Hi, all, and happy Sunday!
As usual, a lot of good stuff happened this week. Itās tempting to only focus on Trumpās attempted torching of our democracyābecause of course that happened again, tooābut if we donāt stop to celebrate the wins we will absolutely burn out. Plus, why work so hard if we donāt occasionally stop to say āhey, we helped do that!ā
Of course we didnāt make every single thing below happen, but even if it wasnāt us, folks like us did. I mean folks who refuse to give up. Who believe the world and this country are worth saving. Who believe our actions are the debt we owe to future generations.
People like YOU, in short, are making the world better. And making these lists longer every time. Thanks for that, and for never giving up on the country we call home.
Celebrate This! š
Angie Nixon won the Democratic Senate primary in Florida despite being out-fundraised by 20-1!
The Supreme Court for a second time refused Trumpās request to review a $5 million civil judgment against him after a jury found in 2023 that he had sexually abused and defamed the writer E. Jean Carroll.
Effective immediately, Pennsylvania is requiring AI data centers to commit to strict environmental and transparency requirements AND receive approval from the local community if they want to even have their permits reviewed.
Costco has implemented an independent, on-site energy system at its distribution center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., taking the facility off the grid amid significant energy challenges in the United States.
Alexander Vindman said heāll be giving away the millions he raised for his Florida Senate campaign āto the places it will matter mostā ā starting with the Florida Democratic Party.
Florida U.S. House candidates Cory Mills and Catalina Lauf and Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Megan Degenfelder all lost their primary elections this week. All three were Trump-endorsed.
Progressive California state Sen. Aisha Wahab won her primary to serve out the rest of former Rep. Eric Swalwellās term after securing victory in a special election. She will be the first Afghan American to serve in Congress.
Max Miller (OH-07) says heās bleeding cash and labor support as union ironworker Brian Poindexter surges ahead in polling.
Former Rep. Mary Peltola became one of the top two candidates to advance to Alaskaās four-way Senate general election.
A controversial study that some vaccine skeptics used to argue that millions of people likely died as a result of COVID vaccines has been retracted over misinformation and issues with the research.
Conservationists in Florida have created a ācoastal corridorā of ocean-based projects designed to preserve and nourish vulnerable marine life.
The DNC sued the Trump administration over its failure to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records about any plans to seize ballots in the midterm elections.
āA personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine succeeded in a large, late-stage trial among high-risk patients with melanoma. The individualized vaccine, paired with an existing immunotherapy, is the first and only combination regimen to demonstrate potential to extend melanoma patientsā lifespans.
Sean Duffyās āGreat American Roadtripā YouTube show is bombing.
Cities across Latin America have reached a historic milestone of 10,000 electric buses.
Zion is now the first national park to offer an all-terrain wheelchair for public use.
A federal judge struck down the Trump administrationās planned ban on visas for immigrants from 75 countries, finding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have the authority to impose the ban.
A Washington Post analysis of thousands of social media posts and newsletters from hundreds of politicians from both major parties shows that in the past six months, Republicansā public statements about data centers have turned sharply negative. (Democratsā views were already there.) (:
Incredible! The Indiana organizing project announced it has 55 confirmed events for their Weekend of Public Witness to End ICE Detention at Miami Correctional the weekend of August 28, 29, 30. (Click here to see the full list of events.)
Flock cameras are joining data centers as a top midterm boogeyman, with members of Congress and congressional candidates trying to harness a sudden groundswell of grassroots anger over the AI surveillance tool. Good!
Oregon fishermen will begin testing ropeless crabbing technology next spring in a new effort to save whales from often-fatal entanglements.
Democrats have flipped an at-large seat on the city council of Jacksonville, Florida's most populous city.
Ed Martin, a senior Trump Justice Department official and a super awful guy, is leaving his post in the administration. Heāll assuredly go on to do something else nefarious, but at least weāre not paying his salary.
A new study from Ohio found that when people with poorly controlled asthma swapped out their gas stoves for electric ones, hospital admissions and missed work or school days dropped by 70 percent.
A data rescue group called AidData republished a large collection of USAID evaluation reports, restoring decades of evidence about the efficacy of foreign aid programs previously lost in the shutdown of USAID.
The Cook Political Report updated its ratings for the Iowa and Texas Senate races from lean Republican to toss-up.
San Diego County supervisors (including one we postcarded for years ago!) voted 3-2 to end contracts with ICE to train at a county-owned facility near the Mexican border and a Navy facility leased by the county.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott, seeking to compel the extradition of an ICE agent to stand trial for assault and falsely reporting a crime in the wounding of a man during the agencyās crackdown in Minneapolis.
In Minnesota and Nevada, federal judges threw out the Trump administrationās lawsuits seeking votersā private data, the 22nd and 23rd such cases to be dismissed. The Justice Department brought 31 lawsuits in total seeking voter data; it has yet to win any of them.
New polling from Emerson College/The Hill gives Democrats an 8-point advantage on the generic midterm ballot. The numbers are so bad that former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy said heās āworriedā about the partyās midterm prospects.
For the first time in 100 years, an otter was spotted in the Bronx River, a sign of recovery for the waterway.
Sunita Doddamani, a federal prosecutor who was fired earlier this year, is suing the Justice Department, alleging that she was unlawfully dismissed for political reasons tied to her work prosecuting a case against anti-abortion activists.
A Democratic-backed slate flipped the school board of Sarasota County, FL. This is a county of 400K that went for Trump by 18%.
Even some Republicans are souring on Trump, with his approval rating at +58 among Republicans, down from +91 when he took office.
After pushback, police let Omaha Public Schools opt out of electric gloves.
A federal judge blocked a land exchange that would have allowed a contentious road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a vast wild area in southwestern Alaska.
ABC sued the FCC, accusing the agency of violating the First Amendment in its efforts to possibly strip the networkās local broadcasting licenses.
The economy has spoken: stuff thatās AI-generated has almost zero value.
MN Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order to block copper mining near the Boundary Waters.
UPS, FedEx, and DHL set up refund portals where customers can request their money back as the companies receive tariff refunds from the government.
The European Unionās new packaging regulations are now in effect, setting EU-wide limits on āforever chemicalsā in food-contact packaging.
Australia announced a gun buyback program will start in November.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) vetoed a sweeping GOP elections bill that would have shortened early voting, extended the time period to challenge votes and expanded voter roll maintenance.
The California Energy Commission unanimously approved a rule that would phase in the nationās first standards for tire efficiency. In addition to saving drivers a LOT of money, the state projects that the changes could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2 million tons annually, which it says is equivalent to taking around 400,000 cars off the road.
Protesters are staging a ātree sitā in a tiny Arizona town to protect a 200-year-old tree from being cut down by the federal government for a border wall. This week they extended the encampment into Sonora, putting people in trees on both sides of the line so they stand in the way of both the primary and secondary wall.
Nate Silver launched his midterm forecast, and itās bullish on Democratsā chances. The current model gives Dems a nearly 90% chance of winning the House, and the polling aggregate gives Dems a 7.6 point advantage.
Loggerhead sea turtles are having a record nesting season on the East Coast, especially Florida.
The Trump administration it is temporarily pausing construction of a contentious border construction project in Texasā Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits to do an āon-the-ground evaluation.ā
Pennsylvania flip: Dems declared an upset victory in a special election for an exurban Pittsburgh state House seat district that President Donald Trump won by almost 20 percentage points in 2024. Democrat Brandon Dukes seems to have won the election by eighty-eight votes. YāALL!
The court tossed a Republican lawsuit challenging Nevadaās grace period for mail ballots, following the Supreme Courtās recent decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee.
A federal appeals court ruled John Sarcone IIIās subpoenas against New York Attorney General Letitia James are invalid because Trump appointed him illegally.
Inside Elections shifted 8 more House races towards Democrats.
In a āworld-firstā deal and a milestone for gig economy workers, Uber Eats and Doordash delivery drivers in Australia will earn a minimum wage, at least $31.30 an hour.
PublicSquare, the "MAGA alternative to Amazon" that Donald Trump Jr. helped launch on the New York Stock Exchange floor in 2023, has lost nearly $160 million and seen its stock price collapse. It may soon be delisted from the Stock Exchange.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is out of the Middle East and heading home.
A federal court appointed a Special Master and Independent Monitor to oversee government compliance with the Flores Settlement Agreement, including prolonged detention and conditions at Dilley, an ICE family detention center in South Texas.
Um, a new Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll in Arkansas finds U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner (D) holding a slim lead over Tom Cotton (R-AR), 47% to 44%, but within the surveyās margin of error.
Trump has lost the manosphere.
Thanks, Jess. Often the best part of the week for me is reading Sundays post on CWCW.
What struck me about your list is how many good environmental things are happening in Florida of all places!