SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) -- When Donald Trump fought his way back to the White House in 2024, he capitalized on simmering economic discontent in political battlegrounds such as Michigan.

To say the U. S. Senate has grown dysfunctional is like suggesting water is wet or the nighttime sky is dark. The institution that fancies itself "the world's greatest deliberative body" is supposed to serve as a cooling saucer that tempers the more hotheaded House, applying weight and wisdom as it addresses the Great Issues of Our Time.