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The questions worth asking

America, examined

Big questions. An answer up front. The evidence underneath—and the things it cannot tell us.

The big questions

US Fossil Fuel and Renewable Energy Production, 2008–2025

A stored Energy Information Administration snapshot shows both fossil fuel and renewable production higher in 2025 than in 2008. It cannot show why, or what consumers paid.

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The big questions

What the stored GDP and unemployment figures show about the US economy

Stored snapshots show moderate real GDP growth in 2026Q2 and unemployment near 4 percent through September 2026. They leave out inflation, wages, prices and the causes of either trend.

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The big questions

Why total federal debt and debt held by the public differ

Treasury’s two debt measures count different holdings. The definitions explain the distinction; five stored observations show the levels without explaining their daily movements.

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The big questions

How many people live in the US, and how old is our estimate?

A stored Census Bureau snapshot puts the July 1, 2024 resident population at about 340.1 million. That figure is a 2024-vintage estimate and, per the source note, not the latest release.

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The big questions

Can a Median New-Home Price Show Whether Americans Can Afford a Home?

A median new-home price is one input to affordability, not a measure of it. Here is what the stored Census snapshots show and what they leave out.

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The big questions

If Inflation Slows, Why Do Prices Still Feel High?

A slower inflation rate means prices are rising more slowly, not falling. A stored BLS snapshot of US consumer prices shows how the level and the rate of change differ.

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The big questions

How Roosevelt Tied Conservation to the Public Good

In his 1913 Autobiography, Roosevelt presents conservation as public foresight: a way to manage forests, rivers and other resources for national welfare and prosperous homes.

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The big questions

Roosevelt on Business Success Versus Harmful Corporate Power

Four passages from 1905 to 1913 show Roosevelt judging business by conduct and character, and treating concentrated interstate corporate power as a matter for national supervision.

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A question of your own?

Ask about Roosevelt’s recorded views or the data we hold. We’ll prepare a source-backed draft for editorial review.

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