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Podcast playlist: insurrection at the Capitol

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Podcast playlist: What's next for democracy?
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Following the attack on the Capitol last week, The Democracy Group podcast network quickly created episodes to help listeners make sense of what transpired and what these events mean for the future of American democracy.

These episodes discuss how the proliferation of right-wing violence and extremism show that democracy reform is more urgently needed than ever. Hear perspectives from Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig, New America's Lee Drutman and more.


This playlist is part of The Fulcrum's partnership with The Democracy Group, a podcast network at Penn State University. All of its shows are committed to engaging in civil discourse, inspiring civic engagement and exploring the future of our democracy.


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Fueling the Future: The Debate Over California’s Gas Tax and Transportation Funding
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Photo by Wassim Chouak on Unsplash

Fueling the Future: The Debate Over California’s Gas Tax and Transportation Funding

This nonpartisan policy brief, written by an ACE fellow, is republished by The Fulcrum as part of our partnership with the Alliance for Civic Engagement and our NextGen initiative — elevating student voices, strengthening civic education, and helping readers better understand democracy and public policy.

Key Takeaways

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Gen Z is quietly leaving social media as algorithmic feeds, infinite scroll, and addictive platform design fuel anxiety, isolation, and mental health struggles.

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Open Letter to Justice Roberts: Partisan Gerrymandering Is Unconstitutional
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Open Letter to Justice Roberts: Partisan Gerrymandering Is Unconstitutional

The Supreme Court, in holding that partisan gerrymandering is permissible—unless it "goes too far"—stated that the argument made against this practice based on the Court's "one person, one vote" doctrine didn't work because the cases that developed that doctrine were about ensuring that each vote had an equal weight. The Court reasoned that after redistricting, each vote still has equal weight.

I would respectfully disagree. After admittedly partisan redistricting, each vote does not have an equal weight. The purpose of partisan gerrymandering is typically to create a "safe" seat—to group citizens so that the dominant political party has a clear majority of the voters. It's the transformation of a contested seat or even a seat safe for the other party into a safe seat for the party doing the redistricting.

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