
A new NPR/PBS–Marist poll conducted in late September 2025 shows that 79 percent of Americans believe the United States has gone too far in restricting freedom of speech. That headline number, captured just days ago, sits on top of a swirl of legal fights, campus controversies, and political debates that have made “free speech” one
READ MOREA midnight silence in Washington As the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2025, Washington fell into a strange, tense silence. The lights inside government buildings still glowed, but phones began ringing with furlough notices, and millions of federal workers braced themselves for a reality they’ve lived before: a government shutdown. To the average
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In a speech that quickly reverberated across the political landscape, former President Barack Obama delivered a sharp critique of Donald Trump’s leadership this week, warning that the United States stands at a defining crossroads between two competing visions of its future. Speaking in London, Obama argued that the country’s identity and democratic integrity are being
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In a move that has jolted the Pentagon and reverberated through U.S. military ranks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the country’s top military officers generals and admirals of one-star rank or higher to convene next week at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. The directive arrives without any public explanation, sparking
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On a quiet street in Portland, Oregon, a woman in crisis paces back and forth, shouting incoherently. A few years ago, such a call would have automatically dispatched police officers, raising the risk of escalation, confrontation, or worse. Today, thanks to the city’s expanded “Street Response” program, it’s a different picture. Within minutes, a van
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