Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Many of us are frustrated by the terrible choices of this administration. The United States is losing its standing in the world as a beacon of truth and hope and as a supporter of democracy.
What people here (and everywhere) should realize, is that we have been invaded. By the Russians and the kleptocrats. Many of these terrible deeds are being done by Putin’s puppets.
And the invasion has reached more than the Oval Office, but also the Department of Justice and at the State Department and basically every political appointment.
They also have staunch allies in Congress (McConnell and McCarthy) and the Courts, as well as people who are too cowardly to step forward. They are supported by right-wing media and lots of bots.
Then there is much of the population who do not even realize that we have been invaded by Putin’s puppets. Even much of the media, who often wonder why the trumpet is doing this or the trumpet is doing that, even though it’s against our best interests, could simply answer the question themselves if they understand that we have been invaded.
The good news is that many people are fighting back. Here. County by county. Even the Senate came out in a bipartisan way this week, and blamed Russia for interfering in the election on the trumpet’s behalf.
Scroll down to see the stories of some of these people. In the comments please report what you yourselves are doing.
We are the heroes who are going to rescue our democracy. We have power; we just have to use it. And we have to keep on using it, because they will never play fair.
I’m a big fan of the movie Wonder Woman, which came out in 2017. I’ve quoted from it before. Today the quote is: “Never let your guard down! You expect a battle to be fair? A battle will never be fair!” (Antiope, who trains Diana.)
This means we have to keep up our guards (the evil ones are truly desperate, so they will try anything and everything) and fight harder. But over the last two and a half years we have learned to fight harder, and our guards are up.
We are the heroes. As are the patriots stepping forward.
After we win, we will have to investigate and punish the guilty, as well as publicize their crimes, so that we regain some of our good name. We’ll have to earn back the rest.
Note: There’s a LOT going on, so my apologies if I have missed something. Please add to comments.
Second note: If you have trouble finding the GNR, especially if you tend to drop by later in the day, then follow me and tje other authors and you will be able to find the GNR in your activity stream.
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 👎 & Russia, Russia, Russia 🐻
😨 ☎️CNN: Trump is so worried about impeachment, he keeps calling McConnell
In private, Trump is increasingly leaning on the Republican leader in the Senate. In a return to the President's panicked behavior during the height of the Mueller investigation, Trump is calling McConnell as often as three times a day, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
Talking Points Memo: Giuliani’s pals were arrested
Two associates of Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who were tied to the Ukraine pressure campaign were arrested on Wednesday on campaign finance charges, a source familiar told TPM.
The pair — Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — traveled to Kyiv in 2019 as Giuliani and Trump pressed the Ukrainian government to fabricate dirt on Joe Biden and the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. The duo have run the gamut in their work with Giuliani, most recently teaming up with the former NYC mayor to probe opportunities in Ukraine’s gas business but also reportedly aiding the Trump attorney in his pressure campaign on Kyiv — for which the President now faces impeachment.
The duo were arrested Wednesday night at Washington-Dulles International airport, while reportedly trying to flee the country. They had depositions before Congress scheduled for today and tomorrow.
Gee, at least some parts of the DoJ know this is bad business. We know there’s a silly letter saying you can’t indict the president (actually, the letter makes sense in some situations) but how about indicting Bill Barr?
Another interesting photo:
But he doesn’t know them…!
By the way, this activity seems to have been funded by, you guessed it, RUSSIA.
We (or at least the House) are going to learn more, and this woman was on calls between Trump and Putin, and Fiona Hill is not happy with the pro-Putin policy.
Wonkette: Rex Tillerson says Trump asked him to crime — in order to help out Giuliani
Today's scoop comes from Bloomberg News, and it is about a meeting in 2017 when Trump looked at then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and said "CRIME TIME!" Specifically he wanted Tillerson to lean on the Justice Department to drop an investigation into Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader Rudy Giuliani just so happened to be representing, what a coincidence, cannot believe our eyes:
President Donald Trump pressed then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to help persuade the Justice Department to drop a criminal case against an Iranian-Turkish gold trader who was a client of Rudy Giuliani, according to three people familiar with the 2017 meeting in the Oval Office.
Tillerson refused, arguing it would constitute interference in an ongoing investigation of the trader, Reza Zarrab, according to the people. They said other participants in the Oval Office were shocked by the request.
Tillerson immediately repeated his objections to then-Chief of Staff John Kelly in a hallway conversation just outside the Oval Office, emphasizing that the request would be illegal. Neither episode has been previously reported, and all of the people spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conversations.
So Trump makes the ask to Tillerson, and reportedly says, like he apparently says so often to the Ukrainians, that Tillerson should really get with Rudy Giuliani on this. Everybody in the Oval Office is like "WHOA THERE, CRIMER!" Tillerson says no, Mister President, I cannot be doing that crime today. Tillerson goes out to John Kelly and says "Big Treason just asked me to do a crime!"
Daily Kos: Could Mike Pompeo lose his salary?
According to the Palmer Report, Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan is demanding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explain who told Gordon Sondland not to show up and testify today, and he’s revealed that he’s going to cut off Pompeo’s salary if it doesn’t happen. Pocan is citing the specific section of federal law that allows him to do this, and because he sits on the House Appropriations Committee, he’s in position to make this happen.
We’ll see how Mike Pompeo, who is already taking heat from all sides, responds to losing his paycheck. While Donald Trump’s previous Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was very wealthy and didn’t need his government salary, Pompeo appears to have no such wealth, and may not be able to pay his bills.
There have long been questions about how the House impeachment inquiry would enforce its subpoenas and punish obstruction. Contempt of Congress powers aren’t all that strong under the law in comparison to say, contempt of court powers. But now that House Democrats are going after Pompeo’s salary, and presumably the salary of anyone in the Trump regime who refuses to cooperate, it’s clear that the enforcement phase has begun.
Talking Points Memo: It’s not just Congress who’s fed up with Pompeo. His employees are too
Six current and former State Department officials told ABC News on Thursday that career staffers are upset with the way Pompeo using the department to help Trump fend off the House impeachment inquiry.
According to ABC, they’re particularly angered by Pompeo’s silence over Trump’s decision to remove Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch, who was well-respected among her colleagues, from her post for hindering Rudy Giuliani’s attempts to legitimize his conspiracy theory about Joe Biden.
“It does not escape notice that [Pompeo] was on the call where Trump sold the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine up the river,” one official told ABC, referring to when Trump told Ukrainian Present Volodymyr Zelensky that Yovanovitch was “bad news” during their infamous phone call in July.
Pence is finding things awkward as well
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
💛 A crack in the facade… from Marco Rubio, no less!
I think there’s a lot of this, and we, when we have time and more cooperative partners, are going to have to do a strict accounting.
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
When Nixon’s poll numbers reached this level, it only took him two weeks to resign.
Not exactly good news, but really bad news for Trump
💛 Raw Story: Kevin McCarthy was a favorite of Giuliani’s indicted henchmen
Lev Parnas, the foreign-born businessman who was indicted this week on campaign-finance charges, donated thousands of dollars last year to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
As flagged by New York Daily News reporter Michael McAuliff, Parnas in June 2018 contributed $2,700 to McCarthy’s reelection campaign.
Other filings made with the Federal Elections Commission show that Parnas donated that exact same amount to Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), who on Thursday was implicated in an indictment of Parnas and his business partner, Igor Fruman.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
💙 Governor Pritzker uses his own money to renovate the governor’s mansion (Chicago Sun-Times)
Billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker — the richest sitting politician in America — is shelling out another $850,000 from his own pockets to renovate the Illinois Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.
That cranks up the tally of personal funds he has used to cover government expenses — including doubling some salaries and paying for other renovations — to at least $3.45 million, according to a Sun-Times analysis.
The latest Springfield renovations mean the mansion will be closed for tours until Nov. 23, but it is scheduled to reopen in time for the holidays. Renovations include repairing tile on the first floor, remodeling guest bedrooms and bathrooms and “updating existing plumbing.”
An heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, Pritzker has not been shy about using his wealth for campaign or government expenses.
See, not all billionaires are evil!
💙 Governor Whitmer (MI) used her line-item veto to remove funding for “pro-life” from the state budget
“We were really excited to see the governor did issue this line-item veto. I think Michigan taxpayers have footed the bill on this program for a number of years, it has had quite a long time to prove that it is effective... and it simply has failed to show that, and I think the governor’s veto acknowledges that,” said Alice C.C. Huling, counsel for Campaign for Accountability. ✂️
Huling said the concern is groups like Real Alternatives disseminate incomplete information, not including the option to terminate the pregnancy.
“There should absolutely be networks that are supporting people who are carrying pregnancies to term... Real Alternatives does not, though, provide or respect the full range of options that are available to people,” Huling said.
See? We’re not losing everywhere. However, I expect the MI legislature is going to fight this, and it depends if they can find enough votes to override.
Boston ending its relationship with ICE
BOSTON (AP) — Boston's sheriff is ending his office's longtime relationship with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying his jails will stop housing hundreds of federal detainees in order to house more female inmates.
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins maintained the move, which he announced late Tuesday, is not a political statement but an effort to improve the lives of incarcerated women, which he said is the fastest-growing incarcerated population in the country. ✂️
"We take pride in the services that we have been able to provide to ICE detainees," Tompkins said in a statement. "But we are elated about this new opportunity to expand our services across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reach more women with our dedicated programming so that we can begin to work on their recovery, address some the issues that first led them into the system, and return them to society better able to care for themselves and their families."
Californians will soon be able to register and vote on the same day (LA Times)
SACRAMENTO — Californians will be able to register to vote on election day at local polling places and voting centers under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, a potentially significant step toward boosting turnout in key contests next year.
The new law provides for a significant expansion of so-called conditional voter registration, which allows a new voter to cast a ballot that is counted after eligibility is determined during the 30-day vote-counting period after an election. That process began in last year’s statewide election, but registration was available only in county elections offices. Starting next year, voters can register on election day anywhere ballots are cast.
🍎 Schadenfreude 🐍
Another corrupt Republican is DeSantis, who should not be the governor of Florida
And remember the wall?
📣🏅 Let’s Honor Truth 🏅☀️
I want to give a medal today to Nancy Pelosi, in part because she’s talking about Truth, with the honor and respect that it deserves.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
🐶 Good News Network: Woman lives with 27 sick dogs
48-year-old Claire-Louise Nixon shares her modest home with 27 dogs that no one else wanted.
Many of them are injured street dogs who have been abused—or lost limbs from landmines and explosives in former war zones. But, no matter what condition the dogs arrive in, Nixon is determined to get them walking again through intense physical therapy sessions and walks on wheels. ✂️
“I think all they need is love, kindness and patience,” she continued. “When they walk into my house, they see other dogs like them so they don’t feel any different that’s why I think they do so well here.
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
🌊 Good News Network Drinking more water is good for health and happiness
Is drinking water the secret to feeling happy? Probably not, but this new survey says that it may be indicative of a person’s happiness.
A new survey of 2,000 Americans that asked how much water they consumed on average, found that they were three times more likely to feel “very happy” if they reported drinking enough water.
The results showed that 67% of respondents who drank “more than enough” water evaluated themselves as “very happy,” whereas only 21% of those who said they “didn’t drink enough water” said they’re “very happy.”
The authors don’t dare equate correlation with causation, but I bet there is some. Many people, especially as they age, don’t notice when their bodies need more water. They just become cranky.
Activism at work … was informed not really there. Sorry! cc
Good News Network: Nine Latin American countries set a target of 70% for renewables
Back in September, Colombia’s energy minister Maria Fernanda Suarez told Reuters that nine Latin American countries have collectively set a target for achieving 70% renewable energy use by 2030.
The countries participating in the historic pact include Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, while Panama and Brazil are reportedly still considering participation.
With the EU only maintaining a goal for 32% energy, Suarez says that Latin American legislators made the announcement for their ambitious new initiative with the intention of putting themselves at the forefront of the international fight against the climate crisis with the UN climate change summit taking place in Chile in December.
💙 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.