To make life easier and more affordable in this country, we must confront and fix what's wrong with our political system.

If President Trump were to ask for my advice on Iran - not that I would expect him to listen - here is what I'd say:

When Trump said “I’m not going to start a war,” many Americans believed that promise - and voted for him. When he said his Iran war would be over in a few weeks, many believed that too. Americans today are fed up with the cost of this war - and the lies.

The story of Vernon AME is not only about confronting the destructive forces of hatred. It is a story about faith, hope, and community - an enormously inspiring one. “We are going to survive it, and we’re going to survive it together.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x31oPiopshw&feature=youtu.be

This is the state of the current Republican leadership in our country:

Donald Trump's departure from the political scene will come. The most important question is: then what?

The Trump-Vance administration wants us to celebrate inflation rates that are *higher* than when they came into office. They promised to lower costs and keep us out of war, then did the opposite.

People want change - and not just people who usually vote Democrat. Whether it's the Iran war, cost of living, health care, or fairer taxes, we have a majority. But a majority in American public opinion doesn’t automatically mean a majority in Congress. We have to earn it.

A lot of us know people - good people - who may have believed the promises they were told about "draining the swamp" or "no new wars." Now is the time to reach out to them. Not to say, "I told you so," but to say, "He doesn't deserve you."

Don't let anyone tell us we can't have nice things - like good roads, schools, and health care - as if the world's richest nation couldn't possibly afford it.

It is a carnival of corruption. Congressional stock trading. First Family crypto schemes. A secondhand jumbo jet. These are not academic concerns. They hurt all of us - and they are related to the reasons we can't have common-sense outcomes that most Americans actually agree on.

We cannot accept the reckless use of deadly force by federal agents as normal. There is a pattern of this administration misleading the public and withholding key facts after these killings.

Monopolies squeezing farmers. Consumers and workers squeezed on all sides. Small businesses swamped by the big guys. Our economic reality will not change until we change what's wrong with our political system.

You are not alone if you believe that every American should have access to good affordable health care and the best public schools. You are actually part of an American majority.

I’m looking forward to casting my ballot for our next Congresswoman, Callie Barr! She's made an extraordinary difference delivering for military families, and I know she'll bring the same focus to the Capitol on behalf of Northern Michigan and the UP.

A great evening right here in Traverse City with Jocelyn Benson! I've seen up close her unwavering integrity as a leader and her focus on making sure government delivers for every Michigander.

This holiday weekend, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, I'll be thinking not just about the history of the United States but about our future.

The court has spoken: Trump's attempt to get political revenge by shutting down the Hudson Tunnel project wasn't just illegal, but "flagrantly" unlawful. This ruling is good news for the thousands of workers building the project and the hundreds of thousands of commuters who will depend on it.

If there's one thing Americans can agree on, it's that there's too much money in politics. But the Supreme Court just decided to demolish some of the last safeguards we had left - creating an even bigger role for special interest spending.

This week someone targeted my family for harm with a false report. We’re physically OK, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t harmed. I am beyond furious. Whatever your politics, this is awful, wrong, and can never become normal. https://substack.com/home/post/p-203734900

I was proud to join @jonesforar.bsky.social in Little Rock to send a message that there is no such thing as a permanently red state, especially when so many people are seeking leaders who will improve everyday life and make Washington more accountable.

Not only are you not alone if you believe things don't have to be this way. In fact you are part of a powerful American majority, one with the power to decide our future.

Juneteenth reminds us that nothing about freedom can be taken for granted. As we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States, we are also called to reckon with the lasting impacts on Black Americans, and inequality in this country more broadly.

Today in Chicago, Barack and Michelle Obama reminded Americans how we can be our best as a country, just as they did during their eight years in the White House.

The Supreme Court is allowing Republican politicians to wipe out Black political representation and power. We need to make it impossible for politicians or the courts to manipulate these maps once and for all.

This year we have a real opportunity to prove that there is no such thing as a permanently red state or district. @jonesforar.bsky.social is a scientist, devoted to his community, and knows how to build coalitions - just the kind of leader we need in Congress.

Being an American isn't about your ancestry or ethnicity. It's about fidelity to the meaning of this country - its revolutionary, threefold promise of political equality, economic opportunity, and personal liberty.

Rev. Jesse Jackson's example and legacy have been on my mind a lot lately as we confront the challenges of our moment. It was an honor to join the Annual Rainbow PUSH Coalition Conference, the first since his passing, for a conversation with Yusef Jackson.

Who knows what the President meant when he said he loves the inflation - but it's clear that inflation keeps getting worse, while he stays focused on anything but the cost of living.

Inflation is growing worse, and the president is fixated on all the wrong things - building a ballroom, making himself immune from audits, and waging a war he started without a plan to end it. Where is the Republican plan to make life more affordable in America?