Michelle Obama still remembers this act of kindness from Jenna Bush Hager and her family…
Nearly twenty years ago, Laura Bush and her daughters welcomed the Obamas to the White House with their very first tour. Nothing staged or over the top, just one family making another family feel comfortable in a completely new world.
It’s the kind of moment people rarely talk about, but often remember most. Small gestures. Paying attention. Making someone feel seen and welcomed when it matters.
Harrison Ford came to Arizona State University with a challenge…
Find your place, use your skills, and start building something that didn’t exist before. Not later, when things feel figured out, but now—in the middle of everything still being messy and unfinished.
He defines leadership less as status and more as action: stepping into problems instead of staying on the outside, standing up when it would be easier not to, and working to bring people closer together even when that’s harder than simply reacting from a distance.
That idea feels especially relevant in a moment when public life—including politics—can get stuck in cycles of reacting and blaming, instead of doing the slower work of building anything that actually lasts.
Brooke Baldwin reacts to JB Pritzker’s “idiot detection system.”
Cruelty is often mistaken for sharp thinking or strength, but most of the time it’s just the easiest option—one that doesn’t require much imagination.
That’s part of what stood out in Governor JB Pritzker’s Northwestern commencement speech. His point wasn’t about politics or labels, but about character: when someone repeatedly defaults to cruelty, it often reveals more than any argument they’re trying to make.
Journalist and Builders Movement partner Brooke Baldwin adds to that idea in a more grounded way. Being unkind is usually the path of least resistance—it’s quick and reactive. Empathy, on the other hand, takes more effort. It requires slowing down and seeing people as more than a stereotype or a threat.
Kindness isn’t naive. It takes work. And it’s a lot more common than the loudest moments online might suggest.
Too much power in the presidency?
In 1966, former Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) warned that too much power was being concentrated in the presidency.
What makes the clip interesting now is that it does not really feel tied to one era or one party. It taps into a bigger question about how much influence any president should have over institutions, businesses, labor, and political opponents.
Because once power expands, it usually does not shrink when a new administration takes over.
So where should the limits of presidential power actually be?
George W. Bush and Michelle Obama break a lot of people’s expectations…
George W. Bush and Michelle Obama’s friendship resonates because it challenges the idea that political disagreement has to turn into personal hostility.
They’ve got their differences, but they’re still able to connect, laugh, and treat each other like people first.
At a time when politics often feels like a loyalty test, friendships like this remind people that respect across differences still exists.
“Shut it down! The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Sen. John Kennedy to withhold Senators’ pay during government shutdowns, effective after the 2026 midterms. This does *not* apply to Congress. (We’re looking at you next!)
It passed with a vote of 99-0. Is that enough for us to round up to 100? (Senator Pete Ricketts missed the vote because he was traveling back to Washington, D.C., from Nebraska following his state’s primary election.)
Nevertheless, It is refreshing to see real, common-sense bipartisanship in action. What do you think?”
@ericchurchmusic told @uncchapelhill graduates something we all need to hear.
Social media can make it feel like everyone else is ahead. Better life. Better job. Better opinions. Better timing. But so much of what we see online is curated performance, not the full picture.
The pressure to fit in, sound right, or become a version of yourself that earns approval can slowly pull people away from what makes them distinct in the first place.
But the world does not move forward because everyone thinks, speaks, or creates the same way. It moves forward because different people bring different perspectives, experiences, ideas, and voices to the table.
What if being “right” isn’t the goal after graduation?
Graduation is often framed as having the answers. But real life gets messier fast.
Outside of school, progress usually means working through disagreement, navigating imperfect systems, and figuring out how to build with people you will not always agree with.
That does not mean dropping your values. It means learning that being effective and being seen as “correct” are not always the same thing.
Builders Movement Partner Dr. Aaron Pomerantz explores that tension in his latest blog for us. Read more at the link in bio.
Our government is by the people, for the people.
Scenes like this from 'With Honors' hit home because they remind us of the power we, as citizens and as Builders, hold to make sure our voices are heard and our will is acted on. These days, the people most affected by decisions are often the ones furthest from the room where those decisions get made. That’s why we need to come together, speak up, and hold elected officials accountable to the jobs they were selected to do.
Also, Tommy DeVito might be circling back with a few of his friends…
#BeABuilder
In 2014, Ben Sasse called this out...
Back in 2014, Ben Sasse argued that one reason people don’t trust government is because too many politicians treat every problem like it’s entirely the other party’s fault.
“If your only answer is to blame the other party, then you don’t get it.”
What makes this speech interesting now is that he wasn’t calling for less disagreement. He was arguing for better disagreement. More honesty about real differences, less political theater designed to make people hate each other even more.
His point still feels relevant: polarization doesn’t get better when everyone waters down their beliefs. It gets better when people can actually explain what they believe—and argue for it without acting like the other side is the enemy.
That kind of politics feels rare right now. But people are clearly hungry for something different.
There’s something almost jarring about watching these old Bush and Obama clips back to back.
George W. Bush taking a moment to honor Nancy Pelosi becoming the first woman Speaker. Then Barack Obama, years later, introducing John Boehner with a level of familiarity that feels almost foreign now.
Journalist and Builders Movement Partner Brooke Baldwin’s reaction really captures that shift. Not that everyone agreed back then—they didn’t. But there was still a baseline sense that you could be on opposite sides without treating the other person as an enemy by default.
That difference feels real. The disagreements haven’t gone anywhere, but something about the tone has changed.
And maybe that’s the point—not to pretend things were perfect then, but to remember that a different kind of political conversation has existed before. Which means it can exist again.
Social media changed how we disagree...
Builders Executive Director Stacy Blakeley recently joined new Builders Movement Partners @joleneconway10 and @helloredpup on @wevegottotalk and talked about how differently people communicate online versus in person.
People often say things behind screens they’d never say face to face. And while real-life conversations can still get “feisty,” Stacy’s point is that disagreement itself isn’t the problem—losing curiosity and the willingness to listen is.
Social media can push people deeper into their own bubbles. But productive conversations usually begin when people are open to engaging with perspectives outside of their own.
Watch the full episode over on @wevegottotalk !
