In California, voters approved a mid-decade redistricting plan that replaced the state’s independent redistricting commission with a map expected to net Democrats as many as five additional House seats. The move by the Golden State came in response to a similar effort by Republicans in Texas, setting the stage for one of the most consequential redistricting battles in recent history. As it stands today, Democrats appear well-positioned to capitalize on the new map.
Oklahoma’s 2026 federal elections will feature one U.S. Senate race and five House contests. The state is reliably Republican across all five congressional districts, and post-redistricting maps have made each seat structurally safe for the GOP.
Brief #137 – Environment Policy
By Jacob Morton
he Biden administration announced its plan to spend $5 billion to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations along the nation’s highways. Biden’s plan will extend over five years, providing funding directly to states that submit their own plans for developing their portion of what the administration calls an “Alternative Fuel Corridor,” that would connect forty states along interstate highways across the country. The plan seeks to build half a million charging stations by 2030 so that owners of electric vehicles will be able to find a charging port anywhere within 50 miles of their location across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Brief #66 – Technology Policy
By Stephan Lherisson
Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, leaked Facebook internal documents to the press, federal regulators, and Congress. The content of those documents showed how the social media platform uses potentially damaging algorithms to drive up use by its users while disregarding the negative effects of those algorithms including polarizing attitudes and divisiveness. Such attitudes have been proven to contribute to violence in places like Myanmar, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and India.
Brief #65 – Technology
By Stephan Lherissen
Cities around the nation are adopting legislation that puts limits on the use of surveillance technology by their respective police forces. These cities are at the forefront of policy that could be adopted nationally by the federal government. These laws are being considered by some and established by others in response to growing criticism that these technologies do not respect the rights and privacy of citizens.
Brief #26 – Social Justice
By Erika Shannon
In the aftermath of the overtaking of the U.S. Capitol Building by insurrectionists on January 6th of this year, there was the question of who would be investigating the events that occurred. Originally, there was a proposal to form a National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex; however, there was a Republican filibuster of the proposal to create this “January 6 Commission” in May, with not enough votes to break the filibuster.
Brief #4—Transition of Power
By Linda F. Hersey
Although Donald Trump is the first sitting president to refuse to concede after losing a U.S. democratic election – shocking the nation and leaders across the world — his wild claims of conspiracy and election fraud come as no surprise to a handful of academics, attorneys and political strategists who weighed the danger of such an outcome prior to Election 2020.
Brief #69—Foreign Policy
By Erin Mayer
Brief #66—Foreign Policy
By Colin Shanleyt