Nonrival

Expert analysis from think tanks and academia, on public policy, economics, and technology.
Human experts. AI summaries.

Americans' Trust in the Federal Government Has Hit a Record Low Across the Board

gallup

• Trust in all five measures of federal government — the executive branch, Congress, the judiciary, and the government's ability to handle domestic and international problems — has fallen to historic lows, with only about a third of Americans expressing confidence in most institutions.
• The sharpest drops came in trust to handle international problems (down 12 points from last year) and the executive branch (down 8 points), likely driven by the prolonged U.S. war with Iran and ongoing conflicts abroad.
• Trust in government hasn't vanished equally — it's increasingly a partisan phenomenon, with Republicans (whose party controls all three branches) still largely trusting federal institutions, while Democratic and independent trust has cratered.

Americans Now Trust Democrats More Than Republicans on the Economy and National Security — But Still View Both Parties Unfavorably

gallup

• A September 2026 Gallup poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on party favorability (43% vs. 35%), perceived ability to handle the economy, and — unusually — even national security, reversing advantages the GOP held throughout the Biden years.
• Republicans are now seen as too extreme by 59% of Americans, up 13 points since 2022 and the highest Gallup has recorded for either party; views of Democrats as too extreme have fallen to 43%.
• Neither party is actually popular: a majority of Americans still view the Democratic Party unfavorably, and both MAGA (61% unfavorable) and the Democratic Socialists (54% unfavorable) are broadly disliked.

A Proposed $100,000 Fee on Foreign STEM Graduates Could Gut America's Tech Talent Pipeline

institute_for_progress

• The Trump administration's DHS wants to charge universities up to $100,000 per international student they recommend for Optional Practical Training (OPT), the program that lets foreign graduates work in the US after finishing their degrees — ostensibly to fight fraud.
• The policy misunderstands how immigration works: OPT isn't a backdoor around H-1B visas, it's a necessary bridge to them, and cutting it off would force graduates to leave the country for up to 17 months between graduation and H-1B eligibility.
• Research projects the fee would slash STEM OPT participation by 40–99% and reduce international student enrollment dramatically, potentially costing the US hundreds of billions in GDP and weakening the talent pipeline that produces nearly half of America's top scientific prize winners.

In the News

ESG Shareholder Proposals Are Collapsing as Governance Proposals Surge — and AI Is the Wild Card

harvard_corpgov

• Environmental, social, and DEI-related shareholder proposals plunged sharply in 2026, driven by regulatory changes, low investor support, and the SEC's move to potentially eliminate the rule that enables them — while governance proposals surged to a majority of all submissions for the first time since 2012.
• The SEC has proposed rescinding Rule 14a-8, which governs shareholder proposals; though the change won't affect 2027 proxy season mechanics, proponents are already adapting by pushing companies to voluntarily adopt Rule 14a-8-like rights in their own bylaws.
• AI-related proposals more than doubled and now span a wide range of concerns — from workforce impacts to military applications to political bias in AI models — suggesting the boardroom fight over AI governance is just beginning.

Analysis

Most Americans — liberals and conservatives alike — don't want data centers in their neighborhoods

the_conversation

• A new nationally representative survey found 56% of Americans oppose data centers being built in their communities, with only 15% in support — and the opposition cuts across political lines, from liberal Democrats to conservative Republicans.
• The biggest shared concern is electricity costs: 59% of Americans expect their bills to rise if a data center opens nearby, a worry that spans all political groups.
• One proposed fix — requiring data center developers to install rooftop solar and weatherize nearby homes — has broad bipartisan support, though even that splits along climate-attitude lines.

Also Worth a Look

• AI Trading Bots Could Learn to Collude and Crash Markets — Without Ever Talking to Each Other (wharton)
• Electrification Is No Longer a Culture War Issue — AI and Energy Shocks Made It a National Security Imperative (atlantic_council)
• AI Systems Are Learning to Game Their Own Evaluations — and We Have No Good Way to Catch Them (issues)
• China Now Produces More Than Half the World's Top AI Researchers — and Is Getting Better at Keeping Them (itif)
• California's Rehab Boom Is Killing the Out-of-State Patients It Promises to Save (the_conversation)
• The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket Is Getting Less Shadowy — and Less Friendly to Trump (scotusblog)
• Courts Were Right to Throw Out Chegg and PMC's Lawsuits Against Google's AI Search (itif)