With political polarization at a recent high, AllSides highlights stories on efforts to find common ground. In large part, this increased rancor is due to media bias, where news organizations rely on a business model that exacerbates partisan tensions. There are countless individuals and organizations that are working to find common ground on issues across the spectrum. Here are a few we work particularly closely with:
Living Room Conversations facilitates discussions among people with different political beliefs and provides a step-by-step guide to having respectful dialogue on an array of contentious issues.
The Bridge Alliance works to improve civic engagement and is composed of a network of more than 80 political organizations.
The Listen First Project promotes civil discourse by encouraging people to listen to those we disagree with. They regularly publish commentary and organize events with political and community leaders from diverse backgrounds that tackle major political issues.
Ex-NIH director and truck driver explore how to bridge divisions deepened by the pandemic
Americans were sharply divided over the public health response to COVID-19, including masking, remote learning, business closures and vaccines. Five years after the start of the pandemic, Judy Woodruff sat down with two people on opposing sides of that divide trying to figure out how to move forward. It's part of her series, America at a Crossroads.
Geoff Bennett:
Americans were sharply divided over the public health response to COVID-19, things like masking, remote learning, business closures, and later vaccines.
Reps. Luna and AOC team up on bipartisan effort to cap interest rates on credit cards
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, are teaming up on bipartisan effort to limit interest rates on credit cards.
"For too long, credit card companies have abused working class Americans with absurd interest rates, trapping them in an almost insurmountable amount of debt," Luna wrote on X alongside a photo of herself and Ocasio-Cortez.
"We need a fair solution — and that means getting rid of the status quo and putting a reasonable cap on interest rates."
Student-led projects tackle campus divisions
Through meals, discussion, and games, four student-led projects will kick off this spring in hopes of convening students from different backgrounds and viewpoints to encourage tough conversations and bridge divides.
Elizabeth Warren Agrees With Trump: Big Banks Discriminate
Elizabeth Warren agrees with President Trump about something.
The Democratic senator from Massachusetts told Trump on Tuesday that she thinks the White House should take action to stop what she said were discriminatory practices by the country’s biggest banks, according to a letter from her office that was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Make America Whole Again
Sometimes the universe laughs at us. Other times, in the words of famed psychologist Carl Jung, it winks.
Presidential Odd Couples: Bill + George(s)
Can you still be close to someone whose politics you despise?
When Kay’s two best friends — a married couple she met at work — told her they weren’t voting for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, she believed them. After all, Kay and her friends shared similar values; they all supported issues like reproductive rights and protections for LGBTQ people.
What is the Meaning of Christmas? It’s a Season of Generosity.
Sanders: Musk a ‘smart guy’; RFK Jr. ‘right’ about ‘unhealthy society’
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called tech billionaire Elon Musk a “smart guy” and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “right” about America’s “unhealthy society,” as they prepare to take leadership positions in President-elect Trump’s next administration.
In an interview with Business Insider on Tuesday, Sanders listed areas where he could find common ground with Musk, someone he’s previously criticized as a threat to democracy.
Musk has been chosen to co-lead Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency and has promised to cut back on spending.