The shutdown is not over yet. Sunday’s 60-40 vote cleared the way for the Senate to formally debate the spending measure before a final vote.

Schumer should resign as Leader effective immediately

While Republicans partied at Mar-a-Lago and cashed shutdown paychecks, Democrats gave them an escape hatch.

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"Inexplicably, some Senate Democrats, under Leader Schumer's watch, decided to surrender."

The battle may have been lost, but the war can still be won

Federal lawmakers can protect the American public by passing a new law to fully implement the Constitution’s oldest anticorruption safeguards.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani can improve New Yorkers’ well-being by prioritizing proven crime-prevention policies.

Will the Supreme Court finally stand up to the president?

State courts are grappling with questions like ownership over and rights for embryos.

Listen to this episode from The Briefing with Michael Waldman on Spotify. From everyday instances of corruption to an administration intent on undermining the Constitution, it can feel as though American democracy is in decline. Yet amid the attacks on the rule of law and strains on our system of checks and balances, there are ways that we can engage, participate, and work together to defend and uphold our democratic institutions. Listen as legal expert and former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance discusses her new book, Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy.Speakers: Joyce Vance, Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law at University of Alabama School of Law; Senior Fellow, Brennan Center Host: Michael Waldman, President, Brennan CenterIf you enjoy this program, please give us a boost by liking it, subscribing, and sharing it with your friends. If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, please give it a five-star rating. Recorded on November 3, 2025.Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing, at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing.The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.

To prevent corruption, the Constitution prohibits the president and other officials from receiving untoward benefits. Congress, however, must take action to enable enforcement.

A private prison company is facing a lawsuit claiming detainees were forced to work and paid one dollar a day in Colorado.

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