Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
We are under attack, so we need to fortify ourselves. The first thing to do is to update your password, if you have not done so. This story explains why and how. Remember, Dkos will be attacked, because it is where liberals come, is also the place where the others come to exploit and to harass us.
I beg everyone to remember who the enemy is (note that this phrase was used in Catching Fire). We all want Trump gone; we just believe that different methods will serve best for getting rid of him.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the very bad stuff that is happening. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💚 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. We have to keep demoralizing them. Name, blame and shame! IT IS WORKING! WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE DEMORALIZED!
💙 The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
💙 Toxic 🍄 Trump Matters 👎 and Some Hope, Too! 👍
💰 Trump was central to hush money payments — from the start
The FBI told a federal judge that President Donald Trump was personally and directly involved in the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, according to year-old court documents fully revealed on Thursday.
Throughout an 18-page, previously redacted section of an April 2018 search warrant application, an unnamed FBI agent alleged how Trump directed and oversaw the effort to buy Daniels’ silence about an affair.
The FBI’s search warrant application brims with Trumpworld figures like his campaign press secretary Hope Hicks and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, as it recounts what investigators believed they knew as they attempted to convince a judge to let them raid the President’s personal attorney.
Great article, confirming what we knew. And even though it mentions Hope Hicks, that’s not the type of hope I meant above.
🍄 Epstein to remain behind bars while awaiting trial
Jeffrey Epstein has been denied bail while awaiting a federal sex trafficking trial in New York.
“The government has established danger to others and to the community by clear and convincing evidence,” the Manhattan federal court Judge Richard Berman said on Thursday. “I doubt that any bail package can overcome a danger to the community.”
The financier – who has claimed a net worth of about $560m – has been jailed in the Metropolitan Correctional Center since his 6 July arrest for alleged sexual abuse of underage girls from 2002 to 2005. Some of his victims were just 14 years old, according to a 13-page indictment charging Epstein with sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy.
And if you wonder why Trump has been extra nasty lately, it’s because he’s been trying to distract from his own involvement with Epstein. And the very young ladies that they abused.
👎 House holds Barr and Ross in contempt for their lying ways during the census battle
The House voted 230-198 on Wednesday to hold Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for their failure to comply with subpoenas in lawmakers’ probe into the census citizenship question.
The vote was largely along party lines, with just Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI) joining the Democrats in favor the vote. It marks the first time the full House has voted to hold members of the Trump administration in criminal contempt. The vote sets the stage for the House to go to court to get the census-related documents lawmakers seek.
The Trump administration lost the legal fight over adding the citizenship question to the 2020 census and is planning to collect citizenship data from existing government records.
Evidence shows we’re not all racists
👎 Most Americans think those tweets by Trump are racist
WASHINGTON – A clear majority of Americans say President Donald Trump's tweets targeting four minority congresswomen were "un-American," according to a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll. But most Republicans say they agreed with his comments, an illustration of the nation's sharp partisan divide on issues of patriotism and race.
More than two-thirds of those aware of the controversy, 68%, call Trump's tweets offensive. Among Republicans alone, 57% say they agree with tweets that told the congresswomen to go back to the countries "from which they came," and a third "strongly" agree with them. All four lawmakers are American citizens; three were born in the USA.
🔎 This is from the transcript for Tuesday’s The Last Word
[Suzette] HACKNEY (a reporter at the Indy Star): Absolutely. I think that Republicans are going to have to start listening to the American people.
Yes, I live in a very red state [Indiana]. I have heard from so many readers who reached out to me today on both sides of the aisle and they said this is unacceptable. We as Americans cannot allow this – this kind of division to happen any longer.
And I think that if these Republicans are going to represent their voters, they are going to have to start listening to their voters and Americans are very unhappy. I`ve gotten tons of emails from Republicans who say I`m a Republican all my life, but we cannot continue to go down this road.
💛 And here a Texas judge leaves the GOP
The last two items are anecdotal, but sometimes anecdotes are just tips of the iceberg. Even Meghan McCain feels as if she can’t criticize Omar anymore (and resents it, too). 💛 And Trump has lost Piers Morgan, too. If you lose Piers Morgan...
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
👎 👮13 Philadelphia cops to be fired over racist, offensive posts
The Philadelphia Police Department is expected this week to begin the process of firing police officers whose racist or offensive Facebook posts were documented in an online database, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.
They seem to be a subset of the 72 who were taken off of street duty recently.
👎 👮 4 Chicago cops fired over protecting a murderer
The Chicago Police Board has fired four cops involved in the alleged cover-up of Laquan McDonald’s 2014 murder at the hands of former Officer Jason Van Dyke, The Chicago Tribune reports. The board found that Officers Ricardo Viramontes, Janet Mondragon, and Daphne Sebastian—all of whom were at the scene when Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times—lied about or exaggerated what they saw to protect Van Dyke in police reports. Sgt. Stephen Franko, a supervisor, was reportedly found to have signed off on their reports. Van Dyke was convicted of on-duty murder for shooting McDonald, 17, who was high on PCP at the time and did not comply with police commands to drop a knife while walking away from officers. Van Dyke was sentenced to over six years in prison and is currently serving his time. Three other officers who were accused of creating “false stories” about the McDonald shooting were found not guilty of being part of a cover-up.
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
💙 💰 GOP strategist unnerved by D freshmen fundraising
On Tuesday, National Journal reported swing-seat freshmen Democrats raised $24 million over the past three months, "a staggering sum that will provide an early fortification for key House battlegrounds and complicate Republicans' attempts to reclaim the majority."
Democrats reclaimed the House majority after the 2018 midterm elections, and these fundraising numbers could be enough to scare away some would-be Republican challengers.
"Freshmen raising such a big amount so quickly — that causes real concern," Doug Heye, a veteran GOP strategist, told the Journal.
👎 💰 Moscow Mitch is so unpopular that only 9% of his campaign funds came from Kentucky
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell only received 9% of his reelection campaign donations from his home state of Kentucky, reflecting poorly on his popularity there.
McConnell reported that his committee took in just over $3 million in the most recent quarter ending June 30. ✂️
McConnell is the most unpopular senator in America, with 50% of voters in Kentucky telling Morning Consult they disapprove of the job he has done and only 36% approving.
Well, gosh, the campaign ads just write themselves for Amy McGrath, McConnell’s opponent.
👎 Senator Susan Collins is underwater with Maine voters
Collins’ net approval — the share of voters who approve of her job performance minus the share who disapprove — has fallen by 44 percentage points since the first quarter of 2017, when Trump took office. Forty-five percent of Mainers approve of Collins and 48 percent disapprove in the latest rankings, down 16 net points since quarter one of this year, as her campaign gears up in earnest to face a Democratic challenge from state House Speaker Sara Gideon.
💙 🌻 💜 Demographics don’t favor Republicans 🎆
The single biggest threat to Republicans' long-term viability is demographics.
The big picture: The numbers simply do not lie. America, as a whole, and swing states, in particular, are growing more diverse, more quickly. There is no way Republicans can change birth rates or curb this trend — and there's not a single demographic megatrend that favors Republicans.
Why it matters: President Trump’s short-term calculation to stir up white voters with race-baiting rhetoric might very well echo for a generation.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
🦀 Governor’s opioid 💊 summit brims with ideas
AUGUSTA — While federal and New England state officials discussed strategies for combating the opioid crisis at a statewide summit Monday, Mainers shared personal stories of family and friends dying of drug overdoses and their own struggles with substance use disorder.
About 1,000 people attended the “Turning the Tide” opioid summit at the Augusta Civic Center, an event organized by Gov. Janet Mills’ administration. It was the largest event of its kind in Maine since the opioid crisis accelerated about five years ago. Maine experienced a record 418 drug overdose deaths in 2017, declining to 354 deaths in 2018, but the deaths are still historically high. ✂️
Mills has adopted a 10-point plan for the opioid crisis, heavily focused on prevention, increased access to treatment, eliminating a two-year cap on medication-assisted treatment for Suboxone and methadone, easier access to opioid antidote naloxone, and connecting people who need help to treatment. Expanding Medicaid, which began on her first day in office in January, opened access to medication-assisted treatment for thousands of Mainers.
🐍 Schadenfreude 🍎
👢 🔫 Another NRA top official gets the boot
Another top National Rifle Association official, Jennifer Baker, is out at the organization amid ongoing inner tumult. Baker was the director of public affairs for the NRA’s lobbying arm, the Institute for Legislative Action. ✂️
Baker’s departure also comes after months of scandal and turmoil for the NRA. The non-profit has seen an attempted coup against LaPierre by its former President Oliver North, leaked documents appearing to substantiate self-dealing allegations at the group’s top, and a legal battle with its longtime advertising partner Ackerman McQueen, all since April.
In the background is an investigation into the nonprofit by New York State attorney General Letitia James, as well as a recent probe opened by D.C. attorney general Karl Racine.
📣🏅 Let’s Honor Truth 🏅☀️
🏅This week I want to honor Julie K. Brown, the reporter at the Miami Herald
Journalism! At its finest!
A lot of honor has to go to the women who have been coming forward to tell their stories about Epstein, which are truly horrific.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
❤️ Giving people mobility
It all started in Philip Pavone’s pawn shop in 2009, when he stumbled upon an opportunity to make a difference. There were some motorized wheelchairs hanging around the shop that still hadn’t sold and, in an attempt to clear space for new inventory, he placed an ad in his local paper, offering them for free.
Within two weeks, he received more than sixty letters in response to the ad. ✂️
“At that moment, I realized how many people out there were suffering. It was unbelievable,” said Mr. Pavone. “Some of the people writing to me hadn’t left their homes for months, even years at a time. Many were elderly and had no one to help them.”
There’s a lot more to the story. Really worth a read.
💰 💣 😄 A church wipes out $7.2 million of crippling medical debt
It’s uncertain whether the struggling residents of Central Florida have ever prayed for their medical bills to be wiped out, but that’s exactly what just happened. Sixty-five hundred families are going to get letters in the mail saying their debt has been paid by people they’ve never met. ✂️
When Stetson Baptist Church found itself with an ‘extra Sunday’ at the end of its fiscal year calendar, its leaders decided that on June 30th, the money collected during the service would be donated to charity. Their plan was to split the proceeds to support a group foster home that provides services for underserved youngsters and also help the residents of their home county of Volusia to pay their medical bills. ✂️
They used a New York charity, RIP Medical Debt, which buys the debt for just pennies on the dollar, to leverage the money’s impact—and ended up wiping out $7.2 million of unpaid medical bills.
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
☀️ 🌊 🌳💧🐝 The climate crisis has been on my mind a lot lately. I’m doing what I can on a personal level — canceling plane trips, and not going meatless but certainly going less meat, more careful recycling and reusing, and so on. Then I stumbled across this: an article that suggests the climate action group that may be right for you, depending on your profile. As we all know, groups can be much more effective than working just on your own. So check it out.
🌳🌲🌳🌲Paris to plant urban forests
Some of Paris’s most treasured landmarks are set to host the city’s new “urban forests.”
Under a plan announced last week by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, thickets of trees will soon appear in what today are pockets of concrete next to landmark locations, including the Hôtel de Ville, Paris’s city hall; the Opera Garnier, Paris’s main opera house; the Gare de Lyon; and along the Seine quayside.
The new plantings are part of a plan to create “islands of freshness”—green spaces that moderate the city’s heat island effect. It also falls into an overall drive to convert Paris’s surface “from mineral to vegetal,” introducing soil into architectural set-piece locations that have been kept bare historically. As a result, the plan will not just increase greenery, but may also provoke some modest rethinking of the way Paris frames its architectural heritage.
Thanks, Getting1, to alerting me to this lovely bit about the city of lights!
✈️ Air New Zealand is working on reducing its use of plastic.
For every mile a jet flies, it generates 53 pounds of carbon dioxide—but until we have a better supply of aviation biofuel made from waste, there are other ways that airlines are reducing their unsustainable footprint.
Air New Zealand, for instance, is slashing their use of plastic on flights—cutting out 55 million items, which will actually make the planes lighter and save a wee bit of fuel.
The list of plastic on the chopping block, announced in a press release July 8, is pretty long. It includes everything from plastic cups to water bottles, sauce packets to cheese trays. Every one of those pieces has a carbon footprint equal to around 3 ounces of carbon dioxide, so by eliminating them from the flights, Air New Zealand cuts out 10.3 million pounds of CO2 this year alone.
🐦 Rare birds have bumper crop of babies
The adorable orange-fronted parakeet is making an impressive comeback as New Zealand’s most endangered forest bird species—doubling its population with an epic hatch in 2019.
Known in the island nation as kākāriki karaka, it lives in beech forests and was thought to be completely extinct until 1993, when they were rediscovered in Canturbury.
There were only 100-300 individuals before this hatching season, so this year’s bounty of newborns could more than double their numbers.
💜 Pelosi & Mnuchin have a top-line two-year budget/debt ceiling agreement
From France, where he's meeting with G-7 finance leaders, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have reached a top-line agreement for a two-year deal on both spending levels and a debt limit extension. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, or his deputies, are apparently also on board.
"The good news is we've reached an agreement between the administration, the House and the Senate on top-line numbers for both year one and year two," Mnuchin said on CNCBC. "We're now discussing offsets as well as certain structural issues. And we’ve agreed as part of that deal there would be a long-term, two-year debt ceiling increase." He also left open the possibility of a stand-alone debt ceiling extension before Congress recesses for the August break, July 26 for the House and Aug. 2 for the Senate. Those top-line numbers haven't been leaked. Pelosi has pushed for increasing spending limits under the Budget Control Act by $356 billion over the next two years, in addition to flexibility for increases for overseas military spending, funding for 2020 census preparation, and veterans' care.
For her part, Pelosi just says talks have to wrap up by Friday night so that there's enough time to post legislative text for a floor vote next Thursday. "When we have an agreement we'll write it up, and we have to do all of that by Friday evening," Pelosi told reporters. "We're in a good place. We know what we need to do." Thus far, they've apparently set aside hot-button issues of abortion, the Hyde Amendment, and Trump's border war. Pelosi has insisted on new spending for veterans' services, and there is an apparent deal there.
💙 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. However, given that we have taken back the House, the tactics moving forward need to be different. Indivisible has ideas to share.
Indivisible 2.0
This Guide is for what comes next. The 2016 Indivisible Guide was about using constituent power to defend our values, our neighbors, and our democracy. This Guide is about using our constituent power to go on offense.
Offense is exciting, but it’s more complex than defense. We have the opportunity to use congressional oversight to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress.
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. Remember, a lot of them crossed over in the midterms! Get them to feel good about being blue.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
🍀 “My experience has been that work is almost
always the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” 🍀
Eleanor Roosevelt
🔥 If you’re going through hell, keep going! 🔥
Winston Churchill
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.