Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:

• How is classified information typically shared and can officials declassify secrets whenever they want? A national security expert explains
• ‘Everyday discrimination’ linked to increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans

The idea that the U.S. is in an age of extreme partisanship is hardly new. “The West Wing,” one of my favorite TV shows and which first aired in 1999, used it as a plot point constantly. But it often did so within the optimistic context that Americans, perhaps listening to their “better angels,” can put their partisan blinders aside and work together to get things done.

Maybe it’s naive, but this notion of looking past red and blue identities has stuck with me, particularly as many Americans, including friends, consider cutting all ties with family members who support the opposing political party. But doing so – and even avoiding acquaintances such as neighbors – has major consequences for democracy, writes Betsy Sinclair, a professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis.

“People rely on their relationships to understand our world – and to vote,” she explains. “The more we isolate ourselves from people who see things differently, the easier it is to misunderstand them, pushing us to separate even more.”

In the article, which really resonated with me and many other readers, Sinclair cites data from a survey she and her colleagues did looking at how little Americans of different political persuasions understand one another – and explains why it’s so important to turn this around.