USA
Government
America’s “second founding” came on the heels of the Civil War, when the architects of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments thought long and hard about how to enshrine civil rights that were truly for all into the U.S. Constitution. Despite an immediate backlash, including from the Supreme Court, and repercussions we’re still dealing with today, that second generation of fra...
Sizable electorates around the world are flocking to populist candidates who promise power, domination and a return to better times. The global experiment in liberalism seems to be suffering a setback. In his latest book, “Age of Revolution,” journalist Fareed Zakaria teases apart the foreign policy decisions that got us to this point. Several U.S. missteps, such as the wa...
Two billion people worldwide are set to vote in elections this year, amid global conflict, societal mistrust, broken information ecosystems — and the truth-destroying disruption of generative AI. Governments and tech companies can anticipate the chaos, but how can they mitigate AI’s effects?
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has a reputation for getting things done, even as she leads a purple state that’s a battleground for many of our nation’s most hotly contested issues. Katie Couric talks with the Michigan governor about life, leadership and the lessons she has learned along the way. Governor Whitmer's new book, True Gretch, will be available for sale following th...
Polls show that many voters feel the Democratic Party is disconnected from the concerns of ordinary voters. Is it in danger of becoming the party of college-educated elites?
The engaged citizen is democracy’s greatest asset, but many Americans are disillusioned and disengaged, and feel a loss of agency. In this focus group conversation, next-generation volunteers, givers, leaders — and audience members — share what motivates and what gets in the way.
We the people were not truly “We the People” until the Reconstruction amendments altered our Constitution in a post-Civil War "second founding". As we confront another democratic crisis, what new understandings could ensure our democratic renewal?
The 3M’s—Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces—cover more than 160 million people across the country, nearly one in two Americans. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) negotiates drug prices in line with Congressional mandates, issues Medicaid eligibility guidelines, provides guardrails for...
The science-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the linchpin of the nation’s public health system. With its state-of-the art laboratories, world-class data analytics, and diverse workforce, the agency monitors emerging infectious diseases, ensures emergency preparedness, galvanizes community-focused responses to vaccines, environmental threats, workpl...
In a live podcast recording, health policy journalists talk about hot-button health issues and what they mean for the upcoming election. From the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, and prescription drug prices to reproductive rights, gender-affirming care, and veterans’ health, some issues are particularly resonant in local elections, others could have implications f...
Climate change catastrophes are already happening with increasing regularity, and it’s clear we need to take action. The Biden administration has set a target of zero carbon emissions in the United States by 2050. Reaching that ambitious goal will require a major transition in many sectors, including energy, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing and construction. John...
Even when the economy is booming and unemployment is low, millions of Americans still face economic hardship. And in the last few years the United States has dealt with supply chain challenges, inflation and financial instability. The economic tools we have to identify, address and talk about those problems aren’t always up to the task, and sometimes the picture we get is...
Americans seem more culturally and ideologically divided than at any point in most of our lifetimes, with no prospect of bridging those divides any time soon. The only thing we seem to agree upon is that our politics are broken and our leaders are unable to solve the nation’s most fundamental challenges. What can be done to save American democracy from itself? Can we still...
How do we describe the Republican Party today, and what are the dynamics that will shape its future?
With the dream of the Oslo Accords long in the rear-view mirror and no prospect of an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians ahead, is it time to give up on the two-state solution?
From Washington to Biden, presidents have changed America — and the world — for both better and worse. If the American presidency is the ultimate test of leadership, what does it take to succeed as president, and how can we pick better ones?
The generative artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle. When we look back 30 years from now, what will we be able to point to that we got right?
Some research suggests that 60 percent of American voters want a new political party. With extremists on either side of the aisle hobbling the government’s ability toward the kind of forward change that most citizens might agree on, is it time to consider a third path forward?
The designers of our democratic republic created a political system and institutions intended to avoid concentrated power, mob rule, and to defuse factions. Is the America we live in today so different from theirs that only fundamental reform can fix what ails us?
The Colorado River Compact is 100 years old, and its guidelines for water use across the American West are about to expire. Facing drought, increased population, and disagreements on how to share the water, what policies and technologies could get a new agreement across the finish line? John Entsminger, Nevada’s lead negotiator for the Compact; Bidtah Becker, attorney with...