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Protesters gather at the Wisconsin State Capitol, holding signs.

Trump's Water Policies Put America's Drinking Water at Risk

America at 250: A Country in Distress

America at 250: A Country in Distress

I Alone Can (Fix) Destroy It

I Alone Can (Fix) Destroy It

a house made of brown cardboard in a person's hands.

Homelessness Just Declined in the U.S.–Trump’s Plans Will Take Us Backwards.

California court expedites Trump challenge to new tax returns requirement

California court expedites Trump challenge to new tax returns requirement

California's Supreme Court is expediting President Trump's challenge to a new state law that would require him to release five years of tax returns in order to get on the state ballot for the 2020 election.

Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
Bill Theobald
By Bill TheobaldAug 22, 2019
Bill Theobald

Bill Theobald is senior writer at The Fulcrum, where he focuses on everything to do with voting. This December marks his 40th anniversary in the business, and he still believes -- now more than ever -- that the glow from great journalism can truly light the world.

See More Writings by author

The California Supreme Court is fast-tracking its review of a challenge to a new law that would require President Trump to make public his tax returns in order to get on the state's ballot for the 2020 election.

A lawsuit seeking to block implementation of the law was filed August 6 by the California Republican Party against Secretary of State Alex Padilla. It claims the law violates California's constitution.

Two other challenges, one filed by Trump's personal lawyers, are pending in federal court.

Trump refused to release his tax returns during the 2016 election campaign, bucking a practice followed by every presidential candidate for decades.

The court issued an expedited schedule on Wednesday requiring attorneys on both sides to file legal papers by mid-September, including anyone who wants to file briefs supporting either side.

The California law requires presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns in order to appear on the ballot. Democrats control both houses of the California Legislature and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill in late July.


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The U.S. is falling short of what its national wealth makes possible for its people.

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Americans Are Not As Well Off As People in Peer Nations – Us Safety Net’s Shortfalls Show Up in Global Data

As the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the global data we collect and analyze shows that the country is failing to “promote the general Welfare,” as the Constitution’s framers promised a little more than a decade later.

We are scholars of human rights. Alongside the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, a nonprofit that tracks how well more than 200 countries and territories are meeting the human rights commitments their governments have made, we annually update scores measuring whether people can actually get the basics of a decent life, such as healthcare, adequate food and a quality education.

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No Party. No Big Money. No Problem: How an Independent Mayor Beat the Machine in Ridgecrest

Dr. Travis Endicott, Mayor of Ridgecrest, California

Photo provided

No Party. No Big Money. No Problem: How an Independent Mayor Beat the Machine in Ridgecrest

Much of the national conversation about independent politics focuses on candidates. Less attention goes to the independents who have already won and are now doing the actual work of governing without a party behind them.

This is the first installment in a new IVN series profiling independent elected officials in an attempt to address that shortcoming.

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Deadly Venezuela Quakes Spark Renewed Calls for U.S. to Restore Temporary Protected Status

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(Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Deadly Venezuela Quakes Spark Renewed Calls for U.S. to Restore Temporary Protected Status

Venezuela is reeling after a series of catastrophic earthquakes that collapsed buildings, triggered landslides, and overwhelmed emergency responders across multiple states. The strongest quake, a 7.3‑magnitude event, sent residents fleeing into the streets as aftershocks rippled through Caracas, Sucre, Miranda, and Bolívar. Entire neighborhoods have reported severe structural damage, blocked roads, and hospitals struggling to treat the injured as rescue teams work to reach communities cut off by debris and power outages.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Venezuela’s National Seismology Foundation confirm the scale of destruction and warn that more aftershocks are likely. International humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), say the disaster has intensified an already dire humanitarian crisis marked by food shortages, failing infrastructure, and mass migration.

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“No One Is Watching”: How Trump Reversed Biden’s Crackdown on Gun Trafficking

Marianna Mitchem grew up in the Denver suburbs, where she played high school soccer. One day in April 1999, her team faced off against a nearby rival, Columbine High. The next day, two teenagers went on a shooting rampage at Columbine, killing more than a dozen people.

The massacre left an imprint on Mitchem. After graduating from Providence College, she joined the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Fearing for my friends and watching what was happening — you don’t forget things like that,” she told me. “I wanted to make a difference.”

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