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Shared Psychosis or Political Pathology?

Shared Psychosis or Political Pathology?

Trump’s Mirage Economy Is Putting America in Foreclosure

Trump’s Mirage Economy Is Putting America in Foreclosure

Is Bill Maher Right About a “Slow-Moving Coup”? Trump’s Federal Moves Stir Alarm

Is Bill Maher Right About a “Slow-Moving Coup”? Trump’s Federal Moves Stir Alarm

Just the Facts: Canada-U.S. Tariff Update- What’s Changed Since March 2025?

Just the Facts: Canada-U.S. Tariff Update- What’s Changed Since March 2025?

Hamas To Go To Iran: Israel Stops Invasion Into Gaza

Hamas To Go To Iran: Israel Stops Invasion Into Gaza

Podcast: The MAGA Bubble, Bidenonmics and Playing the Victim

Vital Signs of Democracy

Podcast: The MAGA Bubble, Bidenonmics and Playing the Victim
By Debilyn Molineaux,
Debilyn Molineaux

Debilyn Molineaux serves as the catalyst for the American Future project to help everyday Americans discover and believe in a future that will be "worth it" to work together for the sake of our nation.

Debilyn brings a passion to her work that is contagious to all around her. Hailing from a conservative, agricultural community, Debilyn started her career as a small business owner, working with community businesses to promote and grow their own operations through advertising and marketing. After engaging other women business leaders, Debilyn was inspired to become more active in the political process. Her own personal experiences -- as a small business owner, a local candidate for office, and an elected president of a national organization -- have given her enormous insight into the challenges facing citizens who want to get involved and organizations that want to scale their impact.

Debilyn is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding many organizations and transpartisan projects over her 20+ year career in establishing the democracy ecosystem. She has co-founded the Bridge Alliance, Living Room Conversations and the National Week of Conversation. She formerly was co-publisher of The Fulcrum and continues as advisor for Citizen Connect, Listen First Project, AllSides and other organizations, individuals within the democracy ecosystem.

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David Riordan
David Riordan
David Riordan is the director of Vital Signs of Democracy (VSD). David has a long history of producing Hollywood movies, interactive entertainment and documentaries. The VSD team looks at stories in the news and determines if the events they are reporting on are threatening democracy in America. VSD uses a unique Artificial Intelligence narrative analysis process to rate news stories in 10 key categories and then aggregates those 10 individual scores into one master threat rating published every two weeks. David and the VSD team identify politically as independents. At the moment their confidence level that either party can rally the 65% of the American public who still believe in democracy to stand up is low. That is why David and his team collect and analyze the stories we are currently telling about democracy in America in an attempt to identify thenarrative themes that will counter the anti-democratic story that is growing in influence. David joins us twice a month to explore the news stories that are impacting democracy in America.
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Sep 12, 2023

In this episode, Debilyn Molineaux and David Riordan explore the narrative themes emerging from the first MAGA Republican debate, the Democrats' intention to run in 2024 on the strength of Bidenonmics, and the tendency in times of crisis for all of us to play the victim card. These narratives are the first indications of what the MAGA Republicans and Biden Democrats are going to run on for the 2024 Presidential election. But the question remains: will our democracy be served by the result?

In this podcast, we referenced the plan that has been created should Trump be elected again. We provide the link so you can decide for yourself if this is the future you'd like to see. Project 2025 is presented by The Heritage Foundation. Their headline is "Building now for a conservative victory through policy, personnel, and training."

Listen on Spotify or Apple podcast.

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How To End Gerrymandering: Reformers Debate Retaliation, Representation, and Redistricting Reform

Given the profound implications for democratic integrity in the U.S., The Fulcrum is hosting a curated roundtable to explore the strategic, moral, and civic dimensions of partisan redistricting.

Getty Images, Israel Sebastian

How To End Gerrymandering: Reformers Debate Retaliation, Representation, and Redistricting Reform

tAcross the democracy reform movement, a growing debate has emerged over how, if at all, reformers should respond to the escalating gerrymandering battles unfolding in states like Texas, California, and beyond.

Last week, Fix.us convened a provocative discussion thread featuring academics and practitioners, surfacing a wide spectrum of views on this contentious issue.

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The Other America and Politics of Spectacle

America is two very different countries for its diverse population - one that thrives in abundance and another that stumbles from crisis to crisis.

Getty Images, Bloomberg Creative

The Other America and Politics of Spectacle

In 2024, Americans were promised a year of renewal. The election was meant to usher in stability after years of tumult, a chance to repair what had been so badly frayed. Instead, the campaign season laid bare a more uncomfortable truth: the United States is not simply divided by partisan politics. It is, in practice, two very different countries—one that thrives in abundance and another that stumbles from crisis to crisis, hoping not to slip further behind.

The numbers are stark. More than 40 million Americans lived in poverty last year. Nearly 14 million children went hungry. Homelessness surged to almost 772,000 people—an 18 percent rise, the sharpest increase ever recorded. Meanwhile, credit card debt soared past $1.14 trillion, with delinquency rates at their highest in a decade. For families who once defined the middle class, the American Dream now resembles an eviction notice.

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Who Asked for This? Trump’s Militarization of Cities Nobody Wanted
A U.S. military uniform close up.
Getty Images, roibu

Who Asked for This? Trump’s Militarization of Cities Nobody Wanted

Nobody asked for soldiers on their streets. Yet President Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops into Washington, D.C.—and now he’s threatening the same in Chicago and New York. The problem isn’t whether crime is up or down (it’s down). The problem is that governors didn’t request it, mayors didn’t sign off, and residents certainly didn’t take to the streets begging for troops. Yet here we are, watching as the president becomes “mayor-in-chief,” turning American cities into props for his reality-TV spectacle of power, complete with all the theatrics that blur politics with entertainment.

Federal Power Without Local Consent

D.C. has always been uniquely vulnerable because of the Home Rule Act. The president can activate its National Guard without consulting the mayor. That’s troubling enough, but now Trump is floating deployments in Illinois and New York—states where he has no such authority. The principle at stake isn’t whether troops can reduce crime; it’s whether the federal government can unilaterally occupy a city whose leaders and citizens told it to stay away.

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