Extra! Extra! 3/10

Mar 11, 2024

Hi, all, and happy Sunday!

A little late, (blame the Oscars), but here’s your long (as usual) list of things that went RIGHT this week. We already know what’s wrong, but let’s take a few minutes to turn our gaze towards the victories—because remember: what we focus on grows!

I have, as usual, popped an 🪓 next to every item folks like you helped make happen, or that got done by lawmakers we helped elect.

Enjoy!

Read This 📖

Biden Silences the Doubters. (Gift link)

Celebrate This! 🎉

The North Carolina fundraiser many of us were a part of this week raised over $935,000 for voter registration in NC! And we're not done yet—we’ve decided to try to get to 1M! 🪓

The Biden Administration issued a rule that will cap child care costs at 7 percent of income for more than 100,000 families that get child care aid under the federal child care block grant. 🪓

Sherrod Brown essentially retweeted Cookie Monster in a complaint about shrinkflation. 🪓

Gas-powered cars are losing market share to EVs and hybrids. 🪓

New York State has filed a lawsuit against Brazilian beef producer JBS, saying that the meat giant deceived customers about its efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. 🪓

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized a rule to limit credit card late fees. The rule will cut typical credit card late fees from $32 to $8, saving Americans more than $10 billion a year. 🪓

In the 24 hours after Krysten Sinema announced she wouldn't run for re-election, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego's Arizona Senate campaign raised $1 million from 24,000 donations. 🪓

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced that the state is wiping medical debt for 1 million Arizonans. $2 billion in medical debt will be erased. 🪓

Pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim will bring down the cost of inhalers from $525 to $35 a month for most patients. They're one of the four major inhaler makers. This move, which could help millions, comes after massive public pressure and a federal lawsuit. 🪓

In a MASSIVE win for the progressive movement, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza WON on Tuesday night and will be re-elected. 🪓

Businessman Mark Cuban said he would back Biden over Trump in a general election matchup even if the president “was being given last rites.”

The Federal Aviation Administration got special funding from Congress to address the 737 Max fiasco. And Amtrak got a bump. [H/T

BIG by Matt Stoller

]

A judge struck down AstraZeneca’s challenge to the Medicare drug price negotiations. [also from BIG]

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Biden administration has awarded $32 million to support women-and minority-owned small businesses in North Carolina. The funding will spur an additional $60 million in private investment, bringing the total to $92 million. 🪓

Nikki Haley won her first contest in the Republican presidential nomination race on Sunday after triumphing in D.C.’s primary. She went on to win in Vermont on Tuesday.

President Biden will nominate former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh to serve on the U.S. Postal Board of Governors. 🪓

Finland has halved its suicide rate and has almost completely eliminated homelessness. GOOD government works!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that the Illinois EPA must revamp its permitting process for polluting industries in residential neighborhoods. It’s a rare victory for community groups that cite race-based discrimination when it comes to pollution. [Grist] 🪓

The Biden administration announced new energy-efficiency standards for washers and dryers — the first update to these standards in more than a decade. 🪓

Groups allied with Biden have committed to spending more than $700 million to help him beat Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

France became the first country in the world to explicitly enshrine abortion rights in its constitution. 🪓

Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury charges.

Over 80 critically endangered parrots have returned to their breeding ground in Tasmania – the highest number in 15 years.

300,000 acres of wild lands in eastern Colorado just gained protections from the BLM. 🪓

The Department of Education has issued new guidance promoting high school voter registration! 🪓

The US Food and Drug Administration announced that certain kinds of greaseproofing “forever” chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, will no longer be used in food packaging in the US! 🪓

Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying that Hamas should agree to a deal for a six-week pause. 🪓

Drug manufacturer Perrigo announced that Opill, a daily hormonal birth control pill, will be on shelves at retailers nationwide in the coming weeks and is available now for pre-order online at select online retailers.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a bill banning the open carry of guns near polling places. 🪓

JetBlue and Spirit called off their merger after DOJ Antitrust beat them in court. 🪓

The Dartmouth men’s basketball team on Tuesday voted 13-2 in favor of forming a union in a historic election that could usher in a new phase of the movement for college athletes to be treated like employees. 🪓

The Education Department imposed a $14 million fine on Liberty University for violations of federal law on campus safety. 🪓

RuPaul announced he is sending a rainbow bus across the country to give away books targeted by bans.

The Maine House passed a bill to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a workaround to the Electoral College where participating states pledge to award all of their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote. It still has to pass in the Maine Senate, but it’s a hopeful step! Thanks to those of you who phonebanked for this effort! 🪓

February was Team Biden-Harris’ fourth consecutive month shattering its own grassroots fundraising record, following previous record-breaking hauls in November, December, and January. 🪓

Disqualified Oregon lawmakers won't be added back to the Republican primary ballot, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.

Sinema is OUT!

On Tuesday in North Carolina’s HD-27 race Democrat Rodney Pierce defeated Michael Wray, a “bad Democrat” who voted with Republicans 84% of the time, by 42 votes! Movement Voter Project’s partner org UNITE HERE knocked on 17,000 doors to achieve this victory. 🪓

For the first time, solar energy made up more than half of new U.S. power generation in 2023. 🪓

The Moms for Liberty 60 Minutes interview was such a disaster that their allies are scrambling to do damage control.

Sweden officially entered NATO! 🪓

The U.S. military will build a temporary port and pier on Gaza’s coastline to provide a new route for humanitarian aid. 🪓

The Federal Communications Commission is circulating a proposed rule that would lower costs and increase choice for consumers by banning “bulk billing” arrangements. 🪓

Over 20 anti-LGBTQ+ bills died in Florida after the legislature adjourned for the session on Friday.

New polls show that climate and the environment rank among President Biden’s largest issue advantages over Trump

Joe Biden KILLED his State of the Union contest. Killed it. And Katie Britt…well, she’s the gift that keeps on giving…for Democrats.

More than 6 in 10 people who watched Biden tout his economic achievements and second-term priorities on Thursday night said his policies would move the nation in the right direction.

Also, the 9, 10 and 11 p.m. hours of Thursday night — during and immediately after the president's speech — were his best fundraising hours of the campaign cycle so far. Even better, his campaign brought in $10 million in the 24 hours following his State of the Union address! 🪓

The U.S. added 275K jobs in February—another strong jobs report! 🪓

Last year, climate tech investment reached a total of $239 billion, a record-breaking figure that’s 38 percent higher than the 2022 total. 🪓

In a “landmark” ruling, Bangladesh’s High Court has suspended all licenses for the adoption of critically endangered wild elephants, meaning they can no longer be legally taken into captivity or exploited.

A new satellite that will track climate-heating methane emissions from oil and gas companies around the world launched this week from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Celebrity chef José Andrés is working with the United Arab Emirates to deliver food to Gaza, via ships that could arrive from Cyprus in a matter of days.

A group of pro-LGBTQ activists have launched a public education and mobilization campaign to counter Project 2025, the conservative movement’s blueprint attack on our democracy. It’s called Stop the Coup 2025. 🪓

A British judge ordered former President Donald Trump to pay legal fees of $382,000 to a company he unsuccessfully sued in London over the infamous "Steele Dossier" that came to light after his 2016 election.

Trump also lost a bid to delay paying an $83.3 million civil defamation judgment to writer E. Jean Carroll.

The White House Office of Public Engagement has launched an “Ally Challenge” as part of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. 🪓

On Tuesday the voters of Los Angeles overwhelmingly passed Measure HLA, which will help fix L.A.’s dangerous streets, increase bike lanes, and promote more mobility options for Angelenos.🪓

The Oregon legislature passed an expansive right-to-repair law. 🪓

Colin Allred won over 50 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary in Texas, which means he avoids a run off, and can start focusing immediately on trying to unseat potentially vulnerable incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz. 🪓

Salmon were documented spawning in McKay Creek near Pendleton Oregon for the first time in 30 years.

Dean Phillips dropped out.

Connecticut will cancel medical debt for many of its residents—about 250,000 of them. They will be using leftover money from federal Covid-19 relief funds. 🪓

A team at the New England Aquarium confirmed that they spotted a gray whale—a species believed to have been extinct in the Atlantic Ocean for more than two centuries—off the coast of Massachusetts last week.

Blue Tennessee made their funding goal and they’re launching their electoral program! (Their launch event is on Wednesday!) 🪓

Trump posted a $92 million bond in New York to cover the money he owes writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation while he appeals the jury’s verdict.

The House and Senate both passed a government funding package that supports vulnerable communities―avoiding a government shutdown and even increasing funding in several critical areas, including WIC! 🪓

Biden is leading in four new national polls.