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GNR for Friday, February 21, 2025: Every little bit [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-02-21
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
The onslaught can feel overwhelming.
But, if you caught GoodNewsRoundup’s GNR last Saturday, you know that a single dissent can make a big difference. It shows others the way.
Every little bit counts. OK, not always, but it may count. It will certainly count more than the little bit that didn’t happen!
Maybe you will be like the little boy on that beach, throwing back stranded starfish. He might not be able to save them all, but he could save some.
Perhaps your bit may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Oh, look, found this (🎩 Nanny Ogg) which seems so apt:
x I can’t remember where I read this, but it’s important: Why is it that when people think about traveling to the past, they worry about doing something small that will drastically change the present, but no one in the present thinks that doing something small today can drastically change the future? — Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.bsky.social) 2025-02-19T05:33:44.288Z
So keep on with the protests. Continue making the phone calls. Keep on with the emails. Do a few every day, or set aside some time each week. Donate, organize, freeway blog.
Then remember to find your community and your joy.
Come on in and see what some of the good guys are doing.
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, and the chaos. 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 and the planet from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know.
Remember:
💜 Although they lie all the time, reality matters. And our goals — based on reality — are more popular.
💙 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, make sure to protect yourself, your family and your friends, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Reports on Resisters 🗽
No kings on Presidents Day — protests across the country Michael Casey Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures in parts of the U.S. Monday, shouting “No kings on Presidents Day” in East Coast cities and attempting to enter the Arizona Statehouse to oppose a bill that would bolster fast-changing federal immigration enforcement. In Florida and California, local media outlets reported on hundreds of protesters carrying out “Not my Presidents Day” protests. The “No Kings” theme was orchestrated by the 50501 Movement, and marked the second set of protests criss-crossing the nation in less than two weeks. A similar nationwide event on Feb. 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both sets of rallies denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, a government organization designed to slash federal spending. ✂️ One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, “Deport Musk Dethrone Trump.” ✂️ In Phoenix, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the Capitol carrying signs reading “No Kings” and “Resist Fascism.” Security barred protesters from entering the building after a few tried to get inside. Demonstrators were seeking access to a state Senate committee hearing on legislation that would require law enforcement officers across the state to support federal immigration policy.
Marc Elias does a lot more than a little bit
x I will use every tool at my disposal to protect this country from Trump. I will litigate to defend voting rights until there are no cases left to bring. I will speak out against authoritarianism until my last breath. I will not back down. I will not bow or scrape. I will never obey. — Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T03:09:16.542Z
💪 Get Ready to Fight 💪
Many of the GNR authors, including me, are now big fans of Jessica Craven and her Chop Wood, Carry Water emails and substack posts. This is from 2/17:
This recess is about making Republicans sweat and making sure Democrats stand firm. We're showing up, speaking out, and refusing to let anyone dodge responsibility. They work for us, and they will hear from us. Here's how we fight: 🔥 House Republicans: No Hiding, No Dodging. Show up at their offices, their events, and anywhere they try to escape accountability. Force them to answer for slashing Medicaid and handing Musk control over government spending. If they refuse? We make their silence the story. 💪 House Democrats: No Weak Deals. No Bailouts. The GOP's dysfunction means Democrats have leverage -- if they use it. Republicans control the House. They can and should pass a funding bill on their own. But if Republican chaos means they can't keep the lights on, Democrats must not bail them out without critical safeguards. Democrats should vote NO on any funding deal with extremist cuts, or that lacks ironclad protections against the Musk coup. If they hold the line, we have their backs. If they fold, we hold them accountable. 🚗 Take the Fight to Musk Himself. Musk isn't just funding Trump -- he's consolidating power for himself. This isn't just about MAGA lawlessness -- he’s a billionaire seizing control of government power to drive authoritarianism. That’s why we’re bringing the fight directly to him with Tesla protests at showrooms, factories, and dealerships across the country. How You Can Take Action 📍 District Office Visits: Demand answers face-to-face. They work for us. Let's remind them.
📢 Town Halls & Empty Chair Town Halls: If they show up, ask the tough questions. If they don't, make sure their constituents know about it.
📹 Birddogging & Visibility Actions: Get them on the record, in public.
🚗 Tesla Town Halls: Show up at Tesla locations nationwide and expose Musk's role in the Trump coup. Not able to join in person? While Indivisibles are turning out in force, we need your help to keep office phones ringing off the hook to stop the GOP's extremist budget meant to bankrupt working families: If you have a Republican representative, make a call and force them to answer for supporting a budget that will slash lifesaving programs their constituents count on just to line the pockets of billionaires like Musk.
If you have a Democratic representative, check whether or not they're part of the Courage Caucus. If not, give them a call and urge them to use every ounce of leverage they have in the funding right to stop the worst of their attacks. Every Republican who backs this coup must feel the heat. Every Democrat who fights back must feel our support.
Subscribe. And then, when you can, take a few minutes and fight.
On Tyranny. The lessons are down at the bottom of this post. We reviewed them before. We have seen them in action, with the ABA (American Bar Association) saying it was not going to knuckle under (remember professional ethics). I’m working on the making contact with others a bit more myself. If you’re doing something, please describe it in the comments!
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
tRump’s approval sinks as Americans worry about the economy Jason Lange Reuters
WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating has ticked slightly lower in recent days as more Americans worried about the direction of the U.S. economy as the new leader threatens a host of countries with tariffs, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Trump is doing as president, down from 45% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted January 24-26. Trump's approval rating stood at 47% in a January 20-21 poll conducted in the hours after the Republican's return to the White House. The six-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, showed 44% of respondents approved of the jobis doing as president, down from 45% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted January 24-26. Trump's approval rating stood at 47% in a January 20-21 poll conducted in the hours after the Republican's return to the White House. The share of Americans who disapprove of his presidency has risen more substantially, to 51% in the latest poll, compared with 41% right after he took office. ✂️ Summary Approval of Trump's handling of the economy has sagged
His approval on immigration is little changed
Majority oppose new tariffs; mixed views on Chinese tariffs
And another:
x Today in Politics, Bulletin 75. Trump’s approval ratings are sinking already. Here is everything you need to know about that and everything else that happened today in politics. open.substack.com/pub/meidasto... — Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T00:53:53.571Z
The House budget resolution is in trouble Meredith Lee Hill Politico
Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down at least a dozen Republican holdouts on the budget blueprint he wants to put on the House floor in the coming days — and he can only afford to lose one member and still approve the resolution along party lines. Johnson and his whip team are using the current week-long recess to ramp up engagement with undecided Republicans, including seven members — if not more — who have raised serious concerns about deep cuts to Medicaid in the House GOP budget resolution. Several other members are wary of a move to raise the debt limit as part of the plan.
Look, Mike Pence found his spine again! Hope he keeps it:
x It’s well past time for the Republican Party to speak the truth. I commend Mike Pence. — 💙❤️💙Mia💙❤️💙 (@mommamia.bsky.social) 2025-02-19T18:09:20.275Z
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
From Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/20
So please make sure everyone you know is aware of the facts: yesterday Trump attempted to end New York City’s congestion pricing program. Never mind that the program is popular, has been successful, and is driving up revenue in the state. Never mind that it’s brought traffic and air pollution down dramatically. Never mind that Republicans claim to respect and revere “states’ rights.” Trump meddled in New York’s business, concluded he’d successfully killed the program, and then wrote “LONG LIVE THE KING” on social media. If that doesn’t make Americans want to vomit then I don’t know what will. Fortunately, Kathy Hochul has vowed to fight Trump’s move in court. In the meantime, she says, the program will continue. Good! This is the kind of belligerent response we should always see from Democratic lawmakers. Now if only Hochul would have the courage to remove Eric Adams—keep calling her, New Yorkers! Speaking of belligerence, I’ve received word about a shift in approach from Senate Democrats. I think you’ll like it! As you may know, Senate Republicans are taking up their budget bill today. It's what we’ve already discussed: massive giveaways to the GOP’s wealthy donors paid for by cutting Medicaid, education, ACA subsidies, nutritional assistance, and more. That’s the bad news. The good news is that, starting at 4PM ET today, Democrats are going to fight back. How? By slowing things down as much as they can and making this process as difficult as possible by offering as many amendments as they can muster. This is exactly what we’ve been asking them to do! They intend to go as long as they can into the wee hours of Friday. And they’re going to get on social media with every large creator who will have them and talk about it! I may even be doing an Instagram Live with a Dem Senator tonight. I’ll keep you posted! Now you may ask, “but will any of this stop the bill from passing in the Senate?” The answer is no. The bill will be passed using reconciliation, which requires a simple majority—something Senate Republicans have. Not to mention that this version of the budget is likely not the one Republicans will ultimately pursue—Trump has expressed a preference for the House’s much bigger, crueler version. Those facts notwithstanding, what Democrats can and should do is slow Republicans down at every pass, make their actions as painful and politically costly as possible, and make sure everyone knows what they are trying to pull over on Americans. That’s what they’re now resolving to do.
AOC has been standing up:
x Go ahead. Let the people see you for what you are. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@aoc.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T03:54:44.834Z
💜 Unity? 💜
Helping those who are getting fired or who are in serious distress
x DC Veterinarian hospital waives fees for fired federal workers. Friendship Hospital for Animals posted on its social media pages waiving its emergency exam fee, along with fees for sick visits. The hospital also said it would be offering extended payment options for all services beginning Tuesday. — Sondra (@onlyonecomment.bsky.social) 2025-02-20T02:11:24.248Z
Great advice for the opposition — lessons from Mexico Leon Krauze Washington Post
First, consistency is crucial. Day-in and day-out, Democrats need to highlight the lies and potential illegality of the president’s actions. Given the volume of the transgressions, this won’t be easy. But meticulously labeling every false statement as a lie matters — and not just for the historical record. Politics is about narratives and trust, and building both takes time. Second, the opposition must find its own “Donald Trump” to counter Donald Trump — a figure capable of articulating a daily response to the Trump administration’s every move. This, too, won’t be easy. The Democratic Party is a coalition of diverse voices, not a disciplined movement centered around a single figure. Even so, it must figure out a formula. Perhaps a rotating group of Democratic governors or members of Congress can offer a daily news conference to counter Trump’s. And perhaps out of this public competition to define Trump’s record a particularly charismatic Democratic voice will emerge. There is no shortage of possibilities. What there isn’t is time.
Pete Buttigieg was suggested a while back. He would be great. I think it should be a group who speak out on a regular basis, not just focusing on one person.
📥 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. Join with local communities to make a difference. It could be your local Dems. It could be your school board or your library. Reach out to people. We all need each other these days.
🏃 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 😈
Jesse Watters is upset that the federal government is firing his own friends! Robyn Pennacchia Wonkette
Another thing that has happened is that a lot of the people who have been fired have been Trump voters or relatives of Trump voters, who — like so many Trump-voting relatives and spouses of undocumented immigrants — thought they would get a pass. As it turns out, this even includes a friend of Fox’s Jesse Watters. On yesterday’s “The Five,” Watters issued a plea to Trump to rehire his buddy Chris, a guy he met at a “shooting event” who was fired from his job at the Pentagon despite not even being a “DEI consultant.” Via Mediaite: “Let me tell you a story about Chris. Chris was a guy I met at a shooting event in New Jersey,” Watters began. “Was Chris in the interview or another guy? Male or female?” panelist Harold Ford Jr. jibed. Watters continued: “Let me finish: a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Military, one of the guys who has killed a lot of bad guys. Put his life on the line. He punched out after 20 years of working for the Pentagon. And he’s only been there a few months, so his probationary period he just found out he’s probably going to get laid off. He’s going to get DOGE’d.” The host added: “He texted me and said: ‘Jesse, this is not good. I’m really sad. I’m upset.’ This guy is not a DEI consultant. He is not a climate consultant. This guy is a veteran. So when you’re talking about DOGE-ing people, veterans should get priority. Because if you’re going to go out there and kill enemies, put your life on the line, you should not be in the same category as people that are doing DEI.”
Rush Limbaugh is still dead. He died four years ago this week.
This picture is just so wonderful!
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
The Associate Press is currently banned from the White House and from Air Force One. Because they won’t rename the Gulf of Mexico Ted Johnson Deadline
Donald Trump weighed in directly Tuesday for the first time on his efforts to freeze out the Associated Press from White House events because the news service declined to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The AP, the White House Correspondents’ Association and First Amendment groups have condemned the White House’s actions as an effort to punish journalists for content they dislike. Trump pitched himself as restoring free speech to the federal government, but they have used various tactics to try to stymie news outlets.
Well done, Associated Press, and how could it be considered a loss? It’s not as if anything true is being said on AF1 or the WH these days.
You can support the AP with donations at this link.
Also, make a point to rec their stories and add to bluesky and here.
And, at least Jim Acosta agrees with me that there’s no point in access when all you get are lies:
x Jim Acosta: I think the AP should consider whether or not to sue the administration… and the rest of the press corps should start seriously considering whether it’s worth sending everyone into the Oval Office, onto Air Force One, or into the briefing room. — Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T21:00:54.199Z
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
Michael Jordan giving back by creating health clinics to serve the uninsured Andy Corbley Good News Network
After donating tens of millions of dollars, Michael Jordan is celebrating the opening of another vital community health hub—the fourth ‘Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic’ to open in North Carolina. The latest is the second clinic opened in Jordan’s hometown of Wilmington, and all are founded in collaboration with Novant Health. It will officially welcome patients on February 19, focusing on strengthening primary care for all patients—including individuals who are uninsured or underinsured. ✂️ The 7,300-square-foot clinic at 416 N. 30th St. has twelve patient rooms and will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “It’s truly gratifying to know that in less than a year, our first Novant clinic in Wilmington has already made a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of individuals and families in my hometown,” said Mr. Jordan.
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Switzerland and elephants — I could not resist.
x In Switzerland, a 71-year-old terminally ill patient had one last wish: to meet an elephant. So a local non-profit and a zoo made this happen. 💗 — Goodable - Good News Just For You! (@goodable.bsky.social) 2025-02-13T15:41:18.855Z
🍵 ☕️ How the island of Ikaria combines longevity without dementia Filio Kontrafouri, Greek Reporter
Researchers have long been trying to unlock the life secrets of the residents of the Greek island of Ikaria, who thrive well into old age. Now it seems their secret could go well beyond eating the strictest version of the Mediterranean diet, daily natural exercise and a relaxed paced of daily life. According to Dan Buettner, an American longevity expert and New York Times Bestelling author, there is almost no dementia among Ikaria’s residents and there may be two drinks that help them stay sharp: herbal tea and coffee. Speaking on the “Live Well Be Well” podcast, Buettner revealed that the idyllic Greek island on the Aegean Sea boasts more than some of the world’s longest living inhabitants—it also has impressively low rates of dementia. “[People from] Ikaria, Greece live about eight years longer [than US citizens on average], largely without dementia, no discernible dementia,” he said.
Other big parts of their diet: beans (not much meat) and lots of greens. Also, totally unrelated, Ikaria is named for Icarus, who is featured in my latest novel, Messing with the Myths: The Maxotaur, in which he goes by the nickname Icky.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. Newest offering! Messing with the Myths: The Maxotaur. Older offerings: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and 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 — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, 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:
Do Nott Obey in Advance
Defend Institutions
Beware the One-Party System
Take Responsibility for the Face of the World
Remember Professional Ethics
Be Wary of Paramilitaries
Be Reflective if You Must Own a Gun
Stand Out (this means, speak up, even when others do not)
Be Kind to Our Language
Believe in Truth
Investigate
Make Eye Contact and Small Talk
Practice Corporeal Politics
Establish a Private Life
Contribute to Good Causes
Learn from Peers in Other Countries
Listen for Dangerous Words
Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives
Be a Patriot
Be as Courageous as You Can
🌻
💙 President Joseph R. Biden: “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.” 💙
Sir Winston Churchill: When you’re going through hell, keep going.
🌹 🌹 🌹
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