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By Michael Sozan & Cissy Jackson

Over the past decade, American democracy has witnessed a pronounced breakdown in foundational political norms, posing deep challenges to the rule of law and free and fair elections and eroding trust in government. The spread of dangerous extremism has been accompanied by a real or perceived permission structure that helps spur political threats and violence. Just weeks ago, the nation witnessed an assassination attempt against a presidential candidate—simultaneously shameful and unsurprising in this incendiary political environment.

A course correction is necessary. This article recommends several ways that Americans across the ideological spectrum, including political leaders, can implement a fundamental reset of political norms that respect the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution promote civil and truthful discourse build trust in elections and peaceful transfers of power and stop the political violence that flourishes when those norms are weak. ​- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Bobby Kogan, Brendan Duke, & Jessica Vela

The tax legislation that President Donald Trump signed in December 2017 significantly reduced federal revenues, with the largest tax cuts going to the richest Americans. Following the enactment of these tax cuts, federal revenues fell dramatically—as the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected would occur at the time the law passed1—and they remain below projections of federal revenues made prior to their enactment.

This issue brief provides new analysis of economic trends and federal revenues, finding: Federal revenues remain below the levels that were projected before the enactment of the tax law—regardless of whether measured as a percentage of the economy, adjusted just for inflation, or adjusted for both inflation and growth in the adult population.

Revenues as a percentage of the economy are particularly low given the strength of the economy. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

​By Alan Yu, Allison McManus, & Dan Herman

This article is part of a series from the Center for American Progress exposing how the sweeping Project 2025 policy agenda would harm all Americans. This new authoritarian playbook, published by the Heritage Foundation, would destroy the 250-year-old system of checks and balances upon which U.S. democracy has relied and give far-right politicians, judges, and corporations more control over Americans’ lives.

In a nearly 1,000-page proposal, a group of far-right former officials and experts have authored a policy agenda, dubbed “Project 2025,” for a future right-wing presidency. The plan, which would gut America’s 250-year-old system of checks and balances to allow far-right extremism to take over the federal government, includes a vision for the “common defense” that will place the United States in direct confrontation with its adversaries and privilege unilateral militarism over a thoughtful, holistic, and adequately resourced national security strategy. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Rebecca Mears and Adam Conner

The Center for American Progress submitted a comment to the Federal Communications Commission explaining that the FCC’s proposed rule aligns with existing policies and practices. On September 4, 2024, the Center for American Progress submitted a response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) request for comment in the matter of “Disclosure and Transparency of Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content in Political Advertisements,” MB Docket No. 24-211.

Given the proliferation of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI), there is reason to be concerned about realistic depictions of altered or fabricated content in the electoral context. Though voluntary commitments to AI transparency are promising, they are not sufficient replacements for regulation..--CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Rachael Eisenberg

On July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey called police to her home for help, but instead, they took her life. The senseless killing of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman living in Springfield, Illinois, once again drew national attention to the deadly status quo of police violence in this country as well as the unconscionable lack of action that permits these kinds of killings to keep happening.

The body-camera footage of Sonya Massey’s murder—recently released by the Illinois State Police—revealed an unarmed woman posing no physical threat being shot by a sheriff’s deputy simply for removing a pot of water from her stove. Since then, newspapers and social media feeds have been filled with stories about what happened, what should have happened differently, and what can be done to prevent the next needless tragedy. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE

By Sarah Nadeau

Washington, D.C. — Recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the Homes Act, a critically important bill that would build a substantial number of new, affordable housing units for working families.

Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, shared the following statement in response:

"Affordable housing is foundational to an inclusive economy that provides security for everyone, not just the wealthy few. Solving America’s housing crisis demands solutions that meet the monumental scale and complexity of the problem. The Homes Act is filling a yawning gap in affordable rentals by offering a fresh approach to delivering new, affordable rental housing for Americans. -- CLICK STORY TO READ MORE