Extra! Extra! 1/12

From L.A. with love.

How I love AOC.

Hi, all, and happy Sunday.

I’m back in L.A. and have to be quick, as I’m about to head out to do a bit more volunteer work for one of the innumerable donation centers that have cropped up around the area. I brought Mj and one of their friends down this morning and we helped out for about an hour, but there were so many volunteers we ran out of stuff to do! The organizers told me we’d be more needed later today, so we’re about to return to help them pack everything up and send it to another donation center.

And let me tell you, there was SO MUCH STUFF donated to just this one pop-up donation site! Here’s what it looked like when we walked in (this was after two full days of families coming to take what they needed):

Pretty much anything a person might need—at least short-term—was there. It was staggering. The clothes were all sorted into type and size, and neatly folded by volunteers. There was food, there were toiletries, suitcases, bedding, sunglasses, school supplies—it was just amazing. Volunteers helped families find what they needed, and everyone was alternately laughing and wiping away tears. Many hugs were exchanged.

Stuff like this is going on all over Los Angeles.

I know it’s just a dreadful time, friends. Indescribably difficult. But I am getting through it not only by looking for folks to help, but by focussing on the helpers. They make me so proud, and grateful, and hopeful. I want to be on their team. I am grateful that I am. Aren’t you?

I am also trying to remember that good things ARE happening elsewhere. If you need the reminder, too, the below list may help a bit.

Enjoy, and please share. Remember, what we focus on tends to grow. Let’s focus for a few moments on the good, so that the good around us can continue to grow.

Celebrate This! 🎉

Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, a vocal defender of migrants and critic of Donald Trump’s first administration, as the next archbishop of Washington, DC.

New Jersey’s Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology has awarded more than half a million dollars to seven startups tackling food insecurity in the state. The funding comes through the Food and Agriculture Research & Development Pilot Seed Grant Program.

A federal judge found former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to forfeit $148 million in assets that he owes two election workers as part of a defamation case.

The Arbor Day Foundation has committed to planting 10 million trees in the next four years to replace those lost in six states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Pregnant New Yorkers will be entitled to at least 20 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a law that took effect Wednesday.

This week’s joint session of Congress to formally count and certify presidential results was wholly routine — unlike Jan. 6, 2021. Even though we hate the results, we should celebrate peaceful transitions of power when we get them.

An all-time high of 24 million Americans have enrolled in health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces — which President Biden strengthened and expanded – lowering out-of-pocket costs for millions of Americans.

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods announced the city of Tempe, AZ will be receiving a $25 million grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge across the Salt River.

We had major victories in this week’s special elections in Virginia, electing Kannan Srinivasan and JJ Singh by wide margins! Great work, all!

U.S. jobless claims fell this week to their lowest point in nearly a year.

The SEIU is reintegrating into the AFL-CIO to better prepare for fighting Trump.

The Pasadena Convention Center posted that they got so many food, water, and supply donations that they can’t accept anymore for now.

The Democratic National Committee has announced legal action in North Carolina to block the Republican Party's attempt to overthrow the open state Supreme Court race.

President Biden issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections, making it almost impossible for Trump to quickly strip protections from hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela anytime soon.

The Biden administration doled out $5 billion in its final infrastructure spending push, sending money to 560 projects across the U.S. and territories. It’ll go toward improving rail safety and airports, as well as expanding EV charging stations, among other projects.

Dozens and dozens of L.A.-area chefs and restaurants are announcing free meals for first responders, evacuees and others affected by the region’s fires this week.

The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s request to block criminal proceedings in his hush money case in New York. He remains a convicted felon.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to block Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on President-elect Donald Trump's indictments.

In a major change that could affect millions of Americans' credit scores, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to remove medical debt from consumer credit reports.

New Jersey officially removed the bald eagle and osprey from the state's endangered species list.

A new legal settlement with the Pentagon could make benefits available to tens of thousands of gay and lesbian military veterans dismissed from service because of their sexual orientation.

President Biden signed the Jackie Robinson Ballpark National Commemorative Site Act, which "designates the Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida, as a Commemorative Site and makes the Site a part of the African American Civil Rights Network."

In the United States, coal power output fell to its lowest level in nearly 60 years last year. Also, the amount of carbon-free energy built in the U.S. last year far eclipsed the growth of new fossil-fueled power plants.

​The U.S. government bought land in Grand Teton National Park to protect it from private development. The sale will return approximately $69.6 million to Wyoming’s Common School Permanent Fund within the first 10 years.

In a landmark decision that protects a combined 800,000-plus acres of tribal lands, the White House announced that California will be home to two new national monuments: the Chuckwalla National Monument, near Joshua Tree, and the Sáttítla National Monument, in Northern California.

Apple's board of directors recommended investors vote against a shareholder proposal to abolish the company's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.