We’ve got a wonderful problem in Holland, Michigan. @AbdulElSayed is coming to sit down with @jorgeramosnews and @paoramos, my wife organized the event, and now we’re trying to figure out how to make room for everyone who wants to join the conversation. The funny part? It’s a nonpartisan interview, not a political rally. The challenge isn’t generating excitement. It’s figuring out how to contain it. What a beautiful problem for a community to have. Jorge, Paola, Abdul — welcome to Holland! A remarkable American city on the shores of Lake Michigan, with a lot of curiosity, plenty of opinions, and an enormous appetite for conversation. The Great Lakes are pretty spectacular, too, mind you. What a wonderful time to call Holland home.

Billionaires can buy the headlines. They still can't buy your vote. And Michigan is putting that distinction to the test. Two members of West Michigan's DeVos family contributed $2 million to a political committee that transferred it to the Michigan Republican Party, which then spent $1.8 million advertising for John James. The legality of that spending is now being challenged. Meanwhile, Trump arrived in Michigan accusing Abdul El-Sayed of extremist affiliations without substantiating evidence. Money buys the microphone. Political messaging competes for attention. And the hypothesis practically writes itself: Has concentrated wealth become powerful enough to shape an election before voters even reach the ballot box? The evidence is troubling, but not one-sided. Wealthy donors finance both parties. Jocelyn Benson reported raising $4.1 million compared with James's $3.9 million. And while outside groups spend fortunes competing for attention, nearly one million Michiganders had already voted by Friday. In Antrim County, when a clerk improperly altered registrations affecting more than 1,600 voters, other local officials and the state intervened and reversed the changes. The money is real. The attempts to influence public opinion are real. But so are the democratic safeguards. Financial influence is measurable. Purchased outcomes are not established. And that's what makes Holland such a remarkable place to watch American democracy unfold. Between the fortunes financing Michigan politics and the ordinary residents walking into City Hall, a township voting center, or a small election office in Allegan County lies the entire American experiment. The wealthy can finance the messages, saturate the screens, and compete for our attention. But when citizens enter the voting booth, each receives the same single vote. Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about American democracy isn't how much power money can accumulate. It's that, after all the spending, the spectacle, and the noise, millions of ordinary people still get to decide what happens next.

I’ve been part of Silicon Valley’s wild run since the start. And I can tell you that the Bay Area’s unfair advantage is not high-tech geniuses. Startup culture is hard to replicate, but not impossible.

LULA WINS

This was just a matter of time. Mike Rogers featuring Haley Stevens. They’re both for sending your tax dollars to Israel.

Wild what’s happening in Michigan. Hillary Scholten still hasn’t endorsed Abdul. Jeremy Moss held back too, although he showed up at Obama’s rally. Haley Stevens endorsed Abdul after losing the primary, but they remain divided on Israel. Meanwhile, House Democrats split almost evenly, 103–98, over cutting $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel. Obama came to Detroit yesterday, and Bernie is in Grand Rapids today. Feels like Michigan is becoming the stage for a much bigger fight inside the Democratic Party. It’s not just about Israel anymore. It’s about who defines the party’s future. Here’s Republican Mike Rogers trying to rally a crowd as context for what the Democrats who won’t support Abdul are ushering.

that is the oddest stump speech ever

Sorry, Mikey, you’re wrong. Hundreds of Latinos gathering in Holland, Michigan to hear Abdul as we speak.

Haley Stevens withholding support for Abdul does not represent moderation; it prompts undecided Democrat voters to choose Republican. What makes her so fearful?