Skip to content
Project 2025
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories
Just the Facts: Impact of the Big Beautiful Bill

Just the Facts: Impact of the Big Beautiful Bill

Balance – The Golden Mean

Balance – The Golden Mean

The Legal Costs and Risks of Trump’s 328 Lawsuits

The Legal Costs and Risks of Trump’s 328 Lawsuits

‘Homeschool Act’ Stalled in House, but Opponents Remain Vigilant for Potential Revival

‘Homeschool Act’ Stalled in House, but Opponents Remain Vigilant for Potential Revival

America Talks again: Virtual bridging event returns in April

America Talks
melitas/Getty Images
David Meyers
By David MeyersMar 17, 2022
David Meyers

David Meyers is the Executive Editor of The Fulcrum. Before launching The Fulcrum, David spent more than two decades at CQ Roll Call, a leading publisher of political news and information. During his time there, David served as managing editor of Roll Call (“the newspaper of Capitol Hill”) and as managing editor of member information and research, which included co-editing the definitive biographical directory of Congress, “Politics in America.” David went on to lead all of CQ Roll Call’s congressional research teams as vice president of research and content development before shifting to a revenue and strategy role as vice president of business operations for Roll Call, working with the advertising and editorial teams to develop new revenue models and expand the company’s events business. David lives in Fairfax, Va., with his wife, two daughters and rottweiler. A graduate of Tufts University, David is a past president of the Tufts University Alumni Association. He is also a past president of the Washington Press Club Foundation, which works to celebrate and advance the role of women and minorities in the media. David currently serves on the board of directors for Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station.

See More Writings by author

Last year, some of the leading advocates for improving dialogue among politically diverse Americans convened a two-day virtual event in which thousands of people engaged in one-on-one conversations. And now America Talks is returning for a second round in April.

America Talks will once again offer the opportunity for people to better understand those with differing viewpoints through a guided conversation. This year, participants may participate in a small-group talk rather than a one-on-one discussion.

The program will take place April 21 and 23, kicking off the National Week of Conversation, during which dozens of organizations will host events designed to bridge the partisan divide.

“The vast majority of Americans don’t want to be divided,” said Pearce Godwin, CEO of Listen First Project and co-director of America Talks. “As the personal pain and national fear caused by this toxic polarization increases, people of good will are looking for a way out. Thanks to Gannett, thousands of Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs will be invited to take that step together.”

Gannett is back as a media partner for America Talks, and is expected to be a primary source of registrations through USA Today and its other properties. Other sponsors include Walmart, Microsoft, Twitter and the Bridge Alliance. (The Fulcrum, which is a media partner as well, is operated by the Bridge Alliance.)

Godwin, who worked on Republican campaigns before founding Listen First, runs America Talks with Brandyn Keating, a former Democratic operative who now leads the anti-polarization organization YOUnify.

“We are thrilled to invite all Americans to an experience in which differences are greeted with respect and curiosity,” Keating said. “Americans' capacity to solve problems has no bounds when we honor one another's humanity. And participants are always shocked about how much they do agree on.”

People who sign up for America Talks answer a few survey questions. The answers are used to match each respondent with someone who has a different set of beliefs. After the event begins matched participants are sent to breakout rooms for guided one-on-one or small-group conversations.

Register for America Talks and learn more about the National Week of Conversation.

Latest news

Blank Checks and Empty Promises: The Collapse of Congressional Fiscal Power
Money & Politics

Blank Checks and Empty Promises: The Collapse of Congressional Fiscal Power

Making Eye Contact & Small Talk With Strangers Is More Than Just Being Polite - The Social Benefits of Psychological Generosity
Bridging & Common Ground

Making Eye Contact & Small Talk With Strangers Is More Than Just Being Polite - The Social Benefits of Psychological Generosity

Read More

POLL: Americans Wary About The President Taking Unconventional Actions
APM Research Lab

POLL: Americans Wary About The President Taking Unconventional Actions

Americans show a strong preference for their elected executives — governors as well as the president — to achieve their political goals through conventional, sometimes slow, procedures, according to the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll.

Results showed marked partisan differences. For example, 26% of all survey respondents rated a presidential action of firing all recently hired federal employees as “very appropriate,” including only four percent of Democrats and just over half of Republicans.

Keep ReadingShow less
The FEC Can’t Do Anything. Congress Should Leave It That Way

People stand on the pieces of a shattered United States flag.

Getty Images, mathisworks

The FEC Can’t Do Anything. Congress Should Leave It That Way

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is vital to America’s political process. As the only federal agency dedicated solely to enforcing election laws, the FEC plays a critical role in protecting voters and maintaining a level playing field for political campaigns.

But at this moment, America faces an unfortunate choice: We can have an FEC that does nothing or an FEC that President Trump wields as a partisan weapon against his political opponents.

Keep ReadingShow less
Are President Trump’s Economic Promises Falling Short?

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 05, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker

Are President Trump’s Economic Promises Falling Short?

President Donald Trump was elected for a second term after a campaign in which voters were persuaded that he could skillfully manage the economy better than his Democratic opponent. On the campaign trail and since being elected for the second time, President Trump has promised that his policies would bolster economic growth, boost domestic manufacturing with more products “made in the USA,” reduce the price of groceries “on Day 1,” and make America “ very rich ” again.

These were bold promises, so how is President Trump doing, three and a half months into his term? The evidence so far is as mixed and uncertain as his roller coaster tariff policy.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn on May 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks towards Marine One on the South Lawn on May 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Andrew Harnik

Trump’s First 100 Days on Trial

100 Days, 122 Rulings

Presidents are typically evaluated by their accomplishments in the first 100 days. Donald Trump's second term stands out for a different reason: the unprecedented number of executive actions challenged and blocked by the courts. In just over three months, Trump issued more than 200 executive orders, targeting areas such as climate policy, civil service regulations, immigration, and education funding.

However, the most telling statistic is not the volume of orders but the judiciary's response: over 120 rulings have paused or invalidated these directives. This positions the courts, rather than Congress, as the primary institutional check on the administration's agenda. With a legislature largely aligned with the executive, the judiciary has become a critical counterbalance. The sustainability of this dynamic raises questions about the resilience of democratic institutions when one branch shoulders the burden of oversight responsibilities.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025