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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

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 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

US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC.

Supreme Court Restores Flawed Federal Voter‑Check System

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

person reading a computer screen
Media & Technology

Student-Led AI Initiative Aims to Tackle Misinformation

​Michael Bridgford
Elections

Independent Underdog Tours Iowa as Voters Seek Common‑Sense Change

US money being cut by a scissor
Money & Politics

Self-Interested Elite Supremacy, 1776 to 2026, and a Path Forward

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piggy bank
Coins falling into a white piggy bank
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Love Him or Hate Him, Open a Trump Account

Last year, Congress established 530A tax-advantaged investment accounts for children under the age of 18. These accounts are now open and eligible children born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028 receive a $1000 contribution from the federal government. This August, philanthropists Michael and Susan Dell gave $6.25 billion to supercharge these so-called Trump accounts, $250 goes into the accounts of the first 25 million children who have an account, are 10 and under and live in qualifying zip codes. Two hundred and fifty dollars was deposited into our children’s 530A Trump accounts.

However, as of July 2026, less than 10% of children eligible to open an account actually had an account. Too many of those who are economically worst off have not opened these 530a accounts. Research shows that families with higher incomes, older people, men and white people are more likely to be aware of this opportunity compared to families with lower incomes who are younger, women and Black and Latino. Given the historical, persistent racial and growing economic wealth gap, opportunities to build wealth should not be overlooked.

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​U.S. Deaf athletes celebrated at the Opening Ceremony of the 25th Summer Deaflympics

U.S. Deaf athletes celebrated at the Opening Ceremony of the 25th Summer Deaflympics on November 15, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

(Hugh Carey, USA Deaf Sports Federation)

The USOPC Ought to Reassess the Ted Stevens Act

Last month was National Deaf Awareness Month.

It is a time to raise awareness of Deaf culture and language and to advocate for the rights and inclusion of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals.

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Visitor at the reflecting pools to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center

A visitor pauses at the reflecting pools to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center at the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum on September 11, 2026, in New York City.

(Photo by Jeenah Moon - Pool/Getty Images)

The Moral Distance Between Our Dead and Theirs

Last month, I watched the ceremonies marking the 25th anniversary of September 11.

I listened as family members read the names of the dead. Children and grandchildren talked about people whose absence still shapes their lives. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that morning. At the 9/11 Memorial, they are remembered as individuals.

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