It has been an especially tense few weeks. This Fourth of July arrived awash in deep questions over the state of our democracy, and ended with a mass shooting at a holiday parade outside of Chicago and two police officers shot during the fireworks display in Philadelphia.

We thought it a good time to take a breath and pour ourselves a glass of political thoughtfulness. Enjoy, whether you are on a formal vacation or the well-deserved mental vacation we all are taking now with Congress out of Washington.

1. What does it mean to be American? 
PBS NewsHour

Why it’s worth your time: We raise this piece from PBS News Weekend, produced in response to what appears to be a deep, and at times violent, identity crisis in America.  We opened up the microphone to people around the country and two experts for a thoughtful and potentially enlightening conversation about how we see ourselves.

Excerpt: “We're not a white monoculture and we're not some multicultural color coded collection of different parts of culture. We are a relentless, hybrid generating garden that is just yielding all kinds of ways of thinking, believing, praying, eating, imagining, creating, that the rest of the world hasn't yet contemplated.”  -  Eric Liu, the CEO of Citizen University, a nonprofit organization that teaches Civic Empowerment.

2. Why I will never live without a dog again 
Michael Gerson, The Washington Post

Why it’s worth your time: Former White House official and NewsHour friend Michael Gerson provides a heartfelt modern extension of Harry Truman’s idea that anyone who wants a friend in Washington should get a dog.  

Excerpt: “I — who once saw dogs as dirty and dangerous — am resolved to never live without one again.”

3. Josephine Baker’s Speech in St. Louis (1952)

Why it’s worth your time: As Josephine Baker gained international fame and acclaim, the actress, singer and dancer refused to perform anywhere in the U.S, including in her hometown, unless it was before a racially integrated audience.

That didn't happen until 1952. During her homecoming concert, as it was known, she spoke about fighting racism and discrimination, and much of her wisdom still rings true today. 

Excerpt: “Try to understand and love each other before it is too late.”  

4. Imagine a democracy built on lotteries, not elections.
Terrill Bouricius, David Schecter, Campbell Wallace, And John Gastil. Zocalo Public Square, (part of Arizona State University)

Why it’s worth your time: Look no further for a good conversation starter.  We are neither endorsing nor dismissing the concept, but want to credit the authors of this 2016 article with doing the research and buttressing what might seem like a fantastical idea: select some members of Congress at random.

Excerpt: “In the reformed democracy of ancient Athens, panels of citizens chosen by lot … made remarkably good laws for a hundred years.”

5. Vibrant high school art from every Congressional district in the country.
The Congressional Art Institute

KANSANS TO VOTE ON ABORTION RIGHTS
By Adam Kemp, @Adam_WK 
Communities Correspondent, Oklahoma City

Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, Kansas has become a critical point of health care access for people seeking abortions from neighboring states as it currently allows the procedure up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

It will also be the first state to put voters’ views on the issue to the test via an Aug. 2 vote on an amendment that would alter the state constitution to say it does not guarantee a right to abortions. This would open the door to pass restrictions or ban them altogether.

Why is Kansas important?

Abortion is currently protected by a Kansas state Supreme Court ruling from 2019 that determined the Kansas Bill of Rights “protects a woman’s right to decide whether to continue a pregnancy.” 

In the weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, neighboring states Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri have banned abortions, and nearby Texas is expected to expand its six-week ban to a total ban soon. Kansas’ four clinics report an exponential increase in out-of-state people seeking an abortion.

Now that the high court has left legalizing abortion to the states, constitutional amendments are one way for states to get new laws on the books.

What does a yes or no vote mean? 

A “yes” vote on the ballot measure, called the “Value Them Both” amendment by supporters, would amend the Kansas Constitution to declare the document does not grant a right to abortion nor that it requires government funding for abortion.

A “no” vote would keep things the same, defaulting to the 2019 decision by the state’s Supreme Court. 

So a ‘Yes’ vote would ban abortion? 

No. But it’s a critical step. The state legislature first needs an amended constitution to pursue legislation that restricts abortion.  Kansas Democrats say the Republican-controlled legislature’s end goal is to enact a complete ban.  

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, has said she opposes “regressive legislation that interferes with individual freedoms.”

But even if Kelly opposed the amendment, Republicans in the state legislature could still ban or restrict abortion as long as they retain their veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress ordered Philadelphia printer John Dunlap to produce copies of the newly-written Declaration of Independence, enough so it could be read and posted throughout the then 13 colonies.

His type-set copies were the first printed versions of the Declaration. They contained no signatures and listed just John Hancock and Charles Thompson as president and secretary of the Continental Congress.  

Just 26 copies remain of the so-called “Dunlap Broadsides.”

Our question: About how many were originally printed? 

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Who was the surprise witness during the Watergate hearings??

The answer: Alexander Butterfield, a deputy assistant to then-President Richard Nixon. 

Like many witnesses in the Jan. 6 committee hearing, Butterfield spoke to investigators behind closed doors. He was given only a few hours notice for his public testimony, where he confirmed that there were listening devices in the Oval Office, leading to a subpoena of tapes. The rest is history.