Extra! Extra! 11/2

Nov 04, 2024

Hi, all, and happy Sunday!

It’s been a loooong day and tomorrow promises to be another so this intro will be quick. But I couldn’t let a Sunday go by without sending you your list of good news for the week! As usual, there’s been a lot of it, and, also as usual, the work you’ve done has made much of it possible.

So here are many of the big wins we celebrated this week. Let the joy you derive from reading this fuel you for the work you’ll do over the next 48 hours.

Then we will creat some good news indeed.

But first, let me show you what it felt like to be in the arena when Kamala Harris walked on stage for the Charlotte rally.

Absolutely electric. AND WE ARE READY TO WIN INDEED!

OK, here’s the rest of the good stuff.

As usual, I’ve popped an 🪓 next to every item that everyday activists like you helped make happen, and a 🪣 next to every one that got done by lawmakers or administrations that we helped elect.

Celebrate This! 🎉

The Department of Transportation is probing competition in airlines. 🪣

More than 65% of voters recently polled in the seven crucial presidential battleground states and Ohio support the government suing to break up monopolies and economically powerful companies.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has sued to halt Elon Musk’s $1 million daily giveaway to voters in battleground states including Pennsylvania, calling it an illegal lottery that skirts state requirements and violates consumer protection laws. 🪣

The UK announced new legislation that would ban single-use, disposable vapes starting in June 2025.

More than 200,000 people have canceled their Washington Post subscriptions after billionaire owner Jeff Bezos blocked the editorial board from endorsing Kamala Harris last week. 🪓

The Georgia Supreme Court denied a request by Republican Party organizations to expedite an appeal of a recent decision blocking implementation of last-minute rules passed by the State Election Board. The appeal will proceed under the normal schedule, leaving the existing injunction in place through the election.

A new study from the University of Toronto Engineering’s Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering suggests that large-scale adoption of electric vehicles could lead to significant population-level health benefits.

Puerto Rican pop icon Bad Bunny announced that he’s supporting Kamala Harris for president.

El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico's largest newspaper – with 7 million monthly readers throughout the mainland and Puerto Rico – endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President.

We have officially achieved a “soft landing” on the economy. Thanks Joe Biden! 🪣

Republican former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Kamala Harris for President.

Climate United, which administers one of the country’s new green banks, launched a $250M program to help electrify the dirty diesel trucks at California’s ports.

The United States ranks no. 7 in the world among top green energy producers per capita, according to a new survey. Again, thanks, Joe Biden! 🪣

In the past four years, the U.S. power grid has added battery capacity equivalent to 20 nuclear reactors. Helping maintain renewable energy when the weather interferes with solar and wind generation, the batteries are already starting to help prevent power blackouts. 🪣

A Hollywood actor who had supporting roles in "Anchorman," "Mr. Show," "Arrested Development" and "Bob's Burgers" was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Team Harris-Walz has “activated on the Exosphere” in Las Vegas? I’m not sure what it means, but this is the first time a political campaign has ever done it. Both in-person and online, the Sphere will reach millions of voters both in Nevada and across the country.

President Biden announced a $3 billion investment from his Inflation Reduction Act to improve and electrify port infrastructure, support an estimated 40,000 good-paying and union jobs, reduce pollution, and combat the climate crisis. 🪣

The Puerto Rican singer Nicky Jam took back his endorsement of Donald Trump.

The “Theory of Hope Act” was signed into law in PA on October 29, establishing a statewide rape kit tracking system. This legislation impacts 4.15 million survivors in the state of Pennsylvania. 🪓

Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and granddaughter of former President George H.W. Bush, canvassed for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania.

The Biden-Harris Administration has approved over $2.1 billion in federal assistance for those affected by Hurricane Helene, as well as Hurricane Milton, which made landfall in Florida shortly after Helene. 🪣

The DOE announced $428 million for 14 projects to accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing in 15 coal communities across the United States. 🪣

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced nearly $2.5 billion in financing for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and selected six rural electric cooperatives to move forward in the awards process for nearly $1 billion in funding through the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program, a Justice40 covered program. 🪣

Lebron James endorsed Kamala Harris—and the video he released with the endorsement did not mince words.

The economist endorsed Kamala Harris.

The HHS released new data showing that nearly 1.5 million people with Medicare Part D saved nearly $1 billion in out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs in the first half of 2024 because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. 🪣

New York's highest court upheld a pro-voting law that streamlines the processing and counting of mail-in ballots.

A federal judge rejected a request from Republican officials in Missouri and Arkansas to block President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order expanding voting access. 1

Inflation has fallen to 2.1%. 🪣

Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney for Donald Trump, has been suspended from practicing law in New York and could be disbarred just days after pleading guilty in what prosecutors claim was an effort to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

The Biden-Harris Administration has protected more than 1.2 million pensions because of the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP) Butch Lewis Act. 🪣

A new Department of Transportation rule took effect this week that guarantees passengers automatic refunds when an airline fails to get them to their intended destination. 🪣

Late-deciding voters are “breaking by double digits” for the VP. 🪓

The Supreme Court has refused a Republican request to narrow the options for Pennsylvania voters who botch their mail ballots and still seek to vote.

Gas prices have tumbled 20% in key swing states ahead of the election.

In response to growing public concern, local governments, states, utility companies and other entities across the country are adopting policies and programs to address the harmful pollution and noise generated by gas-powered lawn equipment. 🪓

The Biden administration is awarding nearly $3 billion to boost climate-friendly equipment and infrastructure at ports across the country. 🪣

In a win for voters, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected former President Donald Trump and the RNC’s lawsuit trying to toss certain Nevada mail-in ballots received within three days of Election Day. These ballots will be counted this year.

Thanks to Olympian Allyson Felix, parents across the U.S. can get free child care to vote on Election Day. 🪓

Several Democratic governors dressed up as Tim Walz for Halloween.

The world’s largest geothermal project was just approved in the U.S. — it will produce enough power for 2 million homes.

In the days leading up to the election, mysterious monuments continue to pop up in cities across the US, poking fun at Donald Trump and his supporters. 🪓

Allan Lichtman still thinks Harris is going to win.

Arnold Schwarzenegger urged voters to cast their ballots for Kamala Harris.

The vast majority of Puerto Ricans in Florida back Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid and have a negative view of former president Donald Trump, according to a survey released days after a comedian made offensive comments about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally.

Carolina Federation, a statewide organization focusing on urban and suburban areas across NC, has achieved its goal of knocking on 700,000 doors over a week before Election Day! 🪓

Deforestation in the Amazon is the lowest it’s been in almost a decade.

According to the IEA’s World Energy Outlook report, solar power is expected to quadruple by 2030, EV adoption is on the rise, and battery storage continues to grow. Offshore wind is also taking off. Thanks to these global shifts, the IEA estimates that carbon dioxide emissions will peak next year, and solar will become the world’s biggest source of electricity by 2033! 2

Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump in Iowa. HUGE. (I highly recommend reading Jay Kuo’s latest post about this.)

In Mecklenburg County, NC volunteers have now knocked on 375K doors this election cycle—the previous record was 35K. They—and many of you!— have made 3M dials. They are on track to increase turnout by 50,000 left-leaning voters in this county alone. It is MAGNIFICENT. And so many of you have been a part of it, either with your donations or your volunteer time. THANK YOU! 🪓

The CFPB has taken action against Apple and Goldman Sachs for customer service failures that charged fees and lowered credit scores for potentially hundreds of thousands of Apple Card users for disputed transactions. 🪣

The FTC is taking action against Lyft for deceiving drivers about how much they could make hourly and the special incentives they would receive. 🪣

The DOE has made agreements with the Osage and Navajo nations to identify undocumented orphaned oil and natural gas wells on their tribal lands, helping combat pollution & public health concerns for communities that live nearby. 🪣 3

My friend went to a SURJ phonebank yesterday morning into Nevada and it had 500 people on it! 🪓

Watch This! 👀

GO BILLY EICHNER! GO WILL FERRELL! The best. (Warning: profanity)

And I’m assuming you’ve seen Kamala Harris’s cold open on SNL?

Chop Wood, Carry Water

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