01
Start with shared ground.
Every issue page opens with what most Americans agree on. Read this first — it reframes the rest.
The issues
What we're actually arguing about.
Each issue starts with what most Americans already agree on, then maps the disagreements with sources and questions for honest debate. Filter by topic; every entry is footnoted.
28
issues mapped
and published
and published
93%
average common
ground per issue
ground per issue
146
sourced facts
with footnotes
with footnotes
Reader's guide
How to read an issue.
02
Hear both perspectives.
We steelman both sides. If the strongest version of an argument surprises you, that's the point.
03
Check the evidence.
Every claim links to a primary source. Don't trust us. Check the footnotes.
Spotlight · This month
affordability
Affordability: Cost of Living & Housing
Addressing the rising costs of housing and everyday essentials that impact family budgets
Read the spotlight93%
Common
ground
№ 01
Healthcare
Healthcare Access & Affordability
Examining the challenges Americans face accessing affordable, quality healthcare
89%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 02
Economy
Economic Opportunity & Job Stability
Creating pathways to financial security and meaningful work
89%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 03
Education
Education Quality & Accessibility
Ensuring all children have access to quality education
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 04
Affordability
Affordability: Cost of Living & Housing
Addressing the rising costs of housing and everyday essentials that impact family budgets
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 05
Civic Dialogue
Constructive Dialogue & Democratic Engagement
How we talk to each other matters: Communication, collaboration, compromise, and making your case
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 06
Government
Electoral Reform & Voting Systems
Exploring ranked choice voting and electoral reforms to reduce polarization and increase representation
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 07
Government
Beyond Binary Politics: The Two-Party Trap
How the Democrat-Republican duopoly creates divisiveness and discourages nuanced thinking
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 08
Civic Dialogue
The Power of Individual Participation
Why individual citizens must engage in democracy—or corporations and special interests will fill the void
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 09
Government
Immigration Reform
Border security, legal immigration pathways, and addressing the status of undocumented immigrants
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 10
Government
Climate Change & Environmental Protection
Addressing climate change, protecting natural resources, and balancing environmental and economic concerns
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 11
Public Safety
Gun Rights & Gun Safety
Balancing Second Amendment rights with public safety and reducing gun violence
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 12
Healthcare
Reproductive Rights & Abortion
Abortion access, reproductive healthcare, and the balance between different values and rights
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 13
Economy
Federal Budget & National Debt
Managing government spending, the federal deficit, and long-term fiscal sustainability
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 14
Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety
Addressing violent crime, property crime, policing reform, and community safety
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 15
Government
Foreign Policy & National Security
America's role in the world, defense spending, and relationships with allies and adversaries
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 16
Government
AI, Deepfakes & the Crisis of Truth
How artificial intelligence is making it impossible to know what's real online—and what we can do about it
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 17
Civic Dialogue
Faith and Politics
Balancing religious freedom with pluralistic democracy—respecting the role of faith in public life while protecting everyone's rights.
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 18
Government
Greenland & U.S. Territorial Expansion
The Trump administration's push to acquire Greenland has driven an ongoing diplomatic crisis with Denmark and a debate about American territorial ambitions
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 19
Government
Venezuela After Maduro: U.S. Intervention & Transition
The U.S. military capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 and Venezuela's contested transition reopen long-standing debates about American intervention abroad
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 20
Economy
Tariffs & Trade Policy
The Trump administration's tariff agenda has reshaped U.S. trade policy and prompted debate over its impact on prices, manufacturing, and alliances
95%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 21
Government
Federal Workforce & Government Restructuring
The 2025 Department of Government Efficiency push to shrink and restructure the federal workforce has reignited debate about the size, expertise, and accountability of the federal government
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 22
Government
Birthright Citizenship & the 14th Amendment
The Trump administration's executive order to limit birthright citizenship has triggered one of the most consequential constitutional cases of the decade
89%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 23
Economy
Social Security & Medicare Solvency
Social Security and Medicare trust funds face insolvency in the next decade unless Congress acts—forcing hard choices about taxes, benefits, and the social contract
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 24
Public Safety
Fentanyl, the Overdose Crisis & Cartels
Fentanyl has driven the deadliest overdose crisis in American history and reshaped debates over drug policy, border enforcement, and U.S. action against Mexican cartels
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 25
Government
AI Governance & Regulation
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the economy, national security, and daily life faster than government can write rules—forcing hard choices about how, and how much, to regulate
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 26
Education
Higher Education, Federal Funding & DEI
The 2025 federal funding fights with major universities, antisemitism investigations, and broad rollback of DEI programs have reopened debate about the relationship between Washington and U.S. higher education
93%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 27
Affordability
Housing Supply & Zoning Reform
Why housing costs so much, why building more is so hard, and why this is one of the few issues where a real cross-partisan coalition already exists
89%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
№ 28
Families
Childcare, Elder Care & the Caregiving Crunch
Americans are squeezed between the cost of raising children and the cost of caring for aging parents — a problem felt by nearly everyone and politicized by almost no one
89%
common
ground
ground
Read the breakdown
Researching next
What's coming.
These are the issues currently in research — none of them published yet. Have one you want us to add? Tell us. Readers shape the docket.
- Sept 2026Housing Supply & Zoning ReformDrafting — the supply-side fight, where the real bipartisan movement is
- Sept 2026Childcare & Elder Care CostsPolling aggregation in progress
- Oct 2026Energy Abundance & the GridSource review — datacenter demand scrambles the usual coalitions
- Oct 2026The Local News CollapseReader-requested
- Nov 2026Term Limits & Congressional ReformQueued — polls above 80%, rarely covered seriously
More to explore
Keep going.
Midterms 2026
Vote the midterms well
What's on the November ballot, and ten questions for any candidate.
Go there
Interactive
Take the stand
8 questions, no login. See where you actually agree with your neighbors.
Go there
Solutions
Take an action
The 4 Cs of engagement and a ladder of civic actions.
Go there