Skip to content
Project 2025
Donate to support
diverse voices
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories
How do you solve a problem like Candace Owens?

How do you solve a problem like Candace Owens?

When a Lifelong Friendship Ends in the MAGA Era

When a Lifelong Friendship Ends in the MAGA Era

As DOJ Begins To Release Epstein Files, His Many Victims Deserve More Attention Than the Powerful Men in His ‘Client List’

As DOJ Begins To Release Epstein Files, His Many Victims Deserve More Attention Than the Powerful Men in His ‘Client List’

Congress Shouldn’t Let Federal Tort Claims Become Political Gifts

Congress Shouldn’t Let Federal Tort Claims Become Political Gifts

More Artists Boycott Trump‑Renamed Kennedy Center

More Artists Boycott Trump‑Renamed Kennedy Center

Why should you care about Ukraine?

By Debilyn Molineaux,
Debilyn Molineaux

Debilyn Molineaux is the catalyst of JEDIfutures.org , a global initiative that helps people imagine and create just, equitable, dignified, and inclusive futures. She is best known for her pioneering work in civic innovation, having co-founded Bridge Alliance, Living Room Conversations, and National Week of Conversation. She formerly acted as co-publisher for The Fulcrum. Across these efforts, Debilyn has brought together unlikely allies to co-create solutions for democracy, governance, and social transformation.

Her work lives at the intersection of strategy, systems change, and spirit. A long-time practitioner of personal and collective growth, she brings a deep commitment to the inner dimensions of change that are often overlooked but essential to transformation. Debilyn speaks of the “interstitial spaces” — the connective tissue between people, institutions, and movements — where new possibilities take root.

She also hosts the podcast Terrified Nation, which helps audiences move from fear and despair into courage and action. Her voice is sought by impact investors, changemakers, and visionary leaders who want to align resources, imagination, and human growth toward a thriving future for all.

See More Writings by author
David L. Nevins
David L. Nevins
David L. Nevins serves as publisher of The Fulcrum. Additionally, Nevins serves as co-founder and Board Chairman of the Bridge Alliance. Nevins brings business acumen, vision and a tireless this-must-and-can-be-done zeal to the burgeoning movement to bridge divides to transform the political process. As a business leader, Nevins excels at building bridges between people and organizations from the right, left and center for civilized conversation and then action. He co-founded the Bridge Alliance because, as he says, “No matter how well managed and how well funded anyone organization is, significant political reform will not happen without an alliance to further collaborative interactions. Together we can and will raise the collective impact of all.” He is a member of the Aspen Institute Society of Fellows, with a focus on the Aspen Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, he established and continues to work with The Nevins Democracy Leaders program at Penn State University. Nevins graduated with honors in economics from Penn State in 1969 and received an M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1971.
See More Writings by author
Feb 24, 2022

On Tuesday, on orders from President Vladimir Putin, Russian “peacekeepers” entered Ukraine. As we write this on Thursday, a full attack across Ukraine is unfolding. Russian aggression is an abandonment of the international rule of law that took hold following World War II.

Those who study history have seen this before. An authoritarian figure decides to expand the territory of his country and starts attacking neighboring countries.

Today and tomorrow, we focus on authoritarianism. Both abroad and in our nation.

What is happening in Ukraine is more than a question of what the United States’ international responsibilities are to protect democracy. It is a question of our commitment as citizens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? What are our commitments to defending and protecting democracy at home and abroad? What is your commitment?

Earlier in the week, before the invasion, we asked this questions to our readers:

What additional actions, if any, should the United Statestake in regards to the Ukraine situation?

We will share those answers with you tomorrow and ask a related question of equal or greater importance:

What do you think needs to be done in this nation to ensure authoritarianism does not undermine freedom both abroad and at home?

Please send us your answers to pop-culture@fulcrum.us.

Below are four articles The Fulcrum wants to share today, as Russia invades Ukraine, about battling authoritarianism at home and abroad.

Latest news

Someone using an AI chatbot on their phone.
Media & Technology

Why Workplace Wellbeing AI Needs a New Ethics of Consent

Women holding signs to defend diversity at Havard
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity Has Become a Dirty Word. It Doesn’t Have to Be.

The Domestic Sting: Why the Tariff Bill is Arriving at the American Door
Economy

The Domestic Sting: Why the Tariff Bill is Arriving at the American Door

An illustration of a paper that says "Ranked-Choice" with options listed below.
Electoral Reforms

Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting

Read More

Nicolas Maduro’s Capture: Sovereignty Only Matters When It’s Convenient

US Capitol and South America. Nicolas Maduro’s capture is not the end of an era. It marks the opening act of a turbulent transition

AI generated

Nicolas Maduro’s Capture: Sovereignty Only Matters When It’s Convenient

The U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro will be remembered as one of the most dramatic American interventions in Latin America in a generation. But the real story isn’t the raid itself. It’s what the raid reveals about the political imagination of the hemisphere—how quickly governments abandon the language of sovereignty when it becomes inconvenient, and how easily Washington slips back into the posture of regional enforcer.

The operation was months in the making, driven by a mix of narcotrafficking allegations, geopolitical anxiety, and the belief that Maduro’s security perimeter had finally cracked. The Justice Department’s $50 million bounty—an extraordinary price tag for a sitting head of state—signaled that the U.S. no longer viewed Maduro as a political problem to be negotiated with, but as a criminal target to be hunted.

Keep ReadingShow less
Red elephants and blue donkeys

The ACA subsidy deadline reveals how Republican paralysis and loyalty-driven leadership are hollowing out Congress’s ability to govern.

Carol Yepes

Governing by Breakdown: The Cost of Congressional Paralysis

Picture a bridge with a clearly posted warning: without a routine maintenance fix, it will close. Engineers agree on the repair, but the construction crew in charge refuses to act. The problem is not that the fix is controversial or complex, but that making the repair might be seen as endorsing the bridge itself.

So, traffic keeps moving, the deadline approaches, and those responsible promise to revisit the issue “next year,” even as the risk of failure grows. The danger is that the bridge fails anyway, leaving everyone who depends on it to bear the cost of inaction.

Keep ReadingShow less
White House
A third party candidate has never won the White House, but there are two ways to examine the current political situation, writes Anderson.
DEA/M. BORCHI/Getty Images

250 Years of Presidential Scandals: From Harding’s Oil Bribes to Trump’s Criminal Conviction

During the 250 years of America’s existence, whenever a scandal involving the U.S. President occurred, the public was shocked and dismayed. When presidential scandals erupt, faith and trust in America – by its citizens as well as allies throughout the world – is lost and takes decades to redeem.

Below are several of the more prominent presidential scandals, followed by a suggestion as to how "We the People" can make America truly America again like our founding fathers so eloquently established in the constitution.

Keep ReadingShow less
Money and the American flag
Half of Americans want participatory budgeting at the local level. What's standing in the way?
SimpleImages/Getty Images

For the People, By the People — Or By the Wealthy?

When did America replace “for the people, by the people” with “for the wealthy, by the wealthy”? Wealthy donors are increasingly shaping our policies, institutions, and even the balance of power, while the American people are left as spectators, watching democracy erode before their eyes. The question is not why billionaires need wealth — they already have it. The question is why they insist on owning and controlling government — and the people.

Back in 1968, my Government teacher never spoke of powerful think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, now funded by billionaires determined to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Yet here in 2025, these forces openly work to control the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court through Project 2025. The corruption is visible everywhere. Quid pro quo and pay for play are not abstractions — they are evident in the gifts showered on Supreme Court justices.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2026