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GNR for Tuesday, January 21, 2024: Yes, there's still good news out there — lots of it! [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-21
Good morning, Gnusies! Despite this being the first day of what I’m choosing to call the Mump administration, there’s plenty of good news to celebrate. And because the heroes among us will continue to fight back against greed, stupidity, and cruelty, there will continue to be good news to keep us hopeful and active. And you’ll still be able to read it here every morning at 7:00 eastern time.
As you’ll see, I’ve found a lot to share this morning. So grab a mug of your favorite morning beverage, find a comfortable seat, and let’s dig in.
Note: I didn’t write intros for most of today’s stories because this GNR is already so long!
Opening quote
On Sunday, Heather Cox Richardson wrote an especially inspiring statement in her Substack “Letters from an American.” Here are quotes from the opening and closing:
You hear sometimes, now that we know the sordid details of the lives of some of our leading figures, that America has no heroes left. When I was writing a book about the Wounded Knee Massacre, where heroism was pretty thin on the ground, I gave that a lot of thought. And I came to believe that heroism is neither being perfect, nor doing something spectacular. In fact, it’s just the opposite: it’s regular, flawed human beings choosing to put others before themselves, even at great cost, even if no one will ever know, even as they realize the walls might be closing in around them. ✂️ People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left. Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what.
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President Biden kept doing good up to his last minutes in office
I teared up a bit putting this section together.
Biden pardons Fauci, Milley and the Jan. 6 committee in effort to guard against ‘revenge’ by Trump
From AP:
President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency in his final hours to guard against potential “revenge” by the incoming Trump administration. The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically or sought to hold him accountable for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and his role in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has selected Cabinet nominees who backed his election lies and who have pledged to punish those involved in efforts to investigate him. “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.” The pardons, announced with just hours left in Biden’s presidency, have been the subject of heated debate for months at the highest levels of the White House. It’s customary for a president to grant clemency at the end of his term, but those acts of mercy are usually offered to Americans who have been convicted of crimes.
Just minutes before leaving the presidency, Biden pardons his siblings and their spouses
From AP:
President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.” “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end,” he said. The pardons, announced just minutes before Biden left office, capped a slew of unprecedented presidential action...✂️ Biden issued blanket pardons for his brother James and his wife, Sara; his sister, Valerie, and her husband, John Owens; and his brother Francis. “The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that they engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” he said in a statement.
Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier granted clemency by President Biden
From Minnesota Public Radio:
In one of his last official acts before leaving the White House, President Joe Biden released Leonard Peltier from prison. The action is an extraordinary move that ends a decades-long push by Indigenous activists, international religious leaders, human rights organizations and Hollywood insiders who argued that the 80-year-old Native American activist was wrongly convicted. The commutation was widely opposed by law enforcement who insisted that Peltier’s actions were cold-blooded, and he should remain imprisoned for the rest of his life for murdering FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams in 1975. The agents’ deaths came at a time when tensions were high over a nationwide struggle between the U.S. government and activists for Native American civil and treaty rights. “Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace laureates, former law enforcement officials (including the former U.S. Attorney whose office oversaw Mr. Peltier’s prosecution and appeal), dozens of lawmakers, and human rights organizations strongly support granting Mr. Peltier clemency, citing his advanced age, illnesses, his close ties to and leadership in the Native American community, and the substantial length of time he has already spent in prison.” said Biden in a statement today. Nick Tilsen, the executive director of NDN Collective, an Indigenous led non-profit, says Peltier’s release is a historic moment that comes after many years of organizing and lobbying across the globe. ✂️ Biden’s action isn’t a pardon that forgives Peltier’s offense, but rather a commutation – which lessens his sentence and effectively frees him from prison. Peltier suffers from complications related to diabetes, kidney disease and near blindness, and his attorneys argued that he would not survive much longer in prison.
Biden Pardons Five More, Including the Civil Rights Leader Marcus Garvey
From The NY Times (gift link):
President Biden pardoned five activists and public servants on Sunday, including a posthumous grant of clemency to the civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, who mobilized the Black nationalist movement and was convicted of mail fraud in 1923. Mr. Biden also commuted the sentence of two people who are serving sentences for crimes that they committed in the 1990s that would keep them behind bars for the rest of their lives. The two individuals, Robin Peoples and Michelle West, had overwhelming support from civil rights activists and will be released next month, Mr. Biden said. It was the latest act of clemency in Mr. Biden’s final weeks in office, many of which have highlighted Mr. Biden’s longstanding relationship among Black communities and his evolution on civil rights and criminal justice. ✂️ Mr. Garvey [who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923] inspired generations of Black leaders, including Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa, and he was seen as the embodiment of Black liberation and self-determination. ✂️ Among those also receiving pardons, which wipe their criminal records clean of convictions, is Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention advocate who was previously convicted of a nonviolent drug offense and sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1998; Ravi Ragbir, a well-known advocate for immigrants who was convicted of wire fraud in 2000; and Don Scott, a lawyer who served his sentence for a nonviolent drug offense and went on to be elected to the Virginia legislature in 2019, and became the first Black speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates last year. Mr. Biden also pardoned Kemba Smith, a criminal justice advocate whose case drew attention to the mass incarceration of Black women, often victims themselves, who were harshly punished by tough-on-crime laws. Ms. Smith was the victim of domestic abuse, and was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison without the possibility of parole despite being a first-time, nonviolent offender who was seven months pregnant. ...Her case was taken up by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund nearly 30 years ago, which led to her sentence being commuted by President Bill Clinton. Though she was released 25 years ago and went on to build a successful career as a criminal justice activist, Ms. Smith said in an interview that the pardon has provided a new level of freedom from the confines of a felony conviction.
Biden to lift Cuba's designation as terror sponsor in exchange for release of prisoners
From CBS News:
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced it will remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and ease economic restrictions as part of a deal for the release of political prisoners. The Catholic Church facilitated the agreement that would allow for the humanitarian release of dozens of political prisoners before President Biden leaves office at noon on Jan. 20, a senior administration official said. The prisoners were arrested after a government crackdown on protests in 2021 that were triggered by an economic crisis. Almost 1 million Cubans left the country amid the unrest, with a majority coming to the U.S. ✂️ The decision is likely to be reversed by the incoming Trump administration. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state whose family fled Cuba in the 1950s, supports strong sanctions on Havana's Communist regime. ✂️ Senior Biden administration officials said there is no evidence to support an ongoing state sponsor of terrorism designation based on a recent government assessment, and they emphasized that the Trump administration will be working off the same information if they decide to redesignate Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism. The Biden team has been in touch with their counterparts on the Trump team on the issue, the officials said.
Biden extends protections for immigrants from Venezuela, El Salvador and Ukraine
From NPR:
President Joe Biden on Friday extended Temporary Protected Status for immigrants living in the U.S. from some countries, including Venezuela, El Salvador and Ukraine. Biden's actions come 10 days before he leaves office, and could benefit about a million migrants who will be shielded from deportation for up to 18 months. ✂️ According to the Department of Homeland Security, nearly 234,000 current beneficiaries from El Salvador now have the opportunity to remain in the country and renew their work permit. Biden also extended TPS for about 600,000 people from Venezuela and 100,000 Ukrainians. ✂️ During his first term, Trump tried to revoke the TPS designation for six countries, including El Salvador, but was blocked by the courts.
Biden [signs] order to prioritize distressed 'left-behind communities'
From Reuters:
Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden [signed] an executive order on Sunday aimed at prioritizing government resources to help economically distressed American communities - a day before he leaves the White House. Biden's order is targeting so-called "Left-Behind Communities" and aims to help incoming President Donald Trump, who will oversee significant spending on infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, broadband internet and other programs approved during Biden's presidency. By one estimate, 15% percent of the U.S. population -- or around 50 million Americans -- live in a distressed zip code, which is measured by poverty, unemployment, education, abandoned homes, median income and declines in jobs and businesses. The White House touted a number of programs funded over the last four years including $54 billion in investments to Energy Communities -- coal, oil and gas, and power plant areas -- as well as $210 million announced last week for six new tech hubs, $525 million for job training in distressed areas and billions in infrastructure for distressed regions. ✂️ "It’s not splashy. It’s just fulfilling his determination to help left-behind communities, particularly in the heartland, make comebacks," said White House economic adviser Lael Brainard in an interview. ... His order directs a "whole-of-government coordination of federal investments in left-behind communities and creates a "No Wrong Door" to help distressed areas identify resources across the federal government. It also tells federal employees in areas that recently suffered natural disasters to identify funding opportunities to address long-term economic development and infrastructure needs. "This locks down the things that we learned about how to do this work well and what gives these communities the best chance of success," Brainard said.
Biden’s total student debt relief passes $183 billion, after he forgives another 150,000 borrowers
From CNBC:
In his final days in office, President Joe Biden announced that his administration would forgive student debt for more than 150,000 borrowers. That relief includes will go to 85,000 people who attended schools that “cheated and defrauded their students,” 61,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability, and another 6,100 public service workers, Biden said in a statement. “Since Day One of my Administration, I promised to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity, and I’m proud to say we have forgiven more student loan debt than any other administration in history,” Biden said. Since Biden took office, he has forgiven debt for more than 5 million federal student loan borrowers, totaling $183.6 billion in relief.
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Other good political news
DOGE sued to follow the law or cease operations
The work of organizations like CREW will be essential during this administration.
From CREW:
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is operating in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Public Health Association, American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund, Center for Auto Safety, Inc., and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), represented by Democracy Forward and CREW. The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the establishment of DOGE is unlawful, and for the court to force DOGE to comply with the transparency, ethics, records retention and equal representation required under FACA. Currently, DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans. DOGE representatives have reportedly already been speaking with agency officials throughout the federal government, and communication is allegedly taking place on Signal, a messaging app known for its auto-delete features. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that advisory committees follow a specific authorization process, include a balanced membership, have a clear charter including the scope of the committee’s activities, have meetings open to the public and disclose records to the public. DOGE is currently in violation of these requirements, and the lawsuit seeks to pull DOGE into the light, so the public has the ability to hold it accountable for the sweeping changes its unelected and unaccountable leaders plan to make.
Pritzker attacks Trump over birthright citizenship order: It’s ‘chaos’
Democratic governors will play a large role in stopping attempts to enforce unconstitutional policies like this.
From Politico:
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker launched an attack on President Donald Trump's planned executive order attempting to revoke birthright citizenship. “That’s unconstitutional. We will not follow an unconstitutional order,” Pritzker told reporters at an unrelated event on Monday. The Democratic governor, who has long had his eye on a future presidential run, said he's concerned about how the new administration has handled its deportation plans. “They have not communicated with us. I’m reading the same thing you are,” he said. “This is indicative of what you're going to see of the Trump administration for the next four years. It’s chaos.”
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🍿 Repellent Republicans Rushing toward Ruin 🍿
tRump is a predicate felon
If the Orange Stain commits another felony in NY state in the next 10 years, he gets mandatory prison time. And of course if he violates court orders and continues to buy and sell real estate in NYC, he will inevitably commit more felonies, because he just refuses to play by the rules.
This week’s New Yorker cover
This is the image that inspired me to call this the Mump administration.
The always brilliant Barry Blitt nails it again:
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Alternatives to legacy media
Where we get our information matters. The many failures of U.S. legacy media have been glaringly obvious for a long time, but their utter incompetence during the past election season has been the last straw for many of us. So here are some better options, starting with a brand new platform, Heads Up!
If you know of other good sources of news, especially political news, please let us know in the comments!
Heads Up! A new newsletter from Dan Froomkin about the people fighting back against the Trump agenda
Here’s the link to subscribe to Heads Up News: www.headsupnews.org
From Press Watch:
Who’s fighting back and how? In these dark times, you want to know who’s fighting to maintain our democracy and protect our civil rights -- and how they’re doing it. You want some reason for hope. Doomscrolling isn’t helpful or productive. You want to know who’s making a difference -- to cheer them on and maybe even help them out. So I’ll be here to tell you. Heads Up News, a weekly newsletter launching on Jan. 22, will give you a heads-up on significant acts of resistance, along with profiles of people making a difference, and other news from the greater “fighting-back” community. Heads Up News is also for you if you don’t want to drown in all the stories about the horrible things that this new administration will do or say but you don’t want to be underinformed, either. It will provide a heads-up on the administration’s most consequential acts and proposals – in the context of what’s being done to push back. Heads Up News will take a good hard look at the pro-democracy and good-government community and will tell you which leaders and organizations are taking effective action – both proactive and defensive – and which are not. And Heads Up News will, I hope, give its readers a reason to hold their heads up during a tough time. Heads Up News will be independent and funded by subscribers and donors – but it will never be behind a paywall. Please subscribe now and tell a friend!
Bluesky
I’m finding that Bluesky is an excellent source of good news and news that I don’t see elsewhere. I urge you all to sign up. One of the best things about the platform is that you can very easily mute or block anyone whose posts you don’t want to see — you’re in charge of your feed.
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Good news from my corner of the world
James Beard Public Market buys downtown Portland building, eyes 2025 partial opening
I’ve shared here before that this project has been a focus of mine for over 25 years. I can’t put into words how exciting a milestone it is for us to now own our site!
From The Oregonian:
A rendering of the proposed site of the James Beard Public Market at Southwest 6th Avenue and Alder Street.Courtesy of the James Beard Public Market The James Beard Public Market, fresh off the $3 million purchase of a downtown Portland building, is scheduling a late 2025 partial opening, with a full opening by spring 2026… “We are aware of our ambitious timeline,” Executive Director Jessica Elkan said in an interview. But project officials also believe their market will create jobs and draw the kind of food tourism that can help shift the downtown economy into gear, she said. Opening the James Beard Public Market will highlight Oregon as a “culinary capital of the world,” Elkan said. ✂️ The lower level of the James Beard Public Market Building is expected to host cooking classes, dinners, events and chefs in residence. There’ll also be wine and cheese sellers, she said. Next floor up, on the street level, will be flower, produce and coffee vendors, as well as a cookbook store and food stalls. On the second floor will be grab-and-go foods, seating and a bar. The rooftop will have its own bar and garden beds. ...[Next] door, the group plans to have a butcher and fishmonger. A $23 million fundraiser is underway to pay for the renovation of the two buildings and to “get this up and running,” Elkan said, adding that once the market is operational, it is expected to be financially self-sustaining. Elkan said she hopes the market opening benefits nearby food carts, restaurants and, farther afield, farmers. “My hope is people across the state will see this as their public market, too,” she said. Having grown up in the rural mid-Valley, Elkan has seen how important agriculture is to the state. “The rural-urban divide can be united by food,” she said, “and celebrating what we do best.”
Doctors unions, like the one on strike at Providence, are growing more common
I hope more doctors around the country join nurses on the picket line. Their concerns and grievances are the same.
From The Oregonian:
Providence doctors picketed along with nurses and other striking health care workers outside Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Dr. Shirley Fox, an obstetric hospitalist with nearly 30 years at Oregon’s largest Providence hospital, never imagined herself on a picket line. After all, vanishingly few physicians have historically joined unions, much less strike. Yet last week, Fox was marching outside Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland. She and 70 other doctors unionized in 2023 and, after a year of negotiations over their first labor contract, joined nearly 5,000 nurses in the largest health worker strike in Oregon history. The strike is also the state’s first involving a doctors union. Fox said her once-fulfilling job, defined by patient care and autonomy, shifted into a struggle against exhausting schedules and chronic understaffing. “It’s crazy. There are days when we can’t eat, can’t sit and can’t even pee because we’re so busy,” Fox said. “We’ve been asking for just another body to help us in these critical times, but we can’t seem to get a hospital to do it.” Doctors unions are growing more common across the country. While physicians historically sat atop the health care hierarchy, an increasingly consolidated health care sector has left them finding more affinity with nurses and other more commonly unionized colleagues. “What’s notable about this strike is that the physicians are fighting alongside the nurses, which points to potentially evolving alliances in the health care sector,” said Hayden Rooke-Ley, a health law and policy fellow at Brown University who recently led a study on physician unionization. “There seems to be a growing recognition among physicians that their grievances with corporate medicine are similar to those faced by other caregivers, and even non-clinical health care workers.”
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Good news from around the nation
So much good news from so many states!!
New Mexico is a go-to state for women seeking abortions. A new court ruling helps it stay that way
From AP:
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday struck down abortion restrictions by conservative cities and counties, helping to ensure the state remains a go-to destination for people from other states with bans. The unanimous opinion, in response to a request from state Attorney General Raúl Torrez, reinforces the state’s position as having some of the most liberal abortion laws in the country. Attorneys representing the cities of Hobbs and Clovis and Lea and Roosevelt counties had argued that provisions of a federal “anti-vice” law known as the Comstock Act block courts from striking down local abortion ordinances. But Justice C. Shannon Bacon, writing for the majority opinion, said state law precludes cities and counties from restricting abortion or regulating abortion clinics. “The ordinances violate this core precept and invade the Legislature’s authority to regulate access to and provision of reproductive healthcare,” she wrote. “We hold the ordinances are preempted in their entirety.” ✂️ New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez called access to health care a basic fundamental right in New Mexico. “It doesn’t take a genius to understand the statutory framework that we have. Local governments don’t regulate health care in New Mexico. It is up to the state,” the Albuquerque Democrat said.
UnitedHealth units ordered to collectively pay $165 million for misleading Massachusetts consumers
🎩 to Edward Song for mentioning this in a comment last Friday.
From Reuters:
Three UnitedHealth-owned insurance companies collectively must pay over $165 million for engaging in widespread deceptive conduct that misled thousands of consumers in Massachusetts into unknowingly buying supplemental health insurance, a state court judge has ruled. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell on Monday hailed Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Helene Kazanjian's decision, saying it awarded the state the largest civil penalties it has ever recovered under the state's consumer protection law. Kazanjian, in an order dated Dec. 31 , said the penalties were warranted on the grounds that HealthMarkets, which UnitedHealth acquired in 2019, and two of its subsidiaries marketed major medical and supplemental insurance in bundles from 2012 to 2016 in a way that deceived consumers into buying supplemental policies. The decision followed a non-jury trial to assess damages after the defendants had already been found liable for violating the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act and an earlier consent judgment with the state.
DEI Isn’t Dying: These Companies Are Standing Strong Against ‘Anti-Woke’ Backlash In 2025
From The Queen Zone:
What the [NY] Times and other media outlets are largely neglecting to report is that far more corporations are standing strong on their DEI initiatives than the handful that are caving to pressure ahead of the next Trump era. As an example, Johnson & Johnson, one of the world’s largest healthcare conglomerates, posted on Linkedin Friday, recruiting for a Global DEI Insights & Engagement Leader. J&J is unequivocal about its commitment to DEI, writing in its job description: “For more than 130 years, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) has been a part of our cultural fabric at Johnson & Johnson and woven into how we do business every day. ...We know that the success of our business – and our ability to deliver meaningful solutions – depends on how well we understand and meet the diverse needs of the communities we serve...” In its reporting, the Times named three corporate giants that have scaled back or ended their DEI initiatives: Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads), Amazon, and McDonald’s. But the fast food company has repeatedly refuted claims that they’ve scaled back their DEI initiatives. McDonald’s Executive Vice President, Global Chief Legal Officer Desiree Ralls-Morrison posted on Linkedin: “I’m really proud of the work we do at McDonald’s around diversity and inclusion. ...as a black woman who is a leader at the company, I can say unequivocally – we are proud of our incredible accomplishments in this space and excited to continue our inclusion journey. Our commitment to inclusion is steadfast.” ✂️ Boards of these 10 companies have unanimously urged their shareholders to vote against anti-DEI proposals at their 2025 annual shareholder meetings: Apple
Boeing
Cigna
Citigroup
Coca-Cola
Costco
John Deere
MGM Resorts
PepsiCo
Progressive
Recovery fund is helping Altadena teen girls who lost their homes feel like themselves again
From The LA Times:
Teenage girls, their families and volunteers with the recovery fund Altadena Girls crowd a Boyle Heights warehouse filled with cosmetics and other donated supplies. The teens lined up with their parents at a Boyle Heights warehouse this week in search of a tiny bit of familiarity — a Squishmallow plush toy, lipstick, a T-shirt, some eye shadow, a cute hair accessory. One 15-year-old, who evacuated with just one change of clothing before her home was destroyed in the Eaton fire, picked up toiletries and socks, undergarments, pants and shirts. A 16-year-old, whose family only had time to grab their cats before evacuating and losing their home, searched for things that she hoped would make her feel more like herself. Across L.A., residents have moved quickly to gather and distribute blankets, clothing, first aid kits and other supplies in response to the destruction of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Avery Colvert, a 14-year-old Pasadena resident, wanted to do something special for the many teen girls, like her schoolmates at Eliot Arts Magnet Academy in Altadena, whose lives have been upended by the fires. Avery Colvert, 14, started Altadena Girls to gather donations for teen girls who lost their homes in the Eaton fire. The eighth-grader took to Instagram on Friday, creating a handle and logo with the help of her stepfather, Matt Chait, 44, who has a background in design. Together, they launched Altadena Girls to gather donations including beauty and hair products — fragrances, makeup, pimple patches, straightening tools and diffusers — and new clothing. They also put a call out to stylists for help. “I started this to help girls affected specifically by the Eaton Canyon fire who lost their homes feel like themselves — and feel confident again,” Avery said. “They’ve lost everything, and I want them to feel a sense of normalcy when nothing else in their life is normal.”
NYC’s New Congestion Pricing Zone Sees 7.5% Drop in Traffic
From Bloomberg:
Mid-town NYC traffic Traffic on New York City’s busiest streets dropped by 7.5% and morning travel times fell on most major crossings into Manhattan during the first work week of the city’s congestion pricing plan, signaling that some motorists changed their driving patterns to avoid the new toll. The preliminary data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s transit system and is implementing the toll, is the first glimpse into how the new charge is impacting commuting patterns and movement in and out of Manhattan. The MTA on Jan. 5 started charging most motorists $9 during peak hours to drive into Manhattan’s Central Business District, which runs from 60th Street to the southern-most tip of the island. It’s the first such program in the US. The early data follows a week of social media postings and reports of residents and drivers enjoying easier-flowing traffic and less vehicle honking. Prior to congestion pricing, morning traffic on the Williamsburg Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn and serves about 92,000 vehicles a day, can extend from Manhattan streets all the way back to the bridge’s main tower in Brooklyn, according to a New York City Department of Transportation Official. This past week that line of traffic didn’t even reach the bridge’s tower on the Manhattan side, according to the official.
Santa Ana Pueblo gets millions to design wildlife corridor
From Albuquerque Journal:
Tens of thousands of drivers journey north and south on Interstate 25 every day, but cougars, bears and elk also have places to go, and the interstate often blocks their path. I-25 is a barrier to animal migration and the scene of dangerous collisions between large animals and cars. The Pueblo of Santa Ana is getting $6.4 million in federal funds from the Department of Transportation’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to plan and design overpasses and underpasses for wildlife trying to cross I-25 and U.S. 550 to the north and west of Albuquerque. ✂️ “It’ll provide safe passage for the animals, and these animals — elk, deer, mountain lion, antelope — they’re intertwined with our culture and traditions,” [Santa Ana Pueblo Gov. Myron] Armijo said. The Pueblo has been working toward wildlife crossings for at least 10 years, including trying to establish a wildlife consortium with other tribal communities. The area targeted by Santa Ana’s project is one of 11 that New Mexico identified that needed action. It includes 19 miles along I-25 and 7.6 miles on 550, crossing multiple jurisdictions.
‘Sing Sing’ Set to Be First Film Released in Theaters and Prisons Simultaneously
From The Hollywood Reporter:
The A24 movie Sing Sing is about to redefine the concept of a wide release. On January 17, the Colman Domingo film will return to more than 500 theaters — and become the first movie to be simultaneously available to nearly a million incarcerated people across the U.S. Sing Sing, which follows a group of men enrolled in a prison theater program, will screen inside correctional facilities in California, New York, Texas and 43 other states. The unusual release is thanks to a collaboration between A24, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), the real-life nonprofit organization on which the film is based, and Edovo, a nonprofit that creates curricula for incarcerated people to access via tablets in more than 1100 correctional facilities across the country. ✂️ Sing Sing, which was originally released last summer and made $2.9 million at the box office, has since earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Domingo and three Independent Spirit Award nominations, including best feature. Domingo, who was nominated for an Oscar last year for his performance in Netflix’s Rustin, is considered an Oscar frontrunner this year for his role in Sing Sing as Divine G, a man who is wrongfully convicted. Outside a few professional actors, including Domingo and Oscar nominee Paul Raci, the film is populated with formerly incarcerated performers, the majority of them alumni of the RTA program, including Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin and Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez. “My journey through education and the arts gave me hope during my wrongful conviction, restoring my faith in humanity, sparking a culture of redemption during my incarceration,” Velazquez said. “By providing access to the movie Sing Sing we can transform lives in ways beyond our imagination.” As a movie, Sing Sing has already broken ground in a number of ways. Filmmakers Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley paid everyone on the set—from the PAs to Domingo at the top of the call sheet — the same wage, and everyone involved in the production received equity.
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Good news from around the world
Polish President calls for NATO to extend immediate invitation to Ukraine
From Euromaidan Press
Polish President Andrzej Duda has emphasized that NATO allies should extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance without further delay. The statement came during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Warsaw, as reported by European Peavda. While adding that full NATO membership is not feasible while active combat operations continue, Duda stressed that a formal invitation could be extended now as a significant first step. This visit marks another significant step in Polish-Ukrainian diplomatic relations, with Poland maintaining its position as one of Ukraine’s strongest advocates for NATO integration. “Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, I have consistently advocated for NATO countries to formally invite Ukraine to join the alliance. This would represent a crucial first step in providing real security guarantees by NATO members,” Duda stated during the conferenc The Polish President noted growing support for this position among NATO leadership, with an increasing number of alliance heads of state favoring Ukraine’s invitation to join.During his working visit to Warsaw, President Zelenskyy met with both President Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In discussions with Tusk on 15 January 15, Zelenskyy outlined several potential security guarantees for Ukraine, including EU and NATO membership, substantial weapons packages, continued support for the Ukrainian military, and the possible deployment of foreign military contingents on Ukrainian territory.
Thailand bans plastic waste imports to combat toxic pollution
From The Optimist Daily:
Thailand officially banned the import of plastic waste, a move hailed as a victory by environmental campaigners. The ban, which came into effect this month, aims to curb toxic pollution and protect human and environmental health in a country that has long been a dumping ground for the world’s plastic waste. ...However, experts warn that success depends on vigilant enforcement and global cooperation. Since China banned imports of household plastic waste in 2018, Thailand emerged as a leading destination for the world’s unwanted plastics, receiving large volumes from Europe, the US, the UK, and Japan. Between 2018 and 2021, Thai customs recorded over 1.1 million tonnes of plastic waste imports. ✂️ Thailand’s move comes as discussions around a global plastic waste treaty remain unresolved. ✂️ Thailand’s ban is a critical step in the fight against plastic pollution, but it is only part of the solution. The global plastic waste crisis demands coordinated international action, yet the lack of a binding global treaty continues to hinder progress. ...For now, Thailand’s decision offers hope and a challenge to the world: if one country can take bold steps to protect its people and environment, what’s stopping the rest of us?
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My favorite recent quotes, memes, and cartoons
Thank you, Bluesky!
x Jimmy Carter was a good and great man — Pat Bagley (@bagleycartoons.bsky.social) 2025-01-09T01:52:16.116Z
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Good news in medicine
Oxford researchers develop blood test to enable early detection of multiple cancers
From University of Oxford:
Oxford University researchers have unveiled a new blood test, powered by machine learning, which shows real promise in detecting multiple types of cancer in their earliest stages, when the disease is hardest to detect. Named TriOx, this innovative test analyses multiple features of DNA in the blood to identify subtle signs of cancer, which could offer a fast, sensitive and minimally invasive alternative to current detection methods. The study, published in Nature Communications, showed that TriOx accurately detected cancer (including in its early stages) across six cancer types and reliably distinguished those people who had cancer from those that did not. ...While the test is still in the development phase, it demonstrates the promise of blood-based early cancer detection, a technology that could revolutionize screening and diagnostic practices. ...The cancer types evaluated in this study were colorectal, oesophageal, pancreatic, renal, ovarian and breast.
Blood test for endometriosis brings hope for millions
From The Optimist Daily:
An Australian medical technology company is making waves in the fight against endometriosis, a chronic and often debilitating condition that affects one in ten women globally. Proteomics International, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital, is on the verge of launching the world’s first blood test to diagnose endometriosis. Dubbed PromarkerEndo, this test could transform the diagnostic process for a disease that has long been underserved by medical advancements. “This advancement marks a significant step toward non-invasive, personalized care for a condition that has long been underserved by current medical approaches,” said Richard Lipscombe, managing director of Proteomics International, in a recent press release. Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing painful lesions that can lead to severe discomfort, infertility, and other health complications. Despite its prevalence, patients often endure up to seven years of debilitating symptoms before receiving a diagnosis. The current gold standard for diagnosing endometriosis is laparoscopy, an invasive surgical procedure that is expensive, carries risks, and is inaccessible to many. The long diagnostic delay is compounded by the disease’s variable and often dismissed symptoms, leaving many patients feeling overlooked and untreated. PromarkerEndo aims to change this narrative by providing a simple, non-invasive alternative. In recent peer-reviewed trials, the test demonstrated a remarkable 99.7 percent accuracy in distinguishing severe endometriosis cases from those without the disease. Even in the early stages, where markers are harder to detect, the test maintained an accuracy rate exceeding 85 percent.
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Good news in science
Scientists uncover how the brain washes itself during sleep
From Science:
Scientists think sleep is the brain’s rinse cycle, when fluid percolating through the organ flushes out chemical waste that accumulated while we were awake. But what propels this circulation has been uncertain. A study of mice, reported today in Cell, suggests regular contractions of blood vessels in the brain, stimulated by the periodic release of a chemical cousin of adrenaline, push the fluid along. … The scientists also found that the sleep drug zolpidem, better known as Ambien, impedes the blood vessel oscillations and the fluid flow they promote, implying it could hamper cleansing. The finding could help researchers create new sleep aids that preserve this brain-scrubbing function. The brain lacks the lymphatic vessels that collect and move fluid in other parts of the body. But in 2012, neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center and colleagues identified an alternative drainage system in which cerebrospinal fluid, the liquid bathing the brain, seeps through the organ via tiny passages alongside blood vessels, sweeping away metabolic refuse and other unwanted molecules. Fluid flow through this so-called glymphatic system ramps up during sleep, they also reported. Studies from Nedergaard’s group and others suggest vigorous glymphatic clearance is beneficial: circulation falters in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative illnesses. Some researchers have challenged parts of this picture, however; a 2024 study, for example, suggested waste clearance is actually faster during waking than during sleep.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is ready to transform our understanding of the cosmos
From MIT Technology Review:
A view of the back of the Rubin Observatory’s massive LSST camera, which boasts six filters designed to capture light from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. High atop Chile’s 2,700-meter Cerro Pachón, the air is clear and dry, leaving few clouds to block the beautiful view of the stars. It’s here that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will soon use a car-size 3,200-megapixel digital camera—the largest ever built—to produce a new map of the entire night sky every three days. Generating 20 terabytes of data per night, Rubin will capture fine details about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos, helping researchers to understand their history and current evolution. It will capture rapidly changing events, including stellar explosions called supernovas, the evisceration of stars by black holes, and the whiz of asteroids overhead. Findings from the observatory will help tease apart fundamental mysteries like the nature of dark matter and dark energy, two phenomena that have not been directly observed but affect how objects in the universe are bound together—and pushed apart. Rubin is the latest and most advanced entrant into the illustrious lineage of all-sky surveyors—instruments that capture, or survey, the entire sky, over and over again. Its first scientific images are expected later this year. In a single exposure, Rubin will capture 100,000 galaxies, the majority invisible to other instruments. A quarter-century in the making, the observatory is poised to expand our understanding of just about every corner of the universe.
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Good news for the environment
Bans of some EPS [Expanded Polystyrene] take effect in California, Oregon
From Plastics Recycling Update:
With the addition of EPS bans in California and Oregon, the entire West Coast now has some level of restriction on the material. As of the first of the year, restrictions on EPS foodware items in California and Oregon are officially in effect. In California, the ban is rooted in the state’s extended producer responsibility law, SB 54. It requires foam polystyrene food serviceware, such as cups, trays and takeout containers, to demonstrate a recycling rate of no less than 25% by Jan. 1, or the sale of such items is prohibited. Those requirements ramp up to at least 30% in 2028; 50% in 2030 and 65% in 2032. A direct recycling rate for food service related EPS wasn’t available from the state, and the onus was on the industry to prove the 25% recycling rate, which it did not appear to do. For those reasons, the requirement was described as a de facto ban in 2022 by SB 54’s author, State Sen. Ben Allen, D-El Segundo. ✂️ Similarly, Oregon’s SB 543 went into effect on Jan. 1 and bans the sale of plastic foam foodware, single-use coolers and packing peanuts. Several environmental groups have pressed for full EPS bans for years at all levels. The Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Plastics Policy, Anja Brandon, said in a statement that California and Oregon’s bans “will make a huge impact in protecting the ocean, environment and our communities from this widespread form of plastic pollution,” as the entire West Coast now has some level of EPS ban. Washington also banned plastic foam foodware, single-use coolers, and packaging peanuts in 2021, and its law went into effect in 2023 and 2024.
Pollinator gardens rise from the ashes of the Almeda Fire
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
Homeowner Fred Skaff works alongside volunteers, including his wife Korina and daughter Bamba. to install their new native plants. More than four years [after the 2020 Almeda fire in southern Oregon burned down their house], the [Skaff] family is getting ready to move back into the new home that Fred Skaff, a contractor, has been building. On an overcast day in late December, they are receiving a generous housewarming gift: a pollinator garden filled with native plants. The garden is possible thanks to a program hosted by Pollinator Project Rogue Valley called From Fires to Flowers. It was conceived after the Almeda Fire left a path of destruction along the Bear Creek corridor between north Ashland and south Medford, Ore. After the fire, Pollinator Project gave away native plants, but Kristina Lefever, president of the nonprofit, wanted to go further to restore pollinator habitat in the burn zone. ...Each little pocket of habitat is helping to fill in the “Rogue Buzzway,” which Pollinator Project calls a “hyper-local map of self-certified pollinator gardens.” ... The Skaffs’ is the third From Fires to Flowers garden to be installed in this Phoenix neighborhood, and the 16th since the program launched in November 2021. Designed by landscape designer Ben Ey, it spans the width of the yard: a rough oblong outlined in boulders, with a soil berm running along its length. Two native trees, California redbud and California lilac, anchor the garden at either end. A row of silk tassel and lilacs will eventually form a privacy hedge. Ey worked with the Skaffs to select plants that they liked but that will also best serve pollinators throughout the year. The design includes a “bloom chart,” which graphs the time period each plant species is expected to flower. “We’re trying to spread that bloom chart over the entirety of the year,” explains Ey. “From Jan 1 until Dec 31 you want some native plants to be blooming here in the yard.”
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Good news for and about animals
Brought to you by Rascal and Margot, and the beautiful spirits of Rosy and Nora.
Today, Rascal and Margot want to give up their usual space to make room for an appeal to help the animals in L.A.
Best Friends is not only rescuing animals, but also finding foster homes, reuniting people with their pets, and providing pet food to the community. Click this link to learn more:
x Please consider supporting Best Friends Animal Society, their emergency response fund will be used exclusively to support lifesaving work in the Los Angeles area. To donate, please go to www.justgiving.com/campaign/la-...
Or sign up to volunteer at bfas.io/VLA.
[image or embed] — Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes.bsky.social) January 12, 2025 at 4:03 PM
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