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GNR for Friday, June 20: 2025's Longest Day [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-20
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Gnusies, it’s the longest day (in the Northern hemisphere) of 2025. The day on which, thanks to our planet’s tilt and rotation and orbit, we get the most light.
Couple of thoughts. First, unless the proverbial bus or the meteor hits — not impossible — we’re in for a long haul. Unlike other democracies, we can’t call a presidential election outside of the four year cycle. Impeachment and the 25th amendment will not be applied by this Congress / cabinet — and I don’t think Vance would be an improvement.
So, pace yourselves.
Second, keep it up. Keep reaching out to friends. Keep contacting reps, senators, local governments. Keep supporting organizations that are doing good, such as libraries, independent journalism, ACLU, and so on.
Keep shining the light.
Let’s try to treat this long day as an opportunity.
Come on in, friends, and see what the light bringers are doing. Oh, and so well done, Dodgers!
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 🗽
Many diaries have been published celebrating the millions who turned out for the No Kings protests on June 14. Apparently the next No Kings day is being scheduled, sometime in July or August.
x 50501 was doing ranked choice voting for the next date. The poll closed this morning and no announcement has been made. bsky.app/profile/5050... — The Hissing Booth (@thehissingbooth.bsky.social) 2025-06-17T16:09:36.244Z
If you know any more, please post in the comments.
And, well done, LA Dodgers!
x JUST NOW: ICE denied at Dodgers stadium — The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T19:34:03.827Z
This, to me, is huge!!! Baseball is as American as apple pie, and this will move even more people.
Also, for immigrants who need to move their hearings online in order not to get sent to El Salvador, free services being offered by USC:
x USC Clinic: uscimmigrationclinic.org Agents of Change Civil Rights Advocacy Initiative www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/06/18/u... — Faith Ann Raider (@faithannraider.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T17:08:16.336Z
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
That bill is unpopular:
x Harry Enten on Trump's bill: "The amount of disapproval for this bill -- holy cow, my goodness gracious! We're talking about 29 points underwater ... we're talking about a negative 41 net favorability rating among independents. You rarely ever see proposed pieces of legislation as unpopular" — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-06-17T12:54:58.458Z
tRump’s popularity has been sinking. This matters, because it means he has less power than before, and it means those who are the fence will feel safer doing the correct thing.
x New polling shows even people who really like Donald Trump don't really like him as much any more. — MaddowBlog (@maddowblog.msnbc.com) 2025-06-17T02:12:35.886Z
If you want to see some of the numbers, here they are:
Look at the drops by age! Underwater now with every age group, with the steepest drop among the youngest
x NEW Economist/YouGov PollNet favorability of Donald Trump [at the start of his second term | now] among U.S. adult citizens by age18-29: +5 | -3130-44: -6 | -1145-64: +12 | -265+: -4 | -5d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec... — YouGov America (@today.yougov.com) 2025-06-17T14:23:52.616Z
By ethnicity. And, as a white, I apologize for my race, but at least the numbers have gotten better (from my perspective)
x NEW Economist/YouGov PollNet favorability of Donald Trump [at the start of his second term | now] among...White Americans +13 | +3Hispanic Americans -12 | -28Black Americans -31 | -58d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec... — YouGov America (@today.yougov.com) 2025-06-17T14:23:52.615Z
And it’s not just YouGov!
A reminder that tRump associates with pedophiles, plural, not just Jeffrey Epstein.
x "“So I want to thank Pastors Robert Morris and Steve Dulin. They’re great people,” Trump said .." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... — Rebel Knight (@rebelknight.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T08:34:53.644Z
x Birds of a feather always flock together — BIG D GRANDROYAL (@bigdgrandroyal.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T04:40:06.400Z
tRump’s pardons cost the US 1.3 billion Andrew Solender, Axios
A new report from Democratic staff on the House Judiciary Committee estimates that President Trump's pardons have cost the American public more than $1.3 billion in fines and restitution. Why it matters: Democrats are homing in on the the nearly 1,600 pardons Trump has already doled out in just five months on the job as one of the most potent attacks on his presidency. blanket pardon for most Jan. 6 defendants. The president kicked off his second term with a
repeatedly made headlines for pardoning high-profile or wealthy figures who have proven themselves MAGA loyalists. He has alreadyfor pardoning high-profile or wealthy figures who have proven themselves MAGA loyalists. Driving the news: The largest price tag from Trump's pardons, according to the 10-page report, was nearly $680 million owed in restitution by Trevor Milton, the founder of now-bankrupt electric truck startup Nikola.
I almost didn’t include this, because it’s not exactly good news. However, this is just the sort of thing that can turn even more people against this horrible president and all his enablers.
Well done, House Democrats! Keep it up. Which makes for the segue to the next section:
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
Democrats are using their voices when they can:
x Democratic Wins Media: This Democrat Won The Day- June 18, 2025 open.substack.com/pub/demwinsm... — Philly Joe (@joehick58.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T04:36:43.258Z
Here’s the report from The Hill (Elizabeth Crisp)
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) had harsh words for embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday: President Trump’s previous Defense leader, Mark Esper, “had more guts and balls” than Hegseth because Esper refused to maim unarmed protesters, she said. “[Esper] didn’t accept the order,” Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Defense official, told Hegseth. “He had more guts and balls than you, because he said, I’m not going to send in the uniformed military to do something that I know in my gut isn’t right.” wrote in his 2022 memoir that Trump wanted authorities to shoot protesters in the legs during demonstrations after the murder of George Floyd. Esper, who was Defense secretary for a year until Trump fired him after the 2020 election,that Trump wanted authorities to shoot protesters in the legs during demonstrations after the murder of George Floyd. “I had to figure out a way to walk Trump back without creating the mess I was trying to avoid,” Esper wrote in the book, describing Trump as “red-faced and complaining loudly about the protests underway in Washington, D.C.”
I also want to give kudos to the Ds who have been attacked and are speaking out, such as Senator Alex Padilla and Comptroller Brad Lander:
x New York City Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate @bradlander.bsky.social speaks to @anacabrera.bsky.social about being arrested by ICE agents while serving as an advocate for defendants in immigration court. WATCH the full interview here: youtu.be/cjNTJajpdCs?... — MSNBC (@msnbc.com) 2025-06-18T17:23:12.131Z
I don’t really follow NYC politics, but I have to imagine that what happened has increased and not decreased his chances of becoming NYC’s next mayor.
By the way, there’s another reason they did that to Lander: Empty Wheel
It’s perhaps a timely moment to recall that Brad Lander has tangled with Kristi Noem before. Back when DOGE and DHS clawed back $80 million awarded to New York City to house migrants, Lander was the guy who called them out — and insisted on suing. New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander said the abrupt decision was an illegal diversion by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency of money used to house asylum-seekers admitted to the U.S. under President Joe Biden. “President Trump and his crony Elon Musk illegally executed a revocation of $80 million in congressionally-appropriated FEMA funding from New York City’s bank accounts,” Lander said in a statement. “This highway robbery of our funds directly out of our bank account is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home.” Lander’s statement came after the Trump administration claimed the city had received disaster relief funds to house migrants in luxury hotels. Musk posted that his DOGE “discovered” the funding on Monday, calling it “a gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.” The funds were administered by FEMA, a subagency of the Department of Homeland Security. A 2024 report from Lander’s office found that the city paid an average rate of $156 a night for hotel rooms booked through an agreement with the Hotel Association of New York City. The seizure of funds could result in cuts to city services. “We can’t recover money we already spent on shelter and services for asylum seekers, so it would require cutting $80 million of some other city expenses,” Lander said. This happened the very week that Eric Adams was cozying up to Tom Homan — which Dale Ho judged was evidence of a quid pro quo. Lander took a shot at Mayor Eric Adams for not standing up to Trump, saying that “If instead Mayor Adams continues to be President Trump’s pawn, my Office will request to work in partnership with the New York City Law Department to pursue aggressive legal action.” Adams said Wednesday that he is in talks with the White House about recovering the money, and that he’s requested an emergency meeting with FEMA to resolve the matter. “The Corporation Counsel is already exploring various litigation options,” he added, in a statement on X. Adams is scheduled to meet Thursday with Trump border czar Tom Homan, who demanded cooperation from the Democrat during a radio interview Tuesday, saying, “Either he comes to the table or we go around him.” Adams didn’t insist on getting the money back. On the contrary, Trump’s Administration has continued to steal from New York City.
Crime goes down under Democrats. A shame the people don’t know this. MSM is corrupt
x It's pretty notable that mainstream, establishment discourse never ever ever considers giving liberal politicians credit for crime reductions. It's almost axiomatic that if crime goes down under a center-left leader it's either unremarked upon, or must be driven by something else. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T18:37:08.934Z
x But if crime goes UP under a Democrat, or liberal, then clearly they are to blame. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T18:37:08.935Z
x For instance: If murders in Baltimore were UP 40%, then Mayor Brandon Scott would be a national figure. Instead it's gone down that amount so no one knows who he is. — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T18:50:05.306Z
💜 Unity? 💜
Pam Bondi’s brother Brad lost his election by a lan9dslide. You know, a real landslide, where his 9.1% was buried by the 90+ deciding he should not be bar president in DC
x You couldn’t get 90% of lawyers to agree on whether puppies are cute or ice cream is sweet, but my man you got 90% of lawyers to agree you should not be bar president. Very impressive! Maybe save the sore-loser scolding about politicization for your loved ones, though. — Matthew Stiegler (@matthewstiegler.bsky.social) 2025-06-09T18:27:26.036Z
📥 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.
👎 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.
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
🎩 Nanny Ogg. That stupid wall is being abandoned, even by the deep red Texas legislature:
x TEXAS: “4 years after Abbott announced TX would be the first to build its own border wall, lawmakers quietly stopped funding it… cost taxpayers $3 billion+… full of gaps migrants & smugglers can easily walk around…”
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/17/texas-border-wall-funding-ends-abbott-trump/ — The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-06-18T18:48:58.513Z
Jennifer Rubin at The Contrarian
The thing about Trump’s dictatorial role-playing is that he’s not that good at it, neither Saturday nor writ large. Those actual dictators manage to inspire or terrify large crowds into showing up for their self-aggrandizing shindigs. Trump’s crowds were sparse and, at spots along the parade route, non-existent. On a Fox broadcast, someone was heard asking, “Where are the people?” as the camera panned over a scanty crowd along the route. Even the president himself seemed uninterested and perhaps somnolent at times. It was a metaphor for the failure of Trump’s larger authoritarian project so far. Remember, he set out to be a dictator “on day one,” and it became clear on day two and in the 146 days since that he meant from day one. The good news is that his dictatorial project is failing, as we explain every day here at the Contrarian and as you will read about in my usual weekly summary. Yes, the damage has been vast, starting with the turmoil Trump set off in Los Angeles.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
This guy (Farron Cousins) explains why — well, one of the reasons — the media is failing so badly. Basically, they want to continue to have access to tRump.
x Donald Trump’s cognitive decline is happening in plain sight—but the mainstream media refuses to talk about it because they care more about keeping access to Trump than telling the truth. Farron Cousins breaks down how journalists are ignoring lies, insults, and... youtu.be/5IT7c5uQ5X4?... — (@pissed-off-g.bsky.social) 2025-06-18T05:35:39.006Z
Also, we’re honoring Terry Moran for speaking the truth. Even though ABC fired him for it.
x Terry Moran is a TRUE PATRIOT 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Moran Says He Doesn’t Regret Posts Criticizing Trump Administration - The New York Times — Morgan J Freeman (@mjfree.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T19:54:53.672Z
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
Dr. Z charged many patients nothing — now that he has cancer, they are raising money for him Andy Corbley Good News Network
Michael Zollicoffer, known to his patients as Dr. Z, spent the last four decades serving the residents of Baltimore’s poorest neighborhoods—and the family physician never turned anyone away, even if they couldn’t afford to pay. “Forget that dollar bill,” the 66-year-old told CBS News. “I’m going to see you no matter what. You walk in that door, you will be seen. You bring your grandma with you, I’ll see her, too.” Dr. Zollicoffer built goodwill in his Maryland community instead of a massive bank account, a practice that may have looked misguided a few months ago when suddenly the doctor became the patient—diagnosed with a double dose of cancers, one renal and one rectal. To make matters worse, he discovered that his own insurance had lapsed due to a policy complication with Medicare. His treatment was suddenly going to cost about $150,000. GoFundMe campaign online. As the news trickled out to all those patients Dr. Z had helped over the years, one of his high school friends, Michael Haynie, started aonline.
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Air India pilot saves lives before crash Andy Corbley Good News Network
Rarely is there good news to be found amid the wreckage of a crashed plane, but from the Air India flight which recently went down in Ahmedabad, a ray of positivity emerges. The crash claimed 241 souls on board, but it could have been dozens, perhaps hundreds more on the ground, based on the last minute heroics of pilot Sumeet Sabharwal. Eyewitness reports speaking to the Sun in the UK saw that Sabharwal diverted the doomed Boeing 787 from crashing into an apartment building among the last seconds before impact. “Thanks to the pilot Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He’s a hero. It is because of him we are alive,” said Jahanvi Rajput, 28, whose home narrowly escaped destruction. “The green space next to us was visible to him and that’s where he went.” “If the plane had crashed into this residential area, there would have been hundreds more victims,” according to locals living around the crash site.
Florida’s Miccosukee tribe is attempting to buy land for a wildlife conservation corridor Cristen Hemingway Jaynes EcoWatch
Florida’s Miccosukee Tribe is seeking to purchase important Tribal lands to create a corridor for wildlife conservation as part of a partnership agreement with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. The corridor will connect 18 million acres of contiguous privately owned and state wilderness that are the habitat of endangered species like Florida panthers and Key deer, reported The Guardian. “The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida have stewarded the lands and waters of Florida since time immemorial. The entirety of this land, and her flora and fauna, have been shaped by successive generations of our people. Our collective Indigenous Knowledge offers a unique perspective informed by this deep and historic relationship to the lands and waters of the National Wildlife Refuge System that lie within our traditional lands,” said Talbert Cypress, chair of the Miccosukee Tribe, in a press release from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
When you trip, sometimes you can win anyway
x Brooklyn Anderson was leading the 100m hurdles at the Oregon state finals when she tripped and fell on the last hurdle. So what did she do? She rolled with it, literally, and still won the State Championship.👇🏽 #NeverGiveUp #AGoodPlace #GoodNews #Good #Happy — Goodable - Good News Just For You! (@goodable.bsky.social) 2025-06-06T16:25:16.597Z
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. Newest offerings: Messing with the Myths — two books so far in this series. (Give them a try; they’re fun!) Older offerings: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction (Hunters of the Feather). Mysteries based on Jane Austen’s novels, such as The Meryton Murders. Others based on history and Greek mythology, e.g., Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus. All titles also available through Kindle Unlimited.
💙 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.
I know it’s tough to see the path forward. And I can’t guarantee that there is a path forward. But people who are smarter and braver than I have seen ways to move ahead.
Their (the fascists’) plans really are dark, but many of them are also dumb, in the sense that they don’t make sense. So many of them cannot succeed.
Here are some quick hits.
Stay involved. Yeah, that’s tough. I want to look away too, but by taking simple actions you can make a difference. Keep contacting your representatives, both in DC and at home.
Support causes that will fight. Send money if you can. Also, spread their news with clicks and conversation.
Slow them down. Oppose and block at every turn.
Make tRump unpopular. Doing this weakens him. And it should not be that difficult. The GOP made a lot out of Biden is old and eggs cost too much. Well, tRump is older than Biden was at the beginning of his term and tRump has no policies that are going to bring down inflation. And a host of other problems, like he’s a convicted felon.
Divide the GOP from each other. They are a coalition based on contradictory promises, so there’s plenty to work with.
Keep telling the truth and showing love.
Make sure to pace yourselves in this marathon and to practice self-care.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny Lessons:
(1) Do Not Obey in Advance; (2) Defend Institutions; (3) Beware the One-Party System;(4) Take Responsibility for the Face of the World; (5) Remember Professional Ethics; (6) Be Wary of Paramilitaries; (7) Be Reflective if You Must Own a Gun; (8) Stand Out (this means, speak up, even when others do not); (9) Be Kind to Our Language; (10) Believe in Truth;(11) Investigate; (12) Make Eye Contact and Small Talk;(13) Practice Corporeal Politics; (14) Establish a Private Life;(15) Contribute to Good Causes; (16) Learn from Peers in Other Countries; (17) Listen for Dangerous Words; (18) Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives; (19) Be a Patriot; (20) Be as Courageous as You Can.
🌻
President Joseph R. Biden: “Our history has been a constantstruggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harshugly 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.
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.
[END]
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