Hi, all, and happy Sunday!
This really is my favorite moment of the week. Hitting send on this email is a great feeling, because a) it means I get to take the rest of the day off and b) I know how much you all want and need this good news. It feels good to bring joy, and this week’s list holds a lot of it!
Do me a favor: If this post helps lift some of the weight from your shoulders, please share it! Despair is our enemy; we can combat it by reminding people that tons of good stuff is still happening, and countless incredible people are still out there fighting the good fight, whether by suing the Trump regime, sitting in trees, protesting Flock, or simply using the “correct” bathroom! (See below for more on all of that.)
So let’s not spread doom. Let’s spread hope. That’s what I try to do, anyway, and I hope that you’ll join me.
After all, hope isn’t just an action. It’s also a strategy. And it works when we work it!
Have a great Sunday.
Celebrate This! 🎉
A new state law took effect in New York stopping local cops from signing cooperation agreements with ICE agents.
A judge struck down Texas’s ban on drag shows, telling people offended by them “just don’t go.” Bravo!
Volunteer teachers from UTLA have paired with the grassroots group Unión del Barrio to patrol their neighborhoods before school, documenting federal immigration vehicles and training other adults to get students to class safely.
Three Stars and Stripes journalists who were fired by the Pentagon sued the Department of Defense in federal court, arguing their dismissals were illegal and violated their first amendment rights to free speech.
Under Mayor Mamdani, NYC is expanding its free doula program and will reach thousands more expectant mothers.
Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion in a landmark settlement over social media addiction claims.
A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘miscarriage of justice’ claims and her bid for prison release.
A private arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to rehire the opinion columnist Karen Attiah, who was fired in September over her social media posts about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It also ordered the company to compensate her with back pay.
In a pilot program set to roll out in three states (TBD), Costco is teaming up with the nonprofit insurance provider SCAN Health Plan to streamline health care access for older adults.
A federal judge upheld a pause on border wall construction at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, Texas for allegedly “interfering and altering the property, canals and related irrigation infrastructure.”
Canada’s prime minister announced the largest clean energy investment in North American history. It’s a package of hydropower, onshore wind and transmission projects aimed at meeting electricity needs while also exporting power to Massachusetts and New York.
A new coalition of more than 600 public, private, and nonprofit-sector organizations is joining together to save monuments from Trump’s destruction and stop his administration from dismantling the National Historic Preservation Act.
A federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio from requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices.
For nearly a month, the key force standing in the way of Trump’s border wall project in southeast Arizona has been a person (not always the same one) sitting in a 200-year-old tree. So far, they’re succeeding.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's office has dropped criminal trespassing charges against two anti-ICE protesters, just days before the beginning of a trial. Activists had said they planned to use the court case to highlight detention conditions inside ICE’s New England field office.
After months of public comment about data sharing and oversight, Asheville, NC’s City Council voted 5–2 in a packed, heated meeting to cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety.
A group of students was granted a victory when a federal judge ruled that Florida International University likely violated their First Amendment rights when it demanded apology videos after they silently and peacefully protested ICE.
Registered nurses from National Nurses United – joined by patients and community allies – mobilized nationwide to demand hospitals and elected officials immediately cut ties with Palantir.
The grassroots action group Swing Left is expanding its midterms map into races Democrats previously didn’t think were winnable. They now have 29 House races categorized as “must-flip” districts.
Democrats scored a legal victory ahead of the midterm elections: A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that low-cost ad rates that candidates qualify for do not have to be made available to political parties.
Arkansas Medicaid is now covering doula care, complying with a new law meant to improve maternal health.
More than 270,000 square miles around Easter Island is becoming an Indigenous-managed ocean reserve. It will be one of the largest Indigenous-managed reserves on land or sea anywhere in the world.
A California woman gave $1 million in bonuses to teachers in her local school district.
A federal judge denied the Trump administration’s request to dismiss a contempt of Congress indictment against Steve Bannon, saying the U.S. Justice Department didn’t justify dropping the case after the former White House aide had been convicted and served four months in prison.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library confirmed it would continue her legacy and send free books to millions of children around the world.
New data from the FBI shows that violent crime decreased by 9.3% from 2024 to 2025, the sharpest annual drop since 1900, when those records began.
With 55 acres free to the public Maryland’s newest state park opens this week. Savage Highlands State Park was a former privately held woodland resort in Garrett County and is now home to yurts, cabins, and campsites at a much lower price.
Republicans are having to spend money defending Senate seats in states they didn’t expect to be competitive.
In Kansas, “bearded, burly” trans men are entering women’s restrooms to show the “absurdity” of bathroom bans.
Maine will continue providing gender-affirming care despite an announcement from the Trump administration banning Medicaid from covering hormone therapy and procedures for children under 18.
New Jersey approved 16 agrivoltaics projects totaling over 52 megawatts. Each project will pair solar generation with active farming, including soybeans, hay, grains, vegetables, fruit, and livestock.
A wildlife crossing in Washington State celebrated 10,000 safe crossings and zero roadkill. The Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 has been open for 12 years, and it’s been so successful that the state is planning to build 15 more undercrossings and one more overcrossing.
Two community solar projects just opened on a former coal mine in Illinois. The two projects utilize 16,950 solar panels across about 40 acres of land and are capable of generating enough energy to power almost 1,650 average households.
As renewable energy gains popularity across Europe, market demand for methane has dropped dramatically. In the last quarter century, Europe’s wind and solar capacity has surged from under 20 GW to nearly 750 GW.
After Olivia Rodrigo announced Friday that Daisy Chain Fields had raised $10 million for women-focused nonprofits, Melinda French Gates doubled that number, totaling the donation to $20 million.
Smoking and vaping continued to decline among middle school and high school students.
British right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was detained by ICE on Thursday and deported Friday to the United Kingdom. Bye bye.
A federal appeals court ruled that states can regulate prediction markets like gambling, dealing a major blow to the booming industry.
A federal judge upheld Oregon’s plastic pollution and recycling program, the first court ruling on the legality of state laws designed to hold producers responsible for the cost of dealing with their waste.
Republican Mike Lindell—the My Pillow guy— can't move ahead with a recount of his loss in the governor's race primary after Minnesota's highest court turned back his lawsuit.
Playgrounds are getting a glow-up in NYC, courtesy of Mayor Mamdani and a newly appointed “renew crew.”
Argentinians protested Peter Thiel outside of his Buenos Aires mansion. (Sorry this is a Threads post, but that’s where the person who filmed it posted it.)
The City of Tempe, AZ announced that it has turned off its Flock license plate reader cameras and plans to end its contract with the company.
In Michigan, a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Washtenaw County. The administration filed the lawsuit in April over county policies that limit the extent to which local law enforcement can cooperate with ICE.
Eugene, Oregon’s Clean Energy Fund qualified for the November ballot after a four-month signature drive.
Climate-friendly heat pumps are becoming the norm among American home builders.
The USDA announced its “Harvest to Hallways” program, which promotes farm-to-school practices and more nutritious school lunches. The initiative also included a new investment of $50 million to help school cafeterias purchase equipment such as cold storage and stoves.
Last weekend’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., ran on Shell’s 100 percent renewable race fuel.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it labeled the artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic a security risk and barred the company from working with the U.S. government.
Despite setbacks, the world remains much more democratic than it was only half a century ago.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta canceled a meeting with Paramount Skydance, saying the company demonstrated a “lack of good faith” in early settlement talks around its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
A newly released study will make it way easier to sue fossil fuel companies over climate change.
Mapquest has joined the resistance.
Watch This! 👀
A high school student from Valencia, CA gave the public comment to end all public comments about Flock cameras this week. Unbelievable!
That young woman talking to the city council is totally fabulous.
I created a Loyal Opposition group in November 2024 with just 30 people, and it now has 330. I write a weekly script for them to send to our legislators (often something you suggest) and ALWAYS include your Celebrate This section so they can start their week off in a positive manner. Our folks love it and DO spread your positive message around! Thank you for all you do!