Think Tanks
Here's a look at documents from think tanks
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Ifo Institute: Couples Working From Home Have More Children
MUNICH, Germany, March 19 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on March 18, 2026:
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Couples Working From Home Have More Children
In households where both partners work from home at least one day a week, the fertility rate is on average 14 percent higher than in households without any working from home. That would mean that one in three women have one more child over their lifetime than comparison groups without any working from home. This is the conclusion reached by a new study by the ifo Institute and Stanford University covering 38 countries. "The effect is greatest
... Show Full Article
MUNICH, Germany, March 19 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release on March 18, 2026:
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Couples Working From Home Have More Children
In households where both partners work from home at least one day a week, the fertility rate is on average 14 percent higher than in households without any working from home. That would mean that one in three women have one more child over their lifetime than comparison groups without any working from home. This is the conclusion reached by a new study by the ifo Institute and Stanford University covering 38 countries. "The effect is greatestwhen both partners work from home. That includes both the number of children already born and the number of children planned," says ifo researcher Mathias Dolls.
The working from home effect is particularly pronounced in the US: If both partners work from home at least one day a week, births per woman are 18 percent higher compared to couples who do not work from home. "Our results suggest that broader access to working from home increases the number of children, presumably because it reduces the time and organizational effort required to reconcile work and family life," says Dolls.
"More flexibility through working from home could help make it easier for people to achieve their desired family size. Raising the working from home rate to the US level could lead to 13,500 additional births per year in Germany," says Dolls. "Although more working from home alone cannot solve the demographic problem, it can contribute to mitigating the trend of falling fertility rates somewhat."
The study is based on survey data for 38 countries from the Global Survey of Working Arrangements. The analysis focuses on respondents aged from 20 to 45. The researchers record the relationship between work from home rates on the one hand, and realized fertility between 2023 and 2025, future planned fertility, and total lifetime fertility on the other.
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Original text here: https://www.ifo.de/en/press-release/2026-03-18/couples-working-home-have-more-children
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Simon Said Same Day Registrations Would Plummet, They Went Up Instead
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 17, 2026, by Vice President of Communications Bill Walsh:
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Simon said same day registrations would plummet, they went up instead
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon pushed hard in the 2023 session to pass automatic voter registration, replacing the opt-in checkbox previously in law. The new law was in place for the 2024 and 2025 elections and automatically added anyone to the voter role
... Show Full Article
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 17, 2026, by Vice President of Communications Bill Walsh:
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Simon said same day registrations would plummet, they went up instead
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon pushed hard in the 2023 session to pass automatic voter registration, replacing the opt-in checkbox previously in law. The new law was in place for the 2024 and 2025 elections and automatically added anyone to the voter role(or updated their information) who came in contact with state government. Most automatic voter registrations are the result of driver's license changes, but registrations also come from applications for MinnesotaCare and any application for benefits or services from a state agency. If you change your driver's license or apply for welfare, the state is going to register you to vote at your new address.
At the time of passage, Simon testified to the House Elections Committee in favor of the bill. He told the committee, "If you have misgivings about same day voter registration, this is the bill for you, since it would probably cut 80-90 percent of same day voter registrations."
That was a bold claim, but it made sense. Assuming most same day registrations occur when people move from one precinct to another within the state of Minnesota, handling that on the back end between the Department of Public Safety and the Secretary of State's office should eliminate the need for most voters to register on election day in their new precinct.
Now that we've had our first two elections with automatic voter registration, was Simon's estimate correct? Not even close, and it's important to find out why.
According to data from Simon's own office, election day registration increased from 5.6 percent in the 2022 election to 9.1 percent in the 2024 election, a 40 percent increase. Automatic voter registration had no impact at all on election day registration over the last five statewide elections.
[View chart in the link at bottom.]
Secretary Simon provided an update on automatic voter registration on September 12, 2024, reporting 65,339 Minnesotans had been successfully registered to vote through the state's new system. But just a few months later 327,2414 voters still needed to register on election day. The question is, why?
Did 327,414 voters move right before the election? Unlikely. Are they college students who come and go each semester? That's part of it, but not the whole story. Here are the top twenty precincts from the 2024 general election ranked by percentage of election day registrations:
Precinct ... EDR ... Signatures ... Absentee ... Total Votes ... EDR %
Minneapolis W-4 P-9 ... 225 ... 83 ... 81 ... 164 ... 137.20%
Saint Cloud W-1 P-1 ... 285 ... 331 ... 8 ... 339 ... 84.10%
Mankato W-3 P-11 ... 619 ... 734 ... 17 ... 751 ... 82.40%
Collegeville Twp P-2 ... 521 ... 624 ... 11 ... 639 ... 81.50%
Duluth P-10 ... 918 ... 1236 ... 108 ... 1344 ... 68.30%
Winona W-3 P-1 ... 568 ... 764 ... 138 ... 902 ... 63.00%
Minneapolis W-2 P-4 ... 458 ... 646 ... 118 ... 771 ... 59.40%
Bock ... 20 ... 0 ... 35 ... 35 ... 57.10%
Minneapolis W-2 P-2 ... 575 ... 805 ... 216 ... 1030 ... 55.80%
Northfield W-4 P-2 ... 649 ... 1120 ... 55 ... 1180 ... 55.00%
Moorhead W-2 P-6 ... 346 ... 504 ... 122 ... 630 ... 54.90%
Minneapolis W-2 P-6 ... 1087 ... 1561 ... 436 ... 2001 ... 54.30%
Minneapolis W-2 P-7 ... 362 ... 584 ... 241 ... 829 ... 43.70%
Minnesota Lake ... 3 ... 0 ... 7 ... 7 ... 42.90%
Bemidji W-1 ... 480 ... 883 ... 265 ... 1151 ... 41.70%
Mankato W-3 P-13 ... 490 ... 912 ... 274 ... 1189 ... 41.20%
Albert Lea Twp P-2 ... 4 ... 6 ... 4 ... 10 ... 40.00%
Mankato W-5 P-8 ... 543 ... 1009 ... 413 ... 1426 ... 38.10%
Minneapolis W-2 P-1 ... 484 ... 1076 ... 292 ... 1374 ... 35.20%
Winona W-3 P-2 ... 259 ... 570 ... 184 ... 754 ... 34.40%
Total Votes ... 16526
Many of these precincts represent college campuses across the state, indicating college students account for some of the EDR numbers. But same day registrants from those precincts only account for 16,526 of the 327,414 election day registrations statewide. That's only five percent. College students are not the driving force behind the statewide election day registration numbers.
Minneapolis is consistently higher
Election day registration percentages in Minneapolis are significantly higher than the rest of the state. That could be explained by the higher than average percentage of rental housing and the aforementioned college campuses. But it's also ground central in the Democratic Party's voter identification and turnout efforts that helped them win every statewide election since 2006.
[View chart in the link at bottom.]
The 2025 election
The 2025 general election had a much smaller sample size with only 625 of Minnesota's 4,000 precincts participating in this off-year election. Outside of special elections in Senate District 47 (Woodbury/Maplewood) and Senate District 29 (Wright County), most races were for school board and municipal offices. The biggest municipal race was for mayor of Minneapolis between Jacob Frey and Omar Fateh.
Sixty percent of the statewide election day registrations in 2025 came from the city of Minneapolis (15,629 out of 26,284). The election day registration percentage for the Minneapolis municipal election was 10.6 percent, almost double the statewide number of 5.4 percent. Without Minneapolis, the rest of the state had a 3.1 election day registration percentage, a 44 percent decrease in same day registration over the 2022 election. That's still far short of Secretary Simon's predicted decrease of 80-90 percent.
The deeper we went with the research, the more questions arose. Several precincts deserve more scrutiny:
* Minneapolis Precinct 4-9 reports more election day registrations than voters, which is probably a mistake. At least I hope it is. The data says that 225 registered to vote but only 83 actually voted.
* In Minneapolis Precinct 2-4 (a U of M precinct), 318 out the 322 election day votes were the result of election day registration. That means only four voters walked in, found their name already on the voter roll, requested a ballot and voted. That seems incredible. Several other precincts fit the pattern of almost 100% turnover from election to election. Are there precincts on college campuses with no permanent housing? Don't any students stay in the same residence for more than one year?
This data does not necessarily show voter fraud, but it does tell us where to investigate further (and we will). The next time Secretary Simon appears at a legislative hearing, someone should ask him why his prediction didn't come true.
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Bill Walsh is the Vice President of Communications at Center of the American Experiment.
bill.walsh@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/simon-said-same-day-registrations-would-plummet-they-went-up-instead/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Gov. Tim Walz's Cynical Education Tradeoff
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 18, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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Gov. Tim Walz's cynical education tradeoff
Gov. Tim Walz's new supplemental budget recommendations would end longstanding nonpublic pupil aid and transportation aid if Minnesota opts into a federal tax-credit scholarship program that would cost the state nothing. The money currently supporting nonpublic students would then be redirected to the state's
... Show Full Article
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 18, 2026, by policy fellow Catrin Wigfall:
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Gov. Tim Walz's cynical education tradeoff
Gov. Tim Walz's new supplemental budget recommendations would end longstanding nonpublic pupil aid and transportation aid if Minnesota opts into a federal tax-credit scholarship program that would cost the state nothing. The money currently supporting nonpublic students would then be redirected to the state'sVoluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program.
The governor's proposal looks simple on paper. If Minnesota opts into what he calls a federal "voucher" program, cut state nonpublic pupil aid and shift those dollars to VPK under the claim of "budget neutrality." In reality, this is a forced tradeoff.
Redirecting these funds into VPK underscores the political games at play. Pitting early childhood education against K-12 support for nonpublic students is a false choice. Minnesota can, and already does, support both. Instead, the governor has chosen a zero-sum approach, treating certain students' needs as expendable.
The labeling of the federal program as a "voucher" is also misleading. Tax-credit scholarship programs are not vouchers -- they rely on private donations that earn tax credits, not direct government payments. Courts across the country have repeatedly recognized this distinction. Vouchers can only be used toward nonpublic school tuition. This federal tax-credit scholarship can be used by students in all school settings and toward a variety of education services. By mislabeling the program as a "voucher," Gov. Walz hides the tradeoff at the heart of his proposal.
Nonpublic pupil aid and transportation aid exist because the state supports "promot[ing] equal educational opportunity for every student in Minnesota," no matter where they go to school. Eliminating aid for essential services such as testing, textbooks, counseling, and nursing, which makes up less than half a percent of the state's education budget, undermines that principle.
Minnesota could opt into the federal tax-credit scholarship program without cutting existing support. Because participating in the program would cost the state nothing, there is no fiscal reason to eliminate the nonpublic aid.
The governor's proposal is cynical and penalizes participation in the federal tax-credit scholarship program, risking harm to both nonpublic and public school students. Minnesotans deserve better than this political sleight of hand.
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Catrin Wigfall is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
catrin.wigfall@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/gov-tim-walzs-cynical-education-tradeoff/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: 58th, 59th Convictions in Feeding Our Future
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 18, 2026, by policy fellow Bill Glahn:
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58th, 59th convictions in Feeding Our Future
Federal prosecutors secured the first two of what are scheduled to be six (6) guilty pleas this week in the Feeding Our Future fraud. The six are part of a group of seven defendants, all related by blood or marriage, charged back in January 2024 with stealing almost $15 million from the free-food program.
Ikram
... Show Full Article
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, March 19 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on March 18, 2026, by policy fellow Bill Glahn:
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58th, 59th convictions in Feeding Our Future
Federal prosecutors secured the first two of what are scheduled to be six (6) guilty pleas this week in the Feeding Our Future fraud. The six are part of a group of seven defendants, all related by blood or marriage, charged back in January 2024 with stealing almost $15 million from the free-food program.
IkramYusuf Mohamed, 42, is the lead defendant of the group and formerly was a staffer of the Feeding Our Future nonprofit. She is Defendant No. 63 in the case (out of 79 so far) and becomes conviction No. 58 with her guilty plea.
Under her plea deal, filed today, she faces between 6 and 10 years in federal prison and must pay back $1,349,508, her take from the $15 million scheme.
KARE-11's Lou Raguse attended the hearing and reported on Twitter (X),
"As part of the agreement she will not be prosecuted for another crimes investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office. They believed she helped collect money from the Somali community to bribe a juror in the [Feeding Our Future] first trial. She also is the one who secretly recorded Attorney General Keith Ellison when she and other fraudsters tried to ask for his help."
Also pleading guilty today was Ikram's husband Shakur Abdinur Abdisalam, 46. Under his plea deal he faces 10 to 27 months in prison. He owes restitution of about $457,000.
Also appearing in court today, but not pleading guilty, was Ikram's brother, Gandi Mohamed. KSTP-5 was there in the courtroom this morning and reports,
"Gandi Yusuf Mohamed, rejected a plea deal Wednesday morning. Under the terms of the deal, he would've been sentenced to less than three years in federal prison."
Gandi is a Keith Ellison campaign donor. KSTP reports,
"Gandi Mohamed is accused of using his companies, GAK Properties LLC and GIF Properties LLC, to receive and launder money from the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Prosecutors say he fraudulently received and laundered $1.1 million."
In late December, MPR News reported on the involvement of Gandi, Gandi's wife, and Ikram in a different state-subsidized business line, this one involving group homes.
"The group homes, three of which are managed by [Gandi]'s wife, have billed the state for millions of dollars in the two years since his indictment."
Gandi's wife, has never been charged. MPR News reported,
"Another group home in a house GAK Properties owns was run by [Gandi]'s sister, Ikram Mohamed, at the time she was indicted as a co-defendant for her alleged part in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme."
MPR notes that,
"three businesses operating out of seven properties affiliated with [Gandi] received over $9.4 million from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, including $4.5 million since 2024, the year he was indicted."
If the other four defendants plead guilty on Friday, as expected, Gandi will be left alone to face a jury in a courtroom trial scheduled to begin in April.
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Bill Glahn is a Policy Fellow with Center of the American Experiment.
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/58th-59th-convictions-in-feeding-our-future/
[Category: ThinkTank]
Capital Research, January 2026
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The Capital Research Center posted the following news on March 18, 2026:
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Capital Research, January 2026
An update on the Newman's Own Foundation lawsuit and more fill the January 2026 issue of Capital Research magazine.
*
CRC is pleased to announce that the January 2026 issue of Capital Research is now available online.
Here's a peek at what's inside:
* Neil Hrab: The Newman's Own Foundation: Can litigation restore donor intent? (https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-newmans-own-foundation-can-litigation-restore-donor-intent/)
* Hayden Ludwig: Inside the
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The Capital Research Center posted the following news on March 18, 2026:
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Capital Research, January 2026
An update on the Newman's Own Foundation lawsuit and more fill the January 2026 issue of Capital Research magazine.
*
CRC is pleased to announce that the January 2026 issue of Capital Research is now available online.
Here's a peek at what's inside:
* Neil Hrab: The Newman's Own Foundation: Can litigation restore donor intent? (https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-newmans-own-foundation-can-litigation-restore-donor-intent/)
* Hayden Ludwig: Inside theabortion pill war rocking America (https://capitalresearch.org/article/inside-the-abortion-pill-war-rocking-america/)
* Kali Fontanilla: The business model of the abortion industrial complex (https://capitalresearch.org/article/the-business-model-of-the-abortion-industrial-complex/)
* Robert Stilson: Socialism and the soul of the Packard Foundation (https://capitalresearch.org/article/socialism-and-the-soul-of-the-packard-foundation/)
And a timeline of the Capital Research Center's highlights for 2026!
The PDF is available by clicking on the link below:
This article is available in PDF form for offline reading (https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/Jan-26-IssuePDF.pdf).
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Original text here: https://capitalresearch.org/article/capital-research-january-2026/
[Category: ThinkTank]
AFPI: Jones Act Waiver Is an America First Solution
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following statement on March 18, 2026:
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AFPI: Jones Act Waiver Is an America First Solution
Jason Hayes, Director of Energy and Environment at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released the following statement in response to President Trump's announcement of a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act to keep American energy flowing freely and affordably:
"This is an America First response to a chronic problem. When U.S. producers aren't able to freely move American fuels between American ports, families across the nation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following statement on March 18, 2026:
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AFPI: Jones Act Waiver Is an America First Solution
Jason Hayes, Director of Energy and Environment at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released the following statement in response to President Trump's announcement of a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act to keep American energy flowing freely and affordably:
"This is an America First response to a chronic problem. When U.S. producers aren't able to freely move American fuels between American ports, families across the nationare faced with higher prices. We produce more energy than any other nation in history, thanks to the administration's Energy Dominance agenda. As we work towards fulfilling that agenda and greater energy independence, we must have the flexibility to move resources efficiently so that Americans get the affordable, reliable energy they deserve."
AFPI Director of Energy and Environment Jason Hayes is available for interview on this topic. Click here to schedule (https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/contact/comms-team).
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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/afpi-jones-act-waiver-is-an-america-first-solution
[Category: ThinkTank]
AFPI Hispanic Leadership Coalition Urges Senate to Pass SAVE America Act
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on March 18, 2026:
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AFPI Hispanic Leadership Coalition Urges Senate to Pass SAVE America Act
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) Hispanic Leadership Coalition sent a letter (https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/HLC_SAVE_America_Act_Letter_03.2026) to the U.S. Senate this week, signed by fifteen of its members, urging the passage of the SAVE America Act. The coalition highlights overwhelming support from Hispanic voters for voter ID requirements, citing an approval rate of
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 19 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following news release on March 18, 2026:
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AFPI Hispanic Leadership Coalition Urges Senate to Pass SAVE America Act
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) Hispanic Leadership Coalition sent a letter (https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/HLC_SAVE_America_Act_Letter_03.2026) to the U.S. Senate this week, signed by fifteen of its members, urging the passage of the SAVE America Act. The coalition highlights overwhelming support from Hispanic voters for voter ID requirements, citing an approval rate of82 percent. The letter also notes that Puerto Rico, with a 99 percent Hispanic population, requires voters to present identification to vote.
"The suggestion that this requirement would disproportionately affect minorities is not only unsupported by facts, but is condescending," said Alfonso Aguilar, director of AFPI's Hispanic Leadership Coalition. "Hispanics are tired of being treated as citizens who are incapable of fulfilling our civic duty."
Election security is national security. Every fraudulent or ineligible vote cast is one American voice silenced--and that is simply unacceptable. AFPI supports commonsense election security measures, like voter ID requirements, to protect the integrity of every American's vote.
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INFODOC: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/assets/uploads/files/HLC_SAVE_America_Act_Letter_03.2026
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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/afpi-hispanic-leadership-coalition-urges-senate-to-pass-save-america-act
[Category: ThinkTank]
