Superspreaders

Few things are more American than a hometown Fourth of July parade. So when yet another heart-wrenching mass shooting darkened Independence Day, ripping across a quintessential American tradition outside Chicago, it felt like a particular kind of reckoning. We cannot deny this atrocious fact: mass shootings are quickly becoming an American tradition of their own. We cannot let it go on, and we cannot wait around any longer for a broken system to fix it. We the People still have the power; we just need to wield it in a new, more productive way that proactively addresses problems rather than using them as tools to get elected. Let us know what you think: How can we rebuild American governance so that it responds to our needs? How can we rebuild a culture of tolerance and respect? We have some ideas of our own that we will share in this space as well. Have a good week. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• July Fourth parade shooting in Highland Park suburb of Chicago leaves 7 dead, injures dozens —The Wall Street Journal

• Philadelphia July 4th Shooting: 2 police officers shot during fireworks display on Ben Franklin Parkway —ABC News

• Protests in Akron after bodycam footage shows police shooting of Jayland Walker —Akron Beacon Journal

• Finland and Sweden move a step closer to NATO membership with accession sign-off —CNBC

• WNBA star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia, makes freedom appeal to Biden —Reuters

The four horsemen of the Trumpocalypse

There's a good reason why your neighbor is still flying a Trump 2020 flag: Americans in the MAGA information bubble are utterly convinced that Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden in that election. Bolstered by social media conspiracies, Trump-friendly news media, an ill-founded documentary by a Trump loyalist, a rag-tag collection of discredited attorneys, and Trump himself, they believe wholeheartedly that massive fraud throughout the U.S. electoral system swung the election unfairly to Biden. And in many cases they don't hear—or simply don't want to hear—the reams of evidence that prove that just isn't the case.

• A new strategy. The “Big Lie” has another key weapon, in the form of grassroots election deniers traveling the country to keep it alive—nearly two years after the election—by sharing their conspiracy theories with the public. The four most prominent members of this group are MyPillow CEO and longtime Trump supporter Mike Lindell, former U.S. Army Captain Seth Keshel, former high school math and science teacher Douglas Frank, and former law professor David Clements.

• 2020 is over. Why does it matter? Most election deniers have now accepted that the 2020 results won’t be “decertified,” as they initially had hoped. So they’ve switched gears to focus on influencing how future elections are run. At least 78 federal, state, and local elected officials and more than 100 candidates for office have met or appeared with Lindell, Keshel, Frank, and/or Clements. Many of them currently have a say (or aspire to) in how elections are administered.

•  “It's an existential threat to American democracy.” Chris Krebs, a former Department of Homeland Security official who oversaw the federal government's election security efforts in 2020, says, “You can see the complexion of local politics shifting as a result. They have decentralized post-January 6th and are really trying to effect change at the lowest-possible level.” —NPR

MORE: Mitt Romney: America is in denial —The Atlantic

‘It’s very chilling’

Members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol suggested this weekend that they may make criminal referrals to federal prosecutors—including of Donald Trump himself. While no formal decision has yet been made, multiple referrals may be made to the Justice Department based on evidence they’ve uncovered regarding Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. 

• ‘Sure would be a shame if something happened to our friendship…’ Federal prosecutors are already investigating the scheme to push slates of bogus Electoral College members declaring Trump the winner of states that Joe Biden won. Now, there's also evidence that Trump allies tried to influence former aides and others who’ve cooperated with the panel. That could amount to witness tampering. 

• Liz afraid? You must be joking. Asked whether she is worried about prosecuting a former president who may soon announce another presidential bid, committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney said, “I have greater concern about what it would mean if people weren’t held accountable for what’s happened here.” We concur. —NBC News

• More to come. The panel has indicated that additional witnesses have come forward with new details on the Capitol attack since former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified. Members also expect to hear from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who was subpoenaed by the committee last week. Stay tuned. —The Independent

MORE: Rudy Giuliani, Lindsey Graham, and John Eastman subpoenaed by Fulton County DA in election probe —CNN

Chavez: The case against Donald Trump

“Trump took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, which includes ensuring a peaceful transition of power. He did the opposite. His attempted coup upended the lives of patriotic election workers and led to grievous injury, even death. We survived this coup, but if he pays no price for his actions and he faces no criminal charges, it will send the message that the chief law enforcement officer of the land is himself above the law. This will only encourage similar attempts in the future.” —Linda Chavez in The UnPopulist

Linda Chavez is an author, columnist, senior fellow at the Niskanen Center, and former director of public liaison in the Reagan White House.

MORE: What Donald Trump knew about Jan. 6 Capitol riot —TIME

Walker: Reconciliation is still possible 

“However we give voice to our patriotism, let’s step away from the extremes and from the edge, away from the sanctimony and certitude. Let’s build longer bridges, not higher walls. The cost of the alternative is greater than any of us can bear. Let’s resolve to listen with humility, curiosity, and empathy—with open hearts and minds. Let’s resolve to extend the presumption of grace and the benefit of the doubt.” —Darren Walker in The New York Times

Darren Walker is president of the Ford Foundation.

MORE: Tara Sonenshine: America takes stock —The Hill

Focus on voting and elections

Yes, Americans can still build consensus on some issues. Case in point: the Electoral Count Act. The ECA gained a lot of attention after the 2020 presidential election because it sets the rules for both state certification of election results and congressional approval of the electoral count. It’s what Vice President Mike Pence leaned on to support his decision not to overturn the vote. But it is the ambiguities of the law that put him in a position to make such a momentous decision—and that enabled Donald Trump to try to create an end-run around it. Fortunately, Americans agree this is untenable. As a bipartisan group of senators works on potential reforms to the law, a CommonSense American survey finds that 92% of Americans support clarifying the president’s role in the process—97% of Democrats and 86% of Republicans. Those are big majorities rarely seen on many issues today. Congress should capitalize on them. —The Fulcrum

MORE VOTING & ELECTIONS NEWS: 

Arizona: Justice Department sues Arizona over new election law requiring proof of citizenship —CNN

Colorado: Colorado’s simple plan to lower barriers to voting access is already working —The Atlantic

Louisiana: U.S. Supreme Court allows Louisiana electoral map faulted for racial bias —Reuters

Missouri: Missouri enacts photo voter ID law before November elections —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Nevada: Ranked-choice voting advocates celebrate State Supreme Court ruling —Public News Service

New York: New York judge rules law allowing noncitizens to vote for mayor is unconstitutional —Reuters

Pennsylvania: Trump says Pennsylvania budget should be ‘tied’ to bill expanding poll watcher access —City & State Pennsylvania

French: The red, the blue, and the rest of us 

“[T]he solution to our challenge is hiding in plain sight. It’s the great bulk of the American people—the fed up, forgotten, flexible Americans who span the ideological spectrum yet don’t completely identify as red or blue. I’m both proud to be an American and convinced that our best days can still lie ahead of us. But not if we’re too tired to engage. The exhausted majority has to get energetic, even if only for a time, to rescue America from the friends, families, and neighbors who are tearing it apart.” —David French in The Dispatch

David French is an author, attorney, and Iraq War veteran who writes about law, politics, faith, and culture.

MORE: Independent candidates appealing to voters turned off by two-party bickering —Courthouse News Service

Any time an issue becomes politicized, the process reminds me of Cinderella's dress being torn to pieces by her two stepsisters. All they know is rivalry. Which pieces they grab hardly matters. Afterwards, each stepsister stalks away, jealously clutching her own prized fragments of the issue. And ne'er the twain shall meet again in partisan rhetoric.

I am very interested in knowing what RAM has in mind for moving forward. For a new party to be successful, it needs to be more than just another stepsister jumping into the fray. Somehow, it needs to represent moderate views without giving the polarized public the impression that it doesn't stand for anything. That won't be easy. But if it's possible, sign me up. —Lisa R., Idaho

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.