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By Michael Sozan and Greta Bedecovicz

By Rose Khattar & Jessica Vela

While some pundits were predicting a recession at the end of 2022, the U.S. economy demonstrated its strength through continued economic and job growth. In the first half of 2023, the economy remained resilient in the face of additional economic risks and uncertainties, including further interest rate hikes, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) seemingly politically driven debt default crisis, and a series of bank failures. This column updates prior Center for American Progress analysis to show that the U.S. economy remains better positioned than many of its counterparts in the Group of Seven (G7) across the following seven indicators: inflation, energy prices, gross domestic product (GDP), the unemployment rate, the long-term unemployment rate, the 2023 International Monetary Fund (IMF) GDP forecast, and the 2023 IMF unemployment rate forecast. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Michael Sozan

On June 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its highly anticipated decision in Moore v. Harper, one of the most important democracy cases in the nation’s history. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for a 6-3 majority, rejected a maximalist interpretation of the so-called independent state legislature (ISL) theory, repudiating the reckless notion that state legislatures can enact federal election laws without any checks and balances.

As the Center for American Progress discussed in a prior report, a series of articles, and a video, if the high court had ignored precedent and adopted a broad version of the discredited ISL theory, it would have empowered partisan state legislatures to pass—without restrictions—laws subverting elections or drawing gerrymandered congressional districts to lock in perpetual political power, against the will of voters. During a Supreme Court term that produced extreme and unfair decisions in numerous policy areas, Moore v. Harper strikes a solid victory for a system of free and fair elections.irectly compete with U.S. security cooperation programs. . -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Megan Shahi and Adam Conner

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy emphasizing that the U.S. government must strike a balance between the innumerable opportunities of artificial intelligence to enhance the lives of the American people and the significant risks it poses to their livelihoods.-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Sara Estep

WASHINGTON, D.C. , June 29— Today, just days ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision — a decision which ruled two provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional — members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) renewed their commitment to defend our communities’ right to vote. CAPAC Members released the following statements:

CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28): “The freedom to vote is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy, and every American should have equal opportunity to exercise this fundamental right. Unfortunately, it has been a decade since the Shelby County v. Holder decision, which further exacerbated barriers to voting, and efforts to suppress the votes of communities of color have not ceased since then. While other provisions within the Voting Rights Acthave been upheld in this recent Supreme Court session through the Allen v. Milligan decision earlier this month, there is still more work to be done. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

Aug. 6, WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today marks the 58th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). This law protects the right to vote by prohibiting racial discrimination at the ballot box. CAPAC Members released the following statements:

CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) “Today, we celebrate 58 years since President Johnson signed the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. This monumental law was a result of courageous and tireless advocacy of countless individuals, including the late John Lewis and hundreds of other unarmed men and women who marched from Selma to Montgomery to call for the right to vote. They were met with violence, prejudice, and hate, but these civil rights activists continued the push for equality. Because of their sacrifice and perseverance, the historic Voting Rights Act was passed and for decades, this law was reauthorized in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner and ensured that Americans of all backgrounds had equal access to the ballot box. ​-- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE