This is a portrait I painted of one of many heroes of mine from the Civil Rights movement. The Rev. James Zwerg, circa 1961. He was one of the Freedom Riders, along with John Lewis, William Barbee, Catherine Burks, and many others, who pulled into Montgomery, AL on a bus May 20, 1961. He volunteered to step off first. The mob was waiting with baseball bats, chains, and clubs. They beat him until three of his vertebrae cracked, his nose broke, and every tooth in his head was fractured. They beat him unconscious on the pavement. A Black stranger in coveralls walked up and said, “Stop beating that kid. If you want to beat someone, beat me.” And they did. He saved Zwerg’s life. White ambulances refused to take him. He lay in the street for over an hour. That is the moment I painted. Bloodied suit. Head bowed. At Martin Luther King Jr.’s urging, Zwerg later went to seminary and was ordained in the United Church of Christ. Rev. Zwerg is now 86 and lives in Tucson, Arizona. His courage and conviction, alongside that of countless others, helped save this nation. These are the people I celebrate as we near our 250th anniversary as a nation.

The world turned upside down! 🧡💙

We have championship level broadcasters too 🙌🙌🙌🙌

I know - you can't stop listening to Sombr singing Dear John and Cardigan "live" from the HOF (me neither...I still need the full un-cuts) - but find a few minutes to stream this much deserving song today...🥰 music.apple.com/us/album/i-k…

Mamdani closed a $12B deficit in 132 days, fixed 100K potholes, secured millions for gig workers, fined corrupt landlords millions, raised snow workers to $30/hr, and violent crime hit historic lows. THIS IS WHAT A LEADER DOES!!

Every Flag Day, I think about what our flag means to me. I carried it on my shoulder for decades — in the Navy and at NASA. The flag belongs to all of us, and that’s what today is about.

Dear restaurants, Bring back the physical menus. Nobody wants to be scanning QR codes when they're hungry. Regards: The whole world.

The art of trading…. 😅

Today, I’m mourning my friend Melissa and her husband Mark, as we mark one year since they were assassinated in their home. Melissa was a dedicated public servant who worked every day to improve the lives of Minnesotans. That should never have cost her or her husband their lives. Being elected to serve our communities should never be life-threatening. From state legislatures to the White House, it’s time for our leaders to stand against armed political violence. My heart is in Minnesota and with Sophie, Colin, and the entire Hortman family as they continue to grieve this tragic loss.

Calling Social Security an entitlement is wild when we've been paying for it out of every paycheck our entire lives.💔😡

It’s true!

“I’m so glad it resonated with her and she wanted to write a song for it. And cause it means so many more people come and see the movie… Her song is so great, it’s beautiful and fits perfectly.” - Joan Cusack on Taylor and “I Knew It, I Knew You”

In a world full of Jeff Bezos’ be a MacKenzie Scott.

He is AMERICA

The ice cream man passed away… and every ice cream truck in the city pulled up like it was a final parade. Rest in peace...

Jean-Michel Basquiat documentary won 'Best Editing in a Documentary Feature' at the Tribeca Film Festival 2026 👏🏆

I want a refund on every minute I spent in 8th grade learning that monopolies are illegal and that our government would protect us from greedy men....