Extra! Extra! 10/24 🔥

The New York Times @nytimes

Anna May Wong, a Hollywood film star who had a trailblazing career, will be the first Asian American featured on U.S. currency. The U.S. Mint on Monday will begin producing quarters with her image. nyti.ms/3T94Muo

Hi, all, and good morning!

Yesterday was my kid’s 13th birthday, and in the craziness of doing their party AND taking care of them because they are still in the tail end of a horrible respiratory illness (no longer contagious but brutally lingering) I completely forgot to send this.

There’s lots of great stuff in here to celebrate!

Thank you so much to every one of you for the hard work and courageous action I know you’re taking. I feel good about these elections. My gut tells me that, if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to do better than the pundits think…by a lot.

So let the below fuel you for the week to come.

Thank you for everything again, and a special thank you to my paid subscribers, without whom I would be unable to do this work.

Jess

Celebrate This! 🎉

Early voting turnout in Georgia is breaking records. 

A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit, which is supposed to be one of the most conservative circuits, ruled unanimously against Lindsey Graham in his bid to avoid testifying in the Georgia election interference case.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will allocate $1.3 billion for a debt relief program that will help around 36,000 farmers.

The Biden administration announced that the federal deficit fell by half from the year before

Five million LGBTQ+ fiction books were sold in 2021 — double the sales of 2020. LGBTQ+ fiction book sales are surging across adult, children’s, and young adult categories.

Thanks to a new VA policy change, more same-sex couples are eligible for survivor benefits. Spouses who were not legally able to marry their long-term partner before 2015 may now qualify for the benefits.

Steve Bannon was sentenced to 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has just a three-point lead over his Democratic challenger Mike Franken, which will make this Grassley’s toughest re-election campaign in 40 years. 

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a new legislative package aimed to protect and expand abortion rights in the state

The Biden Administration announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy on the West Coast. 

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian journalist who gained international attention for protesting the invasion of Ukraine on live television back in March, has fled the country after escaping house arrest. 

Starting this week, under a final rule issued by the FDA, adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can buy hearing aids at a store or online without a prescription, exam, or audiologist fitting.

The founders of BioNTech say vaccines to treat cancer could be ready by 2030. Scientists say the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine technology can be repurposed to destroy cancer cells. 

A new mental health hotline is helping provide specialized support for farmers and ranchers. The AgriStress Helpline is staffed 24/7 by professionals trained to work with members of agricultural communities.

The University of Oregon will pay the tuition and fees for all eligible Native American students. The program will be immediately available to about 150 to 175 students on campus.

The EPA finally called out environmental racism in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley this week. GOOD!

New research has uncovered an affordable and eco-friendly method for recycling solar panels. The process, outlined in a paper from the University of New South Wales, will help manage an increasing amount of solar cells, also called photovoltaic cells, that will be retiring from operation by the end of the next decade.

Thanks to legal work by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, the U.S. government recently moved forward on Endangered Species Act protections for more than a dozen animals and plants across the country.

Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned ignominiously after 44 days in office.

The Social Security Administration announced a new policy that will make it easier for transgender people to change their sex designation in the system. 

Watch This! 👀

Your song for the week!

And THIS!! So good. My friend directed it and I couldn’t be prouder.