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Good News Roundup for Friday, May 12, 2023: Never Give Up, Never Surrender [1]
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Date: 2023-05-12
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Some of this has been too long in coming — tRump should have been hauled off to prison before entering the presidency — but at least now some of it is coming. The verdicts in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case. The arrest of George (maybe) Santos (maybe). The flipping of some of the fake electors in Georgia.
But these bits of justice did not just “happen.” They are only entering the space-time of real events because people have refused to surrender. They have refused to give up.
And that’s just the accountability side.
I’ve also been noticing more acknowledgment of good news.
Not just that there is good news, but that good news is important for our health. Jennifer Rubin, down below, echoes this. It’s as if the effects from the Good News Roundup are rippling through society.
There’s still too much awful out there, too, but we’re here to take a break from it. Come on in, dear friends, and see what some of the good guys have been up to!
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 👍
Feinstein returning to the Senate Talking Points Memo
Picture from December 2022 Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is set to return to the Senate this week, after a nearly three-month absence as she recovered from shingles, a spokesperson for the senator confirmed to TPM. ✂️ Feinstein — who sits on the Judiciary Committee — has been absent from the Senate since she was diagnosed with shingles in late February. During the months she has been away, Feinstein has missed dozens of Senate votes including many on the crucial Judiciary Committee where her presence is required to break a tie and move President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees to the floor. ✂️ The 89-year-old has previously faced some questions around her cognitive health and she already announced she is not running for reelection in 2024. After calls for her resignation started becoming public, Feinstein even tried to temporarily step aside from her committee seat and allow another Democratic senator to serve in her place. But Republicans blocked the move in April, making it clear that they had no intention of helping Democrats get more of Biden’s judicial nominees confirmed.
As long as there’s no good way to replace her, having her return is the best thing. I understand she’s actually in a wheelchair, which is tough.
I hope everyone who had chicken pox has had their shingles shots!
Some environmental justice in Alabama Brady Dennis, Washington Post
Officials in Alabama discriminated against Black residents in a rural county by denying them access to adequate sanitation systems, imposing burdensome fines and liens, and ignoring the serious health risks plaguing the community, according to a landmark environmental justice agreement announced Thursday by the Biden administration. “Today starts a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Ala., who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long,” Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in announcing the agreement with local health officials and the Alabama Department of Public Health. Monday’s agreement comes 18 months after the federal government launched an investigation into the situation in Lowndes — and after years of complaints from civic activists about sewage backups caused by failing septic tanks and exacerbated by climate change, including increased flooding.
👎 DOJ seeking to disbar some Floridian tax preparers DOJ
The United States filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking to bar nine Florida tax return preparers and their associated business from assisting in the preparing of federal income tax returns for others. The complaint alleges that Richard Louis, Teddy Davis, James Merrill, Daniel Ouku, Demetrius Knowles, Harold Bornelus, Joseph Garrett, Marlyne Wah and Romeo Davis prepared and filed thousands of federal income tax returns for customers through or in connection with the unincorporated entity known as Taxman. According to the complaint, one scheme used by the defendants was to claim fraudulent Residential Energy Credits on their customers’ tax returns. Louis and Taxman also allegedly falsified and overstated business and itemized deductions on their customers’ tax returns and prepared tax returns for customers claiming the incorrect filing status. As alleged in the complaint, defendants’ pattern of preparing returns that understate their customers’ taxes or that overstate their customers’ refunds has resulted in defendants’ customers receiving refunds to which they are not entitled. As further alleged in the complaint, based on the returns it has examined, the IRS estimates that the United States has lost millions of dollars in tax revenue as a result of defendants’ actions.
⚡️ DOJ and FBI disable some Russian espionage Mark Sumner, Daily Kos
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Most people know Santos has been indicted (YAY!). But there’s more: Santos may not even have a treasurer for his campaign. CREW
There is reason to believe that Rep. George Santos’s treasurer does not exist and that Santos’s committees are violating the law by raising and spending money without a treasurer, according to a complaint filed today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington with the FEC. Andrew Olson, Santos’s listed treasurer, is not and has not been identified as a treasurer to any political committee outside of those connected to Santos. No one asked about it appears to know Olson, including those knowledgeable of political committee treasurers and New York Republican politics. His listed address on the FEC forms is the former address of Santos’s sister. He has not responded to any attempts to contact him through the means provided in the FEC filings. “Given his struggles with the truth, much about Rep. Santos remains a mystery, but there’s no bigger mystery than his treasurer,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said. “No one can seem to find Andrew Olson. If he does not exist, it would be an extreme abuse of our campaign finance system–one the FEC should not permit.”
Almost didn’t include this because it is not good news. But knowing about it helps us work on the problem:
x Thomas’ shift also came while he was receiving lavish gifts from a billionaire linked to other groups criticizing the same doctrine — which is now headed back to the high court.
https://t.co/IVB2R1LXpm — Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) May 11, 2023
🔎 GOP looks for a Biden crime but can’t find one Jordain Cairney, Politico
The rollout by Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and GOP members of his panel marks the biggest public swing that Republicans have taken since November in a probe they’ve put at the center of investigations they hope will help them both keep their majority in 2024 and win the White House. But the highly anticipated press conference also raised fresh questions about their ability to ultimately capture their white whale: the president himself. And Comer’s already faced plenty of doubt, including from some within his own party, that he can back up his promises to show Biden’s connection to family business dealings. No link has publicly emerged, and that didn’t change at Wednesday’s press conference.
And even Fox pushes back on the insinuations. Maybe those still working at the FOX don’t want to get involved in a defamation suit?
x Wow! Steve Doocy to James Comer this morning: "You don't actually have any facts to that point. You've got some circumstantial evidence. And the other thing is, of all those names, the one person who didn't profit -- there's no evidence that Joe Biden did anything illegally." pic.twitter.com/Ad8L3NSXWE — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2023
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
Inflation is down! WH Briefing Room
With today’s report, annual inflation has come down 45 percent since last summer. The annual inflation rate has now come down 10 months in a row at a time when our economy and job market are strong, with the unemployment rate at its lowest level in more than 50 years. Gas prices are down nearly $1.50 from their summer peak, and prices at the grocery store have actually come down the last two months, providing some welcome breathing room for families. While we have more work to do to lower costs for families, the President’s Inflation Reduction Act is already working to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health care, and home energy costs. And with more than $400 billion in private sector manufacturing investments committed already, his Investing in America agenda is creating good jobs you can raise a family on in communities throughout the country.
I loved how Biden managed in this little question and answer session with some of the press:
x Yep!
This pissed me off and this is why her ass looked stupid.
She was trying to get a gotcha.
He asked her what their ideas were and she couldn't even answer because she didn't care.
She got really quiet!
https://t.co/W7rMEEZIIw — Leaundra Ross 💙💚🏈⚾️ (@LeaundraRoss) May 10, 2023
Here’s the transcript, part of some Remarks by President Biden on debt ceiling negotiations:
Q Speaker McCarthy said that he asked you numerous times if there was anywhere in the federal budget for cuts, but he did not get an answer. So is there anywhere —
THE PRESIDENT: He got a specific answer. He got a specific answer again today. The first —
Q Which is what?
THE PRESIDENT: I — well, you didn’t listen either. So why should I even answer the question?
I — we cut the deficit by $160 billion — billion — B-I-L-O-I-O-N — dollars on the Medicare deal. We cut the deficit by raising the tax on people making — 55 corporations that made $40 billion to 15 percent. And the list goes on. So —
Q But in terms of what he is proposing, is there any room for negotiation?
THE PRESIDENT: What’s he proposing? Did he tell you?
Q Well, he —
THE PRESIDENT: Did you hear him?
Q — he talked about —
THE PRESIDENT: No, no, I’m not being facetious. Did he tell you what he’s proposing? Q He — he was talking about the bill. THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. But what — what does it propose? Do you know? I’m not being a wise guy. You all are very, very informed people. Do you know what that bill cuts? Q He — there is a long list of things that it — it cuts that he — THE PRESIDENT: No. No, it doesn’t say. It says — does it say what it’s going to cut or just say generically it’s going to cut? You get the problem. You’ve answered.
Ds are much more fiscally responsible than Rs. We knew that, but here’s a graph:
x Rs have never been serious about deficit reduction.
Last 3 R Presidents saw deficit soar on their watch.
They opposed Clinton, Obama, Biden budgets which successfully lowered the deficit.
Deficit went up every year under Trump.
This whole thing is a red wavy farce. pic.twitter.com/kTjqEUOxKF — Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) May 9, 2023
In case you can’t see the Tweet, here’s the chart:
Note this comes from Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles, a series on “With Democrats, Things Get Better”. They are videos with A LOT of information. Too much, actually, but there are also bits like the graph above that can be taken and used to spread the message in smaller pieces.
No one should be voting for Rs. No one.
Success stories! Mostly D. Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
The public has become so cynical about government and so saturated with negative news that it is easy to forget the success stories. Let’s look at three. helps ordinary taxpayers. Former car czar Steven Rattner , “Since the passage of the IRA, the agency has hired more than 5,000 new customer service agents. Consequently, response rates to taxpayer increases have improved dramatically. During the last tax season, just 15% of customer calls were answered with live support; this year, the figure shot up to nearly 90%.” Moreover, “the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the additional funding will result in an extra $177 billion of tax collections between now and 2031, reducing the budget deficit over that period by roughly $100 billion.” That is a smart use of taxpayer money. The Internal Revenue Service. Despite Republican howling, additional funds for the IRS mean the government collects more of what people owe and thereby reduces the amount we have to borrow or tax others. It alsohelpsordinary taxpayers. Former car czar Steven Rattner observed recently , “Since the passage of the IRA, the agency has hired more than 5,000 new customer service agents. Consequently, response rates to taxpayer increases have improved dramatically. During the last tax season, just 15% of customer calls were answered with live support; this year, the figure shot up to nearly 90%.” Moreover, “the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the additional funding will result in an extra $177 billion of tax collections between now and 2031, reducing the budget deficit over that period by roughly $100 billion.” That is a smart use of taxpayer money. . Fortune magazine reported recently, “The Biden administration’s efforts to revive U.S. manufacturing appear to be succeeding, with some business sectors plowing in almost 20 times the investment in new U.S. manufacturing projects versus only a few years ago.” The Chips and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act have injected “over $400 billion into clean energy technology and semiconductor manufacturing in the form of government incentives and subsidies, as well as create thousands of new jobs.” On top of that, private industry has invested more than $200 billion, “almost double what it was in 2021 and nearly 20 times above 2019 levels.” The number of projects more than $1 billion went from four in 2019 to 31 now. The result: More than 100,000 clean tech jobs were created since the IRA and the Chips Act passed. Biden is transforming the economy. ✂️ Chips and Inflation Adjustment Act North Carolina is the latest state to adopt Medicaid expansion under the ACA. South Dakota will expand effective July 1. Only 10 states have declined to expand coverage.
Maybe Rubin has realized that we readers need to see the good news, too!
The White House goes on offense against a GOP attack dog Zachary Petrizzo, Matt Fuller, The Daily Beast
After months of watching House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) attack President Joe Biden for pretty much every outrage worthy of a Fox News segment, the White House isn’t holding back. In advance of a press conference focused on the Biden family’s “business schemes” that Comer is holding Wednesday morning, White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a lengthy and exclusive comment to The Daily Beast questioning Comer’s own credibility.
💜 Unity? 💜
Some across-the-aisle agreement: senators of both parties agree it’s time to protect kids with respect to social media Washington Post
Tom Cotton, a Republican, represents Arkansas in the U.S. Senate; Brian Schatz, a Democrat, represents Hawaii; Chris Murphy, a Democrat, represents Connecticut; Katie Boyd Britt, a Republican, represents Alabama. Do you know which social media apps your children are on? Do you understand how those apps might harm them? Few parents, no matter how diligent or tech savvy, can confidently answer “yes” to those questions. This should concern everyone. Kids on social media are vulnerable to bullies, predators and personalized algorithms that glue them to their screens and feed them addictive content that wreaks havoc on their mental health. We are a bipartisan group of senators and parents who are concerned about the harmful effects of social media use on our children. On April 26, we introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, a bill to keep young children off social media, crack down on addictive algorithms that boost toxic content and empower parents to decide when their children are old enough to create an account.
I feel a bit weird about the above — social media can help as well as hurt — but I’m glad it’s being addressed.
Workers are happier — this is what Simon Rosenberg sent out in an email, so, sorry, I don’t have a link:
“Workers Are Happier Than They’ve Been in Decades” - A new exclusive report from the Wall Street Journal (yes a paywall) has some encouraging news (h/t Aaron Sojourner): Job satisfaction hit a 36-year high in 2022, reflecting two effects of the tight pandemic labor market: The quality of jobs improved as wages and work flexibility increased, and workers moved into positions that were a better fit. Last year, 62.3% of U.S. workers said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to new data from the Conference Board, up from 60.2% in 2021 and 56.8% in 2020. The business-research organization polled workers on 26 aspects of work, and found that people were most content with their commutes, their co-workers, the physical environment of their workplace and job security. As this data becomes more public and easier to access I will be returning to it, for I have long believed the way people in politics poll about the economy needs a serious rethink. Too much has been going right in the US economy in recent years for people to be so down.
📥 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 😈
💰 DOJ oks transfer of Russian oligarch funds to Ukraine Reuters
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has authorized the first transfer of forfeited Russian assets for use in Ukraine, he said on Wednesday. The Justice Department last year charged Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with violating sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, saying he provided financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea. At that time, Garland said, he also announced "the seizure of millions of dollars from an account at a U.S. financial institution traceable to Malofeyev’s sanctions violations."
The fact that CNN gave tRump a town hall campaign rally is disgusting. On the other hand, tRump may have gotten himself into trouble:
x Look, Trump lies. A lot. He does it multiple times in this clip. And he usually skates by, because hey, we all know Trump constantly lies.
But this could catch up with him.
Because he's saying that he intentionally took classified information…which he's under investigation for — Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) May 11, 2023
If you can’t read it because you’ve disengaged from tWitter, here’s what I was trying to emphasize: Look, Trump lies. A lot. He does it multiple times in this clip. And he usually skates by, because hey, we all know Trump constantly lies. But this could catch up with him. Because he's saying that he intentionally took classified information…which he's under investigation for
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
This week I want to honor a movement, the Me Too movement, because it was so important in the verdict won by E. Jean Carroll. Emily Peck, Axios
E. Jean Carroll's win in her lawsuit against former President Trump is also a victory for a #MeToo-era New York law that temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on sexual abuse complaints.
Why it matters: Carroll's success in court will likely lead to more litigation — victims have until November 2023 to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers — and possibly even more state laws modeled on New York's. ✂️ "This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed," Carroll said in a statement Tuesday. Big picture: The #MeToo era seems like a long-ago moment in history, but its legacy lives on in the law and culture. Catch up quick: Carroll filed her suit last November as soon as New York's law went into effect. Modeled on similar legislation that allowed those who experienced abuse as children to file lawsuits, the Adult Survivors Act opened up a one-year window to allow survivors of sexual assault to file civil lawsuits against abusers and any institutions that may have protected them.
#MeToo may seem like a while ago — it got its start in 2006 but really took off in 2017 — but its legacy lives on. The Adult Survivors Act is so important, because it was impossible for victims to file within the statutory requirement.
The Adult Survivors Act we have is not perfect. Carroll took on an ex president, yes, but she had the resources to pay for a good lawyer. Many will not have that. Still, such a high-profile verdict can serve as an effective deterrent. The MeToo movement is responsible for that.
Also, the jury system can work, even when it’s got jurors approved by a tRump lawyer. This jury did not find tRump guilty of rape, but there was no physical evidence. Furthermore, the sexual assault that was found was confirmed by two other victims and tRump’s own words. The jurors listened and weighed the evidence, just as they did in the recent Proud Boys verdict.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
Dogs are just great: (In case you can’t read the tweet: A dog chased an ambulance carrying its owner all the way to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital the loyal dog waited outside while its owner was treated and released.)
x A dog chased an ambulance carrying its owner all the way to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital the loyal dog waited outside while its owner was treated and released. pic.twitter.com/zFh4kfcPKv — B&S (@_B___S) May 11, 2023
I wonder why they didn’t let the dog ride in the ambulance. Maybe too urgent to stay? Or fear of contamination?
When there isn’t a fire:
x In Texas, these firefighters noticed a 95-year-old man mowing his lawn all alone.
What did they do?
They stopped, got out, and mowed it for him.
Kindness is free. pic.twitter.com/GTb1gXV2mV — Goodable (@Goodable) May 5, 2023
If you can’t read the tweet: In Texas, these firefighters noticed a 95-year-old man mowing his lawn all alone. What did they do? They stopped, got out, and mowed it for him. Kindness is free.
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
🎶 Music slows down cognitive decline Andy Corbley Good News Network
Listening to music or playing an instrument can delay cognitive decline as we age—by producing gray matter in the brain—a new study shows. The researchers followed over 100 retired people who had never practiced music before. They were enrolled in piano and music awareness training for six months, which when finished resulted in an increase in working memory performance by 6% and a total reduction in gray matter loss in the piano playing group. Taken altogether, the scientists believe that while musical interventions cannot rejuvenate the brain, they can prevent aging in specific regions, specifically in people with no musical background who start playing in their senior years.
US cigarette smoking hits new all-time low Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. cigarette smoking dropped to another all-time low last year, with 1 in 9 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released Thursday. Meanwhile, electronic cigarette use rose, to about 1 in 17 adults. The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are based on survey responses from more than 27,000 adults. ✂️ In the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public. Last year, the percentage of adult smokers dropped to about 11%, down from about 12.5% in 2020 and 2021. The survey findings sometimes are revised after further analysis, and CDC is expected to release final 2021 data soon.
Electronic cigarette smoking isn’t good, though.
Sometimes the fire fighters rescue the animals. Other times the animals work together to rescue themselves:
🐦 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 sequels, Scavengers of Mind and the brand-new Familiars of the Flock (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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