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

‘On this Fourth of July, let’s make sure our ever-fragile democracy endures to celebrate many more birthdays.’ Photograph: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

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.