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Good News Roundup for Friday, March 3, 2023: It Never Happens Until It Happens [1]
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Date: 2023-03-03
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Sometimes our work feels pointless. Yet, at other times, our hard work gets rewarded.
I can’t tell you what argument will succeed with someone who was a tRump voter. Often they need to hear something several times, from different people, before their minds open.
I can’t tell you which postcard will inspire a casual voter to take the trouble to vote.
I can’t tell you which letter to an elected official, or email to a corporation, or complaint to a business, will get them to change their ways.
Sometimes they don’t. But other times, they do. I mean, this week, Eli Lilly announced a drop in the price it charges for insulin.
In this complicated, ever-changing world, it is not possible to predict which action will matter. But I do believe that some of the actions we take will matter.
We just have to keep at it, see if we can improve our tactics, and push and pull some more.
Come on, my fellow gnusies, and see what the good guys are doing (and I hope all of you are warm and safe).
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President ! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
💉 Eli Lilly caps insulin at $35 for everyone Berkely Lovelace, Jr. NBC News
Eli Lilly will cap the out-of-pocket cost of its insulin at $35 a month, the drugmaker said Wednesday. The move, experts say, could prompt other insulin makers in the U.S. to follow suit. The change, which Eli Lilly said takes effect immediately, puts the drugmaker in line with a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, which last month imposed a $35 monthly cap on the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for seniors enrolled in Medicare. members of Congress and advocacy groups to lower the cost of the lifesaving medication. Insulin costs in the U.S. are notoriously high compared to the costs in other countries; the Rand Corporation, a public policy think tank, estimated that in 2018, the average list price for one vial of insulin in the U.S. was $98.70. Insulin makers continue to face pressure frommembers of Congress and advocacy groups toof the lifesaving medication.Insulin costs in the U.S. arecompared to the costs in other countries; the Rand Corporation, a public policy think tank, estimated that in 2018, the average list price for one vial of insulin in the U.S. was $98.70.
Nearly put this in the Democrats deliver section because it never would have happened except for the pressure from President Biden and his administration and the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Ds and Ds alone.
🐳 🐸 🐦 🐀 29 species recover enough to be taken off Australia’s endangered list Andy Corbley, Good News Network
A large research project studying endangered species in Australia has tallied 29 recovered species—all animals that can be safely de-listed from the country’s endangered species list. Australia’s Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act currently lists 446 species of animals in genuine need of protection, but 29 of those are no longer in need—15 mammals, 8 birds, 4 frogs, a reptile, and a fish. Among these critters are the golden, Western barred, and Eastern barred bandicoots, Western quoll, sooty albatross, waterfall frog, Flinder’s Range worm-lizard, yellow-footed rock wallabies, greater bilby, humpback whale, growling grass frog, Murray’s cod, and others.
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Georgia poll workers pick up where Jan 6th committee stopped Jose Pagliary, The Daily Beast
Two Georgia poll workers who were attacked by 2020 election conspiracy theorists are picking up where the Jan. 6 congressional investigation left off—by trying to independently examine the private communications between two of the men behind the firestorm: Rudy Giuliani and former President Donald Trump. Giuliani, who played a central role in the Republican attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election as Trump’s lawyer, refused to tell congressional investigators about their conversations, citing attorney-client privilege. But now, a mother and daughter still reeling from the MAGA harassment are trying to pierce that veil. Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of Fulton County, Georgia, are turning their defamation lawsuit against Giuliani into a no-limits, fact-finding mission, according to an undisclosed letter from their attorneys reviewed exclusively by The Daily Beast.
This is supported by a DOJ court filing that allows tRump to be sued for what happened surrounding Jan 6th.
x UNPRIVILEGED: DOJ filing just SHREDDED Trump’s claims of January 6 immunity
https://t.co/Ha49wsq8XP — #TuckFrump (@realTuckFrumper) March 2, 2023
Want more? Because it’s so much fun, and so important:
x DOJ Says Inciting a Riot Is Not Part of the President's Job Description
https://t.co/5yyArgEMTj — emptywheel (@emptywheel) March 2, 2023
Almost didn’t include this, because it’s not good news, but at least they show who they are. Let us believe them.
x Top Arizona GOPer Was Involved in 2nd Domestic Violence Incident, Police Reports Show
https://t.co/zKOuTchQpB via @thedailybeast — kenny jacobs 🌻 (@kennyjacobs) March 2, 2023
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
A few of President Biden’s remarks to House Democrats White House Briefing Room
In addition, we’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs. ✂️ You know — and, by the way, this had a byprod- — you know, my — I love your Republican colleagues you have to work with, the MAGA Republicans. They’re amazing. (Laughter.) They’re really amazing, their calculations. They say, “Biden and the Democrats, because they brought down the price of drugs, they’re increasing inflation.” (Laughter.) Well, it has the advantage not only of people being able to live longer and better and be able to afford their — their prescription drugs. But guess what? It reduces the deficit $158 billion. (Applause.) Don’t forget that part, to tell people. It’s not just that you pay less for the drug, it means that the federal government isn’t paying for the — the federal government is the one paying for those drugs for Medicare. Almost $160 billion saved, reduction of deficit.
We passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which had led to a commitment of over $300 billion in investments in manufacturing in the United States. You know, when the Korean company — I sa- — I said — I was in Korea, South Korea. I asked them why were they investing in America. You know what they said? For real. The CEO. “Because you have the best workers in the world, and it’s the most secure investment I can make anywhere in the world.” (Applause.) Don’t forget that, folks. That’s why people are coming here. They’re coming here because of who we are. We made it clear to folks: If you want to participate in the CHIPS program, you also have to provide for childcare for your employees. ✂️ And, folks, you all know how much we’ve gotten done. But a lot of the country still doesn’t know it. That’s why the big job in front of us is implementing the laws we’ve passed so people start to see it in their lives — all the benefits that are there because you produced it for them. You stepped up and got it done.
Majority Leader Senator Schumer and Minority Leader of the House Jeffries send a letter to FOX News Note I couldn't copy it directly, so here’s a tweet about it:
x Leaders Schumer and Jeffries have written to Rupert Murdoch, calling on Fox to stop spreading 2020 election lies:
"We demand that you direct Tucker Carlson and other hosts on your network to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong." — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 1, 2023
Brilliant and snarky opposition, with receipts: I’m not one of those purists about Democrat vs Democratic — language evolves all the time, and there are more important battles, especially as fighting this makes us look elitist — but I loves me some Jamie Raskin:
x Raskin to Boebert: Democrat is the noun. When you use it as an adjective, you say Democratic.. As if every time we mentioned the other party it just came out with a kind of political speech impediment like, oh, the Banana Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/eSVfqzeZqN — Acyn (@Acyn) February 28, 2023
There’s this:
x Biden: A little bit more Marjorie Taylor Greene will have a lot of Republicans running our way.
Is she amazing? She was saying that a poor mom that lost two kids, that I killed her sons. The interesting thing is that fentanyl they took came during the last administration pic.twitter.com/RpUheMmk53 — Acyn (@Acyn) March 2, 2023
💜 Unity? 💜
GOP pressured into investigating Santos:
x George Santos is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, which will at most just censure him — a slap on the wrist.
George Santos is being investigated by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of NY — which will likely lead to a criminal indictment. — Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) March 2, 2023
I have more faith in the Attorney’s office.
Red states lead in wind production Cristen Hemingway Jaynes EcoWatch
Renewable energy capacity in the U.S. rose last year, with solar and wind up 16 percent from 2021. According to a new report by Climate Central, wind production was led by Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas — all Republican states — while California, Texas, Florida and North Carolina generated the most solar power. Altogether, 64 million households in America were powered by electricity from renewable sources in 2022, reported The Guardian. President Joe Biden’s administration has a goal of total decarbonization of the country’s power grid by 2030, as well as achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. “We are moving closer to the goals we need to reach in order to hit net zero,” said senior data analyst at Climate Central Jennifer Brady, as The Guardian reported. “We have a free natural resource in the form of weather that can be captured to generate power.”
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
Because tRump didn’t pay his campaign bills in 2020, it’s harder for him to book venues this time around Jake Lahut,The Daily Beast
As Donald Trump’s Secret Service detail—and the size of his MAGA rallies—has ebbed and flowed, one standard operating procedure for the former president has remained constant: Whenever possible, stiff the contractors. For all the “back the blue” merchandise one can buy at a Trump rally, finding an event where the cops actually working it had their overtime covered by the campaign is surprisingly difficult. But there’s a cost for Trump, too; the hefty bill that he tends to leave with local governments means the ex-president may have to search for even smaller, more obscure rally venues for his 2024 campaign. ✂️ By the end of his presidential term in 2021, Trump still owed more than $2 million in overtime reimbursement and other expenses, according to a CTV News analysis. The ex-president’s most recent venues have mostly been at fairgrounds and airports far from city centers. Officials have previously spoken to the connection between Trump’s indifference toward paying his bills and the quality of his rally venues.
More Jan 6 people pleading guilty:
x JUST IN: Jan. 6 defendant Thomas SIBICK, who stole DC Officer Michael Fanone’s badge and radio, is preparing to plead guilty tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5N4xZSqweN — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) March 2, 2023
🐝 tRump supporters planning to firebomb Democratic headquarters in Sacramento get real prison time Sam Stanton, Sacramento Bee
Two Trump supporters behind a plot to firebomb Sacramento’s state Democratic Party headquarters was sentenced to prison Wednesday, but only after sentencing for one was delayed because his attorney asked for the courtroom to be closed over concerns for his client’s safety. Ian Benjamin Rogers, 46, received a nine-year sentence after expressing his remorse for his behavior, which he blamed on a drinking problem that was exacerbated by COVID-19 lockdowns that severely hurt his auto repair business. ✂️ Rogers’ co-defendant, Jarrod Copeland, 39, received a 54-month sentence after a brief closed hearing. His attorney, John Ambrosio, would not comment afterward on what safety concerns he had or whether Copeland is now cooperating with law enforcement.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
Let’s honor Dominion Voting Systems this week. Their tenacity is exposing Fox News, one of the worst liars out there. David Bauder, AP News
NEW YORK (AP) — A court filing in a lawsuit against Fox News lays bare a panic at the network that it had alienated its viewers and damaged its brand by not lining up with President Donald Trump’s false claims that he had won the 2020 presidential election. That worry — a real one, judging by Fox’s ratings in the election’s aftermath — played a key role in Fox not setting the record straight about unfounded fraud claims, the network’s accuser contends. “It’s remarkable how weak ratings make good journalists do bad things,” the filing quotes Fox Washington news executive Bill Sammon as saying. The details were included in a trove of private communications unearthed by lawyers and contained in a redacted brief filed Thursday by Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion claims in a $1.6 billion lawsuit that Fox aired allegations that Dominion had doctored the vote against Trump, even as it knew that was untrue. Fox says it was doing its job as a news organization by airing the accusations made by Trump and his allies.
What they are doing is extremely important: tackling those who have been profiting from lies. Thanks, Dominion!
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
How do we respond to difficult events? Here are two great examples:
Toys for displaced kids in Turkey:
x What if I told you it could take just 2 minutes to feel better about the world? Watch this. 👇🏼
https://t.co/VLIxlS6xEk — Jonathan Vize (@JonathanVize) February 27, 2023
Hugs for the traumatized:
x If the world feels depressing right now, you should know that right after the shooting at Michigan State University, a group of moms showed up on campus to give out free hugs to anyone who needed them.
🤗❤️ pic.twitter.com/l1zgYWxuRb — Goodable (@Goodable) February 27, 2023
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
💰 Perhaps I should have put this in the love section: HS students raise money so elderly janitor can retire Andy Corbley, Good News Network
High school seniors managed to secure a quarter-million dollars for their sweet, 80-year-old janitor who had to come out of retirement after his rent went up. The money was raised through a GoFundMe, which started out as a simple goal of $10,000, but quickly took on a goal of its own. Several seniors at Callisburg high school in Texas noticed their school had a new janitor: “Mr. James” an 80-year-old former retiree whose rent had gone up $400 and needed a job to support it.
🏃 Running to save the life of another:
x Dr. Adam Bodzin was preparing to perform a liver transplant when he found out the delivery van was blocked because of a marathon.
What did he do?
He ran half a mile — THROUGH THE MARATHON — picked up the liver, ran it back, and then performed the surgery.
Hero. pic.twitter.com/RGZ9TcwB4L — Goodable (@Goodable) March 1, 2023
Recycled glass is restoring Lousiana’s coastline Michaela Haas, Reasons to Be Cheerful
Most ideas that start over a bottle of wine don’t go anywhere, but this one is different. Two Tulane University seniors in New Orleans, Franziska Trautmann and Max Steitz, were drinking wine in their dorm when they started lamenting the fact that the bottle would end up in landfill after they threw it in the trash. Trautmann, whose father immigrated to the US from rural Germany before she was born, had visited his home country and observed that Germany had a nationwide glass recycling program. Louisiana didn’t. “So we decided to be a part of the solution,” Trautmann says matter-of-factly via Zoom from her office in New Orleans. ✂️ Glass Half Full has 12 glass collection containers throughout the city of New Orleans. They only ask the locals to clean the glass containers of food scraps before tossing them in; they don’t need to remove labels and caps, “because the machine is able to separate the caps from the glass,” Trautmann explains. Restaurants and other businesses can pay Glass Half Full to pick up their glass waste. Currently, 70 businesses have signed up, and 300 are on the waitlist as the young founders are scaling up. The enterprise does not turn a big profit, but according to Trautmann, they break even every month. The problems Trautmann and Steitz are addressing are quite monumental: Each year, Americans throw away eight million tons of glass, a bulky part of landfills that can last centuries. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that less than a third of glass in the US gets recycled. And while more and more communities ban single-use plastic, glass bottles are only more environmentally friendly than plastic bottles if they get reused. ✂️
It’s being used for more than restoring the coastline.
Real progress is being made on obesity drugs:
x By 2035 half the planet—a staggering 4bn people could be overweight or obese, @WorldObesity says. This is causing problems for human health and economies.
https://t.co/P3ywiJFtH5 — The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 3, 2023
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can say something nice to friend or a stranger.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
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