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Immigration News Today: Trump Pauses Visa Appointments Worldwide

Immigration News Today: Trump Pauses Visa Appointments Worldwide

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Independents Could Decide the Nov. 3 Election Amid Rising Discontent

American dollars positioned around each other.

$40 Trillion National Debt & Future of Failed Supply-Side Economics

A woman timing another women in the military as she does push ups.

Hegseth Made the Fitness Test Harder for Women in Combat Roles. Most Female Marines Are Passing.

Podcast: Conversations: Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott

Podcast: Conversations: Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumAug 18, 2022
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, it became clear that the Electoral Count Act of 1887, the legislation that provides the framework governing the casting and counting of electoral votes, needed updating because of its arcane language and ambiguities that could be exploited by bad actors willing to overturn the will of the people.

In stepped a bipartisan group of senators, and, after months of negotiating, a deal was struck. Last month, the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) along with eight other Republican cosponsors and seven Democratic cosponsors, to update the antiquated Electoral Count Act of 1887.

On this special episode of Swamp Stories, host Weston Wamp spoke with former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) about the bipartisan group of senators that helped drive the effort, the implications for public confidence in our system, and why the bill needs to pass this year.

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Community

When Immigrants’ Rights Are Threatened, Democracy Is Too

Hasan Piker
Media & Technology

While the world is on fire, the media are still obsessed with Israel

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Media & Technology

Political Chatbots Should Not Be Allowed To Set the Pace

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Bridging & Common Ground

Building Trust, One Conversation at a Time

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How Composting Connected Two Women Across Six Decades

An 82-year-old and 24-year-old bonded over composting—and discovered shared roots, values, and a friendship that broke every generational stereotype.e

Cavan Images/Getty Images

How Composting Connected Two Women Across Six Decades

Every day, we cross paths with people whose lives seem completely different from our own. We exchange polite greetings with neighbors, chat briefly with acquaintances, and pass strangers without ever learning their stories. Yet beneath the surface, we often share more than we realize. Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation. Jean and Bella, 82 and 24 respectively, discovered this through their interest in composting.

Bella regularly attended a Sunday morning "Cookies and Conversation" intergenerational discussion group at Hebrew SeniorLife, where Jean lives in Brookline, MA. The two had spoken before, but only in passing. Like many people meeting someone from a different generation, Bella wasn't always sure how to bridge the gap.

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people filling out their ballots at voting booths and submitting their vote.

Independent voters may hand Democrats control of Congress this fall — but as history shows, they'll get nothing in return. Here's how to change that.

Pressmaster/Getty Images

Swinging Outcomes Is Not Enough

The midterms are six weeks away, and polls predict that independent voters, who broke for Donald Trump in 2024, are planning on voting for Democrats by wide margins. Among Latinos, the numbers are staggering, to the point that the Republican gerrymanders in Florida and Texas may actually result in Democratic victories.

If the Democrats take control of Congress, it will be because of independents. And what do independents get in return?

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Nigeria and United States flags together

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Democracy in Nigeria Has Taught Me What It Offers

The Fulcrum is committed to nurturing the next generation of journalists.

We asked Idris Mohammed, a Fall Fulcrum Fellow, to share what democracy means to him and his view of its current health.

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Mail-in ballots sitting in trays.

Mail-in ballots sit in trays before being sorted at the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office in San Jose, California, on Oct. 13, 2020.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

U.S. Postal Service Failed to Properly Handle Some Ballots During This Year’s Primary Elections, Audit Finds

Some U.S. Postal Service facilities failed to properly handle ballots during this year’s primary elections, according to a new audit from the agency’s Office of Inspector General. Election experts say the findings call into question the agency’s ability to meet even greater demands for the November election that are under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The audit, which is dated Sept. 4 but has not been previously reported, found a lack of training for post office staff on how to properly and expeditiously handle mail ballots, deficiencies in how ballots were tracked and errors leading to delays, all of which risked ballots having incorrect postmarks or otherwise arriving late to election officials, which could lead to their rejection.

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