Oregon should easily remain a Democratic stronghold in 2026. Democrats control both of the state’s Senate seats & 5 of its 6 House seats. Incumbent Senator Jeff Merkley should secure re-election, maintaining Democrats’ sweep in the Senate.

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed Executive Order (EO) 14160. The EO is called Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship. The Order was intended to overturn the constitutional rule that recognizes birthright citizenship.

As AI rapidly expands its impact over our lives, jobs, and politics, more and more people are raising alarms about its potential harms.  In many cases, those speaking out about the danger are those who know the most: current and former workers in the industry.

For years, congress has kicked the proverbial can of Social Security’s financial deficit down the road to be dealt with at a later date. In 2026, we may be looking at the end of that road. This year’s Social Security Trustees’ Report warns that the retirement fund is only 6 years from absolute insolvency, when the program will no longer have the funds to continue paying benefits.

The United States is currently navigating a profound and escalating mental health crisis, characterized by soaring demand for behavioral health services and an actively collapsing support infrastructure.

So far this year, over 45,000 wildfires have burned more than 12 million acres across the U.S. and Canada, and it’s only July. The U.S. has seen more wildfires so far this year than any January to July in the past decade. The ever-worsening climate crisis increases the risk of wildfires, the length of wildfire season, and limits responders’ ability to contain the fires.

In July of 2025, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBBA) into law, setting into motion one of the most sweeping transformations to the American welfare state in modern history. At the center of this legislative overhaul is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). As the nation’s preeminent anti-poverty initiative since 1964, SNAP provides an estimated 42 million Americans with vital funds for food.

There are a lot of cases that the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Roberts since 2005, loves to take on; cases involving the First and Second Amendments, executive power overreach, and voting protections. But one of the most consistently targeted topics by SCOTUS is the issue of campaign finance.