On the Fourth of July, a few reasons to feel encouraged about US democracy | Margaret Sullivan

Amid the supreme-court rulings and the gun violence, there have been some heartening developments - and a call to action

It's been a grim week or so in the United States, especially for those with progressive values.

In Baltimore, a deadly mass shooting underscored, again, how desperately gun reform is needed, and, tragically, how unlikely it is to happen.

Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture