Texas's draconian abortion law, upheld by the conservative Supreme Court, requires us to act. We will share ways to protest the Texas law, including rallies and other actions (see some in Action Items below), but we are also spurred to action to make sure that Virginia, with elections for the state legislature and statewide offices, scheduled less than 2 months from now, does not become another Texas.

The emotional testimony this week of the four Capitol police officers was a stark reminder of how close we came to losing our democracy. If you haven’t watched the opening testimony, please take the time to do so.

Since January, multiple states have passed laws restricting the right to vote, and over 400 more voter suppression bills are moving through state houses. We have been reading, talking, and fretting about these bills for months, but something changed this week and it seems that Democrats may finally be sounding the alarm on the danger these laws pose to the most fundamental right of our democracy, the right to vote.

This July 4th weekend, we were struck with the juxtaposition of the usual displays of fireworks and red, white, and blue patriotism with the current assault on the fundamental pillar of our democracy -- the right to vote -- by Republican held state legislatures and the United States Supreme Court.

Tuesday is primary day in NYC. We have spent months meeting the candidates, reading their policy plans, and debating their merits, and finally have arrived at the moment when the election is upon us. If you are a NYC resident and eligible to vote and did not vote early, please vote this Tuesday on Election Day. Spend the next two days text banking, making phone calls, canvassing on the street, and spreading our vast knowledge about the races to everyone you know.

Early voting in the NYC Democratic primary started yesterday and New York is abuzz with everything related to ranked choice voting (RCV). We have spent the last five months doing our part to become educated and informed voters. Markers For Democracy met with 42 of the prospective candidates (yes, I counted them).

We are glad so many of you could join us on Tuesday evening to hear author Thomas Dyja speak about his acclaimed book New York, New York, New York. For those of you who missed the talk, here is the link to the recording. Everyone who watched on Zoom also heard an impassioned plea by Daniel Squadron, Executive Director of Future Now Fund, about the importance of state legislatures for the future of our democracy.

There has been an avalanche of articles again this week again about how we are nearing the end of democracy. With the passing of numerous voter suppression laws, the attempt to nullify the Arizona 2020 election results, and the anticipation of newly gerrymandered voting maps there is fuel to reignite those fears.

The House voted this week to set up an independent commission to explore what happened at The Capitol on January 6th. The rules for the commission incorporated all requests Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader asked to have included. Despite that fact, McCarthy encouraged the Republican members to still vote no.

To mask or not to mask is the question on many minds this weekend. The CDC released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people on where and when people can remove their masks. Covid-19 cases are dropping and the number of vaccinated is increasing. Children aged 12 to 16 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. This news points to the beginning of our emergence from the pandemic.

Yesterday, we learned that Bo, the dog that lived in the White House with the Obama family for eight years, died of cancer. President Obama wrote: "Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives -- happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and every day in between."

This week we had the pleasure of hearing President Joe Biden’s first speech to a joint session of Congress. Seeing the Madam Speaker Pelosi and Madam Vice President Harris sitting at the dais framing the image on our screens was a historical moment long overdue and filled with joy.

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. A Minneapolis jury found guilty and convicted now-former police officer Derek Chauvin of all three counts of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last year. The verdict ended one particular trial but cannot be separated from America’s long and fraught history. One guilty verdict after centuries of injustice.