We cover three topics this episode: the latest global, national, and local COVID-19 numbers, (2) who won local races in the 2020 General Election, (3) and a report by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on reinventing American democracy for the 21st century: https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/reporthttps://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report?fbclid=IwAR3Zp0qyDeNflIlZijrpfGaV_a1mwIKXbV2ZzBbiHzgMxH0glSx8ZTuUmyE (https://www.amacad.org/.../www.../ourcommonpurpose/report)

The AAAS report outlines 31 reforms that are needed to strengthen America's constitutional democracy. Many Americans have become distrustful of government, arguably for good reason (e.g. a politics that has been increasingly influenced by corporate interests, conservative rhetoric that dogmatically espouses government has a problem, an increasingly sclerotic government that fails to respond to the great challenges of our time, etc.). These are bipartisan--nonpartisan--criticisms.

The AAAS report suggests such reforms as (1) enlarging the House of Representatives, (2) introducing ranked choice voting, (3) implementing independent redistricting commissions, and many more.

Despite the profound polarization and sclerosis of our society and politics, we think we must take up many of these reforms for America to continue and, dare we say, remain/become Great.

All politics is local. We all have the power to organize ourselves and be the change we wish to see in the world.