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Dark Money

A catch-all phrase for political spending by nonprofit groups, which are not required to make public the identities of their donors.

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Donald Trump’s Third World presidency

President Donald Trump walks off of Air Force One at Newark Liberty International Airport on Aug. 7, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey.

(Eric Lee/Getty Images/TCA)

Donald Trump’s Third World presidency

In October 1980, then-candidate Ronald Reagan asked voters a very important question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

It was during the only televised debate he had against incumbent President Jimmy Carter, whose presidency had been marred by one crisis after another, from record-high inflation and rising unemployment, to soaring gas prices and the Iran hostage crisis.

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FDA Sign at its headquarters in Washington DC. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) is a federal agency of the USA.

The FDA’s changing drug approval policies raise concerns about political influence, scientific standards, drug safety, and the future of U.S. pharmaceutical regulation.

JHVEPhoto/Getty Images

FDA Turmoil: Political Interference Threatens Drug Safety Standards

Over the past three decades, drug development in the United States accelerated dramatically. Industry spending increased tenfold between the 1980s and 2019; the number of manufacturers grew; clinical trials became more sophisticated; and new technologies and precision medicines emerged. The Food and Drug Administration kept pace, building processes, standards, and a scientific culture that supported this rapid innovation. It offered pharmaceutical companies a predictable regulatory environment and a level playing field, producing substantial benefits for consumers and researchers alike.

In little more than a year, however, the Trump administration has upended many of these FDA norms. It has tied certain drug approvals to political considerations through a new, opaque program; imposed labeling changes without new scientific evidence; forced out experienced career scientists; replaced respected experts on advisory panels; and promoted unproven therapies. While some of these moves have drawn limited media attention, most have escaped public notice—even though they threaten national health standards and consumer safety. And legal guardrails may be too weak to prevent or limit their effects.

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The GOP isn’t always the best party for conservatives

President Trump has moved the GOP left on abortion right, trade and industrial policy over his two terms.

(Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

The GOP isn’t always the best party for conservatives

I often get asked for my advice on how to vote. I’m the first to concede these requests come from a very niche slice of the electorate — that tiny remnant of people who know who I am, value my opinion and share my exasperation with both parties.

I am going to answer the question. But first let me explain why I don’t like it.

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People waiting in a line outside as the sun sets.

Voters wait in line outside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center to cast their ballots in Houston, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. A recent state investigation confirmed that some registered voters flagged as potential noncitizens by a federal system had already provided proof of citizenship.

Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Texas Confirms Some Flagged As Potential Noncitizens on Voter Rolls Had Provided DPS Proof of Citizenship

Election officials across the state should immediately reinstate some voters who were incorrectly flagged as potential noncitizens through a federal program, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office told county officials Wednesday.

Christina Adkins, the state elections director, told county officials the state had reviewed Texas Department of Public Safety records confirming the citizenship of some of the 2,724 registered voters who were flagged as potential noncitizens, according to an audio recording of her comments obtained by Votebeat and The Texas Tribune, as well as election officials who heard them. The voters were flagged after the state checked its voter roll through a federal program called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, used to verify the citizenship of people registered to vote.

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