Van Jones

World War III has already begun. It’s just different from World War II. It started long before the U.S. strikes on Iran. And it will continue long after. That’s because this is a “gray war." Most of the time, the fight isn’t loud. It's subtle. It runs through your phone. Algorithms are the weapons. Division is the strategy. The main goal is to turn America on itself. This video connects the dots. Watch it, then decide what side of this gray war you’re on.

Here’s the problem with redrawing maps. You’re telling some voters they matter more than others. That’s not how a democracy works. Last week the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Tennessee moved within days - carving up Memphis’s majority-Black district. The state’s only Democratic seat. Gone. A Republican senator said it on the record, “This bill represents Tennessee’s attempt to maximize our partisan advantage.” Not election security. Partisan advantage. Here’s what’s missing. An Economist/YouGov poll last month found 71% of Americans (including Republican voters) say states should not draw districts to intentionally favor one party. These politicians aren’t just making decisions that block their opponents - they’re ignoring their own constituents. When neither side trusts the maps, neither side trusts the results. That road ends badly for everyone.

The Voting Rights Act wasn’t about giving Black voters special treatment. It was about stopping hostile politicians from using fake excuses — “it’s just about literacy” — to hide what they were actually doing. It let courts look past the excuses and take account of the results. That protection is now gone. The high court has essentially decreed that we are in a post-racial nirvana. But that declaration from on high doesn’t make racism disappear. It just makes it invisible to the courts. And it creates an opportunity for NEW fake excuses from the politicians drawing the maps. What was the justification in Tennessee this week? “Partisan advantage (not race!).” Calling something “purely partisan, not racial” doesn’t make it so. Sometimes people say something is one thing when it’s actually another. The wiser legal system that MLK fought for knew that - and it gave the court tools to look past the label to the reality. We just lost those tools. That’s bad for everyone! Majority black Memphis is proudly represented by a white Jewish man. This was never about the skin color of the office holder. It’s about whether a large group of black voters gets to send a representative of its choosing to Congress.

We talk a lot about opportunity in America. We don't talk nearly enough about how hard it is to cross into spaces you weren't raised in. The language barriers. The cultural barriers. The challenges of figuring it out in real time — while everyone around you seems to already know. If you had judged me on my first two months at Yale Law School, you’d have thrown me out! Sitting down with Bishop Jakes on the @NXTChapterPodcast , I got to share my story of moving into unfamiliar spaces — and working with people who see things differently. We also got into what's coming - AI, crypto, biotech, the trillion-dollar shifts happening right now. Our children are going to inherit a world that doesn't exist yet. It’s incredible AND terrifying. I’m grateful every time I spend time with Bishop Jakes. (Link in the story to watch our full conversation.)

“DENIAL” is not just a river in Egypt. And “QUAGMIRE” is not just a cartoon character on “Family Guy.” Iran’s $20,000 drones are proving that cheap technology can checkmate conventional military power. Russia already learned this lesson. Now we are. Trump keeps saying “just one more week” — which then causes the markets skyrocket, before they crash back down again. Over and over — like Lucy and the football 🏈! If we are honest, we are looking at MONTHS or YEARS before America has a path out of Iran. Because we can’t leave without putting our Arab allies and Israel in a worse position than they were two months ago. That’s called a “quagmire.” And we shouldn’t be in “denial” about it.

CNN commentator @vanjones68 reacts the Supreme Court's historic ruling on the Voting Rights Act, the landmark civil rights statute, and what it means for congressional maps.

Erica Kirk, a grieving widow, has tremendous moral authority and standing in our country. If she chooses to do so, she can become a much-needed leader in the fight against political violence in America. She can succeed in this cause ONLY if she is willing to call out violence and dehumanization on all sides — left, right and in between. It won’t work to chastise only the left and give a pass to the right. That said: I would be proud to work with her and any other conservative figures in a campaign to challenge our entire nation to move away from extremism, dehumanization and violence. In the meantime, I hope everyone continues to keep her and her children in our prayers.

Black and Jews don’t see each other. With @vanjones68 Listen to the full interview on “Ask Haviv Anything”, episode 101, link in bio.

The Voting Rights Act was the crowning achievement of the Civil Rights movement. The law that finally made America a true democratic republic. John Lewis was beaten nearly to death to get it passed. Dr. King gave his life to the cause. Today, the Supreme Court gutted it. Whatever your politics, understand that this bill was the legal infrastructure of equal participation in our democracy. I’m a Southerner. I grew up in Tennessee. I know what these states look like without voting protection. This is a devastating blow to American democracy.

Hasan Piker says the designated terrorist organization Hamas is 1,000 times better than Israel. His statement outraged many — who now just want to write him off. That's a mistake. He has a massive audience and is emerging as one of the major voices of his generation. Those of us who disagree owe him — and his audience — a real argument. Here's mine … And my position doesn’t come from ignorance about oppression. For a big chunk of my life, I was a grassroots activist — because of the pain of my own people. During those years, I was lucky enough to learn from elders who had been in the Black Panther Party, in SNCC, in the ANC. These were people who had to choose whether to pick up the gun — and how to use it if they did. They taught me this: even in armed struggle, there are principles. No women. No children. No rapes. No kidnapping. Mandela held that line. Amílcar Cabral held that line. You don't become what you're fighting. Hamas fails that test. They are not fighting for MORE freedom for Palestinians. They're fighting for less. They want theocracy, not democracy. And their means? They don’t use principled armed struggle (hitting military targets). They use terrorism (targeting civilians). The vast majority of Americans — including those who sympathize with the Palestinian cause — reject terror tactics. Reasonable people would agree on three principles: secure homelands for both peoples; no hatred for Jews or Muslims; and protection for all civilians. Hamas’ approach undermines all three. That's the conversation Piker's audience deserves. Not name-calling.

The sick individual who forced his way into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last night with guns and knives is no hero. Period. Everyone with a platform has a duty to fight any attempt to dress him up as some kind of anti-establishment role model. He’s not. People like him need to be removed from society and given help. They do NOT need to be put on a pedestal. We need LESS violence in America, not MORE violence in America. I am thankful that President Trump, our nation’s leaders and the national press corps were unharmed.

There was a time when anyone in the MAGA coalition who dared defy Donald Trump would be immediately smeared and sidelined by a vengeful president. Trump presented himself as a world conqueror who would brook no dissent. Those days are over! Exhibit A: Joe Rogan has repeatedly taken Trump to task over issues from 47’s brutal mistreatment of immigrants to his military misadventure in the Middle East. Trump’s response? Invite the podcaster to the White House for a signing ceremony — and try to stay friends. There is no clearer sign than that of the president’s waning power. Expect more penalty-free defections in the months and years to come.