View this post on the web at [link removed]

As we watch 2025 depart, we instinctively take stock of what has unfolded, how we responded and what we should take with us into the new year. More now than ever, I reflect on what this current moment requires of us — and how we can continue to meet its challenges together. When I face tough challenges, I have a mantra:
Be curious. Solve problems. Do good.
This year provided an opportunity to do just that. Because I also believe in partnership — in doing the hard work together. With that in mind, we launched our Substack, Assembly Notes: a space to think aloud, dig deeper, and build a community hungry for actionable solutions. If you’ve been reading, sharing, or just quietly following along, thank you. I hope you’ll stick with us next year as we push these conversations even further.
We also grew our podcast, Assembly Required [ [link removed] ], bringing on guests who enlightened us, exploring the topics that sharpened our minds, and reaching even more people where they were. Every download, message, and listener question has been a reflection of our shared pursuit of better. I hope you’ll join us next year as we keep amplifying the solutions and ideas that deserve more attention.
Because curiosity comes in many forms, I have always turned to fiction for exploration — including in the third novel of my Avery Keene series, Coded Justice [ [link removed] ]. Taking tough topics like AI and handing them over to Avery and her team was a terrific chance to highlight the power of asking questions and speaking up. To everyone who picked up a copy or loaned one to a friend: you made this real. I hope you’ll stay with me for the next chapter in Avery’s journey.
Every new year is a chance to try harder, to get into that good trouble Congressman John Lewis exhorted us to find. That’s why I hope you’ll join me in demanding that our lawmakers just fix their health care affordability crisis by restoring the Affordable Care Act tax credits. ACA credits alone won’t solve this problem, but they can at least alleviate the pain for working families. We can help by sharing our stories — stories that we’re telling to shed light on the real-world impact of medical expenses on working people. This new year, help us share more stories and spotlight real people and their needs.
2026 will demand much of us, and we are ready for the work. Because before we had money or power, we had each other. And together, we can get good done. So rest up.

Unsubscribe [link removed]?