Last year, 44,447 Americans lost their lives to gun-related injuries, a staggering toll that translates to dozens of empty chairs at kitchen tables every single day. While the total has dipped slightly from recent peaks, it remains the fifth-highest number on record since 1968, cementing the reality that gun violence is a persistent national epidemic.

Nearly half of Americans believe their political system must fundamentally change — and don't believe it ever will.

Three independent organizations that track democracy worldwide all agree: American democracy declined in 2025. Not gradually. Not marginally. Significantly.

It was less than half a minute of footage — a young man at an elephant enclosure, talking into a camera — and it changed, permanently, who gets to have a public voice.

The American people have spoken. And what they have said is unambiguous.

Three out of four Americans believe that racial and ethnic diversity is a good thing for this country. Not a threat. Not a problem to be managed. A good thing. That is where the American people actually stand, even as the administration dismantles DEI programs, ends diversity hiring initiatives, and deploys the machinery of the federal government to make this country feel smaller and less welcoming to everyone who doesn't fit a narrow, nostalgic image of what America is supposed to look like.

To understand how we got here, you have to understand a deal that was made, kept, and then torn up — and what that decision ultimately cost us.

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Netherlands made history. On April 1, 2001, the first legally recognized same-sex marriages in the world were performed — and the world did not end. Love, as it turned out, was not a threat to civilization. It was, and remains, one of the most ordinary and extraordinary things human beings do.

Six sitting Democratic members of Congress. The Democratic attorney general of New York. All targeted for federal prosecution by the Trump administration. All cleared — not by a partisan court, not by a political maneuver, but by federal grand juries composed of ordinary American citizens who heard the evidence and said no.

This Women's History Month, a new Pew Research Center analysis offers a striking reality check on women in global leadership. Of the 193 UN member countries, only 63 have ever had a woman head of government — and just 13 do right now.

New data from Gallup shows something worth celebrating: around the world, more people believe women are being treated with respect and dignity.

George Edwin Taylor doesn't show up in most history books. But in 1904, he became the first African American to run for president as the nominee of a national political party.

During Black History Month, it’s important to reflect not only on history — but on where we are today.

A new survey from Pew Research Center finds that most Americans agree on something that often gets lost in today’s debates: it’s important to talk honestly about the nation’s history — including both its successes and its failures.

As immigration enforcement expands into public life, Americans are paying close attention — and forming clear opinions about what crosses the line. A new Pew Research Center survey finds broad public support for transparency, accountability, and constitutional limits when it comes to immigration officers’ actions, as well as strong approval for civilians documenting what they see. Across party lines, Americans are drawing boundaries around profiling, anonymity, and unchecked power.

A recent survey by YouGov shows that most Americans strongly oppose any attempt by the United States to take control of Greenland—especially through military force. While President Trump has revived discussion of acquiring the island, public opinion remains firmly against such actions.

Venezuelans are one of the fastest‑growing and most highly educated Latino communities in the United States, and their story shows how foreign policy, migration, and civil rights collide in real time.​

A new Economist/YouGov poll (Dec 20–22) confirms what other surveys have shown: Americans do not support Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela — and they want Congress to act as a check on presidential power.

A growing majority of Americans believe the Trump administration is going too far in deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2025. 53% of U.S. adults now say the administration is doing “too much” on deportations — up from 44% in March. While disapproval is particularly high among Democrats (86%), concern has also increased among Republicans, especially Hispanic Republicans (47%, up from 28%).

Less than a year into his second term, President Trump has already issued more executive orders (221) than he did during his entire first four years in office — a pace not seen since World War II.