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The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Federalism at Its Best

​U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Ted Cruz’s “Darkest Before Dawn” Melodrama Misses the Message of the Midterms

US Senate candidate Dan Osborn

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Voters in Alaska

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Does Trump have a legitimate First Amendment case?

Donald Trump speaking
Donald Trump
YouTube
By Amber Allison,
Amber Allison
Amber Allison is a contributor for The Fulcrum, a nonpartisan publication dedicated to strengthening democracy by fostering informed civic engagement and elevating diverse perspectives.
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The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Jul 08, 2021

News

Does Trump have a legitimate First Amendment case?

donald trump pointingSara Swann

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday filed class-action lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube arguing his suspension from those platforms violates the First Amendment.

However, legal experts say that argument has little chance of succeeding in court since the First Amendment constrains only the government, and not private entities.

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Debate

Video: UNIT(ED) with David Adams

In the latest The Call To Unite video, David Adams, SEL Director at The Urban Assembly, and Dr. Tim Shriver, founder of UNITE, discuss social-emotional learning (SEL) as a lever for equity not only in our classrooms, but in our society at large. This is America's Classroom.

Grant makers must fund the big dreams of the youth movement

Imagine what could be accomplished if local youth organizations had million-dollar budgets every year, not just in presidential election years, writes Sarah Audelo, executive director of the Alliance for Youth Action.

Community

Present and Future Threats to American Democracy

Join USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future to hear Miles Taylor, former Homeland Security official, and a fall 2021 fellow at the Center for the Political Future who joins CPF Co-director Bob Shrum to discuss his upcoming course and his vision for the future of democracy and the Republican Party.


Latest news

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Democracy

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U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche
Ethics & Leadership

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A gavel.
Rule of Law

Supreme Court’s Campaign Finance Rulings Help the GOP

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American soldier in headquarter control center

American soldier in headquarter control center

Getty Images

Why America Must Rethink Its Counterterrorism Strategy in Nigeria

When American forces conducted airstrikes against suspected Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025, the operation signaled a renewal of security cooperation between Washington and Abuja. Yet for Nigerians living in communities plagued by terrorism, kidnapping, and armed attacks, a critical question remained: Will these strikes make their daily lives any safer?

That question demands serious consideration in Washington. The United States has spent decades helping Nigeria combat terrorism through military equipment, intelligence sharing, and tactical training. Yet, armed violence continues to disrupt daily life across northern Nigeria, raising doubts about how the effectiveness of American counterterrorism assistance should be measured.

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American flag behind barbed wire

American flag behind barbed wire

Photo provided

A Question of Trust: What Maryland’s New Laws Mean for Immigrant Communities

On October 1, Maryland’s Public Safety Law, which bars police officers from wearing face masks, went into effect across the state. Within hours, the U.S. Justice Department sued the state and two of its most liberal counties, Montgomery and Prince George’s, which had passed similar legislation earlier in the year.

The 2020 Census ranked Maryland as the most diverse state on the East Coast and fourth in the nation. As a Democratic-led state with a Democratic governor, Maryland has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration since the start of the president’s second term. The mask ban is the latest in a series of laws passed in 2026 to protect immigrant communities across the state.

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Pete Hegseth

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on October 28, 2026.

(Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Pete Hegseth and the High Price of Compromised Governance

Just days after a historic midterm election in which everyday Americans sent a clear, undeniable demand for political accountability and transparency, the halls of Congress have devolved into a new theater of crisis. Republican Representative Thomas Massie’s introduction of eight articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has thrown the Department—and the nation’s fragile democratic norms—into uncharted territory.

Massie, a longtime Trump critic who plans to retire from Congress at the end of the year, accuses Hegseth of bypassing Congress and violating constitutional limits on war powers.

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Voters cast their ballots inside a polling location.

Voters cast their ballots inside a polling location at the Bridge of Hope Church on November 3, 2026 in Youngstown, Ohio.

Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Democracy Won as American Voters Spoke Loudly

Turnout and free exercise of the vote, including in many super-gerrymandered districts, was decisive on November 3, despite various attempts at suppression. Fear and hate mongering, floods of disinformation, avalanches of political cash, and coercive deployment of federal agencies in the runup to November 3 did not stop Americans from speaking loudly for change.

That expression was safeguarded by officials in the multitude of US election jurisdictions and by over 600,000 poll workers and ballot counters. Civic groups, electoral candidates, and political organizations assisted registration and voting with hotlines, door-to-door engagement, and pollwatching. In many places citizen groups organized protection efforts outside the polls to encourage voters and impede interference.

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