Welcome to Sunday. The most-read stories of the week are displayed below. We’ve also included a collection of editors’ selections that we want to make sure you don’t miss. You can also see some of the most popular stories of the week in an e-book edition.

Last Thursday was International Day of Democracy, a United Nations observance marked by more than 120 news organizations – including The Conversation – with special coverage focused on the dangers facing democracy worldwide. Kathleen Frydl, a political historian, contributed an analysis that notes rankings in The Economist describe the U.S.'s democracy as “flawed.” Meanwhile, the U.N. dropped the U.S. to 41st in its sustainable development ranking of 193 member states this year. That lands the country between Cuba and Bulgaria on a list of climate and social equity goals.

If those assessments feel a bit off to you, Frydl might not be surprised. “A devotion to ‘American exceptionalism’ [is what] keeps the country from candid appraisals and course corrections,” she writes.

Our environment desk this week published a well-read article that has my family of cooks rethinking its relationship with our prized gas range. Boston University environmental health scholar Jonathan Levy explains that cooking with gas may produce a nice sear, but it also has climate and health downsides.

Next week, we’ll bring you stories about the country’s new poet laureate, surviving religious trauma and super-Earths.

If you’re looking forward to reading those stories, please consider a donation of any size to support our work.