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By Michael Clark

As the U.N. General Assembly convenes on its 80th anniversary, the United States finds itself at a crossroads. For decades, the United States has cultivated a dense network of partners that share its values and are willing to work together to uphold global rules. At the heart of this network are European allies. China cannot replicate this advantage, but the Trump administration has systematically undermined it.

The irony is stark. Few American policymakers, regardless of party affiliation, dispute that competition with China should be a priority. From economic power to technological leadership and military balance, the stakes are clear. President Donald Trump himself filled his administration with officials who branded themselves “China hawks” who seek to “win” the competition. Yet in practice, the Trump administration has chosen to weaken the very partnerships that would give the United States leverage in this competition. The result is a more isolated America and a valuable strategic asset squandered in the name of “America First. ​

Shared challenges, squandered alignment -- Europe and the United States confront many of the same challenges from Beijing. Chinese industrial overcapacity continues to distort global markets. Dependencies in critical supply chains—from rare earths to clean-energy technologies—pose risks on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Nonmarket trade practices, intellectual property theft, and forced technology transfers disadvantage American and European firms alike. -- READ MORE

By Andrew Miller


As world leaders converge on New York for the U.N. General Assembly’s annual high-level week, U.S. partners and allies are struggling to cope with American disengagement from the United Nations under President Donald Trump’s administration. However, these parties have been here before. In the aftermath of World War I, the failure of the United States to join the League of Nations—the brainchild of President Woodrow Wilson—is widely viewed as the central reason for its irrelevance and a contributing factor to the outbreak of World War II and all the horrors it begat. For the last 80 years, U.S. support for and participation in the United Nations has prevented a repeat of this massive blunder. Yet, in just eight months being in office, President Trump is well on the way to squandering those decades of investment, putting the United States in a weaker position to compete with China and other rivals at the United Nations. Yet again, the American people will be left to pay the literal and metaphorical bill for his incompetence.

Much has been said about the demise of the so-called rules-based international order since President Trump took office for the second time. Even before the second Trump administration began, the United Nation’s uneven responses in Ukraine and Gaza were generating questions about the integrity of this order. To be clear, descriptions of the post-World War II international system were often more aspirational than real. International law has been inconsistently applied, and many countries—particularly the great powers—have freely trespassed on these norms when it has been expedient. -- READ MORE

By Christian E. Weller


The labor market has started to show signs of a slowdown amid President Donald Trump’s economic policy chaos—especially his on-again, off-again tariffs, mass deportations, and ad hoc cuts to the federal government, among other policies. The accumulation of data over the past few days and weeks shows that the labor market slowdown continued into September. While it is clear that the labor market remained weak last month, it is difficult to gauge exactly how weak because the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) did not release its monthly jobs report amid the government shutdown, resulting in a lack of high-quality government data.

The private sector, specifically, may have lost jobs in September. Payroll processing firm ADP reported that private sector payrolls dropped by 32,000 jobs in September. Over time, the ADP data, which use BLS data as weights to match the composition across industries, appear to be in line with the private sector employment data from the BLS, although they can differ on a month-to-month basis.

A comparison between the two data sources for the six months from March to August 2025 illustrates this point: The ADP data show a total gain of 316,000 private sector jobs and the BLS payroll survey data show a gain of 404,000 jobs during this period. Moreover, both data sources show a noticeable slowdown from the first three months of this period—March to May 2025—to the second three-month period of June to August 2025. -- READ MORE

By Natasha Murphy & Neda Ashtari

While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period does not begin until November 1, Americans across the country are already seeing the consequences of Congress’ failures to extend enhanced premium tax credits. Marketplace window shopping is open in several states, and premium sticker shock is already rattling households as they review their coverage options for 2026.

Contrary to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) claims that the expiring tax credits are “an issue for the end of the year,” consumers across the country are already confronting skyrocketing premiums and difficult choices about whether they can afford their health insurance. Several states are previewing 2026 premiums, insurers’ renewal notices are imminent, and Americans with marketplace coverage are considering options now. Lawmakers must act immediately to keep people insured and preserve affordability by extending the enhanced premium tax credits.

The enhanced premium tax credit fight

The enhanced premium tax credits—first enacted under the American Rescue Plan and extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act—lower the cost of coverage for the more than 20 million Americans who receive financial help with marketplace plans. -- READ MORE

By Chandler Hall & Alice Hamblett


Everyone has a right to feel safe and be free from violence as they go about their daily lives. When someone experiences violence, the impact can be devastating, leading to injury, trauma, and unexpected expenses. In 2023, nearly 4 million people aged 12 and older experienced violent victimization in the United States, resulting in an estimated $98.3 billion in total costs related to their victimization.

State crime victim compensation (CVC) programs can provide a lifeline of support when there is nowhere else to turn to for financial relief. However, these programs are too often underutilized due to restrictive state laws that create unnecessary barriers to access. Black and brown communities, which are disproportionately affected by violence and are systemically underresourced, acutely bear the burden of these restrictions and barriers. Without a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of state CVC statutes and a way for changemakers to demand more equitable access to this vital resource, injustices will persist.

This project, a collaboration between the Center for American Progress and Common Justice, is designed to fill in critical knowledge gaps, as well as to catalyze state-level policy changes that have the potential to improve access, equity, and transparency in the administration of victim compensation awards. ​-- READ MORE

By Devon Ombres

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais on October 15, 2025. The case centers around whether the creation of a second majority-minority congressional district in Louisiana violates the 14th and 15th Amendments, which were enacted, in part, to prohibit racial discrimination in voting rights. In 1965, Congress further codified these amendments in the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) to end discriminatory voting practices. Section 2 of the VRA—the last bulwark against voting discrimination that has not been struck down by the Supreme Court—is being challenged in this case.

Background

In 2024, a federal district court determined that Louisiana’s new congressional map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bars the denial or abridgement of the right to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language-minority group. The map that was struck down included just one of six majority-minority congressional districts, although roughly one-third, or 1.45 million, of its residents are Black. In drawing a new map in accordance with the court order, the state protected the districts of white members of Congress, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA). Three “non-African American” voters challenged the new maps as a dilution of the voting rights. ​ -- READ MORE