Stevie Wonder is embarking on a 10-city U.S. tour to coincide with the upcoming presidential election.

The “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour, titled after Wonder’s latest politically themed single, will happen it stops in key states, reports. The 25-time Grammy Award winner will kick off the tour on October 8 on the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with stops in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Greensboro, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, before wrapping up on October 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The official announcement says the tour calls for “joy over anger, kindness over resentment, peace over war.” It also notes that “as a special thank you,” Wonder will offer quite a lot of free tickets to “those in our communities who are already working tirelessly to mend the broken heart of our nation.”

The tour announcement comes a month after Wonder gave an electrifying performance and speech on the Democratic National Convention on “the importance of action.”

“It’s time to understand where we are and what it’s going to take to win: win the broken hearts, win the disappointed, win the angry souls — now is the time,” the legendary singer told the group.

“This is the moment to remember, when you tell your kids where you’ve been and what you’ve done… We have to choose courage over complacency. It’s time to stand up!” he said, changing his tone to an appeal, “and go vote!” He then launched into his 1973 classic, “Higher Ground.”

Stevie Wonder’s “Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart” tour dates are listed below:

• October 8: Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
• October 10: New York, New York, Madison Square Garden
• October 12: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wells Fargo Center
• October 15: Baltimore, Maryland, CFG Bank Arena
• October 17: Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro Coliseum
• October 19: Atlanta, Georgia, State Farm Arena
• October 22: Detroit, Michigan, Little Caesars Arena
• October 24: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fiserv Forum
• October 27: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Target Center
• October 30 Grand Rapids, Michigan, Van Andel Arena

Michael Eric Dyson has slammed suggestions that he was flirting with Congresswoman Nancy Mace after she accused him of calling her a racist in an interview with CNN last month.

The interview with the South Carolina lawmaker and Vanderbilt professor made headlines after Mace repeatedly mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris’ name during the interview and refused to correct herself. Dyson never called her a racist on air, but he explained why her behavior was problematic.

“When you disrespect Kamala Harris by saying you can call her whatever you want, I know that’s not your intention, that’s the history and legacy of white disregard for the humanity of black people,” Dyson told Mace in the interview.

During a congressional hearing Thursday, Mace showed her fellow lawmakers a screenshot of a message Dyson sent her that included a photograph the pair took after a CNN interview that portrayed them as flirtatious.

“He says in this piece, after he called me a racist on CNN, ‘Don’t tell anyone we look good together,’ and he sent me a kissy face emoji,” the South Carolina lawmaker said at a hearing Thursday. “Then the guy says I’m gorgeous in all these pictures. I don’t think he’s that bothered by how someone pronounces Kamala. And if we’re going to have that standard, it has to be applied to both sides, not just one or the other.”6

Dyson posted a response on Instagram, fuming over Mace’s behavior during the hearing. He read the entire exchange with Mace and explained that he was joking about how united they looked in photos taken after the CNN interview, given their very different political positions.

“I’m not hitting on Nancy Mace. This is a woman trying to take advantage of a situation, trying to pretend I’m trying to hit on her,” Dyson said. “You’re trying to generate meanness and cruelty because you’re so bitter about getting your ass kicked that night because I told you that night what you were doing was wrong,” he said of Mace.

He also condemned Mace’s characterization of the intentions behind the lyrics as “malicious”, “misleading” and ultimately “racist”.

“Your attempt is sad and pathetic, but your bigoted and racist attempt will fail,” Dyson noted. “There was no attempt to do anything other than be nice to you, but you have proven to be what I said you are not — a cruel, white supremacist racist who is incapable of accepting the generosity and kindness of a black man. You are a pathetic, sick soul.”

While some web users found the text flirtatious, others got here to Dyson’s defense.

“This is a very strategic framing of this interaction for her to do exactly this. Why didn’t she share the entire exchange?” one person said.

“She’s clearly trying to extend her 15 minutes of shame on TV. Time to let it go,” one other comment read.

Inflation has been a serious concern for voters in the upcoming election, with many pointing fingers at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. But is it fair to blame them entirely for the rising cost of products? The answer, like the causes of inflation itself, is complex.

While inflation is currently at its lowest point since March 2021, many families are still battling higher prices. News and social media show that some voters are blaming the Biden-Harris administration for the rising costs. In this episode of “Politics Explained,” we take a have a look at theories about inflation that consider that inflation simply didn’t start with one president.

During former President Donald Trump’s administration, Trump often boasted about low unemployment and economic growth, much of which he inherited from Obama AdministrationHowever, Trump’s decision to engage in trade wars, particularly with China, has led to the imposition of tariffs which have disrupted supply chains and in some cases led to higher prices for consumers.

Then got here the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which severely disrupted global supply chains and led to skyrocketing prices. As travel restrictions and labor shortages intensified, inflation soared, deepening the economic crisis.

In response to the pandemic, the U.S. government has taken significant steps to stabilize the economy. Trump signed the bipartisan CARES Act in 2020, providing relief funds to tens of millions of Americans. But some economists theorize that the surge in money flowing into the economy, combined with tight supplies, fueled demand and helped drive up prices. When Biden took office in 2021, the economy was still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. His administration signed one other stimulus package despite concerns about inflation.

Global aspects like the war in Ukraine and company price gouging also played a big role in inflation. Companies that posted record profits during the pandemic often kept prices high whilst supply-chain disruptions subsided. Still, many Americans looked to President Biden to fix the problem — but additionally they blamed him.

Historically, U.S. presidents have been blamed for inflation and economic crises, even when their control over them was limited. In the Seventies, President Jimmy Carter faced heavy criticism for high inflation (and his “talking about feeling unwell,” contributing to his loss to Republican candidate Ronald Reagan. Similarly, George H. W. Bush lost reelection to Bill Clinton due to the recession of the Nineties.

So what did Joe and Kamala do about inflation?

The Biden-Harris administration has taken steps to combat inflation. In 2022, President Biden has allowed the release of oil reserves to lower gas prices, passed an inflation-reduction bill and backed the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise rates of interest to slow spending. But the query stays whether these measures will ease voters’ concerns.

As the 2024 election approaches, Harris and Trump have outlined their economic plans. Trump is promising more tariffs, which economists say could further increase inflation. Harris, in turn, is promising support middle and low income families thanks to tax breaks and solving the problem of corporate price gouging.

Ultimately, voters may judge candidates not only by who does more to fix the economy, but in addition by who tells the most compelling story about their efforts to achieve this. The debate over the president’s responsibility for inflation is as much about perception because it is about policy.

With elections approaching, society will soon determine whose narrative it trusts more.

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