Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
President Biden has said many times that he is a president for all of America, whether you voted for him or not.
His attitude can be hard to take at times. We tend to view the tRump-loving crowd as incorrigible. MT Greene really does seem to be one of putin’s envoys. And there are those who are criming against our beloved country, or those who are unnecessarily cruel.
But President Biden’s approach makes it possible for people to leave their tribes. On one hand, leaving feels great, because the GOP seems to be made up of really horrible people. On the other hand, it’s difficult, because it’s all these people know, and for some it means risking getting fired and possibly being terrorized.
In the past week, though, we have seen movement in at least 3 unlikely groups:
- Speaker Mike Johnson allowed the national security votes, supporting Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, Taiwan, etc. This despite the threats from MTG and the like. What exactly got Johnson to move is not known with 100% confidence, but he says it was listening to reports from the CIA. Sure, he should have done it months ago, and only about half the Rs came with him. But this is a lot better than the “95%” or so that tRump has been boasting.
- A fantastic endorsement (read about it below) by a union. This chipping away at the group of non college educated white males.
- An interesting pushback by an evangelical.
Not everyone has the patience to court these groups — but President Biden does. He’s not putting them before us, but he is giving them reasons to vote for him and team blue instead of the other guy and team red. And, even when we don’t like them, or respect them, we’re a lot safer when they’re not going for the other guy.
Come on in, dear gnusies, and see what the good guys are doing and how the bad guys are finding out!
Also, I had lots of travel this week so this may be a little shorter than usual. I am also aware of the horribleness we have to fight against — the tRumpsters, especially those on SCOTUS — but come in and see the progress we have made before we work on strategies to deal with the corrupt SC.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Statement of President Joe Biden on the Passing of U.S. Congressman Donald Payne Jr.
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at the White House Take Your Child to Work Day Event
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris Before a Roundtable Conversation on Second Chance Month
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Remarks by President Biden on the CHIPS and Science Act | Syracuse, NY
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates Second Chance Month Announcing New Actions to Strengthen Public Safety, Improve Rehabilitation in Jails and Prisons, and Support Successful Reentry
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby En Route Syracuse, New York
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Vice President Kamala Harris Launches Nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Remarks by President Biden Before Marine One Departure
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on First Quarter 2024 GDP
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Joint Statement from the Leaders of the United States, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom Calling for the Release of the Hostages Held in Gaza
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Workforce Hubs to Train and Connect American Workers to Good Jobs Created by the President’s Investing in America Agenda
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on World Malaria Day
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces up to $6.1 Billion Preliminary Agreement with Micron under the CHIPS and Science Act
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Key Actions to Strengthen America’s Electric Grid, Boost Clean Energy Deployment and Manufacturing Jobs, and Cut Dangerous Pollution from the Power Sector
- Thursday, April 25, 2024: Following Up on the Four Priorities of President Biden’s Workforce Strategy
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Readout of White House State Legislators Convening on Junk Fees
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Bill Signed: H.R. 4389
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Russia’s Veto of the UN Security Council Resolution on the Outer Space Treaty
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at the North America’s Building Trades Unions National Legislative Conference
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the “The Power of Research” Symposium
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Press Release: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate: Designation of Funding as Emergency Requirements in Accordance with the Act Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2024
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Remarks by President Biden on the Passage of H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 815
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: President Biden Names Forty-Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Clemency Actions
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Senate Passage of the National Security Package
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Readout of White House Event Announcing Overtime and Retirement Security Rules
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Statement from Vice President Harris on the Passing of Reverend Cecil Williams
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Event | Tampa, FL
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Readout of White House Convening with Owners of $1 Trillion in Worker’s Capital to Promote Strong Labor Standards
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President Herzog of Israel
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at “Walkin’ After Midnight: The Music of Patsy Cline” Event
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Press Gaggle by Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates and National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby En Route Tampa, FL
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: IPEC Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden Marks Earth Day 2024 with Historic Climate Action
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: FACT SHEET: At White House Water Summit, Biden-Harris Administration Announces Bold National Goal to Protect and Restore Freshwater Resources, Delivers Over $1 Billion for Tribal Clean Water Projects
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Roundtable Discussion on Nursing Home Care
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Final Rule to Strengthen Privacy Protections for Reproductive Health Care
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Readout of the White House Convening on Gun Violence Emergency Response Protocol
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Remarks by President Biden to Commemorate Earth Day | Triangle, VA
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Remarks by President Biden in Press Gaggle | Triangle, VA
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at an Organizing Event for Reproductive Freedoms
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Bill Signed: S. 382
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Readout of President Biden’s Call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine
- Monday, April 22, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Marks Earth Day 2024 with Historic Climate Action
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on President Biden’s Historic Actions to Mark Earth Day
- Sunday, April 21, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Former U.S. Senator David Pryor
- Sunday, April 21, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Passover
- Sunday, April 21, 2024: Readout of White House Meeting on the Ongoing Response to the Collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge
- Saturday, April 20, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on House Passage of the National Security Package
- Saturday, April 20, 2024: Bill Signed: H.R. 7888
- Saturday, April 20, 2024: Readout of PDNSA Finer Meeting with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
- Saturday, April 20, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on 25 Years Since the Columbine High School Shooting
- Saturday, April 20, 2024: Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the Senate’s Vote on the Reauthorization and Reform of FISA Section 702
- Friday, April 19, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- Friday, April 19, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on UAW Vote in Tennessee
- Friday, April 19, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration
- Friday, April 19, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves New Hampshire Disaster Declaration
- Friday, April 19, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians
- Friday, April 19, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Hoopa Valley Tribe
- Friday, April 19, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference
- Friday, April 19, 2024: A Proclamation on National Crime Victims’ Rights, 2024
- Friday, April 19, 2024: A Proclamation on National Volunteer Week, 2024
- Friday, April 19, 2024: A Proclamation on Earth Day, 2024
- Friday, April 19, 2024: A Proclamation on National Park Week, 2024
- Friday, April 19, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Protecting Alaska’s Arctic Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
👍 FCC restores net neutrality rules Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams, Raw Story
Open internet advocates on Thursday applauded the Federal Communications Commission's long-anticipated vote to revive net neutrality rules and reestablish FCC oversight of broadband.
The 3-2 vote along party lines to reclassify broadband as a public service under Title II of the Communications Act came seven months after FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced the push in the wake of the U.S. Senate confirming Commissioner Anna Gomez.
Commissioner Geoffrey Starks joined Rosenworcel and Gomez to launch the rulemaking process last year and finalize the policy change on Thursday. Commissioner Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington both aligned with the powerful telecom industry by opposing the effort to prevent internet service providers from blocking, throttling, or engaging in paid prioritization of lawful online content.
👎⚡️🌵 Arizona house finally votes to repeal the 1864 law. Gloria Rebecca Gomez, Arizona Mirror via Daily Kos. Although this is good, it took them 3 votes to do this. Which means the GOP doesn’t have much credibility on the abortion issue going forward. There’s a petition that will guarantee legality on the ballot for November, and the actions of the GOP painted bull’s-eyes on all their jobs in the legislature.
👎 This evangelical is over tRump:
Note: I think I would have lots of other problems with this guy, and I sort of wonder if he might be trying to wrest his market share back from the tRump cult. But hey, a step away from the orange menace is a step in a better direction. Probably.
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Senator Graham, blaming tRump. “Evverybody who says we should do something about border legislation, you’re absolutely right but unfortunately, we didn’t get there because tRump opposed the bipartisan border deal. I hate that.
There’s so much in this statement! It shows how weak and unreliable the Rs are. No wonder the Biden-Harris campaign just pounced on it.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
Biden scores major endorsement as leaders attack tRump Edward-Isaac Dovere CNN
Joe Biden will land a major union endorsement Wednesday from North America’s Building Trades Unions, whose leaders say the president has his infrastructure bill largely to thank for it.
In making one of their earliest ever presidential endorsements, NABTU leaders are kickstarting an eight-figure organizing program to try to deliver their 250,000 members in the battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin for Biden.
The Teamsters, whose endorsement is being pursued by both Biden and Donald Trump, are members of NABTU but abstained from Tuesday’s board vote, according to people briefed on the proceedings. They will endorse after their own upcoming convention.
Here’s an interview with their leader, Sean McGarvey, on Morning joe. I know some people say that no one can be moved from the tRump cult, but this shows that may not be so:
If you watch it you’ll see the campaigning planned. It’s great.
Simon Rosenberg on Trump the electoral albatross and AARON RUPAR
Rosenberg: What's happening in national media right now is there’s a growing sense that the orange emperor has no clothes. Where the media narrative started shifting on this race was when it became clear that Trump was having fundraising problems and Republicans are struggling with money. At that point it started dawning on people that maybe he's actually naked.
Trump’s positive polls were a big factor preventing us from having an accurate understanding of the true nature of this race. If those evaporated, then what was going to be left is a really ugly thing underneath. That’s in the process of happening now.
I do think the polls are changing. The media is becoming more open to the idea that Trump really is a historically terrible figure. These were things that couldn't be spoken a few months ago, but they can now. ✂️
The other thing that's happened is that the success of Biden's presidency has caused many of the core indictments of him to evaporate. The economy is strong, it's not weak. Inflation is down, it's not up. I know it went up a little bit last month, but it didn't go up a lot. Let’s not exaggerate what just happened here. This inflation uptick could have been within margin of error of the data it was so small.
Crime is not raging. It has actually plummeted across the country. There is no war on energy. We just had our best year of energy production and we're more energy independent than we've been in generations. On the border, because of Trump's idiocy, now we’re party of order and they're the party of chaos. And then finally, the “Biden crime family” story we now know is a Russian disinformation operation that was laundered by congressional Republicans. Special Counsel Hur’s attack on Biden’s acuity turned out to have been a lie, and Biden assuaged a lot of the worries about his age during his strong State of the Union performance.
About unions, if not quite unity. What President Biden said about the UAW vote in Tennessee White House Briefings
Congratulations to the workers at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on their historic vote for union representation with the United Auto Workers. I was proud to stand alongside auto workers in their successful fight for record contracts, and I am proud to stand with auto workers now as they successfully organize at Volkswagen. Across the country, union members have logged major wins and large raises, including auto workers, actors, port workers, Teamsters, writers, warehouse and health care workers, and more. Together, these union wins have helped raise wages and demonstrate once again that the middle-class built America and that unions are still building and expanding the middle class for all workers.
Six Republican governors wrote a letter attempting to influence workers’ votes by falsely claiming that a successful vote would jeopardize jobs in their states. Let me be clear to the Republican governors that tried to undermine this vote: there is nothing to fear from American workers using their voice and their legal right to form a union if they so choose. In fact, the growing strength of unions over the last year has gone hand-in-hand with record small business and jobs growth alongside the longest stretch of low unemployment in more than 50 years. I will continue to stand with American workers and stand against Republican’s effort to weaken workers’ voice.
Strangers coming together to rescue an unconsious man trapped in his car:
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
🌵 Fake electors charged in Arizona:
An important reason to do this now is to make sure there are adequate deterrents to stop people from thinking about this in the 2024 election.
President Biden: Remember when [tRump] was trying to deal with COVID, he suggested, inject a little bleach in your veins. He missed it. It all went to his hair.
tRump’s motions denied
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
This week I want to honor Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the criminal trial of tRump in Manhattan. All the reports about him indicate he is serious, that he is moving things along, and that he is putting tRump in his place. This article is from the beginning of the trial Brian Bushard Forbes
(April 15) New York Judge Juan Merchan on Monday warned former President Donald Trump could be arrested if he disrupts proceedings or skips the trial in his hush money case in Manhattan, as prosecutors claim Trump violated his gag order. ✂️
Merchan then warned the former president that he could also face an arrest warrant if he skips his trial without a reason—a statement given to defendants in New York known as the Parker Warning.
Earlier on Monday, Merchan refused to rule on Trump’s request to skip the trial on Wednesday for his son Barron Trump’s high school graduation, with Merchan saying that decision “really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”
It’s a tough task, given the eyes and the threats and the nastiness of the defendant. Good luck, Judge Merchan!
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
I hope all of you can watch this.
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Renewables outpacing fossil fuels in UK! Paige Bennett, EcoWatch
For the first quarter of 2024, electricity generation from wind power sources exceeded the amount of electricity generated by fossil fuel sources in the UK. Further, electricity from fossil fuels reached a record low on April 15.
According to data from Ember, a not-for-profit energy think-tank, electricity generation from wind energy sources reached 25.3 terawatt hours (TWh), or about 39.4% of total electricity generation, in the first three months of 2024. By comparison, electricity from fossil fuel sources reached 23.6 TWh, about 36.2% of total electricity generation, during the same time period, Reuters reported.
Mr. Trash Wheel has gobbled 5.2 million pounds Andy Corbley, Good News Network
The Baltimore Harbor’s most beloved resident is celebrating his decennial, and what better way to look back on his years of service than listing a few of his achievements?
Mr. Trash Wheel is a national icon. Since his installment in the Inner Harbor in 2014, his popularity led to the installment of other trash-collecting wheels, like Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West, which have formed his ‘family’ of four.
5.2 million pounds have floated onto their conveyor belt tongues, been carried up into their water wheel gullets, and dropped into the floating dumpsters behind them.
Little by little, does the trick!
🚗 🚗 More than 1 in 5 cars sold this year will be electric Cristen Hemingway Jaynes EcoWatch
In its new Global EV Outlook 2024, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said electric vehicle (EV) sales will reach 17 million this year — up from 14 million in 2023.
In 2024, EVs are projected to make up roughly one out of nine cars sold in the United States, one in four in Europe and 45 percent of total car sales in China, an IEA press release said.
“Electric cars continue to make progress towards becoming a mass-market product in a larger number of countries,” the report said. “Tight margins, volatile battery metal prices, high inflation, and the phase-out of purchase incentives in some countries have sparked concerns about the industry’s pace of growth, but global sales data remain strong.”
More than one-fifth of cars sold globally in 2024 are predicted to be electric, with growing demand set to substantially reduce oil consumption used for road transportation over the coming decade, the press release said.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and Familiars of the Flock (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can say something nice to friend or a stranger.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.