Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
One of my grandkids is challenging. She gets her way much more than she should. By making a fuss, and not always for things that are sensible, she compels others to do what she wants.
But in one way I admire her. She uses her power. She will not do anything she does not want to do.
We all have power. As not many here are 6 years old, our goals and wants are more sensible. Let’s not give it up by not doing everything we possibly can to save the country. Let’s not allow the creepy billionaires to do more damage.
As you can tell, I’m mad. Yes, I’m a bit afraid, but mostly I’m hopping mad.
Still, I will try to bring some good news to you and to lower rather than to raise your blood pressure, with the reminder that the 4th of July was this week and news is reduced. Lots of people, the vast majority I believe, want the world to be a better place. They’re working hard.
And although the bad guys talk a lot, they mostly want to just intimidate us into giving up. Do not give up. Do not yield your power, your principles, your country. Because so much of what the bad guys are about is just smoke and missors.
Come on in and see what the good guys are doing, and we’ll pull back the curtain on some of the bad guys.
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, 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. 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.
🗽 Biden as President! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Barbeque with Military Service Members and Their Families
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson Welcoming the Humanitarian Truce in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Thursday, July 4, 2024: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel
- Wednesday, July 3, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, July 3, 2024
- Wednesday, July 3, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Summer Nutrition Event
- Wednesday, July 3, 2024: President Biden Names Fifty-Second Round of Judicial Nominees
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, July 2, 2024
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Reception | McLean, VA
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Bill Signed: H.R. 2365
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus on the Road Event
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Remarks by President Biden Before Briefing on Extreme Weather
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Investment in Twelve Regional Technology Hubs, Creating Good-paying Jobs and Driving Economic Opportunity and Innovation in Communities Across the Country
- Tuesday, July 2, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Workers and Communities from Extreme Weather
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Remarks by President Biden on the Supreme Court’s Immunity Ruling
- Monday, July 1, 2024: 2024 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Statement from NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson Welcoming the Agreement with Panama to Address Irregular Migration Jointly
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Occasion of President Mulino’s Inauguration in Panama
- Monday, July 1, 2024: A Proclamation on the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
- Monday, July 1, 2024: March 2024 Visitor Logs Records Posted
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Readout of Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer’s Meeting with Prime Minister Garry Conille of Haiti
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Building a Thriving Clean Energy Economy in 2023 and Beyond: A Six-Month Update
- Monday, July 1, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Extending Overtime to Millions of Workers
- Saturday, June 29, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center Grand Opening Ceremony | New York, NY
- Saturday, June 29, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Reception | New York, NY
- Friday, June 28, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Minnesota Disaster Declaration
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler En Route Queens, NY
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Supreme Court Ruling in Loper Bright
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Event | Raleigh, NC
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Iowa’s Abortion Ban
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Memorandum on Presidential Determination and Certification with Respect to the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008
- Friday, June 28, 2024: Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Supreme Court Friday, June 28, 2024: Memorandum on Extending Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
Across the pond, they held elections. Just doing the indications now because we know the actual numbers will change.
👍 🚗 🚚 US DOT announces 114 million to help Oklahoma! US DOT Press release
Washington – The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that its Build America Bureau has provided three loans for up to $113.8 million to the Oklahoma Capital Improvement Authority (OCIA), on behalf of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to improve rural road safety across 15 counties in the state. By providing Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans and other financing, the Bureau helps communities expedite infrastructure projects and reduce project costs.
“On behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration and USDOT, I am proud to deliver this $113.8 million investment to Oklahoma. This financing, combined with two prior loans, will improve over 100 miles of rural roads, enhancing safety and preventing injuries in communities across the state,” said Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “USDOT is committed to ensuring that all communities, regardless of their size or location, have access to safe and reliable infrastructure.”
The rural two-lane network in Oklahoma accounted for approximately 65 percent of all serious and fatal crashes in the State, primarily due to the lack of shoulders. The Rural Two-Lane Advancement and Management Plan (RAAMP) Phases 3, 4, and 5 projects will improve 53 miles of rural roads by adding eight-foot shoulders, rehabilitating and resurfacing 59 miles of roads and structures, and replacing three bridges and four concrete bridge boxes.
Let’s end Parkinson’s disease!
Battery plant in MS — I guess they are not afraid of sharks!
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
You know who the Rs hate even more than us? They hate each other. Amanda Marcotte, Salon
No pity for people who elected a Puritan as their leader, only to find out he's serious about taking away everyone's good time. These same people were griping to Politico last month that Johnson's presentation at the last weekend retreat ignored pertinent-to-members issues like how to win re-election and grow their majority. Instead, "Johnson effectively delivered a sermon" about "declining church membership and the nation’s shrinking religious identity." They're just mad that they have to suffer the lives they're seeking to forcibly inflict on the rest of us.
As fun as it is to pick on Johnson, however, it's not just him. Donald Trump and the larger MAGA movement are very much to blame. This is what radicalization does to communities. It stokes tensions and turns people against each other.
Authoritarians romanticize order, imagining a society where everyone falls in line without quarrel. In the real world, however, it's hard to communicate, much less organize, without some tolerance for disagreement. When authoritarians get together, it's a clash of big egos of people who all think everyone else should unquestioningly obey them. It's not just that they fight, they have no capacity to work through disagreements. Skills like listening, empathizing, or compromising run counter to the MAGA mindset. So instead resentments and anger fester and grow.
OK, that’s from a couple of months ago, but it’s still true.
And this is interesting: BREAKING: High level sources are reporting that U.S. District Judge for Alaska Josh Kindred is resigning. Kindred was appointed by former President Trump in 2019, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020. There’s been rumors for the last year about a scandal involving Kindred. The only way a federal judge can be removed is by impeachment, unless they resign. Stay tuned for more information.
For a GOP and a judge appointed by tRump to resign, the scandal must be enormous! Hope we learn more.
Also hoping to learn more about tRump and Epstein. I have seen some tweets on the matter, which are really damning for tRump, but I’m waiting for more reliable reporting. If anyone out there has this information, please include below.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
MSM keeps ignoring talks with Biden
Yep, this is due to the Biden-Harris administration!
✈️ Fewer cancellations and better overall air travel DOT Press Release
WASHINGTON – Despite record-breaking levels of air travel this year, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) numbers show that the flight cancellation rate for the first half of 2024 was just 1.4% – nearly the lowest rate in over a decade. The latest data from airlines reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that weather continues to be the leading cause of flight cancellations.
On June 23, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 2.99 million individuals in a single day at U.S. airports – the most airline passengers the agency has screened in its history. TSA expects to screen more than 32 million individuals this Independence Day travel season, which is a 5.4% increase over last year. At the same time, airfares are down 6% over the last year and below pre-pandemic prices.
“This year’s record-breaking air travel is another good sign for our economy as more Americans take to the skies than ever before,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “To help avoid travel headaches, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to modernize airports and expand passenger protections for a smoother travel experience.”
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $25 billion in U.S. airport infrastructure over five years. This unprecedented investment is not only improving runways and air traffic control towers but also adding gates and adding flight capacity, modernizing baggage systems, replacing passenger boarding bridges, reconfiguring security screening areas, improving safety, and more to finally deliver world-class airports in the U.S. and meet anticipated demand in the decades to come. Just this week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced $289 million in airport infrastructure grants in 40 states and an additional $1 billion in available funding to modernize airport terminals. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly 200 terminal projects are already under construction to modernize America’s airports and make air travel safer and smoother.
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic action to improve airline passenger rights and oversight of the airline industry:
- Created a new rule to require airlines to provide automatic cash refunds to passengers when owed.
- The rule makes clear that airline passengers are entitled to a refund when their flight is canceled or significantly changed and they no longer wish to take that flight or be rebooked, when their checked baggage is significantly delayed, or when extra services they paid for – like Wi-Fi – are not provided. The rule also requires refunds to be automatic, prompt, in the original form of payment, and in the full amount paid. Airlines must comply with the rule by late October.
- Provisions of the final rule on airline refunds were fortified through the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 that President Biden signed into law on May 16, 2024.
- Created a new rule to protect consumers from costly surprise airline junk fees.
- The rule creates a more competitive airline market by requiring airlines to disclose critical extra fees – like change fees and baggage fees – upfront to ensure consumers can better understand the true cost of air travel. The rule also bans “bait-and-switch” advertising tactics and requires airlines to clearly tell passengers upfront that a seat is included with the cost of their ticket. This rule is expected to save consumers over half a billion dollars every year.
- Launched the flightrights.gov dashboard, after which all 10 major U.S. airlines guaranteed free rebooking and meals when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to through enforcement action.
- Secured nearly $4 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.
- Issued nearly $170 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations since President Biden took office. In comparison, between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.
- Set up a system to expand the Department’s capacity to review air travel service complaints by partnering with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, which will help hold airlines accountable and protect the rights of the traveling public.
Technology Hubs! White House Briefing Room
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration will announce funding for 12 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) to accelerate the growth of innovative industries. The Tech Hubs program is bringing innovation to every region of the country, creating new jobs, and ultimately supporting economic development in previously underinvested areas, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The $504 million in funding awarded to these twelve Tech Hubs will position American workers, businesses, and communities to lead the industries of the future, such as semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and more, strengthening national and economic security. Tech Hubs will create good-paying jobs in these critical industries in communities across the country and will build on the manufacturing and entrepreneurship boom unleashed by President Biden, which has attracted more than $877 billion in investment in clean energy and manufacturing and spurred more than 18 million new business applications.
“Every American deserves the opportunity to thrive, no matter where they live. Today’s announcement that the Department of Commerce is investing $504 million in Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs across the country will ensure that the benefits of the industries of the future – from artificial intelligence and clean energy, to biotechnology and more – are shared with communities that have been overlooked for far too long, including rural, Tribal, industrial, and disadvantaged communities,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “These Tech Hubs will give regions across our nation the resources and opportunities necessary to lead in the economy of tomorrow while creating good-paying jobs for American workers.”
Authorized by President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, the Tech Hubs program brings together companies, state, local, and Tribal governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations around a common vision for regional economic growth. These Tech Hubs will ensure that the benefits of innovation and technology development, which for too long have been concentrated in a few coastal cities, reach rural, industrial, and disadvantaged communities, growing regional economies from the bottom-up and the middle-out. Tech Hubs are a flagship example of the President’s place-based approach; emphasizing that America’s economy is stronger when we invest in communities rather than leave them behind.
Last year, President Biden announced the designation of 31 Tech Hubs in communities across the country. Today’s announcement will designate 12 winners of implementation grants of up to $51 million each to help accelerate and grow industries in these regions. These awardees span 14 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Biden’s Wins The Biden campaign just announced they have raised over $264 million in the second quarter, including a record setting $127 million in June. Don’t ever let the media tell you Democrats aren’t excited to reelect President Biden.
💜 Unity? 💜
Biden’s Wins: All members of President Biden’s cabinet are still supporting him. 40/44 members of Donald Trump’s cabinet think he’s a monster and refuse to endorse him. Let’s talk about that.
I just liked this. It shows that even the smallest of us can make a difference
📥 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. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 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 😈
Giuliani is disbarred in NY state. Rudy Giuliani cannot practice law in New York. This includes all the four seasons.
Looks like a win, win, win!
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️and 🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
This week we’re honoring Dr. Antony Fauci. He’s been doing a book tour, so he’s been in the news a lot. He has always looked for the truth. Here’s a bit from him. People
Fauci became director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, at the same time that the AIDS epidemic was raging. By the time then-President Ronald Reagan first used the word "AIDS" in a press conference on Sept. 17, 1985, there were already 15,000 reported cases of AIDS in the United States and more than 8,000 deaths due to HIV.
Fauci recounts his journey with AIDS research in his new memoir On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service. The gay male community, which was far and away the hardest hit by the epidemic, were vocally outraged that the federal government was not moving quickly enough in developing effective treatments for the disease.✂️
He reflects on his friendship with Kramer when asked about the harassment — and death threats — he now receives related to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There's such a difference between saying, ‘You know, Fauci, you're a murderer, because you're being strict. If you would only listen to us, things would be better,' rather than, ‘Fauci. I want to kill you — and they really do want to kill you,’” he says.
Fauci's wife, Dr. Christine Grady, says she was affected by the animosity toward her husband: “Back then, I didn't like when people criticized Tony because of things that he was or wasn't doing, because I knew how hard he was working and how much he cared about what he was doing, and I knew that he was trying to do the right thing in almost every case."
Expertise is also being challenged, including the weather- remember the hurricane? - and it has to be valued. Now, there are things Fauci does not know — we still don’t really know how COVID developed.
But he has done his best, public service for more than 50 years, and has been subject to death threats thanks to the crazies during the last few years.
I think he deserves both the truth and love awards this week.
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Gut bacteria in charge of your eating! Good News Network
Compulsive eating and obesity may be triggered by a specific gut bacteria, suggests a new study—and the breakthrough may lead to new treatments to address the problem of food addiction.
The bacteria identified by an international research team is associated with both humans and mice developing an addiction to food that can lead to obesity. They also identified bacteria that play a beneficial role in preventing food addiction.
An orangutan out strolling:
US Marshals locate 200 missing kids in special 6-week operation Andy Corbley Good News Network
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), along with federal, state, and local agencies led a six-week national operation that resulted in finding 200 critically missing children, which includes endangered runaways and those abducted by noncustodial persons.
This is the second rendition of this coordinated effort, and so it was called Operation We Will Find You 2 (WWFY2). Running from May 20 to June 24 it focused on geographical areas with high clusters of missing children.
WWFY2 resulted in the recovery and removal of 123 children from dangerous situations. An additional 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. The vast majority of these were runaway children, one case was a family abduction, and one was a non-family abduction.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: 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:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can say something nice to friend or a stranger.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “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.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.