The bottom line? Congress should expand existing unemployment and re-employment programs that benefit ALL workers.
Not just those who can prove that their jobs were eliminated due to AI.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/los...
How can Congress better protect workers from job loss and displacement driven by AI?
Searchlight's Will Raderman and Alex Mechanick of @niskanencenter.bsky.social look to the successes and failures of the now-defunct Trade Adjustment Assistance program for answers.
Voters favor the anti-war policies of Democrats — but have concerns they are 'too weak' and 'lack backbone.'
They also favor the 'America First' focus among Republicans — but believe they are 'warmongers' who 'start unnecessary wars or conflicts.'
searchlightinst.substack.com/p/the-wide-o...
"There is no contradiction between aggressively embracing our military and making the case against war. Indeed the opposite seems to be the case."
Read @adamjentleson.bsky.social's latest on supporting the troops and opposing dumb wars.
searchlightinst.substack.com/p/the-wide-o...
"The best way to thwart authoritarianism is to have democracy deliver."
"A democracy so caught up in checks and balances that it can’t deliver is an almost-sure guarantee that people will look to a person who will take a jackhammer to it."
www.commonwealmagazine.org/dunkelman-ma...
Progressive ends? Meet procedural means.
Searchlight's Marc Dunkelman on the dilemma facing progressives who want to improve government, make it easier to build, and give more people a voice — not a veto.
searchlightinst.substack.com/p/progressiv...
“This is an issue where Democrats have won in the past and where we can win again." — @adamjentleson.bsky.social
www.politico.com/newsletters/...
There are thousands of data centers across America — and they're revealing a problem we've had in our grid for decades.
The grid is getting older, slower, and less reliable.
Don't ban data centers. Use private gains from AI to modernize the grid and lower costs for families.
“Democrats should lean into the fact that Americans are not interested in cruelty,” @charlotteeffect.bsky.social told @peterhamby.bsky.social.
“The most toxic parts of the GOP message are when they are needlessly cruel or trying to restrict how adults can act."
puck.news/texas-senate...
Read the report and the case for an American Grid Infrastructure Fund.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/sei...
What if lawmakers channeled America's data center buildout — a buildout that is already well underway — into massive new investments in our nation's aging grid?
@janeaflegal.bsky.social offers a way forward. More energy. Lower costs. Families would only pay for the electricity they use themselves.
To recapture the public’s trust, Searchlight notes, Democrats “need to create a modern, functioning immigration system that is unforgiving to those who cross the border illegally but generous to those who go through an orderly legal process."
www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Liberals can — and should — pass tax cuts that send most or all of their benefits to low-income households and the middle class.
Tax reforms should be prioritized without losing sight of expanding and modernizing public programs.
searchlightinst.substack.com/p/theres-a-r...
There are no winners in a race to the bottom.
Rather than reform the tax code to advance distinct goals — like offsetting the cost of child care — recent proposals from Democrats primarily treat federal taxes themselves as the problem.
But there's a better way.
Scoop in @playbookdc.bsky.social: @searchlightinst.bsky.social is out today with a new plan and polling aimed at helping Dems take GOP ground lost on immigration.
www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Leaders should push for equal treatment and civil rights.
And they should avoid aimless messaging bills or confusing language that only alienates the public and stokes anti-trans sentiment.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the...
The results provide a path forward: equal treatment and civil rights.
Banning discrimination and harassment of trans people in the workplace or housing.
Keeping politicians out of deeply personal health care decisions.
Emphasizing parents and their role in deciding what’s best for their kids.
But the resurgence of anti-trans sentiment in civil society and government should concern all of us.
Over the past year, we've surveyed the American public on the rights and acceptance of trans people. More than 34,000 across six rounds of polling.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the...
Mara Keisling, a senior fellow at Searchlight, has been a leading advocate for trans rights and acceptance for 30 years.
She’s seen public opinion shift significantly over that time. Trans Americans today are able to live freer, fuller lives than they would have all those years ago.
Mamdani's focus on public transit and childcare also broke through.
He likely benefited from voters identifying those issues as part of his wider platform on the cost of living.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/how...
Affordable housing and prices were the two top priorities for voters heading into the final days of the New York City mayoral. Crime was third.
Voters say Zohran Mamdani prioritized affordability more than Andrew Cuomo — who instead prioritized crime.
We analyzed hundreds of ads, TikTok posts, and YouTube videos during the New York City mayoral.
Affordability was mentioned in nearly 80% of Zohran Mamdani's content during the election.
In all the content from Andrew Cuomo? Only a third.
www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/how...
“When a voter is unconvinced that a political party wants ‘good’ things for them, even the best crafted policies or messages quickly run up against a hard brick wall of resistance.”
Read more here: searchlightinst.substack.com/p/the-chart-...
The bigger picture is grim across both parties:
There was not a single issue a majority of Americans believed either party wanted for them.
We checked in on what voters think Democrats and Republicans want for them. The good news for Democrats is that they’re narrowly winning on “feeling stable in your personal life.” The bad news for them is that Republicans dominate on everything else: wealth, marriage, kids, and more.
🚨We’re growing! Searchlight is hiring for two key roles to support our team.
Apply here: www.searchlightinstitute.org/jobs/
Conservatives spent decades building a talent pipeline. Liberals must build their own—or stay stuck playing defense. That's why we built the Searchlight fellowship program.
