Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Final regional bracket reaches the Final Four

basketball and democracy
by designing makes me more alive/Getty Images

Two mini upsets in the Elite Eight created a couple of mismatched pairings in the Final Four of the Democracy Madness "Best of the Rest" division.

Always using paper ballots (No. 1), the top priority of election security experts, is taking on the concept of creating an ethics code for the Supreme Court (No. 5). The fifth seed destroyed the idea of statehood for Washington (No. 4) in the last round.


Could Congress' constant dysfunction have voters thinking it's a lost cause? The legislative branch had two chances to make it to the semifinals of this bracket, but both increasing Congress' capacity (No. 3) and having members spend more time on Capitol Hill (No. 7) got knocked out.

Instead the second seed, using federal funds for elections, will take on the sixth seed, increasing civics education.

Voting closes Tuesday evening, so make your choices now.



Read More

American soldier in headquarter control center

American soldier in headquarter control center

Getty Images

Why America Must Rethink Its Counterterrorism Strategy in Nigeria

When American forces conducted airstrikes against suspected Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025, the operation signaled a renewal of security cooperation between Washington and Abuja. Yet for Nigerians living in communities plagued by terrorism, kidnapping, and armed attacks, a critical question remained: Will these strikes make their daily lives any safer?

That question demands serious consideration in Washington. The United States has spent decades helping Nigeria combat terrorism through military equipment, intelligence sharing, and tactical training. Yet, armed violence continues to disrupt daily life across northern Nigeria, raising doubts about how the effectiveness of American counterterrorism assistance should be measured.

Keep ReadingShow less
American flag behind barbed wire

American flag behind barbed wire

Photo provided

A Question of Trust: What Maryland’s New Laws Mean for Immigrant Communities

On October 1, Maryland’s Public Safety Law, which bars police officers from wearing face masks, went into effect across the state. Within hours, the U.S. Justice Department sued the state and two of its most liberal counties, Montgomery and Prince George’s, which had passed similar legislation earlier in the year.

The 2020 Census ranked Maryland as the most diverse state on the East Coast and fourth in the nation. As a Democratic-led state with a Democratic governor, Maryland has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration since the start of the president’s second term. The mask ban is the latest in a series of laws passed in 2026 to protect immigrant communities across the state.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on October 28, 2026.

(Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Pete Hegseth and the High Price of Compromised Governance

Just days after a historic midterm election in which everyday Americans sent a clear, undeniable demand for political accountability and transparency, the halls of Congress have devolved into a new theater of crisis. Republican Representative Thomas Massie’s introduction of eight articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has thrown the Department—and the nation’s fragile democratic norms—into uncharted territory.

Massie, a longtime Trump critic who plans to retire from Congress at the end of the year, accuses Hegseth of bypassing Congress and violating constitutional limits on war powers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voters cast their ballots inside a polling location.

Voters cast their ballots inside a polling location at the Bridge of Hope Church on November 3, 2026 in Youngstown, Ohio.

Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Democracy Won as American Voters Spoke Loudly

Turnout and free exercise of the vote, including in many super-gerrymandered districts, was decisive on November 3, despite various attempts at suppression. Fear and hate mongering, floods of disinformation, avalanches of political cash, and coercive deployment of federal agencies in the runup to November 3 did not stop Americans from speaking loudly for change.

That expression was safeguarded by officials in the multitude of US election jurisdictions and by over 600,000 poll workers and ballot counters. Civic groups, electoral candidates, and political organizations assisted registration and voting with hotlines, door-to-door engagement, and pollwatching. In many places citizen groups organized protection efforts outside the polls to encourage voters and impede interference.

Keep ReadingShow less