The Supreme Court has twice weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with decisions that paved the way for a nationwide assault on the voting rights of people of color. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would shield voters from racial discrimination at the ballot box by, among other things, restoring requirements for states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval for changes to voting rules. As the new legislation is debated in the Senate, the way forward has never been clearer: the Senate must do what the House already has and pass this bill.

Congress’s inquiry into the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol is essential. However, the work of the congressional committee investigating that fateful day will set a precedent for the future, and our government’s separation of powers and individual constitutional rights are at risk. A proposed rule that would allow Congress unfettered access to telecommunications information without a warrant comes too close to providing lawmakers with improper law enforcement authority.

In late September, the company Cyber Ninjas released its partisan review of the 2020 presidential election in Maricopa County, Arizona. The report failed to meet basic reliability measures, and it was clearly written to be rife with opportunities for disinformation. So it’s perhaps not surprising that the company’s CEO refused to appear today at a congressional hearing reviewing the sham “audit.” Ultimately, the report’s only revelation is that the election in Maricopa County was safely conducted, accurate, and secure.

The Census Bureau is constitutionally tasked with completing its decennial count of everyone living in the United States. It mainly counts people via mail, internet forms, or over the phone. But reaching each and every person is functionally impossible, so the bureau has refined its methods for providing a more accurate tally every decade. Using administrative records and imputation, the bureau was able to complete an accurate count in the face of a global pandemic. Understanding these legally protected methods, which the American Statistical Association found last week were well-administered in this census, is crucial to defending them against bad-faith attacks.

The police response to environmental and Native American protests against oil pipelines has often been brutal, in part due to laws that classify these pipelines as “critical infrastructure.” The intensity of such responses are in question more than ever following the revelation that Canadian oil company Enbridge has paid over $2 million to Minnesota law enforcement for guarding the pipeline. The company’s protection payments are just one of the numerous ways that private interests increasingly influence law enforcement. This practice creates a crisis for public accountability and transparency — we cannot risk normalizing police working as security for corporate interests.

The nationwide spike in homicides over the course of the last year has led many reform skeptics to cast blame on the several cities and states that have modernized their pretrial systems. Before rushing to conclusions and bad policymaking, critics should consider the data: 2020 was an extremely difficult year for everyone, many other major crime rates declined, and the rise in homicides took place regardless of whether localities had enacted reforms. The rise in homicides absolutely deserves policymakers’ attention, but they cannot be susceptible to fearmongering.

White Space, Black Hood: Segregation in the Age of Inequality
Tuesday, October 26 // 6–7 p.m. ET
Historical housing discrimination has created a modern-day caste system where neighborhood often determines opportunity. These discriminatory policies trap Black people in high-poverty neighborhoods and divert funding towards affluent, predominantly white areas. Does this mean social mobility is now only a myth? RSVP today.

Midnight in Washington: A Conversation with Rep. Adam Schiff
Wednesday, November 10 // 6–7 p.m. ET
The congressman who led the first impeachment of Donald Trump offers an inside account of American democracy in its darkest hour — and a warning that the forces of autocracy released by Trump remain as potent as ever. In his new book, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) argues that the Trump presidency has so weakened our institutions and compromised the Republican Party that the peril will last for years. RSVP today.