Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

The (New) Fulcrum celebrates the American spirit

Sheet music in front of an American flag
merrymoonmary/Getty Images

Molineaux is president/CEO of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, and Nevins is its co-founder and board chairman. They are co-publishers of The Fulcrum.

In May 2021, when we took over as publishers of The Fulcrum, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build upon the successes of the first two years. We told you then that The Fulcrum has the potential to serve an important role in acknowledging our differences as a nation in order to strengthen the bonds among us.

Our four-month journey has taught us much.


We are proud of our accomplishments. The 150,000-plus page views per month and 150-plus stories from The Fulcrum that have been re-published by other newspapers and journals across the country are indicators of expanding interest in our coverage.

But we are committed to do more and we are proud to announce a relaunch of The (New) Fulcrum that will further increase our coverage.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in a recent report called "Our Common Purpose," spoke of "healthy civic culture of participation and responsibility ... which is a combination of the values, norms and narratives that keep our political institutions responsive and inclusive."

The (New) Fulcrum is committed to continuing coverage of news, politics, policy and public affairs. But we are adding new coverage of culture to deepen understanding of our differences and similarities and discover our shared interests and common destinies.

The cultural references we will focus on will include all of the creative arts — music of all types, poetry, dance, literature, painting and drawing, comedy, drama. We will also include aspects of sports: the wonder of athletes' physical prowess, cooperative potential and competitive instincts. We will appeal to the human spirit — spirit that expresses the joys, sorrows and harmonies of the heart and soul.

Indeed, culture is the quintessence of humanity's expressive hope; the realm of endeavor in which our senses — sight, sound, smell, touch and feeling — are shared in family, community and country.

In our increasingly complex world of trauma and travail, where we must care about the health of our democracy and strive relentlessly to strengthen our representative republic, we call upon the products and services of our artists and athletes to remind us of our heritages and traditions, our cooperative and competitive selves.

Accordingly, The (New) Fulcrum will be committed to honoring and celebrating culture as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics, policy and the birth of a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement and problem-solving.

We invite you to discover and share with us cultural references and products that inspire our better angels that we can disseminate as part of our continuing coverage of the problems and solutions of our times.

As an example please take two minutes and listen to the song "Democracy" from the Broadway musical "Soft Power," and you'll understand our intent.

"Democracy (Reprise)" from SOFT POWER | The Public Theaterwww.youtube.com

As you listen to the song we hope you will agree that art has power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people.

We invite you to subscribe to our daily email, share our content widely and join us on our journey as we fulfill our mission of being a place where insiders and outsiders to politics are informed, meet, talk and act to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives.

Read More

House Committee on Homeland Security Discusses Public Safety During the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

Witnesses are sworn in at the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

(Medill News Service/Erin Drumm)

House Committee on Homeland Security Discusses Public Safety During the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

WASHINGTON— Police leaders from cities across the United States that have experienced deadly attacks at major gatherings urged Congress Tuesday to provide adequate federal funding to cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.

Security concerns were top of mind for law enforcement officials at a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing as the United States prepares to host mass events with millions of international travelers for its 250th anniversary and the FIFA World Cup, which will hold games in 11 cities across the country in 2026. The United States will also host the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Keep ReadingShow less
Combating ICE Through Sound and Solidarity

"Juan Carlos Vargas, frontman for the Southwest side hardcore band Augment, performs to an energetic crowd at the "No One Is Illegal On Stolen Land" benefit show in Pilsen on February 27, 2025."

Photo taken by Felix Gama

Combating ICE Through Sound and Solidarity

In late February, Chicago cold- a little over a month into Trump’s second term as president- a hundred or so eager hardcore fans crowded in the cramped basement of a skateboard shop in Pilsen for a benefit show raising money for immigrants affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests.

Amid dust flying up from the cold concrete floor, sweaty bodies shoulder to shoulder, and a violent mosh pit, Yaretzi, an undocumented young Latina college student from the Southwest side of Chicago who frequents the city’s hardcore scene, was in the crowd, standing in solidarity with her community that is under attack.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump Slams Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians Over Name Changes

President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump Slams Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians Over Name Changes

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump has reignited controversy surrounding the Washington Commanders football team, demanding the franchise revert to its former name, the “Redskins,” a term widely condemned as a racial slur against Native Americans.

In a series of posts on Truth Social this past weekend, Trump declared, “The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.” He went further, threatening to block the team’s $3.7 billion stadium deal in Washington, D.C., unless the name change is reversed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Musician Nimo Patel Reminds Us To Take Our Time

Empty Hands Music Founder Nimo Patel’s new music video, "Takin' My Time," reminds us that taking time for yourself allows us to heal and thrive.

Getty Images, pocketlight

Musician Nimo Patel Reminds Us To Take Our Time

So far in 2025, we honored and celebrated culture as a bridge to the latest news and analysis of politics, policy, and the birth of a new civic and political voice to build greater social cohesion, civic engagement, and problem-solving.

We hope you have taken the journey with us as we shared stories, music, poetry, and dance to inspire our better angels as part of our continuing coverage of the problems and solutions of our times.

Keep ReadingShow less