Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
The last few weeks have been tough — and times are going to be even tougher for many. Especially for those of us who are on the front line, such as working in hospitals or taking care of grocery stores. The rest of us are brimming with anxiety.
During the last few weeks, I wasn’t able to do much fighting for team blue 💙. This is partly because my time was taken up by other big projects (the taxes are now done, so that’s one thing gone). But a lot of it has been because I could not concentrate. I have been emotionally frazzled by the coronavirus, reading and listening to every scrap of news, and checking online to see the US infected count going up by the minute.
However, besides being a good girl and avoiding people, and reaching out with emails and video chats to those in my circle who are lonely or bored, what I can do on the COVID19 is limited.
What I can do is rejoin the fight on other fronts. I asked for some addresses from Postcards to Voters, which I had to put on pause while I was so busy, and filled out those postcards. I have contacted one of my senators about the abuses at the EPA, and I will contact the other (although she’s useless) and my representative as well. There are other issues I plan to bring up, such as funding the post office and making sure everyone can vote in November. We cannot let tRump and his cohorts use this time to damage the country unchecked.
Then there are campaigns to join in other areas. I want tRump to stop spewing lies every evening, or at least I want to stop being forced to hear about it all the time. So I will contact MSNBC and CNN and any other reasonable broadcaster.
I am looking for more ways to support our team in the fall.
I’m hoping that some of you — if you have the energy and the ability — will make suggestions on what we should be doing and will participate if you can. Let’s make progress while standing still!
And to those who are working in essential services — so good to truly appreciate what is essential — you do your part, and we’ll work on the other stuff, so that the world is a better place (or at least a less-bad place) when we get through this.
In the meantime, come in and fortify yourselves with the Friday GNR.
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 👎
Journalists are finally skipping the WH coronavirus briefings, because listening to lies is not worth risking their health Washington Post
There have been a lot more empty seats at President Trump’s daily press briefings — but no, news organizations aren’t boycotting the events in protest or attempting to silence him, despite what he suggested at a briefing earlier this week.
Instead, something else is afoot: Reporters are keeping their distance because they are concerned about the health risks at a time when many consider the president’s evening news conferences to have become increasingly less newsworthy.
The decision by such outlets as The Washington Post, New York Times and CNBC to stay away may be fundamentally changing the character of the briefings. With veteran White House reporters on the sidelines, the president has primarily engaged with TV journalists, including one from a small, far-right conservative news channel that rarely gets such a prominent stage.
CNN and MSNBC also cut away from the briefing (finally) Washington Post
MSNBC had seen enough. By that point, Trump had been standing at the front of the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room for more than 100 minutes, along with key members of his coronavirus task force. MSNBC had carried the proceedings live, though host Chuck Todd warned his audience in advance that “we know these briefings have a tendency to veer in a lot of directions. Not all of them are informative or relevant in the midst of this crisis.” ✂️
CNN’s edits cut deeper. The network skipped Trump’s opening remarks and joined the briefing only when he ceded the lectern to his task force experts, Deborah Birx and Anthony S. Fauci. CNN cut in to hear Birx talking about data: “From that large blue mountain that you can see behind me and I just want to thank the five or six international and domestic modelers from Harvard, from Columbia, from Northeastern, from Imperial, who helped us tremendously. It was their models that created the ability to see what these mitigations could do."
Complaining works. Even Google hears and responds, sometimes. The Verge
Google will start to lift its ban on coronavirus-related advertising this week after its policy caught fire from Democratic lawmakers who feared it may bolster misinformation from the White House.
Over the next few days, Google will begin to allow “government entities, hospitals, medical providers, and NGOs” to run ads related to the novel coronavirus on its platforms. Since February, most nongovernmental advertisers have been barred from running ads related to the COVID-19 pandemic to stifle organizations seeking to spread misinformation or profiteer off of the panic.
But according to Protocol, Democrats grew concerned that the broad ban allowed the Trump White House to boost its response to the pandemic but prohibited Democrats from criticizing it.
We have to keep close eyes on Google. After all, they’re keeping close eyes on us.
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
Citgo must pay $143 million for an oil spill in the Delaware River Ecowatch
A case that has bounced around the lower courts for 13 years was finally settled yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision, finding oil giant Citgo liable for a clean up of a 2004 oil spill in the Delaware River, according to Reuters.
The spill stemmed from a collision that the Athos I tanker had with an abandoned and submerged anchor as the ship was approaching a Philadelphia-area refinery in New Jersey. The collision pierced the hull, leading to the release of 264,000 gallons of heavy crude oil, according to court documents, as The Hill reported.
Very important diary on how to stop subsidizing FOX news with your cable subscription Daily Kos, by kos himself
If you have cable, check that out. Even if you don’t want to cancel your cable subscription, contact the cable company and tell them you don’t want to support FOX, which has so endangered the nation — well, for years, but much more recently. Why should you have to pay anything to a company that pays such dangerous lies?
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
Pelosi’s instituting the oversight so that money doesn’t all wind up in Jared Kushner’s pockets
House Dems plan a commission on the tRump’s terrible response to the pandemic Talking Points Memo
House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) announced that the committee’s Democrats will introduce legislation to establish a bipartisan commission aimed at “identifying and examining lessons learned” from the nation’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a press release, the committee said that the legislation will be introduced soon and that the bipartisan commission will be modeled after the 9/11 Commission, given the magnitude that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on “all aspects of national life.
The bipartisan commission will be in charge of producing a “full and complete accounting” of the nation’s preparedness and response to COVID-19 — which includes a public report with recommendations to improve preparedness, response and recovery from future pandemics.
In a statement, Thompson highlighted how more Americans have been killed by the virus compared to deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Did I tell you how much I adore Nany Pelosi? And Elizabeth Warren?
This is from the opinion piece in USA Today
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be congratulated for negotiating a bill that will give the economy a much-needed boost by putting money in the hands of those who need it most and will spend it immediately. And we should acknowledge their determination in forcing Congress to severely restrict the ability of greedy executives and corporate raiders to enrich themselves with taxpayer dollars through stock buybacks, executive bonuses, and other irresponsible strategies.
Also, Democrats are not being quiet about some of the more egregious behavior of the people across the aisle.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
Pittsburgh to replace thousands of lead pipes Ecowatch
"During this global pandemic more than ever, it's critical that PWSA provide safe drinking water to all city residents, that residents in Pittsburgh continue to have significant say over how ratepayer dollars are spent, and that we do everything we can to take care of the most vulnerable people in our communities," said Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy, executive director of Pittsburgh United, a coalition of labor, faith and environmental groups that helped negotiate the settlement.
Under the settlement, which was recently approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, PWSA must prioritize replacement for residents in high-risk neighborhoods. It must also limit the practice of replacing only part of a lead service line, which can cause lead levels to substantially increase.
PWSA will also expand its free tap water filter program to include low-income renters whose homes may have lead lines, homes with lead lines where PWSA replaces a water meter, and any customer whose tap water contains at least 10 parts per billion of lead.
🐍 Schadenfreude 🍎
Why did anyone ever send money to this grifter? Why do they still?
Woman charged after coughing deliberately on produce KOMO
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. (WBFF/WKRC) - A woman has been arrested and charged after police say she coughed on $35,000 worth of produce at a grocery store in Pennsylvania.
Margaret Cirko has been charged with felony counts of terrorist threats, threats to use a "biological agent' and criminal mischief.
You know, if you cook stuff, the coronavirus dies. But I guess the grocery store couldn’t take that chance.
📣🏅 Let’s Honor Truth 🏅☀️ ️
I want to salute several health care workers, whose names we may or may not know but who are trying to get the truth out to people, even though they are not reporters.
There’s Dr. Fauci, whose security had to be stepped up due to threats. Washington Post
Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-diseases expert and the face of the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, is facing growing threats to his personal safety, prompting the government to step up his security, according to people familiar with the matter.
The concerns include threats as well as unwelcome communications from fervent admirers, according to people with knowledge of deliberations inside the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
Fauci, 79, is the most outspoken member of the administration in favor of sweeping public health guidelines and is among the few officials willing to correct President Trump’s misstatements.
There’s also Dr. Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who tried to warn the world about the virus. He has since died of the coronavirus.
Then there’s this anonymous ER worker in the US, Aviator Doc here, who says the health care workers are being threatened by their hospitals. Daily Kos
All over the country, healthcare workers are being threatened with disciplinary action or termination if they speak out about the conditions we are working in. This is a travesty.
This is what corporate medicine is like.
I am, however, under no illusions that working in a government facility would be any better. A friend working in the VA system had essentially the same experience. They were told they would be disciplined for ‘embarrassing’ the department by implying that they were not adequately protecting their workers. He said: “I wasn’t implying anything. I WAS OUTRIGHT SAYING IT.”
Their jobs are hard enough, but some people are making them even harder. We honor them.
Finally I want to honor Captain Brett Crozier, for sounding the alarm about the sailors on his ship. And who is being punished for his good deed.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
This makes me want to cry so I’m not sure it belongs in the GNR. But this person is the emblem of love.
This is more cheerful — a golden retriever delivering meals to a senior. Good News Network
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
Italy and Spain see first positive signs Washington Post
The Italian and Spanish ambassadors to the United States reported signs of improvement in the coronavirus situation in their countries Thursday, where numbers of confirmed infections, hospitalizations and deaths remain high but are beginning to stabilize.
“These are just the first positive signs, and they have to be taken cautiously,” Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio said. “But they show that measures taken both nationally and at the local level have started to pay off.”
Ex-coal-man encourages tree planting on abandoned mines Good News Network
In addition to the mountains boasting rich populations of freshwater mussels, a corridor for migratory birds, and more species of salamanders than any other range, Appalachia is also home to National Parks like the Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee—a park that may have as many as 100,000 species just on its own.
However, Appalachia also has a darker, decades-long history of toxic coal-mining tactics such as mountaintop removal, surface reclamation, and blasting and tunneling that had done almost irreparable damage to local ecosystems, leaving hundreds of barren and bald hills throughout eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.
Now 70 years old, Angel—an ex-coal man turned sheep farmer and father-of-five—has been the driving force behind a re-greening of coal country that has given out-of-work miners a chance to undue the environmental damage that they contributed to during coal’s hay day.
It has since amounted to 187 million trees being planted over 275,000 acres of former mines.
Crude oil storage facilities are full Ecowatch
Oil rigs around the world keep pulling crude oil out of the ground, but the global pandemic has sent shockwaves into the market. The supply is up, but demand has plummeted now that industry has ground to a halt, highways are empty, and airplanes are parked in hangars.
It means that storage space for crude is starting to run out, both onshore and offshore, according to CNBC.
This is a sort of good news/bad news message. If the price drops, some producers may stop producing. On the other hand, cheap oil — and the Russians and the Saudi Arabians are trying to capture the market — can increase demand and make it harder for alternative energies.
Scientists think it’s possible to restore the oceans by 2050 Nature
Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. Achieving this goal will require rebuilding the marine life-support systems that deliver the many benefits that society receives from a healthy ocean. Here we document the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions. Recovery rates across studies suggest that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050, if major pressures—including climate change—are mitigated. Rebuilding marine life represents a doable Grand Challenge for humanity, an ethical obligation and a smart economic objective to achieve a sustainable future.
Week 4 of my scrap garden; wanted to show the most recently “planted” celery as it’s sprouting.
💙 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 Republicans who are distressed. 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.