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Public Check on Congress

A non-partisan proposal for a Constitutional amendment to align the actions of Congress with America's national interests. The "Public Check" referendum would be in addition to the existing elections for all representatives and one-third of the Senators every two years. The Public Check on Congress would establish. A new connection between Congress and the American people, to give them the incentive to dramatically improve their performance by constructively addressing issues of national importance, and, in the process, raising the public's level of satisfaction with them.

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Contentious Senate Hearings Begin

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.

(Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

Contentious Senate Hearings Begin

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary set the stage for a series of confirmation hearings ahead of the inauguration on January 20.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Democrats raised concerns about Hegseth’s qualifications, particularly regarding his experience in managing nonprofit finances and his personal conduct. They argued that he does not meet the expected standards for a leader at the Pentagon.

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Fueling Innovation to Navigate the Wildfire Challenge Ahead

A homeless woman pushes her belongings off Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon Blvd as the Palisades Fire rages down the hills in Pacific Palisades, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Fueling Innovation to Navigate the Wildfire Challenge Ahead

One glimpse at the August 2024 wildfire incident map of Western North America and one might have thought half the continent was on fire. Oregon had declared a statewide wildfire state of emergency through September. California was grappling with the Park Fire, the fourth largest in the state’s history. New Mexico was recovering from flash floods exacerbated by the South Fork and Salt fires. The National Interagency Fire Center was reporting 85 large wildfires requiring active management, with nearly 30,000 wildland firefighters and support staff deployed, and evacuation orders in place for 20 fires. Meanwhile, Canada dealt with the incineration of the scenic and popular tourist town of Jasper and the evacuation of Saddle Hills County in Alberta, also requiring emergency measures to sustain incident operations including needing to mobilize international support through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Fire services worldwide are increasingly engaged in protecting communities and natural resources, in geographies as diverse as North America, Chile, Siberia, Greece, Australia, and South Africa.

The 2024 fires in Western North America are not an anomaly; rather they reflect a global trend. The science is consistent and clear: Extreme wildfires have more than doubled in both frequency and magnitude over the past two decades, and this trend is expected to continue. Fires are a natural phenomenon across biomes, affecting just about every continent. However, in the context of unfolding climate change trends, including extreme heat and wind conditions, the risk of wildfire impacts is drastically increasing. Extreme wildfire impacts now span geopolitical boundaries, affecting diverse communities and ecosystems each year. Fires can burn wherever fuel is available, without regard for a community’s resources, politics, or development. While the challenge is complex, it is also unifying. We share the burden of catastrophic wildfires, and the potentially irreversible consequences they can cause.

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