Opinion

On Wednesday, I will testify before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Though I am no longer a public servant, it remains an honor to serve the public, and I am proud to heed the call of our Senate leaders to tell the public about the methodology of the agency I led, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to secure the 2020 presidential election.

Let's be clear, writes Jill Filipovic: the Senate Majority Leader doesn't get applause for foot-dragging; for belatedly doing the normal thing and acknowledging that Joe Biden bested Donald Trump in the election. It's not even the right thing -- "doing the right thing" implies some sort of moral courage. There is none here--only a bout of bootlicking aimed at retaining the good graces of the President, and a measure of power.

The news that Pete Buttigieg will be President-elect Joseph Biden's nominee for Transportation Secretary is the latest step in a rather extraordinary political journey. Less than two years ago, Buttigieg was the mayor of small midwestern city exploring a campaign for president that was the longest of long shots. Today, he is one of the most visible leaders of the Democratic Party and is likely to be confirmed to the cabinet early next year.

The city's Major League Baseball team will be changing its name and mascot, falling into step with a growing list of sports teams who are abandoning Native American names and mascots, writes Ray Halbritter, of the Oneida Indian Nation. But while we are witnessing a new era of responsiveness and inclusivity from sports teams and other corporations related to communities of color, including Native communities -- these have required decades of activism over who gets to have a voice on these cultural issues. For years, Native people were shut out of the discussion; that is changing.

The spring of 1809 found Ludwig van Beethoven in Vienna, huddled in the basement of his brother's house clutching pillows over his ears. He was in the process of going deaf, but he could still hear the thunder of Napoleon's cannons shelling the city.

Every bad thing that happened during the last 12 months was accompanied by a similar reaction: "Hey, it's 2020."

A very important election threshold has now been crossed. On Monday, Joe Biden received a majority of votes in the Electoral College, formally making him the president-elect.

Retiring Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell has announced he is "withdrawing from [his] engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level," and is requesting that his party affiliation be changed to Independent while he carries out the rest of his term in office. He has clearly had enough.

America's electoral college, an institution rooted in racial slavery, must be abolished.