(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



From the GNR Newsroom, its the Monday Good News Roundup [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-20

Welcome back friends to the Monday Good News Roundup, the time of week when the GNR newsroom (Myself, Killer300, Bhu, and the good people at the GNR Discord server bring you the good news to start your week off right.

So, something is happening today, and I am not going to talk about it. What I am going to do is share a quote I am rather fond of, if you will indulge me:

“In every age everybody knows that up to his own time, progressive improvement has been taking place; nobody seems to reckon on any improvement in the next generation. We cannot absolutely prove that those are in error who say society has reached a turning point – that we have seen our best days. But so said all who came before us and with just as much apparent reason. ... On what principle is it that with nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?”

That was from Thomas Macaulay, and was written in the 1800’s. How far we have come since then.

Also I almost forgot tomorrow is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so enjoy this quote as well.

I know its gonna be rough for the next few years, and its a pretty dark day today, but the sun will come up again, we will get through this I promise you that.

So without further ado, lets get on to the good news, starting with some music: Silent Majority by Nickelback

Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign emphasized two key promises far and beyond any others: to lower grocery costs—and inflation overall—and to enforce mass deportations of scary brown and Black immigrants (even those who are in the country legally). Already, Trump has shrugged his shoulders at the first promise, saying there’s little he can actually do to lower prices. "Look, they got them up. I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard,” he said. Now Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan is also walking back his mass deportation promise.

When I think of Trump part 2, the phrase “lame duck” keeps coming up. I have no idea why.

Anyone who works in government has a favorite metaphor for major policy change. Some talk about glaciers being redirected; I prefer the image of turning a battleship. The point is that it isn’t easy and may not happen at all, but if it does, the effects are lasting and hard to undo. As Joe Biden reaches the end of his presidency, there is one area where he undeniably turned the battleship: American antitrust law and policy, also known as anti-monopoly. Having spent two years working on the project within the White House, I concede some bias. But whatever else may be remembered or forgotten about the past four years, Biden’s antitrust achievements mark a decisive moment in the history of the American anti-monopoly movement, and by extension, the nature of American capitalism.

I wish he could have done more, and I wish that what he did do had gotten better press, but Biden’s legacy wont be so easy to erase (I’d say Trump will try his hardest to, but him and trying don’t really see eye to eye).

In last week’s 2025 state legislative and policy preview, I wrote that I expect state legislators this year to place new limits on the ability of private equity firms and other institutional investors to buy up local housing stock to either re-sell or convert into rental properties. Even having made that prediction, I was quite shocked to see that the first lawmaker out of the gates with a concrete proposal on the topic was New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul has been no friend to anti-monopoly efforts over the years (except for, to her credit, in the Big Tech space, where she did support strong legislation to rein in the harmful effects of social media on children). She counts among her donors many large corporations and real estate interests.

Houses should be bought by people, not corporations to hoard like they try and hoard everything else.

This one is a video, but I put it behind a link because the thumbnail has a picture of old Orange face himself and I wanted to spare you the horror of it. But yeah, his base is still turning in him in a big way.

At Tufts University in Medford, Mass., researchers loaded a tiny 3D model of the human brain into a plastic shell resting atop a spring-loaded platform. Inside this polymer skull, the donut-shaped ball of living brain tissue floated in a warm, salty bath, its neurons whispering to each other in the darkness. Then a piston struck the platform, whipping it back and forth, and sending the mini-brain sloshing. Days later, as the team assessed the damage, the results were stark. Some of the human brain-like tissue had been housing a latent infection with a herpes virus, the type that causes cold sores. And the impact of the piston — intended to mimic a concussion — had woken that virus up. In those tissues, the researchers found lots of inflammation, newly formed plaques of sticky amyloid proteins, and all around them dying neurons — the signature marks of Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile, infection-free brain tissues recovered from the concussion with just a bit of lingering inflammation.

Sometimes you just get to write the most amazing headlines ever. Science is always awesome.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Pregnant New Yorkers will be entitled to at least 20 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a law that took effect Wednesday. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the policy makes New York the first state in the country to offer paid leave for prenatal care. All pregnant workers in the private sector are eligible for the paid time off. Workers can schedule the paid leave for pregnancy-related medical appointments such as physical examinations, end of pregnancy care and fertility treatments, among other things. Hochul pushed for the measure in the state’s last legislative session as a way to help reduce maternal and infant deaths in New York.

Sometimes I am extremely proud of my state, and this is one of those times.

Community groups provide relief as LA staggers from wildfire emergency Volunteer organizations fill in to provide rides and supplies to a city devastated by fire, and offer ways to contribute Claire Wang in Los Angeles, California Sat 11 Jan 2025 07.00 EST As California state and federal agencies lag in their response to the widespread wildfires that erupted this week in Los Angeles, a network of grassroots organizations and small businesses have launched their own disaster relief efforts – from coordinating overnight evacuation services to delivering essential supplies to victims and frontline workers. After the fires began burning, the worker-owners at All Power Books decided on Tuesday night to convert the leftist bookstore cooperative into a warehouse for emergency resources. Over the next 48 hours, residents all over the city packed the community space with box after box of canned food, masks, blankets, sleeping bags and toiletries. Organizers transported supplies to survivors at different churches and evacuation shelters; they delivered bottled water and snacks to firefighters, many of whom are serving out a sentence as they battle the blazes.

Things are pretty rough in California right now, but always look for the helpers in time of crisis.

What if there were a way to curb climate change, expand access to clean energy, and significantly improve freight and passenger rail service all at the same time? There just might be. It involves building long-distance transmission lines along railroad rights of way. The energy coursing through those wires could then feed overhead electric catenary to power cleaner, faster and more frequent trains. Advances in battery technology mean this vision could potentially be achieved for less money than previously imagined.

Yeah, lets bring trains back. Love me some trains. I’d love to ride a train around America.

Millions in seized assets linked to the suspected bribery of Nigeria’s ex-oil minister will now be poured into a project to bring renewable-powered electricity to the West African country. Last week, the United States Department of Justice announced that it had reached an agreement with Nigeria to send back over $50 million in funds, collected from the forfeiture of assets such as a luxury apartment in New York and a 65-meter superyacht called the Galactica Star—the bounty of an alleged bribery scheme between Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s previous Minister of Petroleum Resources and the first female president of the oil alliance OPEC, and two businessmen.

It can be hard to remember this, but sometimes even the rich and powerful get taken down. They aren’t as unbeatable as they want you to think they are.

WASHINGTON – Today, in one of his last major announcements as U.S. Transportation Secretary, Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced nearly $5 billion in grants for 560+ projects in all 50 states, D.C., and U.S. territories through seven priority programs funded through President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, the Restoration and Enhancement Grants Program, the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program, the Airport Infrastructure Grants Program, the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (Rural), and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. This funding will support state- and locally-led projects of all kinds, adding to the more than 72,000 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded projects currently moving forward nationwide and the pipeline of projects that will be delivered in the coming years and decades. Today’s awards announcements will: Improve passenger and freight rail safety and strengthen supply chains across 41 states with $1.1 billion in funding for 123 highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects.

with $1.1 billion in funding for 123 highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects. Strengthen intercity passenger rail service on six routes across the country with more than $146 million in funding through FRA’s Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grants Program.

with more than $146 million in funding through FRA’s Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grants Program. Reconnect communities that were cut off by past transportation infrastructure decisions with $544 million in funding for 81 projects in 31 states focused on restoring access to employment, education, healthcare, recreation, and fostering equitable development for under resourced communities.

with $544 million in funding for 81 projects in 31 states focused on restoring access to employment, education, healthcare, recreation, and fostering equitable development for under resourced communities. Invest in critical surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impacts with $1.3 billion in funding for 109 projects through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

with $1.3 billion in funding for 109 projects through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. Continue modernizing critical airport infrastructure and systems across the country with $332 million in funding or 171 projects through the Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program.

with $332 million in funding or 171 projects through the Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program. Improve and expand surface transportation infrastructure in rural communities with $785 million in funding for 24 projects designed to increase connectivity, improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight, and generate local and regional economic growth.

with $785 million in funding for 24 projects designed to increase connectivity, improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight, and generate local and regional economic growth. Continue expanding zero-emission EV Charging and refueling infrastructure nationwide with $635 million in funding for 49 projects that will deploy more than 11,500 EV charging ports and hydrogen and natural gas fueling infrastructure along corridors and in communities across 27 states, four Federally Recognized Tribes, and the District of Columbia.

Biden is going out on a strong note. Again, sorry he didn’t get a chance to do more.

Now for another musical interlude: Free by Florence and the machine

On Tuesday night, the DNC chair candidates met with CHORUS, a team of progressive online creators, for a first-of-its-kind forum in an attempt to do just that—and according to the statistics, they succeeded. A real-time poll during the event showed that 85% of the people tuning into the livestream were watching a DNC forum for the first time The candidates vying for the chair position include: Wisconsin Democratic chair Ben Wikler; Minnesota party chair Ken Martin; former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley; 2022 Arkansas congressional candidate Quintessa Hathaway; self-help guru Marianne Williamson; New York state Sen. James Skoufis; and attorney Jason Paul. While most of these candidates might be unfamiliar to most Americans, the online creators who moderated the forum gave their collective millions of followers an opportunity to get to know them.

History comes in cycles, it seems like every ten years America elects a complete dumbass to the White House, and they are followed by a really awesome Democrat who makes things a lot better. Reagan was followed by Bill Clinton, Dubya was followed by Obama. Will one of these newcomers follow Trump? We’ll see.

Two small, round eyes glint like shiny black sequins in the flashlight beam sweeping under the truck bed. It’s a cold, rainy September night, and the dark figure huddled in the shallow space below is barely visible—but for its striking white chest. A young girl in a bright orange jacket crouches on the wet ground nearby, trying to coax the creature out. It’s well past the hour you’d expect kids their age to be in bed. But 9-year-old Sigrún Anna Valsdóttir, peering under the truck bed, and 12-year-old Rakel Rut Rúnarsdóttir, shining the light, don’t seem to notice the time or the cold. They’re on a mission to rescue a puffling. That’s the name for a baby Atlantic puffin. This one made a wrong turn and got stranded on its maiden flight. Now they need to collect it and send it safely out to sea. There’s an unwritten rule around here, I’m told. You can’t quit until the puffling is safe.

Yes. YES. RESCUE THE LITTLE PUFFINS.

Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with entrepreneur Elon Musk, is expected to soon step away from the task force, CBS News has learned. Ramaswamy intends to announce a campaign for Ohio governor as soon as the end of January, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News. Ramaswamy, 39, had no comment.

The SS Trump 2 hasn’t even left port yet and already they are abandoning ship.

House Republicans are disapproving of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to remove Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, from his position as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Many believe this move was motivated by Donald Trump’s eagerness to install a MAGA loyalist in the position, since the president-elect has long sought to fill congressional seats with those willing to kiss the ring. Though Johnson denied external pressure, Turner believes otherwise. In a phone interview with CBS reporter and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, Turner said that Johnson told him, “You’re fired. There are concerns from Mar-a-Lago.”

Yeah I think the honeymoon period with Trump is long over. He’s not even really back yet and even his own people want him to go away.

The Food and Drug Administration has officially banned Red No. 3, an additive used for giving food and drinks a bright, cherry-red color. The FDA announced on Wednesday that it has amended its color additive regulations, no longer allowing the use of artificial Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs. The removal is in response to a color additive petition filed in 2022 by advocates who claim the additive is linked to cancer and behavioral problems in children. Manufacturers who use Red No. 3 in food will have until Jan. 15, 2027, to reformulate their products, while those who use the dye in drugs will have until Jan. 18, 2028, according to the FDA announcement. Food imported in the U.S. will also be required to comply with the new regulations. Here's what to know about Red No. 3 and its reported effects.

Apparently it causes cancer in lab rats, so glad to see it gone.

We need to talk about the doomers and the attention economy they’ve built. Not because they’re entirely wrong — from climate change to political extremism, a lot of their concerns are valid — but because they’ve created something extraordinary: a perpetual motion machine powered by anxiety. Let’s call it the Doomscroll Industrial Complex (DIC). It operates on a simple principle: bad news is good business. But unlike traditional doom-peddlers who simply predicted the end times and waited to be proven right or wrong, today’s digital prophets have discovered a much more sustainable model. The trick is to never be specifically wrong, only generally right about the direction of badness. Predict “The stock market will crash next week” and, if it doesn’t, you’ve failed. Predict “The financial system is built by fascists, careening into the sun and about to crash at any time,” and you can’t fail. Any volatility proves you right, and stability just means the calm before the storm. It’s Schrödinger’s Apocalypse — the world is simultaneously ending and not ending until someone opens Twitter and collapses the waveform.

Just remember things are never as bad as they seem, there’s always a silver lining, and there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s nonprofit organization is asking Republican senators to vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services, citing his past stances on abortion. Advancing American Freedom, the policy organization Pence founded in 2023, sent a letter to the Republican caucus asking them to “reject the nomination” of Kennedy, a former Democrat selected by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the federal agency that oversees the FDA and CDC, as well as providing funding for Planned Parenthood.

Guess this is Mike Pence’s revenge. I’d feel sorry for the guy if he were not also a massive turd that walks like a man.

I’d say that’s enough good news for the evening. Always leave em wanting more they say. So lets get to the Pokemon.

And now, of course, the cute corner.

That does it for this week, see you next time. Stay warm out there.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/20/2297877/-From-the-GNR-Newsroom-its-the-Monday-Good-News-Roundup?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/