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New name. Same mission.

We were The Firewall. Now we are The Fulcrum. And our name is not going to change again.

Quite simply, The Fulcrum makes much more sense because of what we're about – the only news organization focused exclusively on efforts to reverse the dysfunctions plaguing American governance. We see our democracy at a dangerous tipping point, and our aim is to leverage the debate toward restoring the system to good working order.


Especially once our website launches in June, you'll see that our mission is clear. Our original reporting, the news we gather from across the country and our opinion forum will be all about creating a journalistic pivot point, or fulcrum – "one that supplies capability for action," as Webster's says. We are nonpartisan, but we are rooting for the system to get better. For us, that means making our democratic republic less tribal, our elections more competitive, our politicians less beholden to moneyed interests, our officials more attentive to real evidence in their policy-making, our civic culture more engaged, and our Congress more effective and ethical.

"Give me a fulcrum, and I shall move the world," is an iconic Archimedes quote. And so, The Fulcrum we are.


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America’s Operating System Needs an Update

Congress 202

J. Scott Applewhite/Getty Images

America’s Operating System Needs an Update

As July 4, 2026, approaches, our country’s upcoming Semiquincentennial is less and less of an anniversary party than a stress test. The United States is a 21st-century superpower attempting to navigate a digitized, polarized world with an operating system that hasn’t been meaningfully updated since the mid-20th century.

From my seat on the Ladue School Board in St. Louis County, Missouri, I see the alternative to our national dysfunction daily. I am privileged to witness that effective governance requires—and incentivizes—compromise.

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Meet the Faces of Democracy: Cisco Aguilar

Cisco Aguilar

Photo provided

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Cisco Aguilar

Editor’s note: More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy.

Francisco “Cisco” Aguilar, a Democrat, assumed office as Nevada’s first Latino secretary of state in 2023. He also previously served for eight years on the Nevada Athletic Commission after being appointed by Gov. Jim Gibbons and Brian Sandoval. Originally from Arizona, Aguilar moved to Nevada in 2004.

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Does Trump even care anymore that he’s losing?

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks on the economy in Clive, Iowa, on Jan. 27, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images/TCA)

(Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images/TCA)

Does Trump even care anymore that he’s losing?

Speaking at a rally in 2016, Donald Trump delivered these now-famous lines:

“We’re gonna win so much, you may even get tired of winning. And you’ll say, ‘Please, please. It’s too much winning. We can’t take it anymore, Mr. President, it’s too much.’ And I’ll say, ‘No, it isn’t. We have to keep winning. We have to win more!’ ”

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Minneapolis, Greenland, and the End of American Exceptionalism
us a flag on pole during daytime
Photo by Zetong Li on Unsplash

Minneapolis, Greenland, and the End of American Exceptionalism

America’s standing in the world suffered a profound blow this January. In yet another apparent violation of international law, Donald Trump ordered the military removal of another nation’s leader—an act that would have triggered global alarm even if the target had not been Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. Days later, the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti were broadcast around the world, fueling doubts about America’s commitment to justice and restraint. These shootings sandwiched the debacle at Davos, where Trump’s incendiary threats and rambling incoherence reinforced a growing international fear: that America’s claim to a distinctive moral and democratic character is fighting for survival.

Our American Exceptionalism

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