Skip to content
Project 2025
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories
Gynecologist doing ultrasound of pregnant woman in hospital.

No Doctor, No Delivery, No Future

A military ship out in the sea.

Reasons to Care about the Sailors Aboard the USS Lincoln

Person holding gavel and reading from a book.

Retired Chief Justices Warn of Growing Threats to the Rule of Law

Woman putting savings in a white piggy bank.

Affordability Crisis: From The Great Compression to the Great Divide

What Will It Take to Rebuild American Democracy?

What Will It Take to Rebuild American Democracy?

Five stories to read about voting rights

Sen. Joe Manchin

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is trying to negotiate a compromise on the For the People Act.

Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images
The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumMay 07, 2021
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
See More Writings by author

This week, governors and legislatures across the country took action to change voting rules in a handful of states while Senate Democrats made modifications to the sweeping election overhaul bill known as the For the People Act.

While many state legislatures are debating bills to alternately ease or restrict voting, the most progress has been made in states that are tightening election rules. This week, Texas and Florida took big steps in that direction, while New York became the latest to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences.

Here are five key stories to keep you in the loop on the latest activity.

Senator Joe Manchin Seeks Compromise on Voting Rights Legislation (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)

Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after key House vote (Texas Tribune)

DeSantis signs controversial new election law making it harder for some Floridians to vote (Orlando Sentinel)

Cuomo signs law to restore voting rights to parolees immediately after prison release (CBS News)

Bill to Give Parties Control over Congressional Primaries in Louisiana Dropped (IVN)


Latest news

The Sleeping Giant Woke Up. Trump is Asleep.
Ethics & Leadership

The Sleeping Giant Woke Up. Trump is Asleep.

As Temperatures Rise and Federal Funding Falls, Drowning Risks Grow
Health

As Temperatures Rise and Federal Funding Falls, Drowning Risks Grow

U.S. Capitol with a flag waving in front of it.
Bridging & Common Ground

The Politicians Who Can Fix America's Polarization Problem Will Win

A crowd of people at a military base with President Trump speaking in front of them.
Ethics & Leadership

Reagan’s Strength vs. Trump’s Retreat: U.S. Alliances at Risk

Read More

America’s 250th Year: A Milestone That Demands We Restore What We’ve Lost
USA flag near municipal building
Photo by Brandon Mowinkel on Unsplash

America’s 250th Year: A Milestone That Demands We Restore What We’ve Lost

A president acting like an entitled king, a Supreme Court behaving like a faction, and a Congress standing silent — this is not the America250 Americans envisioned. How did a nation that spent 240 years expanding rights spend the last decade dismantling them? And how do we honor that democratic journey when the Court is reversing the very rights that made it possible?

Now that the July 4th celebration has passed, we are fully in America’s 250th year — a milestone that not only invites reflection but demands that we confront what has been lost and decide whether we will restore it.

Keep ReadingShow less
GOP Claims of Voter Disenfranchisement Are a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Repeated claims of voter fraud have eroded Republican trust in mail-in voting. Explore how GOP rhetoric surrounding mail ballots risks depressing conservative turnout ahead of the 2026 midterms.

ArtMarie/Getty Images

GOP Claims of Voter Disenfranchisement Are a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Trump’s efforts to sow seeds of doubt in the election process have had an unintended yet predictable effect on the 2026 midterms: many Republican voters no longer trust mail-in voting.

When City Councilmember Nithya Raman surged from behind in the Los Angeles mayoral primary as late mail-in ballots were counted, some members of the GOP pointed to a broken election system. In reality, they were watching California elections function exactly as designed — slow, scrupulous, but secure.

Keep ReadingShow less
People waving US flags

Modern politics rewards viral outrage over thoughtful debate. Explore how introducing mindfulness, gratitude, and cross-party reflection can lower the temperature in Washington and rebuild governance.

LeoPatrizi/Getty Images

Zen and Governing in a Time of Politics as Performance Art

News reports and social media constantly remind us that today’s political system rewards conflict, viral moments, and ideological performance over thoughtful and courteous debate.

Tune into the melee, and it is as if every high-ranking official is now a TV political pundit rather than a serious statesman or stateswoman.

Keep ReadingShow less
Congress Just Passed a Housing Law That Rewards States for Reform — Here’s Why Colorado Has a Head Start

Existing laws in Colorado reduce the administrative and regulatory costs of building new housing.

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Congress Just Passed a Housing Law That Rewards States for Reform — Here’s Why Colorado Has a Head Start

In Colorado, a full-time worker must earn US$36.44 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on rent, according to a recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The state’s minimum wage is $15.16. Someone earning that would have to work 96 hours a week, more than two full-time jobs, to cover rent.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2026