♪♪ >> THERE'S WAR IN ISRAEL.

IN WASHINGTON, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS SELF-DESTRUCTING.

IN GREATER MINNESOTA, FIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WERE SHOT THIS WEEK.

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, IT SEEMS, THE NEWS IS BAD AND GETTING WORSE.

AND IT WOULD BE EASY, WAY, WAY TOO EASY, TO DESPAIR.

ALLOW ME, THEN, TO OFFER A FEW BEAMS OF LIGHT.

WAR?

YES.

LOTS OF IT, IN ISRAEL AND UKRAINE AND OTHER PLACES WE SADLY DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT.

AND.

HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST NARGUS MAHAHMADEE WON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAST WEEK.

SHE WAS ONE OF 305 PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS NOMINATED.

THAT'S A LOT OF FOLKS WORKING FOR PEACE.

YES, POLITICAL DYSFUNCTION IS RAMPANT.

AND A RECENT STUDY BY THE MINNESOTA NONPROFIT MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE SHOWED THAT ALMOST HALF THE BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE LAST SESSION WERE SPONSORED BY AT LEAST ONE DFLER AND ONE REPUBLICAN.

I GET THAT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GETTING BILLS INTRODUCED AND GETTING THEM PASSED.

STILL, THERE'S AT LEAST A SPARK OF BIPARTISANSHIP IN ST. PAUL.

IS THERE TROUBLE IN GREATER MINNESOTA?

YES.

AND LAST NIGHT, I ATTENDED A COMMUNITY EVENT IN WILLMAR CELEBRATING EVERYTHING FROM JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR TROUBLED YOUTH TO INNOVATIVE WAYS TO CARE FOR ELDERS.

THREE TEENAGERS PLAYED "OVER THE RAINBOW" ON UKELELES.

IT WAS FANTASTIC.

BAD NEWS IN THE WORLD?

YES.

GETTING WORSE?

WELL... AT THAT EVENT IN WILLMAR, POET AMANDA GORMAN WAS QUOTED: "FOR THERE IS ALWAYS LIGHT," SHE WROTE, "IF ONLY WE'RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO SEE IT.

IF ONLY WE'RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE IT."

SO MAYBE PART OF THAT IS UP TO US.

THINK ABOUT IT.

AND BE A BEAM OF LIGHT.