Hi, all, and happy Sunday!
Iām still on vacation, but so many good things happened last week that I had to publish this post anyway. God knows we all need a boost! So please, enjoy this long (but not comprehensive) list of our many wins over the last seven days and then share it with a friend. Maybe two!
Remember, what we focus on tends to grow, so letās be sure to spend a bit of time focussing on our many, many successes. There are so many more than we realize.
Tomorrow weāll get back to work making new ones.
Read This š
This article is encouraging! Young people are only getting more progressive.
Celebrate This! š
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order on a Montana law banning drag in public.
A Wisconsin courtĀ dismissedĀ a lawsuit from a conservative group that sought to block the counting of military absentee ballots during the 2022 midterm elections. The group alleged that military ballots are a source of fraud and should be sequestered.
President Biden signed an executive order to encourage companies to manufacture new inventions in the United States.
The Biden-Harris administration announced a new proposed rule that would improve online access to state and local services for nearly 50 million people with vision, hearing, cognitive, and manual dexterity disabilities.
The Biden-ā Harris administration took more action to protectĀ renters.
Michigan became the seventh state in the country to guarantee free lunch for every public school student in grades pre-K through 12. The program will serveĀ 1.2 million students, an estimatedĀ 283,000Ā of whom are food insecure, and offer two free meals a day.
Maine is going all-in on renewable energy! On Thursday,Ā Governor Janet MillsĀ signed into lawĀ aĀ "historic" billĀ that calls for gettingĀ 3Ā gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine byĀ 2040. The measure also supports building port infrastructure and local supply chains to service projects in the gulfās deep, frigid waters.
The Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), which is part of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is leading efforts to develop fast-growing hybrid poplar trees that are disease-resistant and root easily from cuttings.Ā
A federal judge blocked enforcement of a newĀ MississippiĀ law for violating the federal Voting Rights Act.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and the Alabama Bar AssociationĀ announced a program, dubbed āLawyers for Liberty,ā that will allow poll worker training and service to count for one third of an attorneyās annual continuing legal education requirement.
President BidenĀ announced four new judicial nominationsĀ last weekāhis 36th slate of nominees.Ā
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is building the nationās first clean, green high-speed rail system. The system will run on 100% renewable energy, fully powered by 445 acres of solar panels.
A judgeĀ has dismissedĀ Donald Trumpās nearly half-billion dollar defamation lawsuit against CNN, ruling among other things that the use of āBig Lieā was not defamatory.
Run For Something candidateĀ Sharon Durkan won a special election for a seat on the Boston City Council last week. Her top priorities are affordable housing and expanding mental health services for city workers.
United Airlines is adding Braille signageĀ to its planes āĀ the first U.S. carrier to do so.Ā
Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in to theĀ WisconsinĀ Supreme Court!Ā Good work, yāall!
An appellate court has ruled that a sweeping Los Angeles County criminal justice reform initiative known as Measure J is constitutional, potentially paving the way for millions of dollars to be invested in social services and a host of community-based jail diversion programs.
TheĀ 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruledĀ that transgender youth can continue to use bathrooms in accordance with their good-faith gender identity in Indiana, and it has rejected an effort by school districts to overturn aĀ lower court's preliminary injunction.Ā
Donald Trump was arraigned in Washington, D.C. following his indictment on four counts relating to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
A federal judge denied a motion filed in March by Trump's legal team seeking to disqualify Fulton County, GA, District Attorney Fani Willis and quash the findings of a special grand jury convened to review evidence in the matter.
BidenĀ decided to keep the U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, where itās been temporarily housed, defying Trumpās decision to move it to Alabama. Take THAT, Tommy Tuberville!
Thanks to ocean conservation efforts,Ā officials counted aĀ record number of sea turtle nestsĀ in Floridaās Palm Beach County, and there are still months left in the nesting season.
A federal judge in Idaho has granted a preliminary injunction barring Idaho Attorney General RaĆŗl Labrador from taking legal action against medical providers who refer patients across state lines for abortion care and denied Labradorās request to dismiss the case.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced over $450 million to increase access to rooftop solar power for Puerto Rico residents.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in Jamaica concluded last week. The mining industry was banking on this July being the start of deep-sea mining and lobbied members of the ISA heavily, but no green light was given.Ā [H/T Only One]
A group of teachers filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Tennesseeās law limiting the teaching of race and gender.
Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing āharmfulā materials to minors.
Maine set out to install 100,000Ā environmentally friendly heat pumps by 2025. It surpassed that goal last month, two years early, and now aims toĀ deploy 175,000 moreĀ by 2027.
Michigan prosecutorsĀ chargedĀ two Trump allies in connection with an effort to tamper with voting machines during the 2020 election.
A federal judgeĀ ruled over the weekendĀ that the U.S. Constitution likely does not guarantee a "right to bully transgender students" in Ohio.
Wisconsin votersĀ filedĀ a lawsuit in the WI Supreme Court arguing that the state's House and Senate maps are extreme partisan gerrymanders that unfairly favor Republicans in violation of the state constitution. (Notice how they waited until Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in? š)
Taiwan will make menstrual care productsĀ available in all schools and universitiesĀ in an effort to end āperiod poverty.ā
A deep-red county in Arizona voted againstĀ hand-counting ballotsĀ in the 2024 election cycle after an elections official said it would cost more than $1 million and require hiring 245 new workers.
A new proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the Department of Transportation, calls for stricter limits on emissions for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks.1
Look at This! š
My kid grabbed this photo of a fleeting but spectacular rainbow over our side field yesterday. Gorgeous!
Wonderful news summary to start off the week. Thank you so much and letās all continue to Carry Water, Chop Wood!
Neat rainbow. Thanks, Jess's kid.
And thanks for all the good news, Jess.
I had a lovely sunset this evening: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mimbrava/53099071785/