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President Trump on a large TV screen behind a woman wearing a statue of liberty inspired crown.

How Anti-Bribery Laws Apply to Trump’s Promise of $5,000 Payments if Republicans Keep Control of Congress

​U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally.

The President Invited Iran to Bomb My Home

​A sign directs pedestrians towards the United States in Tijuana, Mexico. A person walks in the foreground.

Immigration, Borders, and Belonging: Toward a More Honest Conversation

New York Is Making Childcare Affordable. Don’t Forget the People Providing It.

New York Is Making Childcare Affordable. Don’t Forget the People Providing It.

A solemn portrait of a woman looking down, bathed in dramatic light and shadow from window blinds, emphasizing solitude and deep thought in monochrome.

The Questions We Should Be Asking About the Lindsay Clancy Case

Podcast: Fear and loathing in Washington: The debt ceiling

Podcast: Fear and loathing in Washington: The debt ceiling
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumMay 15, 2023
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Here we go again. Congress is facing a June 1 deadline to avoid a totally preventable “debt ceiling” crisis. If no one flinches in this dangerous game of chicken, the U.S. economy will be dragged into a cataclysm, destroying America’s global reputation and unleashing unfathomable pain for every American family.

An artifact from World War I, the debt ceiling comes back every few years to provide existential drama — the battlefield of partisan politics. It all sounds a bit insane, but it’s only the latest crisis to be spawned by our increasingly dysfunctional political system.

On this week’s episode, Fernando is joined by Washington uber-insider Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, to discuss her mounting fear that a “default is possible” and what we can do about it.

Also, Fernando chats with Nellie Gorbea, former Rhode Island Secretary of State, for the latest installment of the X-Ray Vision interview. In this quirky conversation, Nellie shares her dream superpower, transformative leadership vision, and why Puerto Rican rum is superior to scotch.

Listen.


Latest news

Adult man holds a microphone while asking a question during a town hall meeting.
Governance & Legislation

Consensus Without Power: How Sortition Could Break America's Legislative Gridlock

Students in a classroom.​
Education

Schools Can’t Teach Democracy Without Valuing Students’ Lived Experiences

California’s New Law Aims To Close a Housing Gap for Domestic Violence Survivors
Governance & Legislation

California’s New Law Aims To Close a Housing Gap for Domestic Violence Survivors

The Window to Safely Managing the Education Freedom Tax Credit is Closing Fast
Education

The Window to Safely Managing the Education Freedom Tax Credit is Closing Fast

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A person wearing a t-shirt that says, "Black Voters Still Matter."

A member of the audience wearing a 'Black Voters Still Matter' t-shirt from Georgia NAACP as Georgia Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally December 3, 2022 in Hephzibah, Georgia.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Black Voters Don’t Need Another Election-Year Lecture. They Need Government That Works All Year

Democracy cannot just be something Black Americans are asked to save every election. It has to be something we can see working in our lives between elections. Every election season, here it comes again. We are told how important this election is. We are told democracy is on the line. We are told to register, organize, bring somebody to the polls, and make sure our voices are heard. Candidates come into Black communities, sit down with Black leaders, show up at churches and community events, and remind us just how powerful our vote can be.

I believe in voting. I believe in democracy. I believe deeply in civic participation.

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​Construction on the proposed White House ballroom.

Construction on the proposed White House ballroom is seen from the Washington Monument on May 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump has initiated numerous construction projects on federal government properties in Washington, including demolition of the White House East Wing to build a ballroom and re-painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool blue.

Graeme Sloan/Getty Images

Democracy Must Prevail: Reset Community Meetings Process

Once a month, on the evening of the first Wednesday, I sit on an elevated platform behind a horseshoe-shaped desk in my role as a member of my community’s historic preservation commission in Urbana, Illinois.

On the lower level and at floor level, is a conference table and behind that a room filled with chairs that may all be full – but are more frequently close to empty.

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person reading a computer screen
man using computer inside room
Photo by Oğuzhan Akdoğan on Unsplash

Student-Led AI Initiative Aims to Tackle Misinformation

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ — As generative artificial intelligence reshapes the digital landscape, a New Jersey student researcher is using the technology to combat media bias. Shaurya Jindal, an AI researcher and student at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, has launched Cogito News, an educational platform designed to build modern media literacy skills.

Cogito News was founded in response to growing concerns about partisan framing and selective sourcing in contemporary journalism. Recognizing that cognitive biases often influence how news is packaged and consumed, Jindal sought to build a tool that helps users critically evaluate the information they encounter daily. The platform's real-world impact and timely relevance were highlighted when Jindal was my guest on The Fulcrum Democracy Forum, an interview series dedicated to civic renewal and examining innovative approaches to strengthening democratic systems.

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