Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Democracy Madness: Top-seeded 'best of the rest' dominate the last Elite Eight

Democracy and basketball
by designing makes me more alive/Getty Images

The top seven seeds have all made it through to the Elite Eight round in the "Best of the Rest" division of Democracy Madness — our tournament where readers are deciding which of 64 ideas for fixing the government they want most.

The only minor upset in the opening round of our final quarter: The notion of conducting more extensive audits of election results, our ninth seed, barely snuck past the idea of creating federal standards for all voting machines, slotted eighth.

Now it's time to whittle it down to four. The voting lasts until Sunday night.


Will using nothing but paper ballots (No. 1) get by those post-election audits? Will providing a steady flow of federal funding for elections (No. 2) best a demand for Congress to spend more time in Washington (No. 7)? Does Congress need more capacity (No. 3) or should kids spend more time learning about civics (No. 6)? Want the District of Columbia to be the 51st state (No. 4) or a code of ethics for the Supreme Court (No. 5)?

These are the questions that await you in this round of the bracket. Which one will join the other three bracket champions who readers have already sent to the Democracy Madness Final Four?

Click "Vote Now" to make your four choices. (You can click the matchups, then each label, for more on the proposals.)



Read More

A woman standing in the middle of a food pantry filled with canned and boxed goods and toiletries.

Martha Molina has worked at the Flowing Wells Family Resource Center for 27 years. As its coordinator, she says the center serves about 50 families a month and gives our 160 food boxes. The center is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday - Friday. / Martha Molina ha trabajado en el Centro de Recursos Familiares de Flowing Wells durante 27 años. Como coordinadora, dice que el centro atiende a unas 50 familias al mes y entrega 160 cajas de alimentos. El centro está abierto de lunes a viernes, de 8 a.m. a 3 p.m.

Shannon Conner

“The Alarm Bell”: Arizona’s Drop in SNAP Participation Signals Potential Nationwide Impact of Trump Legislation

More than 400,000 Arizonans have lost their SNAP benefits since July — the largest decline in the nation by a wide margin — as an underfunded state agency administered changes called for in President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The drop represents nearly 47% of the state’s participants in the program better known as food stamps and includes about 180,000 children, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, which administers the program.

Keep ReadingShow less
PG&E’s Poor Track Record Shows How California Leaders Failed Consumers
silhouette of electric post during sunset

PG&E’s Poor Track Record Shows How California Leaders Failed Consumers

“Hello, I would like to talk with someone at your company about the large increase in my electric bill.”

So started my surreal conversation with a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) representative. I had noticed that the amount I was paying monthly for electricity had suddenly jumped up, once again, after PG&E launched a new method of “billing.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Curbelo Breaks Down Redistricting, Immigration, and Climate Challenges

Carlos Curbelo

https://x.com/carloslcurbelo

Curbelo Breaks Down Redistricting, Immigration, and Climate Challenges

The Unity Forum, a cross-partisan webinar and podcast series presented in partnership with the Bridge Alliance and produced by Alumni for Freedom and Democracy, is dedicated to fostering reasoned discourse and strengthening the foundations of an open society. Each program brings forward respected experts who challenge assumptions about current events, elevate civil dialogue, and deepen public understanding of today’s most pressing social, economic, and legal issues. In addition to attending Unity Forum events, readers are invited to join post-event discussions, volunteer as community dialogue facilitators, or help promote open society initiatives within their networks. Opportunities to stay engaged and make a difference are available for anyone who wants to support the mission of meaningful civil engagement.

On May 27, the Unity Forum welcomes former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo, who represented Florida’s 26th Congressional District from 2015 to 2019. During his time in Congress, Curbelo earned a national reputation as a principled, bipartisan voice, particularly on climate and energy policy, immigration reform, and efforts to restore constructive, bipartisan governance. His co‑founding of the House Climate Solutions Caucus remains a defining example of coalition‑building on one of the nation’s most polarized issues.

Keep ReadingShow less
Colbert’s Final Late Show Reveals What We’re Losing in Public Dialogue

Stephen Colbert attends the 51st Chaplin Award Gala honoring George Clooney at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on April 27, 2026 in New York City.

(Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)

Colbert’s Final Late Show Reveals What We’re Losing in Public Dialogue

Stephen Colbert hosted The Late Show for the last time last week.

Tributes have been pouring in for Colbert’s nightly monologue and comedic genius. And rightly so. He has a unique and deeply humane way of making the unbearable bearable, giving us a little light and lift on our darkest days.

Keep ReadingShow less