Articles by Cara Brown McCormick

The Nasdaq Composite has officially entered bear market territory—defined by a drop of 20% or more from its recent high—while the S&P 500 is nearing the same threshold today. Last week U.S. stock markets shed $6.6 trillion in value over a two-day span, triggered by President Trump’s larger-than-expected tariff announcement and China’s vow to match the tariffs on all American-made goods.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps millions of low-income families cover heating and cooling costs, faces serious disruption after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) laid off all federal staff overseeing the program.

Many have seen the story out of Wisconsin: Susan Crawford defied record-breaking spending by Super PACs to win the April 1 state Supreme Court election. “Crawford beat Musk,” is the headline after the world’s richest man poured millions into the race to defeat her, while liberal billionaires also opened up their own pocketbooks for Crawford.

Skokie voters went to the polls on April 1 amidst a closely watched mayoral election to decide whether or not to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). With 100% of precincts reporting, 58% of participating voters said ‘Yes’ to changing how the city conducts elections. 

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey made history with a marathon speech on the Senate floor, surpassing 24 hours in a sweeping protest against the policies of former President Donald Trump.

A popular and game-changing rescheduling proposal backed by Donald J. Trump to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) remains formally active but administratively paused by a DEA judge.

According to Buying Time 2025 election spending data as of March 26, 2025, more than $81.4 million has been spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive state judicial election in US history. 

On the second anniversary of Federal Correctional Officer Blake Schwarz’s death by suicide, an Iowa congresswoman has reintroduced a significant bill aimed at combating the ongoing mental health crisis among correctional officers.

In November 2024, California voters in all 58 counties approved Proposition 36, known as the "Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act," with approximately 68.4% in favor. ​ 

Early voting starts March 18 in Wisconsin’s high-stakes Supreme Court race. Super PACs have fueled record-breaking spending, which is now close to $59 million and has surpassed the previous record set in 2023 for a state Supreme Court election.