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Podcast: Changing minds

Podcast: Changing minds

Let’s face it. There are times you can’t stand your neighbor’s guts. The problem is, contempt and disgust for people who think differently from you is the death knell of democracy, says writer Anand Giridharadas. Over the last few years, he set out in search of the lost art of persuasion, and found it: among activists, cult-deprogrammers, political organizers and deep canvassers. Giridharadas shares what he learned and offers some advice on how to talk to your friends — and enemies — this holiday season.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com

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When Good Intentions Kill Cures: A Warning on AI Regulation

Kevin Frazier warns that one-size-fits-all AI laws risk stifling innovation. Learn the 7 “sins” policymakers must avoid to protect progress.

Getty Images, Aitor Diago

When Good Intentions Kill Cures: A Warning on AI Regulation

Imagine it is 2028. A start-up in St. Louis trains an AI model that can spot pancreatic cancer six months earlier than the best radiologists, buying patients precious time that medicine has never been able to give them. But the model never leaves the lab. Why? Because a well-intentioned, technology-neutral state statute drafted in 2025 forces every “automated decision system” to undergo a one-size-fits-all bias audit, to be repeated annually, and to be performed only by outside experts who—three years in—still do not exist in sufficient numbers. While regulators scramble, the company’s venture funding dries up, the founders decamp to Singapore, and thousands of Americans are deprived of an innovation that would have saved their lives.

That grim vignette is fictional—so far. But it is the predictable destination of the seven “deadly sins” that already haunt our AI policy debates. Reactive politicians are at risk of passing laws that fly in the face of what qualifies as good policy for emerging technologies.

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President Donald Trump standing next to a chart in the Oval Office.

U.S. President Donald Trump discusses economic data with Stephen Moore (L), Senior Visiting Fellow in Economics at The Heritage Foundation, in the Oval Office on August 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Win McNamee

Investor-in-Chief: Trump’s Business Deals, Loyalty Scorecards, and the Rise of Neo-Socialist Capitalism

For over 100 years, the Republican Party has stood for free-market capitalism and keeping the government’s heavy hand out of the economy. Government intervention in the economy, well, that’s what leaders did in the Soviet Union and communist China, not in the land of Uncle Sam.

And then Donald Trump seized the reins of the Republican Party. Trump has dispensed with numerous federal customs and rules, so it’s not too surprising that he is now turning his administration into the most business-interventionist government ever in American history. Contrary to Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” in the economy, suddenly, the signs of the White House’s “visible hand” are everywhere.

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Just the Facts: Congress at a Crossroads on Immigration—Legal Status, Secure Borders, and What Comes Next

America’s immigration debate is at a crossroads. Explore the latest congressional bills and discover how decades of dysfunction shaped today’s crisis.

Metin Ozer on Unsplash

Just the Facts: Congress at a Crossroads on Immigration—Legal Status, Secure Borders, and What Comes Next

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces.For too long, our national discourse has been mired in partisan vitriol and performative outrage—drowning out the collaborative thinking, deliberative dialogue, and pragmatic problem-solving that democracy requires to thrive. This column offers a clear-eyed look at where we stand: the legislative landscape, the historical context, and the civic crossroads we now face. If we are to move forward as a nation, we must replace division with deliberation and rhetoric with results.

It's time for Congress to confront the issue of immigration not with slogans and soundbites, but with the seriousness it demands.

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Conviction Is No Excuse: An Open Letter to My Fellow Leftists

bridging the red and blue divide

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Conviction Is No Excuse: An Open Letter to My Fellow Leftists

I joined Unfortunately Not a Sound Bath, a conservative podcast club, because I needed answers.

Answers to a second Trump term:

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