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As we embark on the second decade of the 21st century we cannot ignore the real danger that our political institutions are mired in gridlock, as overheated ideology and partisan infighting leave us increasingly less able to address the tremendous economic challenges that lie ahead. Every one of the domestic challenges that policymakers will be called upon to confront has global implications. While U.S. policymakers engage in political squabbles that are preventing progress, other countries are making deliberate policy choices to move their economies forward. The decisions we make now—or fail to make—when it comes to new energy sources, education, technology, research and development, deficits, debt, entitlements, and infrastructure will determine whether the United States will continue to lead the world—or be left scrambling to catch up and follow the lead of other nations. It is in short a question of whether this will be another “American” century.

Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund as it hosts the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who will offer his perspective on the urgent need to restore a sense of purpose to the U.S. political process.

More families now have two parents that are full-time workers, making it increasingly important for them to have access to flexible workplace policies. In 2002, California became the first state to implement a paid family leave insurance program, providing workers with paid leave when they have a new child or need to care for a family member with a serious illness. This policy expanded California's temporary disability insurance program that already provided paid leave to seriously ill workers. Please join the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Center for Economic and Policy Research for a panel that will showcase the first research on the implementation and effectiveness of California's legislation and discuss what impact it will have on national policymaking.