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We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

Trump’s Plan to Gather Data on Every Voter Will Cripple Democracy

Trump’s Plan to Gather Data on Every Voter Will Cripple Democracy

People voting at voting booths.

The Quiet Campaign That Could Rewrite the 2028 Election

A car with a bullet hole in the windshield.

States Sue D.C. at Record Levels — MN Case May Be the Turning Point

The Fulcrum Opens Applications for 2026 Summer Journalism Fellowship

The Fulcrum Opens Applications for 2026 Summer Journalism Fellowship

Podcast: Regulating social media

Podcast: Regulating social media
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumMar 30, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
See More Writings by author

There are dozens of bills in Congress that would regulate social media in some way, but this week’s Civic Genius podcast guest has another idea to throw into the mix. Paul Barrett is Deputy Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University, and his new report recommends that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulate social media companies.

Could this proposal cut back online misinformation without running afoul of the First Amendment? Listen in to hear Barrett explain why he thinks so.

Listen now


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Is the U.S. Better Off Today Than a Year Ago?
Governance & Legislation

Is the U.S. Better Off Today Than a Year Ago?

election, people voting
Bridging & Common Ground

I Ran as a Democrat in a Red State. Here’s What I Learned

Illustration of someone holding a strainer, and the words "fakes," "facts," "news," etc. going through it.
Governance & Legislation

The Need for a Truth in Politics Law: De-Frauding American Politics

The Finish Line Is a Commons
Health

The Finish Line Is a Commons

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New Cybersecurity Rules for Healthcare? Understanding HHS’s HIPPA Proposal
Getty Images, Kmatta

New Cybersecurity Rules for Healthcare? Understanding HHS’s HIPPA Proposal

Background

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996 to protect sensitive health information from being disclosed without patients’ consent. Under this act, a patient’s privacy is safeguarded through the enforcement of strict standards on managing, transmitting, and storing health information.

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Two people looking at screens.

A case for optimism, risk-taking, and policy experimentation in the age of AI—and why pessimism threatens technological progress.

Getty Images, Andriy Onufriyenko

In Defense of AI Optimism

Society needs people to take risks. Entrepreneurs who bet on themselves create new jobs. Institutions that gamble with new processes find out best to integrate advances into modern life. Regulators who accept potential backlash by launching policy experiments give us a chance to devise laws that are based on evidence, not fear.

The need for risk taking is all the more important when society is presented with new technologies. When new tech arrives on the scene, defense of the status quo is the easier path--individually, institutionally, and societally. We are all predisposed to think that the calamities, ailments, and flaws we experience today--as bad as they may be--are preferable to the unknowns tied to tomorrow.

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Trump Signs Defense Bill Prohibiting China-Based Engineers in Pentagon IT Work

President Donald Trump with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Trump Signs Defense Bill Prohibiting China-Based Engineers in Pentagon IT Work

President Donald Trump signed into law this month a measure that prohibits anyone based in China and other adversarial countries from accessing the Pentagon’s cloud computing systems.

The ban, which is tucked inside the $900 billion defense policy law, was enacted in response to a ProPublica investigation this year that exposed how Microsoft used China-based engineers to service the Defense Department’s computer systems for nearly a decade — a practice that left some of the country’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary.

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Someone using an AI chatbot on their phone.

AI-powered wellness tools promise care at work, but raise serious questions about consent, surveillance, and employee autonomy.

Getty Images, d3sign

Why Workplace Wellbeing AI Needs a New Ethics of Consent

Across the U.S. and globally, employers—including corporations, healthcare systems, universities, and nonprofits—are increasing investment in worker well-being. The global corporate wellness market reached $53.5 billion in sales in 2024, with North America leading adoption. Corporate wellness programs now use AI to monitor stress, track burnout risk, or recommend personalized interventions.

Vendors offering AI-enabled well-being platforms, chatbots, and stress-tracking tools are rapidly expanding. Chatbots such as Woebot and Wysa are increasingly integrated into workplace wellness programs.

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