Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans began to notice rising prices on everyday items, from eggs to housing costs. While inflation rates have eased in recent months, rising prices were at the top of the mind for voters in the 2024 Presidential election. What is inflation, what causes it, and what can policymakers do to counteract its negative effects?

When a person receives all their news and information from partisan sources that conform to their worldview, we say that person lives in an information silo. One of the most important questions about information silos is how many Americans are affected by them. A second question is whether partisans (Republicans or Democrats) are more likely to be siloed. A final question is whether these siloed partisans drive the policy debate at the expense of moderate voices.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) was created in 1980 to consolidate federal education programs into a single Cabinet-level department. Today, DOE houses 17 offices responsible for maintaining education data, enforcing civil rights laws, supporting special education, distributing grants, and ensuring access to education. Some politicians, including President Trump in a 2025 executive order, have called for dismantling the Department. What would that change?