Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

'Election Countdown,' with guest Andrew Heaton

Andrew Heaton
Andrew Heaton

After a 14-year career as an Emmy-winning reporter, Scott Klug upset a 32-year Democratic members of Congress from Wisconsin. Despite winning his four elections by an average of 63 percent. he stayed true to his term limit pledge and retired.

During his time in Congress, Klug had the third most independent voting record of any Wisconsin lawmaker in the last 50 years. In September 2023, he launched a podcast, “Lost in the Middle,” to shine a spotlight on the oft ignored political center.

The Fulcrum has covered several of Klug’s podcasts about America’s “political orphans,” highlighting what he describes as 71 million bewildered, frustrated voters.


“The podcast was born,” Klug told Madison Magazine, “out of the sentiment that a wide swath of the American public, myself included, can’t figure out how in the hell we got to this place. And more importantly, is there a way for us out of it.”

And now with the election only a few weeks away, Klug and The Fulcrum present a series of podcasts titled “Election Countdown.”

Today we offer the first episode as political podcaster and comedian Andrew Heaton files his observations from a phone booth in Edinburgh. He’s the host of “The Orphanage” podcast, where some of Klug’s political orphans happily live.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

The mission of “Lost in the Middle” is serious — finding a way to something resembling common ground as a country — but it’s not solemn.

“I’m having fun,” Klug said. “I spent 14 years on TV. It’s telling stories. Getting out there and talking to people. Aside from my personal commitment to the issue, it’s just a lot of fun. I enjoy listening to people and telling stories.”

Read More

Public Perspectives: "I've never felt more depressed or hopeless."
man in black suit jacket
Photo by Sean Ferigan on Unsplash

Public Perspectives: "I've never felt more depressed or hopeless."

Ahead of Election Day 2024, the Fulcrum launched We the People, a series elevating the voices and visibility of the persons most affected by the decisions of elected officials.

Now, we continue the series to learn if the Donald Trump administration is meeting the voters' motivations for voting in the 2024 presidential election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Concern Over Education and Family Services in Rhode Island

Pictures of residents of Rhode Island, including educators and elected officials

The Fulcrum

Concern Over Education and Family Services in Rhode Island

Ahead of Election Day 2024, the Fulcrum launched We the People, a series elevating the voices and visibility of the persons most affected by the decisions of elected officials.

Now, we continue with the series The 50, a four-year multimedia project that visits the public where they live across all 50 states to learn what motivated them to vote in the 2024 presidential election and see how the Donald Trump administration is meeting those concerns and hopes.

Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 1636, is one of the oldest cities in New England and one of the first cities in the country to industrialize, noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries.

Keep ReadingShow less
In Swing-State Pennsylvania, a Latino-Majority City Looks Back at the 2024 Election

In Swing-State Pennsylvania, a Latino-Majority City Looks Back at the 2024 Election

Ahead of Election Day 2024, the Fulcrum launched We the People, a series elevating the voices and visibility of the persons most affected by the decisions of elected officials.

Now, we continue with the series The 50, a four-year multimedia project that visits the public where they live across all 50 states to learn what motivated them to vote in the 2024 presidential election and see how the Donald Trump administration is meeting those concerns and hopes.

Keep ReadingShow less
California's Bishop Latino Community Grapples with Trump’s Return

Street scene, Bishop, California

Robin Linse

California's Bishop Latino Community Grapples with Trump’s Return

With President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Latino community of the self-proclaimed “Mule Capital of the World”—the city of Bishop, California—remains torn.

Biden took Inyo County by the narrow margin of 14 votes in 2020, while Trump won by 267 votes this year, according to an election summary report.

Keep ReadingShow less