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U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

Trump’s Plan to Strip Rep. Omar of Her Citizenship Is Unconstitutional and a Threat to All of Us

JD Vance

JD Vance Tells Republicans Who America’s Real Birthright Citizens Are

If It Quacks Like a Fascist

If It Quacks Like a Fascist

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Sue New York After Being Denied the Right to Vote

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Sue New York After Being Denied the Right to Vote

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Six Key Voting Blocs Hold the Balance of Power on Nov. 3

Add Freedom Caucus Chair to Those Who'd Ban Super PACs

David Hawkings
By David HawkingsMar 13, 2019
David Hawkings
David Hawkings is a contributor for The Fulcrum, a nonpartisan publication dedicated to strengthening democracy by fostering informed civic engagement and elevating diverse perspectives.
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The chairman of the Freedom Caucus, the most combative clutch of conservatives in the House, says so-called super PACs should be outlawed.

North Carolina Republican Mark Meadows says he was rebuffedwhen seeking permission to offer such an amendment to HR 1, the sweeping election and ethics overhaul bill the majority Democrats muscled to House passage (with no GOP votes) last week.

"Super PAC" is the nickname for an independent political action committee that may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and people but has to spend the money without any coordination with political parties or candidates.

"Super PACs remain the dark-money tool of choice for the political establishments of both parties, but Meadows's move is a reflection of a growing consensus on both the far right and the far left that there is something wrong with the way that campaigns are financed today," the Intercept said in reporting Meadows' position. "From a practical perspective, rank-and-file lawmakers see super PACs as unpredictable threats to their incumbency, and they are also deeply unpopular among the general public."

Meadows and GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas have in the past proposed ending super PACs and instead lifting the current $2,800 limit on donations to the candidates' primary and general campaigns (for a total of $5,600 per cycle). While HR 1 would not do away with super PACs, it would further limit their ability to coordinate with campaigns and require more disclosures of major donors to political organizations of all kinds.


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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposes five city-run grocery stores. See the arguments for and against, from food deserts to bodega concerns and the $70M cost.

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Government-Owned Grocery Stores: Accessible Nutrition or Government Overreach?

Issue Introduction

Over the past few years, affordability has become the most central issue affecting Americans and the quality of life in the United States. The prices of groceries and basic necessities have risen 25-30% since the COVID-19 pandemic and are projected to rise another 3.2% in 2026. At the same time, the exodus of grocery chains from rural and low-income areas has scattered food deserts throughout individual states. Recent mass closures include Grocery Outlet’s shuttering of 36 stores and continued shut-downs of many Albertsons locations. These factors have led politicians to make affordability a major campaign issue.

During his progressive campaign for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani raised the idea of opening grocery stores owned and operated by the city government to provide New Yorkers with affordable groceries. In his April 2026 public address that marked his first 100 days in office, Mayor Mamdani announced plans for the first of five city-run grocery stores. Mamdani’s proposed initiative will use $70 million in capital funding to build five city-owned municipal stores–one in each borough–and place them under control of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). NYCEDC will then select third-party operating staff in accordance with city standards for affordability and proper labor practices. Public opinion following the announcement continues to be divided between uproar and support.

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Land of the Free, Home of the Capitalism Didn’t Fail America. America Failed to Moderate Capitalism
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Photo by Artur Ament on Unsplash

Land of the Free, Home of the Capitalism Didn’t Fail America. America Failed to Moderate Capitalism

The signs are everywhere. For many Americans, buying power has improved only modestly despite decades of economic growth. Corporate profits are at an all-time high. We have reached a level of wealth inequality last seen almost a hundred years ago. By many measures, our capitalist economy seems to have failed to deliver broadly shared prosperity.

However, the failure isn’t with the free market as an economic approach. Instead, it’s our failure to regulate and moderate the free market, or more accurately, that we have spent 40 years undermining or removing the regulations of the New Deal that made our economy work for more Americans.

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America’s economy now rewards asset ownership over wages. A policy proposal: a $35,000 Birthright Account for every child, and how it could be funded.

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The American Dream Needs a New Economic Operating System

It is, by now, not an exaggeration to state that the traditional American Dream—work hard, buy a house, raise a family, and retire securely—is failing. It was built for a labor-based economy in which steadily rising wages allowed ordinary families to accumulate wealth. But America has become an asset-based economy, and ownership of those assets is extraordinarily concentrated.

Since the 1980s, the returns from capital have far outpaced the returns from labor. Inflation-adjusted wages for ordinary workers have risen only modestly, while the real value of equities has multiplied many times over. Housing, education, healthcare and childcare costs have soared, employment has become less secure, and defined-benefit pensions have largely disappeared. Even two-income households with respectable jobs often struggle to buy a home, build savings and accumulate enough for retirement.

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