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Searchlight Institute

@searchlightinstitute.org
247 followers 5 following 106 posts

Home of the next realignment. We think big, embrace heterodoxy, and chart the future of public policy and action.

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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 2h
Enhancing UI is more important now than ever. Read more about our plan in The Washington Post. ⤵️ www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Here’s an idea to help workers displaced by AI
An influential think tank suggests how to pay for higher unemployment benefits in an era of workforce anxiety.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 2h
DIGNITY IN LOOKING FOR WORK. In a new paper, Searchlight’s Will Raderman details how — and why — lawmakers should enhance Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to FULLY COVER the cost of living for American workers. Workers deserve stability during their job search. Full stop.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 5h
"Raderman, Searchlight’s policy director, has long advocated for bolstering the unemployment system’s finances and management. It’s more urgent now, he said, with AI’s workforce risks and Democrats’ jockeying for 2028 presidential campaign messaging." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Here’s an idea to help workers displaced by AI
An influential think tank suggests how to pay for higher unemployment benefits in an era of workforce anxiety.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 5h
FIRST IN WAPO: Searchlight's Will Raderman is out with a new report detailing how to expand Unemployment Insurance to FULLY cover the cost of living for ALL American workers. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Here’s an idea to help workers displaced by AI
An influential think tank suggests how to pay for higher unemployment benefits in an era of workforce anxiety.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 07/10/2026
There are plenty of wins in BAAJA — the new bipartisan permitting reform deal announced by @whitehouse.senate.gov & @heinrich.senate.gov. One of those wins? NEW federal oversight over utilities and how they spend their money.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 07/10/2026
🚨 The time to pass bipartisan permitting reform is NOW. @janeaflegal.bsky.social: "If a Democratic president comes into office in 2029 and we haven't cleared the decks ... we're in real trouble. We have to get this done before 2028."
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 07/10/2026
"Time is of the essence. There is no guarantee that the next Democratic Congress can secure a deal that a lame duck Trump Administration will cosign." www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/the...
searchlightinstitute.org
The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) is a Good Deal
BAAJA must be enacted this Congress to ensure that if Democrats recapture the Presidency in 2028, we are able to get shovels in the ground and actually build new clean energy projects…
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 07/10/2026
NEW MEMO: BAAJA is a good deal and Democrats should take it. Here are FOUR detailed reasons why. 1. Building a Better Grid 2. Holding Data Centers & Utilities Accountable 3. Keeping Politics Out of Permitting 4. Cutting Red Tape From @janeaflegal.bsky.social and Pavan Venkatakrishnan.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 06/10/2026
"In the scramble to try to regulate the industry, the opportunity zones aren’t going unnoticed." www.wired.com/story/rural-...
wired.com
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,  data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 06/10/2026
"With insufficient data on where data centers are going and how they precisely impact communities, it is reasonable to question if data centers should be able to leverage tax incentives like opportunity zones."
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 06/10/2026
Newly-proposed data centers stand to benefit from rural opportunity zones in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Read our full memo shared with Congressional leaders, public policy advocates, and staff. ⤵️
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 06/10/2026
America's data center buildout is shifting dramatically toward rural census tracts. Are new federal tax benefits part of the calculus? @mollytaft.com takes a closer look in their latest column — featuring new research from our team at Searchlight.
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Reposted by Searchlight Institute
molly taft @mollytaft.com · 04/10/2026
NEW: starting jan 1, a new federal tax windfall could kick in for rural data centers around the country new research from @searchlightinst.bsky.social shows dozens of projects potentially eligible for the break — as hyperscalers battle backlash against dcs
wired.com
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,  data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 05/10/2026
🚨 New Searchlight research, shared first with @mollytaft.com and WIRED, finds MORE THAN 100 planned data centers in rural America will be eligible for new tax benefits starting next year. www.wired.com/story/rural-...
wired.com
Rural Data Centers Are in for a Big Federal Tax Break
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act,  data center projects in rural areas could be eligible for major tax benefits starting next year. Some hyperscalers do not seem eager to take the free cash.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 25/09/2026
Donald Trump’s indiscriminate and chaotic immigration agenda — and his Administration's overtly racist way of talking about it — has achieved what would've been unthinkable a year ago. Democrats now lead by a seven-point margin on immigration.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 24/09/2026
As Republicans become even more ideologically aligned with Trump's tariffs and his reckless war in Iran, Democrats are embracing ideological diversity. Heterodoxy, @adamjentleson.bsky.social writes, is why Democrats lead in 2026's toughest-to-win races. www.wordsinsearchlight.org/p/this-is-ho...
wordsinsearchlight.org
This is how you build a supermajority
It’s always been the secret third thing
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 23/09/2026
SEARCHLIGHT x HEATMAP @janeaflegal.bsky.social and @emilypont.bsky.social took the stage to discuss permitting reform, grid modernization, and the future of climate tech, clean energy, and decarbonization.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 23/09/2026
If Democrats win Washington in 2029 and permitting reform hasn’t been accomplished this Congress, it will be too late. www.wsj.com/opinion/dems...
wsj.com
Opinion | Dems Should Permit Trump a Win
If they’re serious about climate change, a permitting-reform deal today would pay dividends the next time they’re in power.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 23/09/2026
Democrats are right to push for a permitting reform deal with Trump. As @janeaflegal.bsky.social and Pavan Venkatakrishnan argued in the Wall Street Journal: If Democrats are serious about climate change, a permitting reform deal today would pay dividends when they retake power.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
SEARCHLIGHT x @cleantomorrow.org Thanks to everyone who joined our NYC Climate Week kick-off last night!
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
Democrats are running on popular economic ideas — but they start to lose people from ideological rigidity on other issues. @adamjentleson.bsky.social: "What I advocate for is loosening up. Giving people room to come into this big tent that we want to build."
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
www.theargumentmag.com/p/polling-ha...
theargumentmag.com
Polling has become a playground for grifters, liars, and frauds
I'm a pollster and this is getting ridiculous.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
Polling has become cheaper and easier to fake. @charlotteeffect.bsky.social details the danger that our warped information ecosystem could bring to 2028.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
"Essentially, every single poll silently bakes in the pollster’s assumptions about who will show up on Election Day." Searchlight's @charlotteeffect.bsky.social writes in The Argument about how the line between polling and election forecasting has blurred. www.theargumentmag.com/p/polling-ha...
theargumentmag.com
Polling has become a playground for grifters, liars, and frauds
I'm a pollster and this is getting ridiculous.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 20/09/2026
Democrats are running candidates who fit the states that they're aiming to win, like in Iowa and Kansas. They've got a real shot at flipping seats in those states — which voted for Donald Trump in landslides just two years ago.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 20/09/2026
Asking Democrats running in swing races — whose election depends on winning skeptical Trump voters — to focus on climate in their messaging makes any future climate policy less possible. It’s time the climate advocacy community realized that. www.wordsinsearchlight.org/p/i-know-a-m...
wordsinsearchlight.org
I know a misleading climate poll when I see one
The climate community needs to update their theory of policy change
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Reposted by Searchlight Institute
Charlotte Swasey @charlotteeffect.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
You had questions, I have answers!
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 19/09/2026
For years, Democrats have chosen 50+1 Thinking, conceding that races could only be won on thin margins and that power changes hands every election. But to achieve progress the level of the New Deal, they will need to think bigger. It's time for Supermajority Thinking.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 18/09/2026
Haven't taken it yet? Find your political neighborhood in just 16 questions. ⤵️🏡 www.searchlightinstitute.org/political-ne...
searchlightinstitute.org
What’s Your Political Neighborhood?
Answer 16 quick either/or questions about the role of government. There are no right answers, so pick whichever side you lean toward, even if only a little.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 18/09/2026
We hope you've enjoyed taking and sharing our Political Neighborhoods Quiz! @charlotteeffect.bsky.social sat down to react to your results, thoughts, and questions. What neighborhood did you get?
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
"Our political system was not built to handle this heterodoxy. The two-party structure forces people to cluster in ways that can defy intuition." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is Why So Many Voters Hate Both Parties
Most voters have messier views than their partisan labels would suggest.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
The American electorate is heterodox — only 14% is completely conservative and 10% is completely liberal. We mapped out that heterodoxy for the New York Times. Here's what we found.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
"Heterodoxy comes up in issue polling again and again. Most people are comfortable simultaneously having liberal views on some issues and conservative positions on others." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is Why So Many Voters Hate Both Parties (Gift Article)
Most voters have messier views than their partisan labels would suggest.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
"In reality, people often have heterodox views that defy strict partisanship," German Lopez writes on how most voters view today's most hot-button political questions.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
Politics is often described as "a battle between liberals and conservatives" — but most voters have much messier views than labels suggest. We call it heterodoxy. And, for the New York Times today, we mapped it out.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
It's a beautiful day in the political neighborhood — all nine of them. From the Liberal Arts Left to Cul-de-Sac Conservatives, Lawn Sign Liberals to the Center Square. What kind of neighbor are you? Take the quiz! www.searchlightinstitute.org/political-ne...
searchlightinstitute.org
What’s Your Political Neighborhood?
Answer 16 quick either/or questions about the role of government. There are no right answers, so pick whichever side you lean toward, even if only a little.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 17/09/2026
All across America, there are kids as young as five years old who've racked up debt simply for wanting to eat a school meal. Let's put an end to this ridiculous cycle, Scott Moore writes. www.wordsinsearchlight.org/p/why-do-we-...
wordsinsearchlight.org
Why do we have a debtor class of five year olds?
Kids should eat free at school. It’s that simple
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 16/09/2026
Gas is $5. Diesel is $6. People can't afford to buy groceries. The groceries might kill you. Voters are worried about those real issues. They are not worried about the DSA or any factional debates within the Democratic Party.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 16/09/2026
How? By expanding the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) so that it covers every school and student in the country. More from @citizencohn.bsky.social in @thebulwark.com. www.thebulwark.com/p/exclusive-...
thebulwark.com
EXCLUSIVE: The Next Big Dem Proposal: Let Kids Eat Free
School lunches were free to all kids during the pandemic; a prominent think-tank wants to bring back the idea and make it permanent.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 16/09/2026
KIDS EAT ... FREE! Kids don't pay when they hop on a school bus. They shouldn't have to pay for a meal, either. We're making the case to feed kids, fund schools, and end lunch debt across America.
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Reposted by Searchlight Institute
Citizen Cohn / Jonathan Cohn @citizencohn.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW The feds subsidized free, universal school meals during the pandemic, and it worked well @searchlightinst.bsky.social thinks we should bring back the idea, make it permanent Here's what they have in mind, based an early look they gave to @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/exclusive-...
thebulwark.com
EXCLUSIVE: The Next Big Dem Proposal: Let Kids Eat Free
School lunches were free to all kids during the pandemic; a prominent think-tank wants to bring back the idea and make it permanent.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 14/09/2026
A deal is around the corner. @janeaflegal.bsky.social and Pavan Venkatakrishnan are making the case that Democrats shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity. www.wsj.com/opinion/dems...
wsj.com
Opinion | Dems Should Permit Trump a Win
If they’re serious about climate change, a permitting-reform deal today would pay dividends the next time they’re in power.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 14/09/2026
Democrats can’t afford to wait. They should strike a bipartisan deal on permitting reform today to make it easier to build clean energy tomorrow.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 11/09/2026
🚨 @volts.wtf and @janeaflegal.bsky.social spend two hours discussing the future of clean energy and grid modernization in today's episode of Volts! www.volts.wtf/p/building-a...
volts.wtf
Building a big, abundant, clean grid
A conversation with Jane Flegal.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 15/07/2026
A steep decline in funding for workforce development programs has real consequences. These programs need twice the funds — and a focus on preparing and protecting every worker in the face of AI and a shifting economy. www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/str...
searchlightinstitute.org
Strengthening Transitions to Jobs of the Future
By fixing a fatal flaw with federal workforce development financing…
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 13/07/2026
Searchlight's @charlotteeffect.bsky.social spoke with the New York Times for a definitive look at the midterms. Who will win — and by how much? Here's what she and five other leading pollsters had to say. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Who Will Win the Midterms? Nate Silver and 5 Other Experts Have Thoughts.
If the election were held today, which party would win a majority in the House and Senate?
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Reposted by Searchlight Institute
Zeteo @zeteo.com · 09/07/2026
‘A First-of-Its-Kind’ Poll About Medicare for All A centrist think tank offered to conduct an exclusive poll for Zeteo to gauge Americans’ attitudes about Medicare for All. Here’s what we found: zeteo.com/p/medicare-f...
zeteo.com
‘A First-of-Its-Kind’ Poll About Medicare for All
A centrist think tank offered to conduct an exclusive poll for Zeteo to gauge Americans’ attitudes about Medicare for All. Here’s what we found.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 09/07/2026
We partnered with @zeteo.com to field an impartial, first-of-its-kind survey about the public's feelings toward Medicare for All. Read the results. zeteo.com/p/medicare-f...
zeteo.com
‘A First-of-Its-Kind’ Poll About Medicare for All
A centrist think tank offered to conduct an exclusive poll for Zeteo to gauge Americans’ attitudes about Medicare for All. Here’s what we found.
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 09/07/2026
"Platner’s most fervent supporters incessantly defended him because the stakes for what he stood for transcended any sort of character flaw." www.wordsinsearchlight.org/p/the-tribe-...
wordsinsearchlight.org
The tribe protected its chief
Graham Platner and the dangers of blind tribal politics
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Searchlight Institute @searchlightinstitute.org · 09/07/2026
Tribalism forces voters to view the world narrowly as a battle between the most perfect of allies and the most evil of enemies. Why did Platner's rise — and humiliating fall — engender so much of that tribalism? Ben Krauss investigates.
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