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This really may be the political end for Trump

This really may be the political end for Trump

Trump’s Post on Rob Reiner’s Death Tests GOP Limits

Trump’s Post on Rob Reiner’s Death Tests GOP Limits

America’s Partisan Hypocrisy: Hunter Biden’s Crimes vs. Trump’s Business Conflicts

America’s Partisan Hypocrisy: Hunter Biden’s Crimes vs. Trump’s Business Conflicts

The Great Political Finger Trap

The Great Political Finger Trap

Video: New laws are driving red and blue states further apart

Video: New laws are driving red and blue states further apartplay icon
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumApr 03, 2023
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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In our federalist system, the states are often considered laboratories of democracy. State governments test out different policies, or even political strategies, that may someday reach the whole country or drive red and blue states further apart.

This year, FiveThirtyEight is tracking what state legislation is being proposed and passed and how Republicans and Democrats are going about things differently. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew looks at new proposals on guns, taxes, spending plans and identity.

Latest news

Close up of President Trump signing an excutive order.
Democracy

Just the Facts: Trump’s Mass Pardons Grab Headlines

America’s Tariff Mirage and the Coming Debt Reckoning
Economy

America’s Tariff Mirage and the Coming Debt Reckoning

Mamdani’s Choice
Bipartisanship

Mamdani’s Choice

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Once Defended Congress’ Power of the Purse. Now He Defies It.
Rule of Law

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Once Defended Congress’ Power of the Purse. Now He Defies It.

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University Roundtable Puts Latino Mental Health Front and Center

woman holds "Hablo Espanol" button

Picture Provided

University Roundtable Puts Latino Mental Health Front and Center

“Keep it to yourself. Push it down. Don’t say anything.” That is how Isis Lara Fernandez was taught to live with her status as an undocumented immigrant in the United States.

At 6-years-old, Lara Fernandez fled to the U.S. with her mother and siblings to escape domestic violence in Honduras. From that point forward, Lara Fernandez navigated life with a persistent fear that her secret could be discovered at any point in time.

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A Democrat's Plan for Ending the War in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike hit Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Jan. 1, 2024.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A Democrat's Plan for Ending the War in Gaza

Trump's 21-point peace plan for Gaza has not and will not go anywhere, despite its adoption by the UN Security Council. There are two reasons. One is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ultra-orthodox nationalist allies will not agree to an eventual Palestinian state in the occupied territories. The other is that Hamas will not stand down and give up its arms; its main interest is the destruction of Israel, not the creation of a home for the Palestinian people.

Democrats should operate as the "loyal opposition" and propose a different path to end the "war" and establish peace. So far, they have merely followed the failed policies of the Biden administration.

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Killing Suspected Traffickers Won’t Win the War on Drugs

Killing suspected drug traffickers without trial undermines due process, human rights, and democracy. The war on drugs cannot be won through extrajudicial force.

Getty Images, SimpleImages

Killing Suspected Traffickers Won’t Win the War on Drugs

Life can only be taken in defense of life. That principle is as old as civilization itself, and it remains the bedrock of justice today. To kill another human being is justifiable only in imminent self‑defense or to protect the lives of innocent people. Yet the United States has recently crossed a troubling line: authorizing lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in international waters. Dozens have been killed without trial, without legal counsel, and without certainty of guilt.

This is not justice. It is punishment without due process, death without defense or judicial review. It is, in plain terms, an extrajudicial killing. And it is appalling.

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People waving US flags
A deep look at what “American values” truly mean, contrasting liberal, conservative, and MAGA interpretations through the lens of the Declaration and Constitution.
LeoPatrizi/Getty Images

The Season to Remember We’re Still One Nation

Every year around this time, the noise starts to drop. The pace eases a bit. Families gather, neighbors reconnect, and people who disagree on just about everything still manage to pass plates across the same table. Something about late November into December nudges us toward reflection. Whatever you call it — holiday spirit, cultural memory, or just a pause in the chaos — it’s real. And in a country this divided, it might be the reminder we need most.

Because the truth is simple: America has never thrived by choosing one ideology over another. It has thrived because our competing visions push, restrain, and refine each other. We forget that at our own risk.

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