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The Tone of Our Country Has Changed — And Americans Can See and Feel It Everywhere

The Tone of Our Country Has Changed — And Americans Can See and Feel It Everywhere

Woman voting on election day

Which Proportional Voting System Best Fits America’s Constraints?

Woman holding out an empty wallet at a table.

More Whites Live in Poverty than Either Blacks or Hispanics - Correcting the Perception of Poverty

NATO Has an Article 5. It Doesn't Have an Iran Policy

NATO Has an Article 5. It Doesn't Have an Iran Policy

Election Experts Urge Caution After President’s Primetime Claims

Election Experts Urge Caution After President’s Primetime Claims

Video: Reviving democracy

Video: Reviving democracyplay icon
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumNov 03, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Americans are frustrated and deeply concerned about the condition of our democracy. Our divisions are so deep and complete that we don’t see how they can be overcome; we are not sure how our democracy can survive.

A poll released in June by Yahoo News/YouGov finds that a majority of Americans–55% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans –believe it is “likely” that the United States will “cease to be a democracy in the future.” A survey conducted just last month by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program found that half (50.1%) of all Americans agreed that “in the next few years, there will be civil war in the United States.”

So what do we do about this?


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Not good, but we can’t just quit Iran now
Ethics & Leadership

Not good, but we can’t just quit Iran now

Two coloured pencils one red and one blue drawing a reef knot on a white paper background.
Bridging & Common Ground

Trust But Verify: A Conservative and a Progressive on Loving America Honestly

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An aerial view of a taco bell and a taco bell sign.

In an aerial view, customers depart a Taco Bell restaurant on July 14, 2026 in Pasadena, California. Federal and state health officials have reportedly begun investigating whether lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants has led to the widespread outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, which has sickened thousands around the country.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Taco Bell Lettuce Outbreak Exposes Gaps in U.S. Food Surveillance

By this point, most Americans with a cutting board have heard the warning: wash the lettuce, or, even better, avoid it. Now, at least, there's a specific bag to point to.

A year before the worst Cyclospora outbreak in recent memory, the federal government quietly stopped requiring anyone to actively look for it. That is not a coincidence worth shrugging off — and finding the source this week doesn't change that. It confirms it.

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Higher education sustains democracy despite the government’s attempts to restrict it
people sitting on chair in front of computer
Photo by Dom Fou on Unsplash

Higher education sustains democracy despite the government’s attempts to restrict it

For as long as I can remember, pursuing higher education at a college or university has been the ultimate goal.

My family instilled in me the value of higher education, and I made it my mission to attend college, knowing it would provide me with invaluable knowledge, opportunities, and a broader perspective on the world.

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Protecting the Right to Play in an Age of GenAI
person in red shirt wearing black and gray headphones
Photo by Compare Fibre on Unsplash

Protecting the Right to Play in an Age of GenAI

In June, Elon University launched its first AI Play camp. In one activity, teams of middle school students played Tic-Tac-Toe, not as a child might, but rather, like a machine. Tasked with writing and then following a set of fixed instructions, the students play the game as an AI agent would. That experience of following instructions and playing without improvisation is becoming surprisingly commonplace. Not by choice, but by default. The games and creative tools kids use to play with are now being played for them.

With a prompt, AI can now generate a Roblox universe, create an epic build in Minecraft, finish a half‑drawn character, or turn a rough story idea into a finished one.

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Voting Is Not a Closed-Book Test
white and black labeled box
Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash

Voting Is Not a Closed-Book Test

The Supreme Court closed out its term and issued decisions that could affect millions of Americans. Among them is Watson v. Republican National Committee, in which the court decided in a 5-4 decision to uphold longstanding Mississippi law and allow mail-in ballots received post-Election Day to be counted.

The legal implications of the decision will be analyzed for months, if not years. But beyond the legal questions is a practical one: What role does mail voting actually play in helping Americans participate in elections?

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