Policy analyst Savannah Cunningham examines school voucher programs and their goal of expanding educational choice while analyzing evidence that they often benefit higher-income families already outside the public school system. The article ultimately argues that vouchers can divert funding from public schools without meaningfully improving access for low-income students, raising concerns about equity in education.

Policy analyst Aidan Light examines California’s SB 848 and its expansion of mandated reporter laws to include school governing board members, exploring how statutory language may unintentionally extend reporting obligations and liability to student pupil trustees. The article ultimately argues that ambiguity in the law creates serious legal uncertainty around student board members’ responsibilities, raising concerns about criminal liability and the need for clearer legislative clarification.

Policy analyst Ayat Ashraf critiques India’s Union Budget 2026–27, focusing on its heavy emphasis on infrastructure-led growth, manufacturing, and technological investment alongside persistent gaps in employment, social spending, and implementation capacity. The article ultimately argues that despite ambitious development goals, weak execution and underinvestment in human capital risk limiting the budget’s ability to deliver inclusive and sustainable economic transformation.

Policy analyst Raheem Ebrahim examines the economic drivers of youth homelessness in California, focusing on how housing costs, administrative barriers, and foster-care transitions contribute to widespread youth housing instability. The article argues that reducing youth homelessness requires stronger prevention, stabilization, and exit pathways, ultimately concluding that it must be treated as both a housing and economic mobility issue with measurable outcomes.

Policy analyst Finn Keenan examines the shifting balance of soft power between the United States and China in Africa, focusing on how recent cuts to USAID under the Trump administration have weakened U.S. influence while China expands its economic and infrastructure presence across the continent. The article argues that although both approaches carry significant flaws, the U.S. can still regain influence by reforming its aid strategy to better support African economic autonomy and long-term development.

Policy analyst Rylee Marshall examines the integration of artificial intelligence into modern military operations, using the fictional “Operation Absolute Resolve” to explore how AI systems like Claude and OpenAI tools could be deployed in real-time warfare planning and execution. The article ultimately argues that the increasing use of opaque, rapidly evolving AI systems in military decision-making raises urgent ethical concerns about accountability, transparency, and the future of human control in war.

Policy analyst Dylan Miles examines proposed Trump administration budget cuts and staffing changes affecting the U.S. National Park Service, including major reductions in funding, seasonal hiring freezes, and efforts to transfer park control to states or private entities. The article argues that despite significant bipartisan pushback and congressional intervention to restore funding, ongoing uncertainty around staffing and preservation policy continues to threaten the stability and mission of America’s national parks.

Policy analyst Madeleine Sleeper examines the Trump administration’s repeal of the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding, a legal foundation that has long required federal regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The article argues that dismantling this framework weakens federal climate protections and will have major consequences for public health, climate stability, and U.S. environmental policy leadership.

Policy analyst Jade Vazquez examines Florida’s felony disenfranchisement system, focusing on how financial and legal barriers continue to restrict voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals despite the passage of Amendment 4. The article argues that policies like SB 7066 disproportionately burden low-income Black and Latinx communities, ultimately concluding that Florida’s current system undermines equal protection and democratic participation.

Policy analyst Saoirse O’Lionain examines the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, focusing on efforts to narrow the legal definition of “harm” by excluding habitat destruction from federal protections. The article ultimately argues that weakening habitat protections would undermine the ESA’s purpose and threaten endangered species recovery efforts across the country.

Policy analyst Christina Wang examines the Department of Education’s 2025 effort to restrict DEI initiatives through expansive Title VI guidance, tracing how the policy quickly faced legal and constitutional challenges in federal court. The article explores the tensions between anti-discrimination law, administrative authority, and educational equity, ultimately concluding that federal agencies cannot dramatically expand civil rights enforcement through informal guidance without clear legal standards and proper rulemaking procedures.

Policy analyst Hayes Chitty examines the Trump administration's push to purchase Greenland through the proposed Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025, dissecting the legal and ethical arguments used to justify acquiring the autonomous Danish territory. The article reveals the hidden assumptions and logical gaps underlying each argument, ultimately concluding that legal permissibility and genuine ethical justification are far from the same thing.

Policy analyst Ani Weimar examines the Iranian government's escalating crackdown on its citizens, from decades of suppressed protests to the January 2026 nationwide internet shutdown that cut off 92 million people and the deepening humanitarian crisis fueled by economic collapse and state violence. The article explores what Khamenei's death at the hands of US-Israeli airstrikes means for Iran's future, and whether regime change can bring meaningful relief to a population that has long been surviving rather than living.

Policy analyst Samuel Schaible examines the Trump administration's deliberate dismantling of American soft power infrastructure, from USAID to the Fulbright program, and its pivot toward a hard power strategy rooted in military might and economic coercion. The article argues that this shift risks accelerating American hegemonic decline by alienating allies and ceding influence to rival powers like China and Russia at a critical moment in great power competition.

Policy analyst Nivedita Giani examines India's sweeping 2025 labor code reforms, which consolidated 29 longstanding labor laws into four new codes, and the heated debate over whether they genuinely attract foreign investment or simply strip workers of hard-earned protections. The article weighs economist arguments for labor market flexibility against trade union concerns that weakening worker bargaining power will deepen inequality and ultimately undermine the domestic consumer demand India needs to reach its 2030 economic goals.

Policy analyst Natalia Khodaverdi examines the political upheaval in Iran following the US-Israeli airstrike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, 2026, and the uncertain future Iranians face under his son Mojtaba's newly inherited regime. The article explores the civilian protests, government crackdowns, and Mojtaba's vow of retaliation as Iran's dictatorial rule continues despite widespread hopes for change.

Policy analyst Imani Castillo Yee examines how California and Texas have weaponized redistricting for partisan gain following the Supreme Court's 2026 denial of the GOP's appeal in Tangipa v. Newsom. The article traces the judicial precedents that have left federal courts powerless over gerrymandering and questions whether state-level solutions can protect minority voters ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Policy analyst Noelle Pedersen examines the One Big and Beautiful Bill Act and its sweeping cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and related health programs, analyzing how the legislation disproportionately impacts people with disabilities and low-income communities. The article explores how reduced federal support, new eligibility restrictions, and work requirements may erode access to essential care while shifting financial and administrative burdens onto states and vulnerable families.

Policy analyst Aidan Light examines California’s repeal of criminal penalties for chronic truancy under the More Help Not Less Act of 2025, analyzing the shift from punishment to support in addressing school absenteeism. The article explores the academic and social consequences of chronic absence, the role of parents and schools, and whether a human-centered approach can better serve vulnerable students while improving attendance outcomes.

Policy analyst Sahil Shah examines how artificial intelligence and semiconductors have become the core battleground in the competition between the United States and China, analyzing the use of export controls as both a security tool and a form of economic leverage. Shah questions whether these restrictions are slowing China’s technological rise or accelerating its push toward self-sufficiency.