Heidi Pascual's web site

By Greta Bedekovics & Sabrina Talukder

The past few years have made clear the important role that both state and federal courts play in securing—and at times abolishing—Americans’ rights. Recent decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court have clawed back rights, precedents, and laws that have protected Americans for more than a century. Notably, the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization rescinded the constitutional right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade, and other rulings have gutted core protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and allowed partisan gerrymandering to continue unchecked. - CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Kyle Ross and Justin Dorazio

In September 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new data on the economic well-being of American households during 2021. While the poverty, income, and food insecurity data in particular demonstrate that the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial gender, racial, and ethnic gaps remain. These gaps have persisted for decades and make it clear that policymakers must provide targeted and sustained investments to address inequities. The official poverty measure (OPM), the Census Bureau’s older metric for measuring poverty, as well as the rate of food insecurity among U.S. households, held steady at 11.6 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

​By Johan Hassel, Kate Donald, & Laura Kilbury
Nearly one year ago, Russian troops invaded Ukraine expecting a rapid victory little resistance from an overmatched Ukrainian army and a tepid response from the United States and Europe. Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initial gambit faced fierce Ukrainian resistance backed by game-changing military, financial and diplomatic support from the United States and its Western allies. Putin also underestimated the will of Western nations to remain unified in their support for Ukraine and impose unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Alex Tausanovitch

Introduction and summary

Over the past several decades, advocates for improving American democracy have focused their efforts on a few discrete issues. One of these is voting—trying to make it easier to vote, secure the voting process, and ensure equal access to the ballot box. Another is money in politics—working to make political spending transparent and prevent it from corruptly influencing elected officials. A somewhat distant third, until recently, is redistricting—preventing politicians from gerrymandering their districts to keep themselves and their allies in power.-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

On the second anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, Americans share how the legislation has affected their lives and communities. On March 11, 2021, the Biden administration enacted the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to ease pandemic-related financial hardship for families and communities across the country. The ARP extended emergency relief, drastically cut unemployment and child poverty rates, and delivered millions of dollars to local governments to address unique needs in their communities. On the ARP’s second anniversary, Americans across the country share how this historic funding has helped them and their communities. ​. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

​By Drew McConville and Angelo Villagomez

In his first week in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order establishing a first-of-its-kind national goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030, later expanding on this commitment through his “America the Beautiful” initiative. Soon after the executive order, media coverage and many conservation experts started orbiting around a narrow question: What conservation measures should and should not “count” toward this new goal? With federal agencies due to soon give the public its first look at the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas—a new mapping tool intended to inform a wide range of conservation efforts—this debate is likely to reemerge. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE