https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpHnuvlNNV8 [0:00-5:00]

Courage can save us. That's the title of a new book on veterans in Congress who have shown courage both on and off the battlefield. Author Rye Barcott profiled five Republicans and five Democrats who he says have the courage to meet the moment. We spoke with Rye, Senator Mark Kelly, and Senator Todd Young about how they are trying to bridge the divide and fix our broken politics. You are recruiting and supporting veterans who want to run for office, who meet certain criteria against bipartisan. It's not ideological. Because you believe, and you believe there is evidence that military veterans are more likely to show the kind of political courage and also to cross party lines. That's exactly right. So with honor has helped support over 100 veterans or about 50 that are currently in Congress, and they take a pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage, including the courage to work across party lines, not necessarily agree with every policy, but to maintain that trust to address matters that really are important to the country. Senator Young, you served in the Marines. How does that service inform what you do here? It's a very different kind of courage. It is. This sort of courage in some respects is one that's less familiar to many people. It's the courage to be misunderstood by people you respect and love and whose values you share on difficult issues. It's the courage to do unpopular things and to be held to account or to be able to persuade people. So there's uncertainty and risk associated with those sorts of things. But I feel like that sort of courage, which is emphasized in military service, is necessary in order to serve the common good in divided times. People don't send us here to be influencers. They don't send us here to make political statements. But in the end, they send us here to solve hard problems working with people who don't always see the world the same way we do. The argument that the book makes is that I can encourage in civility and encourage in civility will save us. But doesn't political courage often look uncivil? I mean, you need to stand up. You need to go up against the prevailing view. You need to maybe stand up against somebody in your own party. You also have to do stuff that also might not be in your own personal best interest at times, in this job, in the United States Senate. You have to take stands that you know are the right thing for the nation that moves us forward in a positive way, but could be politically harmful to you in your career. That's hard for some folks. Well, let's get to something uncomfortable here. Senator, what was your reaction when President of the United States accused Senator Kelly of sedition, punishable by death, when the Secretary of Defense tried to punish him? I'm glad you asked. Because he made a video telling the message that people should, members, service members, shouldn't obey unlawful orders. So as Mark can share with you, my first reaction was to text Mark and engage in a dialogue that very morning. And we had an exchange back and forth, an exchange which I will keep private about what I should do, how I should respond, where this led and so forth. And so it demonstrates that it's really important to develop trust among your colleagues and solidarity, even during what I know was a difficult time for Mark. And I like to think, because we've developed that partnership, it leads to constructive action on things like shipbuilding. These are difficult times. Can I press you for a second? Of course. It seems like a pretty outrageous thing. I wasn't in the United States suggesting that this Senator next to you could be put to death for something he said. And there wasn't much of an outcry among Republicans in Congress over that. It does lead to a larger question, which is, why am I here, Jonathan? Am I here to hold forth every time I have a concern about utterances or even actions, but render myself unable then to work on broader initiatives that are important to my constituents on behalf of my constituents in the country, or am I here to narrate a presidency? There are times. There are times when one must speak up when you feel strongly about things.