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Nearing the Tipping Point - Good News Roundup for April 11 [1]
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Date: 2023-04-11
Good Day, Gnuville! It is I, Nifty, sitting in for arhpdx today. arhpdx is taking the day off for an important family celebration and will be back on her next regularly scheduled Tuesday. 😊
As I was putting today’s GNR together, I started to notice something kind of interesting that I hadn’t really noticed before. I noticed that there was a theme emerging that didn’t just apply to one category of stories — like politics or the economy — but to nearly all of them. From the growing crowds protesting gun violence and saying “enough is enough”, to the sudden flip of Republican voters fed up with R hijinks who are planning to vote D, to the snowballing effect of recent science on disease treatments that have eluded us for centuries, to the discoveries that have brought wildlife back from the brink of extinction … it’s like there’s a unifying theme that is humming and whistling its way throughout all of these spheres of human experience.
That theme seems to be that we are nearing the tipping point — not just in politics, but in multiple different areas. It feels as though — as one writer said recently — this may be one of those times that is later regarded as a “hinge” time in history. And I believe we are entering an era of greater cooperation to restore the planet.
There’s a real sense of change in the air and I am hopeful and inspired. Elected Democrats all over the country are standing up for racial justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and for economic equity. People are energized. I believe that we are entering a new civil rights era:
x WOW. Rep. Justin Jones is leading a march with thousands of people back to the Tennessee Capitol building right now. This is what democracy & a movement look like. Republicans messed around & they’re about to find out. Sweet, poetic Justice. pic.twitter.com/BarQstTdZl — Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 10, 2023
The Republicans have pushed society to the very limits of reactionary depravity and it seems the tipping point has almost been reached when they will not only have activated enough Democratic voters to overcome their gerrymanders and entrenched minority rule, but they will have alienated even their own voters in large enough numbers that a decisive Democratic landslide in 2024 is becoming a real possibility. We could actually see Democrats flip state houses and sweep the House, the Senate and the White House in 2024. I believe that Joe Biden’s loving compassionate approach to all of the people — along with Democrats’ commitment to making life better for all Americans — will persuade enough Americans to take a chance on hope:
Poll: Donna Deegan leads Daniel Davis in Jacksonville mayoral race, 54% to 46%, A G Gancarski, Florida Politics, April 10, 2023.
Donna Deegan is still well-positioned to be the first Democrat elected as Jacksonville Mayor in twelve years, according to a new poll commissioned by her campaign The survey from Frederick Polls shows 54% of those likely voters in the May 16 General Election support the former newscaster and CEO of the DONNA Foundation, with 46% backing Republican Daniel Davis, the current CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.✂️ “This +8 margin is striking because it comes from a poll sample skewed to a +6 Republican party registration advantage — 48% Republican, 42% Democrat. Actual registration for all Duval County/Jacksonville’s voters is +4 Democrat,” Frederick Polls asserts.✂️ “Donna gains just over 20% ‘crossover’ support from Primary voters of each of three non-run-off Republicans — Ferraro, Cumber, and Frank Keasler — who captured 26% of the March 21st vote. Republican Davis ran millions of dollars in attack ads against both Cumber and Ferraro,” Frederick Polls contends. While defeated Democrat Audrey Gibson did not endorse Deegan in the General Election, that doesn’t seem to matter, as 92% of her voters are backing Deegan in this survey.
In climate science and medical research, recent efforts have led to discoveries that are having a domino effect on problems that have vexed humanity for centuries.
A century and a half of habitat loss due to industrialization led to near extinction of countless species — and yet persistent efforts have led to the restoration of many species thought irretrievably lost just a decade ago.
EV charging was nowhere and then a few places and then a few more and now… well, I bet they will be ubiquitous by 2030. (Check out stories below on that topic)
Terrible diseases Like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and cancer may soon be vanquished thanks to new treatment options now in trials thanks to the expedited research from the pandemic.
Sometimes we feel discouraged because it seems we are working so hard and yelling so loudly and yet progress seems so slow. And then, all of a sudden, progress seems to start to creep forward and then more swiftly and next thing you know it is a tidal wave of progress.
I think we are at the creeping forward stage of progress: when it seems like only a little bit is finally happening, but that creeping forward is actually the first rivulets of the tidal wave that’s coming. And even though the wrong wingers are throwing everything they can at us now in their desperation to hang on to power, all of their extremist cruelty is going to be washed away in that tide of progress. Just watch.
💙 🚚 Biden and the Democrats Deliver 🚚 💙
The Biden Boom continues
The Meaning of an Awesome Employment Report, Paul Krugman, New York Times, April 10, 2023. (no paywall — gift article):
It may be hard for normal human beings — I’m sorry, I mean non-economists — to appreciate the awesomeness, the historic natureof last Friday’s employment report. But the speed and extent of America’s recovery from the pandemic shock have been incredible.✂️ Remember all that talk about Americans dropping out of the labor force? At this point the employed percentage of adults is at or above early 2020 levels for every age group except those 70 or older. (And they should probably get out of the way, anyway. Oh, wait, I’m 70.) The overall unemployment rate is only 3.5 percent; we haven’t had that spirit here since 1969. Black unemployment is at a record low. There’s good news everywhere you look.✂️ Furthermore, it turns out that there are large benefits to full employment beyond the fact that people have jobs. Full employment also turns out to be a powerful force for equality, on multiple dimensions. The gap between Black and white unemployment is now a fifth of what it was when Ronald Reagan proclaimed “morning in America.” A tight labor market has led to big gains for low-wage workers, sharply reducing overall wage inequality.✂️ Now, today’s column isn’t directly about politics, although people who insisted that we couldn’t possibly hope to achieve full employment because American workers don’t have what it takes tended to be on the political right. But it is worth noting that Republicans keep insisting President Biden’s policies have been an economic disaster, and that even the mainstream news media has tended to emphasize inflation — which has been a nasty shock, even though it may be subsiding — rather than job gains.So it does seem worth pointing out that at this point Biden is presiding over the best job market America has seen in a generation — specifically since the boom of the late Clinton years. And that, as Biden himself might (almost) say, is a big something deal.
Biden is helping blue dots in red states
How Biden Is Using Federal Power to Liberate Localities, Will Norris, Washington Monthly, April 4, 2023.
“The president’s quiet effort to free municipalities from the despotism of GOP governors.” In the 21st century, the arrival of an educated, multiracial workforce in places like Houston has collided with the disproportionate power Republicans have accrued at the state level to create a novel political phenomenon: Increasingly blue metro areas are finding themselves up against increasingly red state governments—and losing. If demographics are destiny, governors facing an in-migration pattern that worryingly resembles the long-term marginalization of their conservative politics are exploiting the legal and fiscal preeminence states have over localities in new and extreme ways. “Don’t California My Texas” has become Abbott’s trademarked mantra. In February, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene captured the mood when she suggested that red states should block new arrivals from blue states from voting for a period of five years. Governors like Abbott and DeSantis, with the backing of a conservative Supreme Court supermajority determined to buttress the power of states, are steamrolling the will of cities to govern in ways their voters think best. But that dynamic is not going unchallenged at the national level. One of the least noticed but most profound changes in Washington over the past two years has been a concerted effort by Joe Biden’s administration and Democrats in Congress to liberate localities from the overweening power of state governments—a change the Washington Monthlycalled for in January 2021. (See “How Biden Can Use Federal Power to Liberate Localities,” by Daniel Block.) This has happened in innumerable ways, large and small. For instance, in March 2021, Biden’s Department of Transportation told Texas to halt the Houston highway project until a federal investigation of civil rights and environmental justice concerns could be completed. (The project resumed after two years and will now reflect many of the changes Turner requested.) More significantly, the administration has worked to restructure spending bills in ways that shift the balance of power from state to local governments. For example, the COVID relief package Donald Trump signed in 2020, the CARES Act, sent almost four times as many federal dollars to state governments ($110 billion) as to cities ($29 billion), and none to municipalities with fewer than 500,000 residents. Those smaller communities had to apply to their state governments for the funds, and nearly 30 percent got nothing. By contrast, under the COVID relief bill Biden signed in March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, Washington sent $130 billion directly to municipalities of all sizes, more than half as much as the $220 billion states received. In an even greater break from past practice, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Biden signed in November 2021, appropriated $196 billion—a third of all surface transportation spending in the bill—for competitive grants that municipalities can apply for directly, without having to seek permission from their state governments. Competitive spending in previous infrastructure bills was negligible.
Biden’s got messaging game
Democrats are constantly criticized for “poor messaging”. A big reason for that is not that Dems don’t message, but that MSM, cable and right wing media refuse to amplify it, instead amplifying the R messaging points. But, Joe and his team have a plan for this problem and I think we will see a new and better approach to messaging that not only will circumvent the unhelpful corporate media but will also speak directly to young people, who are the future of America:
Biden's digital strategy: an army of influencers, Sophia Can, Axios, April 10, 2023.
President Biden's not-yet-official bid for re-election will lean on hundreds of social media "influencers" who will tout Biden's record — and soon may have their own briefing room at the White House, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The move aims to boost Biden's standing among young voters who are crucial to Democrats' success in elections — and to potentially counter former President Trump'smassive social media following, if he's the GOP nominee in 2024.✂️ What they're saying: "We're trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital," said Jen O'Malley Dillon, White House deputy chief of staff. The details: Hundreds of (unpaid and like-minded) content creators are working with Biden's White House.✂️ Zoom in: A dedicated White House briefing space for influencers to meet in person or by remote would be unprecedented — and a sign that the traditional Press Briefing Room no longer would be the administration's only messaging center.
DOJ is appealing that Texas judge’s extremist ruling
Justice Dept. asks appeals court to block abortion drug ruling that imperils access, Rebecca Shabbad and Lawrence Hurley, NBC, April 10, 2023.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice on Monday filed a request in a federal appeals court seeking to block a ruling last week by a Trump-appointed judge that endangers access to the key abortion pill mifepristone. The Biden administration asked the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals to put on hold U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling late last week to allow more time for the case to go through the appeals process. Danco, the maker of Mifeprex , the brand name version of mifepristone, filed a similar request. Kacsmaryk's ruling "upended decades of reliance by blocking FDA’s approval of mifepristone and depriving patients of access to this safe and effective treatment, based on the court’s own misguided assessment of the drug’s safety," Justice Department lawyers wrote in court papers.✂️ The Justice Department asked the appeals court to put an indefinite hold on the decision while the appeals process plays out. If the appeals court does not grant the request, the government's only option would be to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. The government asked the appeals court to act by noon on Thursday.
Biden maps out energy plan
Biden administration releases road map to scale up nuclear, hydrogen, and energy storage, Akielly Hu, Grist, March 31, 2023.
Last week, the Department of Energy, or DOE, released a road map for scaling up three emerging technologies that could make or break the U.S. energy transition. According to the agency, advanced nuclear, clean hydrogen, and long-duration energy storage are crucial for reaching net-zero emissions. The problem is, self-sustaining markets for these technologies don’t exist yet. The department’s new “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff” reportsidentify key challenges and potential solutions for getting these industries off the ground. They provide, for the first time, concrete numbers on how much additional energy capacity is needed from each of the three new technologies to reach U.S. climate goals. They also spell out how much money private and government actors will need to invest in research and development, and what challenges stand in the way of commercializing these sectors. The Biden administration aims to halve emissions by 2030 and hit net-zero emissions by 2050. These fast-approaching deadlines mean that the next few years are critical for redrawing the energy landscape.
State Democrats Deliver, too
California
California lawmakers push housing, homelessness bills — but will they work? Sam Ribakoff, Courthouse News, April 10, 2023.
A bevy of bills floating through the Legislature this year hope to strengthen the state’s involvement in easing those frustrations. Will they work? “No bill is a silver bullet,” said state Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco. “It’s taken us 50 years to dig into this hole, and it’s going to take us a while to dig out.” As chair of the state Senate’s housing committee, Wiener has led efforts to pass legislation to streamline regulations, making it easier for developers to build more housing to fill California’s persistent shortage of homes and apartments.✂️ “It’s an all-of-the-above approach,” Wiener said, adding that along with making it easier for developers to build more of every kind of housing, he’s also supportive of social housing —or publicly financed housing where rents are capped for a mix of tenants who make varying incomes.✂️ “We have to not lean into the frustration, we have to lean into the root causes and redirect our anger to collective care and solutions for each other,” Smallwood-Cuevas (D- south Los Angeles) said of the public's frustration over homelessness crisis. “I’m here for the hard work because that’s what it’s going to take. We have to do it one bill, one policy, at a time. That’s how things work here in Sacramento.”
Massachusetts
Governor Healey Announces Immediate Action to Protect Access to Medication Abortion in Massachusetts, Mass.gov., April 10, 2023.
“Double down for freedom” BOSTON — Following a federal court ruling in Texas in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food & Drug Administration that blocked the FDA's approval of the abortion medication mifepristone, Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey announced steps that the state is taking to protect access to care. At the Governor’s request, the University of Massachusetts and health care providers have taken action to stockpile doses of mifepristone, and the Governor is issuing an Executive Order confirming protections for medication abortion under existing state law. “Medication abortion is safe, effective and legal. Mifepristone has been used safely for more than 20 years and is the gold standard. Here in Massachusetts, we are not going to let one extremist judge in Texas turn back the clock on this proven medication and restrict access to care in our state,” said Governor Healey. “The action we are taking today protects access to mifepristone in Massachusetts and protects patients and providers from liability. In Massachusetts, we stand for civil rights and freedom. We will always protect access to reproductive health care, including medication abortion.” x x YouTube Video
Kentucky
Kentucky Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill Into Law, Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, March 31, 2023.
The governor of Kentucky has signed a bill to legalize marijuana, making the state the 38th in the U.S. to enact the reform. Just one day after the House approved the legislation from Sen. Stephen West (R), Gov. Andy Beshear (D) fulfilled his pledge to sign in into law on Friday. The governor had rallied citizens to pressure their state representatives to pass the bill. “Far too many of our people face the obstacle of having chronic or terminal diseases like cancer, or those like our veterans suffering from PTSD or Kentuckians living with epilepsy, seizures, Parkinson’s or more,” Beshear said. “These folks want and deserve safe and effective methods of treatment.” x I have been pushing for medical cannabis and sports betting for years. Today, I signed these two bills into law. Team Kentucky delivers and we get results. Congrats, Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/mwkNjIBRA7 — Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 31, 2023
North Carolina
Democrats will not give up on getting healthcare to every American. The persistence is paying off: even purple and red states are now bowing to the pressure to expand Medicaid:
Will North Carolina Be the ‘Beginning of the End’ of the Medicaid Expansion Fight? Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, April 9, 2023.
But in a sunny outdoor ceremony at the governor’s mansion late last month, with the dogwoods blooming in a sign of spring, Mr. Berger looked on with pride as Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed Medicaid expansion into law. State officials estimate that the expansion will cover more than 600,000 North Carolinians. Thirteen years after the adoption of the Affordable Care Act under President Barack Obama, Republicans are abandoning their opposition to Medicaid expansion. Lingering reservations about the welfare state and the cost of expansion are giving way to arguments about Medicaid as an engine for economic growth and a lifeline for struggling hospitals.✂️ “This is the beginning of the end of the Medicaid expansion story,” said Lawrence O. Gostin, an expert in public health law at Georgetown University. Noting North Carolina’s place as a traditionally conservative state in the South, he added, “The recognition that even the state’s Republican legislature would sign onto Medicaid expansion will begin to chip away at the reluctance by conservative states.”
Washington
'Unacceptable consequences' | Gov. Inslee pens letter urging Idaho governor to veto abortion trafficking bill, Celina Van Hyning, KREM, April 4, 2023.
In a letter, Inslee asked Idaho Gov. Brad Little to veto House Bill 242 (HB 242), a bill that would make it illegal for any person to help an Idaho minor get an abortion in another state, even if abortion is legal in that state. Inslee claims the bill, referred to as the "abortion trafficking bill", could have "many unacceptable consequences that cannot be cured." “I question the constitutionality of this law and I know you are aware of the costly legal challenges that await should you choose to sign this bill, but, as the governor of a neighboring state, I am also deeply concerned about the impacts that EHB 242 will have on Washington residents traveling to and from Idaho. I fear that our residents, in particular the women and girls of Washington, will be in grave danger if they travel to your state and find themselves in need of urgent reproductive health care services. This bill would also attempt to punish some Washington residents who happen to be in your state for any length of time, a gross abuse of their right to travel between our states. As a result, all Washingtonians have a stake in this matter. Regardless of your decision on this bill, we welcome Idaho’s patients and health care providers with open arms in Washington. And, as we did during COVID, we will care for your residents in a manner consistent with their health care needs as determined by trained medical professionals, not politicians. But, make no mistake, Governor Little, the laws of another state that seek to punish anyone in Washington for lawful actions taken in Washington will not stand. We will protect our providers, and we will harbor and comfort your residents who seek health care services that are denied to them in Idaho.” In addition to the letter, Inslee announced Tuesday that Washington state had purchased a three-year supply of mifepristone, an abortion medication that is currently at the center of a lawsuit in Texas.
I really miss having Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, so here is a musical selection that makes me think of her and her constant refrain — FOR THE PEOPLE:
🎶 Music FOR THE PEOPLE 🎶
x YouTube Video
😡😩 Republicans in Disarray 😫🤬
Some Republicans are begging Trump to stay out of their primaries: report, Sarah K Burris, Raw Story, April 10, 2023.
One of the biggest problems that Republicans faced in 2022 is that the majority of Americans didn't want to vote for them. They lost all but one U.S. Senate seat they were hoping to hold onto and failed to take back others. The so-called "red wave" they were bragging would happen failed. The Washington Examiner reported Monday that the GOP is begging Donald Trump to keep out of the 2024 race.✂️ "Sure seems like that would be helpful based on our lack of success in 2022," said Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD). "I hope he stays out because him getting involved last time led to us losing key Senate races we could have won," Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said. “I think it’s viewed [that way] by almost every single member of the caucus, if not all of them, but I think few will say it because they don’t want to get the wrath of Donald Trump.”
'Despite all the red blinking lights': Republicans are caught in their own antiabortion death drive, John Stoehr, Raw Story, April 10, 2023.
In his headline, Sykes asks whether the GOP is addicted to losing. “Despite all the red blinking lights — and they are flashing everywhere — the GOP simply smacks its lips and says, ‘This is fine.’ More, please,” he wrote. The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page is getting nervous, too. “Republicans had better get their abortion position … more in line with where voters are or they will face another disappointment in 2024. A total ban is a loser in swing states. Republicans who insist on that position could soon find that electoral defeats will lead to even more liberal state abortion laws than under Roe. That’s where Michigan is now after last year’s rout.” These Republicans can’t get their position more in line with where voters are, because most voters believe abortion should be legal with some limits here and there. At the same time, they can’t soften their position for fear of being accused on being soft on “murder”. The problem isn’t doing a poor job of selling antiabortion politics. The problem is antiabortion politics.
McCarthy faces GOP blowback after N.Y. Times leak, Juliegrace Brufke, Axios, April 8, 2023.
Some angry GOP lawmakers warn that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's position could be on rocky ground after a report he blamed members of his leadership team for Republicans' chaos over the budget. Why it matters: Multiple House Republicans argued McCarthy’s criticism of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) undermines their messaging and opens the floodgates for public infighting earlier than necessary. McCarthy told colleagues he lacks confidence that Arrington can deliver a budget proposal, according to an explosive New York Times article published Thursday.
colleagues he lacks confidence that Arrington can deliver a budget proposal, according to an explosive New York Times article published Thursday. The California Republican also reportedly told allies he views Scalise as “ineffective” and unwilling to take hard positions. What they’re saying: A GOP lawmaker accused McCarthy of using Scalise and Arrington as scapegoats before budget and debt ceiling negotiations have fully imploded.
and unwilling to take hard positions. “The members I've spoken with are just stunned by his rebuking of his budget chair, and certainly of our leadership,” another House Republican told Axios.
“I can't imagine [he will last an entire term].”
⚖️ Legal News ⚖️
Congress Members Announce Hearing, Demand Chief Justice Investigate Clarence Thomas’ Trips, TPM, April 10, 2023.
Bill Barr is a corrupt, ideologically extreme, career cover-up facilitator so I include this story with all sort of caveats, But it is notable for two reasons: 1) Barr is once again throwing TFG under the bus, which is significant and 2) the fact that Barr has now repeated throwing TFG under the bus seems telling.
My guess is that BB is sending a message to people — they’ll know who they are (guilty of all sorts of corrupt and criminal behavior) — warning that they are vulnerable to (righteous) prosecution, that the evidence is there to indict them too, and that TFG likely can and definitely will try to take them all down with him, while he (Barr) may not be able to stop it this time.
“Very strong evidence”: Bill Barr says Trump should be “most concerned” about documents case, Igor Derysh, Salon, April 10, 2023.
"He had no claim to those documents, especially the classified documents. They belonged to the government. And so, I think he was jerking the government around. And they subpoenaed it. And they tried to jawbone him into delivering documents," Barr explained. "But the government is investigating the extent to which games were played and there was obstruction in keeping documents from them. And I think that's a serious potential case. I think they probably have some very good evidence there." Smith's team has collected evidence including emails and texts turned over by former Trump aide Molly Michael suggesting potential obstruction by Trump in the Mar-a-Lago investigation, The Washington Post reported last week. Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, who drafted a statement claiming that all sensitive documents were returned before the FBI discovered 100 more top-secret documents during the August search of Mar-a-Lago, was ordered to testify before a grand jury after prosecutors successfully pushed to pierce attorney-client privilege, citing evidence that Trump may have used Corcoran's services to violate the law. Barr predicted that there is a "very good chance" that special counsel Jack Smith will indict Trump in the case. "It depends on how sensitive the documents were, but also what evidence they have of obstruction and games-playing by the president and whether he directed people to lie or gave them information that was deceitful to pass onto the government," he said.
Health and Wellbeing
Several of these health-related stories (and science stories in the next section, too!) came from links people shared in GNR comments — thanks everyone!
WHO certifies Azerbaijan and Tajikistan as malaria-free, World Health Organization, April 10, 2023.
A total of 42 countries or territories have reached the malaria-free milestone The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan for achieving elimination of malaria in their territories. The certification follows a sustained, century-long effort to stamp out the disease by the 2 countries. “The people and governments of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have worked long and hard to eliminate malaria,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Their accomplishment is further proof that, with the right resources and political commitment, eliminating malaria is possible. I hope that other countries can learn from their experience.” Certification of malaria elimination is the official recognition by WHO of a country’s malaria-free status. The certification is granted when a country has shown – with rigorous, credible evidence – that the chain of indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes has been interrupted nationwide for at least the past three consecutive years. A country must also demonstrate the capacity to prevent the re-establishment of transmission.
I can’t quite recall if I or someone else already shared this news, but it is such good news that I think it’s worth sharing again!
A Gene Therapy Cure for Sickle Cell Is on the Horizon, Emily Mullin, Wired, March 15, 2023.
In July 2020, he received a one-time infusion of his own altered stem cells. Three months after the treatment, tests showed that 70 percent of his blood cells had the intended change—far above the threshold needed to eliminate symptoms. He hasn’t had a pain crisis since. He can do more outdoor activities, and he doesn’t have to worry about missing work. He plans to go skydiving soon—something he never would have dreamed of doing before. “My quality of life is so much better now,” he says. Junior, who's now 30 years old, is one of dozens of sickle cell patients in the US and Europe who have received gene therapies in clinical trials—some led by universities, others by biotech companies. Two such therapies, one from Bluebird Bio and the other from Crispr Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are the closest to coming to market. The companies are now seeking regulatory approval in the US and Europe. If successful, more patients could soon benefit from these therapies, although access and affordability could limit who gets them. “I’m optimistic that this will be a game-changer for these patients,” says Cheryl Mensah, a hematologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, who treats adults with sickle cell disease. “If more patients undergo curative therapies, especially at younger ages, there will be fewer adults who have chronic pain and fatigue.”
New nanoparticles can perform gene editing in the lungs, Anne Trafton, MIT News Office, March 30, 2023.
Engineers at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have designed a new type of nanoparticle that can be administered to the lungs, where it can deliver messenger RNA encoding useful proteins. With further development, these particles could offer an inhalable treatment for cystic fibrosis and other diseases of the lung, the researchers say. “This is the first demonstration of highly efficient delivery of RNA to the lungs in mice. We are hopeful that it can be used to treat or repair a range of genetic diseases, including cystic fibrosis,” says Daniel Anderson, a professor in MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES).
Bacterial ‘Nanosyringe’ Could Deliver Gene Therapy to Human Cells, Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, March 29, 2023.
In a paper published today in Nature, researchers report refashioning Photorhabdus’s syringe—called a contractile injection system—so that it can attach to human cells and inject large proteins into them. The work could provide a way to deliver various therapeutic proteins into any type of cell, including proteins that can “edit” the cell’s DNA. “It’s a very interesting approach,” says Mark Kay, a gene therapy researcher at Stanford University who was not involved in the study. “Where I think it could be very useful is when you want to express proteins that can do genome editing” to correct or knock out a gene that is mutated in a genetic disorder, he says. The nano injector could provide a critical tool for scientists interested in tweaking genes. “Delivery is probably the biggest unsolved problem for gene editing,” says study investigator Feng Zhang, a molecular biologist at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard. Zhang is known for his work developing the gene editing system CRISPR-Cas9. Existing technology can insert the editing machinery “into a few tissues, blood and liver and the eye, but we don’t have a good way to get to anywhere else,” such as the brain, heart, lung or kidney, Zhang says. The syringe technology also holds promise for treating cancer because it can be engineered to attach to receptors on certain cancer cells.
x YouTube Video
🔬🌏 Cool Science and Climate News 🌎🔭
Here’s another example of how Democrats deliver!
Walmart to add EV charging to thousands of stores by 2030, Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, April 6, 2023.
The company plans to add the fast-charging stations to Walmart and Sam’s Club stores coast-to-coast, more than quadrupling its current network of roughly 280 locations. The pledge will help address a top problem preventing some consumers from switching to EVs — a lack of reliable charging infrastructure.✂️ Making electric cars an easier reach for the masses remains a major pillar of the Biden administration’s green energy policy. The White House aims to address the charging gap with funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law, which provides $7.5 billion to subsidize construction of EV charging stations. The federal government has begundistributing that funding to states.✂️ EVs could reach 10 percent of new car sales this year, she said, and “there’s a lot of momentum from both the federal agency and the private sector to push the infrastructure deployment … so it’s a good sign.” x .@POTUS' clean energy plan is making EV chargers more accessible for drivers.
This significant boost to our charging infrastructure is sure to spark more interest in buying American-made electric vehicles. And that's what I call a WIN-WIN.
https://t.co/BKWX8bjvSk — Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm) April 8, 2023
And it’s not just Walmart who sees the future coming fast!
The next hot fast food menu item? Electric car charging, Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, March 22, 2023.
Several major fast food and convenience store chains have recently announced a big push into electric vehicle (EV) charging, a trend that could accelerate efforts to expand the country's embryonic charging infrastructure. Why it matters: Automakers are finally getting serious about electrification — yet many would-be EV buyers want more assurance they'll be able to find chargers when they need them. Driving the news: Convenience store chain 7-Eleven recently launched its own EV fast-charging network, called 7Charge. "7-Eleven will have the ability to grow its network to match consumer demand and make EV charging available to neighborhoods that have, until now, lacked access," reads the release.✂️ Catch up quick: Fast food giant Subway last month announced long-term plans to build car-charging "oases" replete with green spaces, playgrounds and more. (Electrify America, one of the foremost charging-specific companies, has similar ambitions.)
I love this so much! In fact, this story inspired me to order a new copy of Pale Blue Dot since I lost my old copy in a move!
x Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, the new director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, took her oath on a copy of Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot."
It was the perfect book for the situation.
https://t.co/Xp7BzydPwT — Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) April 8, 2023
Renewable energy capacity is growing
We are on the right track and now we just need to step up the pace. (looking at the other stories, I think the world — and especially the USA — is on it!
Global renewables capacity grew by 10% last year-IRENA, Nina Chestney, Reuters, March 21, 2023.
IRENA's annual report on renewable energy statistics said global renewable energy capacity amounted to 3,372 gigawatts (GW) at the end of last year, some 295 GW or 9.6% higher than the previous year. Some 83% of all new power capacity last year was from renewables. "This continued record growth shows the resilience of renewable energy amidst the lingering energy crisis," IRENA’s Director General Francesco La Camera said. "But annual additions of renewable power capacity must grow three times the current level by 2030 if we want to stay on a pathway limiting global warming to 1.5C," he added.
California, LA and Japan Sign Agreements for Green Shipping Initiative, The Maritime Executive, March 16, 2023.
Representatives from the state of California and the government of Japan signed agreements to collaborate on clean ports and shipping including establishing green shipping corridors during a trade mission to Japan. The initiative was followed with a second agreement between the ports of Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Yokohama as part of the broad effort to collaborate on enhancing the global supply chain and addressing greenhouse gas emissions. “The ports of California and Japan help power the global economy and will now help power a new era of clean energy, clean transportation, and good-paying green jobs,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom who was represented by the state’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and business leaders including the executive directors of the state’s three largest ports. The letter of intent signed in Tokyo calls for deepening cooperation, information-sharing, and discussion of best practices between the governments of California and Japan to support the development of green shipping corridors, expand offshore wind, and cut planet-warming pollution at ports in Japan and California. The initiative looks to build on trade and climate agreements launched between the state and Japan a year ago.
Last year or the year before, one of us reported on this project to restore oysters (and other sea fauna) to reefs near Brisbane, Australia. The oysters had been “functionally extinct” due to habitat destruction, and along with the oysters, lots of other native flora and fauna had also suffered. The Griffith research team with a group of volunteers tried a method of repopulating the reef which they felt confident was succeeding, but they didn’t have data to prove it. Now they do:
Oysters back from the brink thanks to novel restoration, Carley Rosengreen, Phys.org, April 4, 2023.
A team of Griffith University marine scientists analyzed all types of animals living on the structures placed in the Port of Brisbane, and found that along with oysters and other shellfish, another 4.5 million animals, such as crabs, live on and among the oysters.✂️ The Griffith research team worked with fishing conservation charity OzFish to create the new oyster reefs at a 19-hectare site in 5-meter deep water at the Port of Brisbane near the mouth of the river.✂️ "We thought for years that the baskets seemed to be working, but we wanted a scientific assessment and invited the Griffith University team to verify just how many shellfish and other animals were there," he said. Together, the teams found that the 4,000 deployed ROBs recruited oysters well, were very stable, inexpensive, portable and easy to deploy, and formed sturdy clumps of oysters in about 12 months.
🐩 💙 CG’s Picks 💙 🐩
Hello Everybody! It’s me, Curlygirl! I have lots of stories for you today and they are about a lot of different kinds of animals — and dogs, too!
🐘 First, here’s a story about a clever elephant:
This Elephant Taught Herself to Peel Bananas, Emily Anthes, New York Times, April 10, 2023.
This is not Pang Pha,
but still cute baby Asian elephants! But give this Asian elephant, who lives at the Berlin Zoo, a yellow banana speckled with brown, and she might do what none of her pachyderm companions do: peel it. She will snap the banana in half with the tip of her trunk and then shake the fruit until the fleshy interior slides out. Then she’ll devour the pulp, leaving the peel behind. “It’s quite skillful,” said Michael Brecht, a neuroscientist at Humboldt University of Berlin and one of the authors of a new paper on Pang Pha’s ability to peel that was published on Monday in the journal Current Biology. “She clearly optimized the behavior.” Dr. Brecht and his colleagues suspect that Pang Pha, who was raised at the zoo, developed her method after watching her caretakers peel the fruit for her.✂️ “Banana peeling is another example of how dexterous the elephant’s trunk is,” Joshua Plotnik, a comparative psychologist at Hunter College in New York City, said in an email. “It’s a wonderful ‘built in’ tool that the elephant uses for a variety of purposes.”
🐘🐘 Since I used their newborn picture in the last story, here’s an update on how the Miracle elephant twins I told you about last fall are doing!
x Have you herd? As of yesterday, BOTH Yaad and Tukada weighed in at 457 pounds! At birth, Yaad and Tukada weighed 220 and 237, which means they’ve more than doubled in weight in the past 5 months! #Syracusezoo #EleTwins pic.twitter.com/7SEuzz9jxF — Rosamond Gifford Zoo (@SyracuseZoo) March 30, 2023
🐶 When I saw this article I started wagging my tail in the happy way and spinning in circles — because I was really excited! It tells about how dogs really feel when we do stuff that humans think is cute or maybe asking to be petted but we are not always asking to be petted! Sometimes we are asking for the opposite! It also tells about what dogs do to try to tell our humans we are frightened or upset and also about how we sometimes need help socializing with other dogs and even humans. I wish more people understood dogs a little better, but now you definitely can because here is the really good article!
What Your Dog Wants, Melinda Wenner Moyer, New York Times, April 10, 2023.
Here I am trying to tell Mama,
”Can we go for a walk now?” My family is one of the estimated 23 million American householdsthat got a pandemic pet, and Ozzy, our new beloved German Shepherd-Afghan Hound-Chow Chow mix, has brought us joy during a very difficult time.✂️ But Ozzy has also, at times, been a pain in the butt, doing things like jumping on the kitchen table to steal my burrito and pulling his leash like a sled dog on walks. So a few months ago, my partner and I hired a trainer to help us figure him out. The first thing our trainer, Amber Marino, taught us was that we were probably misinterpreting much of Ozzy’s behavior, as most owners do. “Dogs are always communicating with us, but most of the time we’re not listening, which can lead to behavioral issues,” she told me. I was surprised to learn from her that when a pup rolls over, he doesn’t necessarily want a tummy rub — it could be that he wants some space. I’d always assumed that when a dog wags its tail, it meant she was happy, but it could actually mean that she’s amped up and about to lash out. I wanted to know more about what makes dogs act the way they do, so I reached out to several scientists to explain what humans get wrong when it comes to dog behavior. Here are some of the fascinating things I learned. (🐩 I can’t put it all here in the GNR because Mama says it is against the rules so I am putting a link here for you to go read the whole thing as a gift! READ THIS IT’S ABOUT DOGS!
🦁 How about an update on the lion triplets at Lincoln Park Zoo? As you know, I am very pleased and proud that we have 3 lions in Chicago and especially 3 baby lions! What? Scared of lions? Me? Not me! I like lions, now! I am not going to the zoo to see them, though, because dogs are not allowed in the zoo. Oh well! (phew!). They are kind of cute, though, aren’t they? 😍
x The time has come for lion cubs Pesho, Sidai, and Lomelok to explore the great outdoors! The cubs have surpassed many milestones, including meeting the rest of the pride under mom Zari’s watchful eye, and are ready for their biggest adventure yet – leaving the den. pic.twitter.com/cbfzUke7WE — Lincoln Park Zoo (@lincolnparkzoo) April 7, 2023
That’s all I have for you today — I think it was a lot! Bye for now! Luv, CG 💙 🐾
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Republicans caught off guard by the left's ferocious backlash, Heather Digby Parton, Salon, April 7, 2023.
⚡️ The Hardest Decisions Mothers Make, Mary Louise Kelly, the Atlantic, April 9, 2023.
⚡️ Right-Wing Extremism Is Even More Common Than You Think, David Masciotra, Washington Monthly, April 10, 2023.
⚡️ Raccoons, rabbits and Sean Spicer: The camp and contradictions of the White House Easter Egg Roll, Lizzie Stark, Salon, April 9, 2023.
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s all for another Wednesday Tuesday! from me and CG. I hope you’re having a good day and taking good care of yourself. There are exciting times ahead. Some of it will test us and some of it will thrill us and make us glad to be alive to witness it. Let’s get lots of rest, eat nutritious food and get as much fresh air and exercise as we can manage.
I’ll leave you with some nice relaxing guitar music. Happy Tuesday, Gnusies!
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