The Fulcrum
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Remember “affordability” mania? The time was 2025. A young, charismatic democratic socialist candidate for New York City mayor named Zohran Mamdani became a viral sensation. His secret? “Affordability.” Ask him about almost anything and he’d turn the conversation to affordability. When a reporter asked Mamdani to respond to President Trump’s claim that he was the better-looking politician, Mamdani…
Peptides, the short chains of amino acids that help regulate biological functions, have become the latest obsession in health, fitness, and longevity. Online clinics and wellness influencers promote them as ways to heal injuries, reduce inflammation, improve metabolism, sharpen thinking, and slow aging. Today, these substances are part of a growing gray market. A recent Forbes report estimates…
Beyond picking governors, state legislators, local officials and representatives to serve in Congress, voters in almost every state this year will have the opportunity to amend the language of their state constitution. In one state , they could potentially rewrite the constitution altogether. Though the U.S. Constitution is rarely amended , voters frequently amend their state constitutions . In…
After AIPAC failed to defeat El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary—after spending $32 million— it said that it remains committed to defeating El-Sayed and his "radical, anti-Israel" agenda in the general election. Which means it is poised to sink tens of millions of dollars in supporting Republican Mike Rogers. It also said that Haley Stevens, his opponent, had presented " an…
Scientists and the federal government have been close partners since World War II. A landmark report by President Truman’s chief science advisor laid out a vision for government research that shaped eight decades of federally funded science. That vision is now at risk. In principle, the Trump administration has supported scientific research with its own vision for a new “ golden age of science .”…
“We are in an era of maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time. And we are going to keep the pressure on . . .” –Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, April 22, 2026 Borrowing a slogan from the Trump White House , Jeffries was describing mid-decade gerrymandering in Texas, California, Virginia, and half a dozen other states , with others queued up behind them. This new escalatory dynamic in…
A recent New York Times article , "Moderate Democrats Prepare for 'War' Against an Ascendant Left," describes a disturbing perspective among mainstream, moderate, centrist Democrats. It is disturbing for many reasons. First, there is the practical impact. If indeed mainstream Democrats attack socialist Democrats in a sustained, organized manner, there is only one possible result: the defeat of the…
Every modern conflict seems to produce the same debate. Supporters argue that military action achieved its objectives. Critics ask why the enemy still exists. Iran is only the latest example. Supporters argued that the recent strikes achieved exactly what they were intended to do. They damaged Iran's nuclear program and restored deterrence. Critics saw something different. Iran's regime remained…
Louis —Tuesday wasn’t just primary election day in Missouri. It also marked the deadline for Secretary of State Denny Hoskins to certify ballot measures for November. Among them was a veto referendum to overturn a legislative gerrymander signed into law in September 2025. However, instead of revealing how many valid signatures the measure had—Hoskins declared it unconstitutional. The referendum,…
Senator Dianne Feinstein's visible decline in her final years in office. Senator Lindsey Graham's sudden death. Senator Mitch McConnell's own recent hospitalization, and his halting explanation of it afterward. Three senators, three separate incidents, no obvious connection between them, except that the saga of these three senators is really one story about the problem of not knowing when to step…
In America’s 250-year history, only five wars were formally declared by Congress as required by Article I of the U.S. Constitution. They and the respective presidents were: the War of 1812 (James Madison), the Mexican-American War (James Polk), the Spanish-American War (William McKinley), World War I (Woodrow Wilson), and World War II (Franklin D. Roosevelt). Many Americans may not fully…
