The Senate on Thursday had its first vote on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 40 years. Republican opposition meant that S.J. Res. 4, which would declare the ERA ratified and valid, failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to bring it to the floor for debate and a vote.

In the United States, the fight for a federal Equal Rights Amendment has been a century in the making. Meanwhile, state-level equivalents abound. Some are comprehensive provisions of state constitutions that guarantee equal rights regardless of an individual's gender, and others are provisions that prohibit gender-based discrimination in specific circumstances.

Why does American Democracy look the way it does today and how can we make it more responsive to the people it was formed to serve? "Democracy Decoded", a podcast by Campaign Legal Center, examines our government and discusses innovative ideas that could lead to a stronger, more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy.

Excess drinking is one of the most common preventable causes of global mortality, implicated in more than three million deaths each year. It's also one of the most neglected. That's due, in large part, to the efforts of an alcohol industry, which is dominated by a small group of firms that generate more than $1.5 trillion in global sales.