 30 percent — although "a significant portion" of those posts were solely on "her plan to break up Amazon, Google and Facebook," the Post explains.

Klobuchar (13 percent), Sen. Bernie Sanders (12 percent) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (11 percent) were the other candidates whose percentages reached double digits on the issue of "corporate power."


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The Unscrupulousness of AIPAC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference at the Washington Convention Center March 6, 2018 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Unscrupulousness of AIPAC

After AIPAC failed to defeat El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary—after spending $32 million—it said that it remains committed to defeating El-Sayed and his "radical, anti-Israel" agenda in the general election. Which means it is poised to sink tens of millions of dollars in supporting Republican Mike Rogers. It also said that Haley Stevens, his opponent, had presented "an authentic Democratic agenda." Meaning that El-Sayed did not? And they think that Mike Rogers, a MAGA Trump supporter, does compared with El-Sayed?

How can AIPAC say that El-Sayed does not present an authentic Democratic agenda when his socialist stance is much more in line with the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence than most centrist Democrats'? And making it sound like AIPAC cares about an authentic Democratic agenda is deceitful, when in the same breath they make clear that they will support Mike Rogers, a Trump lackey, in the general election.

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Scientists Warn of Deepening Federal Attacks on Research
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Scientists Warn of Deepening Federal Attacks on Research

Scientists and the federal government have been close partners since World War II. A landmark report by President Truman’s chief science advisor laid out a vision for government research that shaped eight decades of federally funded science. That vision is now at risk. In principle, the Trump administration has supported scientific research with its own vision for a new “golden age of science.” But in practice, the administration has upended the relationship between the government, researchers, and their institutions. The changes have alarmed working scientists and their allies, who have protested in record numbers.

In July, I moderated a webinar on “Rewriting the Rules: What’s happening to public science?” (read the transcript here). The webinar was co-sponsored by NAPA, CODE, and the Bridge Alliance, with Dr. Aaron Carroll of AcademyHealth, Dr. Chris Marcum of the Federation of American Scientists, Dr. Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Dr. Maryam Zaringhalam of the Center for Open Science. I also interviewed Cole Donovan of the Stand Up for Science Foundation by email.

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Why hasn’t the Princeton Redistricting Project spoken out?

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Why hasn’t the Princeton Redistricting Project spoken out?

The 2026 congressional map is finally set after ten states adopted new congressional redistricting maps for the November 3 General Election. Observers note that the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) has not graded any state’s maps since it gave California’s Proposition 50 an “F” on October 30, 2025.

The PGP has officially paused grading its Redistricting Report Card because founder Dr. Sam Wang, who transitioned from the Gerrymandering Project to the Electoral Innovation Lab, has launched a campaign for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th District, requiring him to step back from his academic roles, including his leadership at PGP.

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Impunity: Democracy and the Toll of Unchecked Harm

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Impunity: Democracy and the Toll of Unchecked Harm

Impunity is not only the failure to punish. It is a public answer to the question of whether harm matters.

Every democracy must repeatedly answer the question of impunity. When public trust is violated, or when law itself is manipulated or attacked, penalties matter. But the deeper question is whether a society can recognize injury and prevent further harm when it has lost the ability to clearly name wrongdoing.

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