Good Day, Gnusies and Happy New Year!
It is 2024 at last and whether you’ve been eagerly anticipating this year or kind of dreading it, the wait is finally over. And as we gather ourselves for the election campaigns, let’s review some reasons to be optimistic. But first, some opening music!
😊☀️😃 Reasons for Optimism 😊☀️😃
💪🏼💙 Democrats Deliver 💙💪🏾
The number one reason for optimism is that Democrats deliver. Federally and locally, when we have Democratic leadership, life gets better for people. Let’s look at some recent stories which illustrate this fact:
Democrats lead on health coverage
States with Democratic governors and/or legislatures have been leading the way on treating immigrants with compassion. Providing access to medical care is simply the right and human thing to do. This month, at least one Republican-led state (Utah) has reversed course and will follow Democrats’ lead:
More states extend health coverage to immigrants even as issue inflames GOP, Phil Galewitz, NPR, December 29, 2023.
A growing number of states are opening taxpayer-funded health insurance programs to immigrants, including those living in the U.S. without authorization, even as Republicans assail President Joe Biden over a dramatic increase in illegal crossings of the southern border.
Eleven states and Washington, D.C., together provide full health insurance coverage to more than 1 million low-income immigrants regardless of their legal status, according to state data compiled by KFF Health News. Most aren't authorized to live in the U.S., state officials say.
Enrollment in these programs could nearly double by 2025 as at least seven states initiate or expand coverage. In January, Republican-controlled Utah will start covering children regardless of immigration status, while New York and California will widen eligibility to cover more adults.
Biden administration readies a big swing at big businesses in 2024, Josh Sisco, Politico, December 30, 2023.
After three years of pushing hard against some of the world’s largest companies, the Biden administration is set to accelerate several of its biggest antitrust fights in 2024 with an intense lineup of lawsuits and investigations.
The results will help shape President Joe Biden’s reelection pitch to American voters — and change the government’s relationship with Big Business, possibly for years. The high-profile investigations could lead to lawsuits next year that could change the way people buy groceries and concert tickets, rent apartments and go to the doctor. ✂️
“I think we’re going to see more new actions in terms of investigations and litigation than any prior year during the administration,” said Ryan Sandrock, an antitrust lawyer at Shook, Hardy and Bacon, and a former DOJ staff attorney. “The volume of antitrust activity is higher than at any point since I started practicing in 2003.”
The Economic News is Good
No matter how much various media want to paint a dark picture of a bad economy, the facts just don’t bear out that narrative. The economy is booming and the USA has recovered from the pandemic shock better than any other developed country. That’s just a fact. And it is largely thanks to the Biden Administration’s approach.
The Biden boom continues
Markets roar in 2023 as inflation ticks down and Fed eases rate hikes, Nick Rummell, Courthouse News, December 29, 2023.
By the closing bell Friday, the last of 2023, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had gained 4,542 points for the year, roughly a 13% increase. The S&P 500 netted 930 points, a new record for the index and a 24% increase for the year, while the Nasdaq rocketed up 4,545 points, a 43% yearly increase.✂️
The main driver for market wins has been the Federal Reserve, which continued to raise interest rates in the early part of the year by a total of one basis point but paused during its last three meetings. The current federal funds rate sits at 5.25% to 5.5%.
The Fed hasn’t yet brought inflation down to its 2% goal, but experts still believe the central bank will begin cutting rates sometime early next year and will finish 2024 with a 4.5% interest rate.✂️
The job market remains strong, with 2.55 million jobs gained so far in 2023; December’s job data have not yet been released, and the job reports from October and November have not yet been finalized.
Minimum-wage workers in 22 states will be getting raises on Jan. 1, D. Parvez, NPR, December 28, 2023.
Minimum-wage workers in 22 states are going to see more money in their paychecks in the new year.
Those increases will affect an estimated 9.9 million workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which estimates that those bumped wages will add up to an additional $6.95 billion in pay.
See the full list of increases.
In addition to those 22 states, 38 cities and counties will also increase their minimum wages above state minimums on Jan. 1.✂️
Most recently, Senate Democrats introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2023in July. If passed, it would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour by 2028.
Hero of the Year: Shawn Fain, Timothy Noah, The New Republic, December 29, 2023.
Nobody in the public maelstrom had a better 2023 than Fain. In March, he won an upset victory to become president of the scandal-plagued UAW, pledging to end a string of “concessions, corruption, and plant closures.” In September, just a half-year later, Fain initiated a series of escalating strikes against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler)—the first strike ever conducted against all three. By Halloween, Fain had won contracts at all three with pay hikes of 25 percent (more than 33 percent when you factor in cost of living increases, which were restored for the first time since 2009); a 10 percent increase in company contributions to workers’ 401(k) plans; and new commitments to bring electric vehicle and battery workers into the UAW contracts. By Thanksgiving, the union rank and file had ratified the contract. ✂️
What about nonunion companies like Tesla and Toyota? “Foreign automakers operating in the United States (Toyota, Hyundai, etc.) pay their workers about $55 per hour all in,” Rampell observed in September. “Tesla is estimated to pay workers somewhere in the mid-$40s. In other words, the legacy manufacturers are already at a significant cost disadvantage compared with their biggest competitors.” Yes, Fain is well aware of that. So one week after the Big Three agreement was ratified, he initiated an organizing drive at the 13 nonunion car companies that operate in the United States, including Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, and Tesla. These companies employ about 150,000 workers or slightly more than are represented by UAW. If Fain organized all of them, he could double the number of workers covered by the October agreement.
Even before Fain launched his organizing drive, Honda and Toyota responded to the Big Three contracts by hiking pay 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively. “We’ve shown the world,” Fain says in a rousing organizing video posted on the UAW website,
that this industry is harming workers and consumers to the benefit of company executives and the rich, and it’s time that the working class did something about it. But it’s not just the Big Three. It’s across the auto industry. CEOs are raking in billions while autoworkers’ real wages are falling.
Fain then goes on to say that the Japanese and Korean automakers “made nearly twice as much as the Big Three in the past decade ... with over 40 percent of their revenue coming from their North American operations. Don’t autoworkers at Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, and Mazda deserve a record cut of those record profits?” Good question! During that same period, Fain said, BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes Benz “made almost the same as the Japanese and Korean companies ... Do Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes workers not deserve their fair share of this booming auto industry?”
🎶 Musical Interlude 🎶
Courts Continue to Uphold Justice
Judge Tears Apart Iowa Book Ban, LGBTQ Education Law, Tracy Connor, Daily Beast, December 30, 2023.
A federal judge in Iowa has temporarily blocked a state law banning books with sexual content from school libraries, noting that there is no evidence such books caused widespread problems and imposed a “pall of orthodoxy.”
“The law is incredibly broad and has resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries, including, among others, nonfiction history books, classic works of fiction, Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary novels, books that regularly appear on Advanced Placement exams, and even books designed to help students avoid being victimized by sexual assault,” Judge Stephen Lochner wrote in his decision to approve a preliminary injunction.✂️
He said the statute is so vague that it violates the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution “because the State will have unfettered discretion to decide when to enforce it and against whom, thus making it all but impossible for a reasonable person to know what will and will not lead to punishment.”
Republicans (Still) in Disarray
Republicans have long wanted to destroy public education — and school vouchers (used to siphon off public money and pipe it into private Christian schools) have been one of the ways they seek to do it. Luckily for Texas, there are enough Republicans still opposed to this scheme that even a determined effort by Gov. Abbott has failed. And of course, disarray will ensue:
How Gov. Greg Abbott lost a yearlong fight to create school vouchers, Texas Tribune (via DailyKos), January 1, 2024.
Sharing the stage at the Brazos Christian School gymnasium in Bryan, Rep. John Raney rose from his seat next to Gov. Greg Abbott during a pro-school voucher rally and lavished praise on the governor’s education agenda. ✂️
It seemed like a good sign for Abbott, who was in the midst of barnstorming the state to rally support for school vouchers in Texas. In previous legislative sessions, Raney had signaled in test votes that he was against any measure to use public dollars for students to attend private schools — like the one he was speaking at that night.
But 254 days — and four excruciating special sessions — later, Raney would lead the effort on the House floor to defeat the very proposal that brought the men together that evening. The so-called “Raney amendment” to strike vouchers out of an education omnibus bill in November was the final knell for Abbott’s 18-month crusade for school vouchers.✂️
Yet after a year of negotiations, threats and politicking, Abbott ended 2023 vexed by a bloc of 21 Republican holdouts who prevented a bill from reaching his desk. It wasn’t particularly close for Abbott, despite the fact that he routinely projected false optimism throughout the year.
Raney later said he introduced Abbott at the pro-voucher event because it is customary when the governor visits a lawmaker’s district. But the perceived betrayal by Raney — and other House Republicans who joined with Democrats to kill the education subsidy — has set Abbott on a warpath in the March primary, determined to install more lawmakers who will vote his way.
Mike DeWIne is awful, but even he said no to this cruelty
So many Republicans (and MAGAs) are just so awful, so lacking in empathy that thinking they are all terrible through and through is an understandable assessment. Yet, every week we read stories of Republicans who do not toe the party line, or at least who do not seem to act in lockstep with the worst of their cohort.
An example this week was Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio. Yes, he’s an awful right wing conservative, but even so he could not ignore the pleas of real people who spoke to them about their experiences and their families’ experiences. It turned out that he is capable of empathy — and he vetoed the anti-trans bill that just passed the Ohio legislature. This will set up conflict between the governor and the extremist Republican legislature, but DeWine did it anyway:
In a Surprising Move, Ohio Governor Vetoes Trans Sports and Gender-Affirming Care Ban, Arianna Coghill, Mother Jones, December 30, 2023.
At least 22 states have a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths. But, as of Friday, Ohio is not one of them. In a surprising move, Gov. Mike DeWine, a staunch conservative who once signed a bill allowing teachers to carry firearms in class, vetoed Ohio House Bill 68, a gnarly resolution consisting of two anti-trans acts: the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act,” which would prohibit transgender youths from receiving gender-affirming care and the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which bans trans girls from competing in girls and women’s sports.
“This bill would impact a very small number of Ohio’s children, but for those children who face gender dysphoria, and for their families, the consequences of this could not be more profound,” said DeWine during a press conference on Friday. “Ultimately, I believe that this is about protecting human life.”✂️
DeWine, who reportedly consulted advocates both for and against the measure for two weeks prior to the vote, is now the second Republican governor to shoot down a similar bill, following Arkansas’s Asa Hutchinson in 2021, according to The Hill.
“If House Bill 68 were to become law,” said DeWine, “Ohio would be saying that the state [and] the government knows better than what is medically better for a child than the two people that love them the most: their parents.”
Only now?
Far-right Republicans closest to Trump question his mental health: reporter, Kathleen Culliton, Raw Story, January 1, 2024.
“The people who have raised the alarms about what it could be if he comes back are the people closest to him.”
Karl, author of the Trump tell-all “Front Row at the Trump Show,” said Trump’s actions, and failures to act, on Jan. 6 2021 spurred serious concerns about the former president’s ability to rule.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have both denied those claims, but Karl noted there is sworn testimony acknowledging the conversations occurred.
“They didn't go very far,” Karl noted. “As you started to have people resign from the cabinet, there were fewer people that would have voted for it.”
Good News from the Natural World and Beyond!
Hundreds of new species discovered
The following story has much more than the news about the hundreds of previously unknown species identified, but I like the note of optimism in this title, since we have also mourned the loss of some species this past month.
Hundreds of unknown species were discovered around the world this year, Ashley Strickland, CNN, December 30, 2023.
The incredible discoveries and scientific feats of 2023 prove just how far curiosity and wonder can take humanity.
Archaeological findings allowed researchers to take intriguing steps into the past and reveal more about our mysterious ancestors and creatures who roamed the planet before humans.
At the same time, technological advancements enabled scientists to make daring leaps forward in how we understand the vast expanse of the universe and our little cosmic neighborhood within it.✂️
Nearly 1,000 new species were found across the globe in 2023, adding significantly to the tree of life and illuminating how much biodiversity is waiting to be found on Earth.
Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences and London’s Natural History Museum uncovered hundreds of creatures and plants from the bottom of the ocean to an isolated peak in Angola.
The majority of newfound species were insects — including metallic-hued wasps named after “Doctor Who” characters that help eliminate agricultural pests. And scientists found unusual creatures such as a rare type of silent frog and a gecko that shoots goo out of its tail.
Silver lining to shipwrecks
Shipwrecks teem with underwater life, from microbes to sharks, Avery Paxton, Salon, December 30. 2023.
I have studied the biology of shipwrecks in the United States and internationally for 14 years. From this work, I have learned that shipwrecks are not only cultural icons but can also be biological treasures that create habitat for diverse communities of underwater life.✂️
Ships are typically made of metal or wood. When a vessel sinks, it adds foreign, artificial structure to the seafloor.
The climate outlook is improving!
2023 Was Earth's Hottest Year Ever, AND The Climate Outlook Is Finally Improving, Doktor Zoom, Wonkette, December 31, 2023.
This is the year a lot of humans realized, yes, this is how things are going to be: Some years may be better, many years likely to be worse, and the only way to keep things from getting much much worse is to stop burning fossil fuels. Period.
Now the good news: Despite the endless foot dragging since most scientists started yelling about the threat in the 1980s and 1990s, Our Stupid Species is finally taking the crisis seriously and taking real actions to transition away from fossil fuels. There’s really no doubt anymore that the energy transition is underway; the question now is how rapidly we can manage to do it, and how much climate damage we can prevent by acting right now. Despair is a waste of time, and at this point probably worse than denial. Both are excuses to do nothing, which would be a damn shame at a time when the technology and money are finally rolling out solutions.
Let’s look at some highlights for 2023, and keep in mind that the elections of 2024 really will decide whether we build on that progress toward a clean energy future.
These photos are out of this world!
Take a look at these astonishing new images of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, Joe Hernandez, NPR, December 31, 2023.
NASA released images Saturday taken by the Juno spacecraft, which had been slated to fly roughly 930 miles from the surface of Io, the agency said.
The photos of a silhouetted, dusty red sphere pockmarked by massive grayish volcanoes prompted awe online among astronomers and other stargazers, some of whom called the images "magnificent" and "beautiful."✂️
NASA investigators hope to use information gleaned from the flyby as well as past observations to learn more about the tempestuous moon's volcanoes.
"We are looking for how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, how the shape of the lava flow changes, and how Io's activity is connected to the flow of charged particles in Jupiter's magnetosphere," Juno's principal investigator Scott Bolton said in a statement.
The agency has scheduled another close flyby of Io for Feb. 3, when Juno is again expected to pass at about the same distance from the moon's surface as it did Saturday.
Juno's mission is set to end in late 2025.
🎶 More Music 🎶
😊 Ordinary People Being Good to Each Other 😊
One of the most reliable and constant reasons for optimism that I have seen throughout my lifetime — even in the darkest times — is the fundamental truth that most people will do the right thing when faced with a moral decision, and most people will even do a good and kind thing even if they haven’t been faced with having to make a choice. Some people — quite a lot of some people! — will look for ways to help other people, especially in a time of crisis:
Maui wildfires ruined personal treasures. A local jeweler is repairing items for free, Juliana Kim, NPR, December 30, 2023.
Maui has not been the same since early August when wildfires hit, claiming 100 lives and decimating hundreds of acres in Lahaina, Kula, Ka'anapali and Pulehu. It was the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century.
For many, rebuilding has been a long, tumultuous and grief-stricken process. But one source of strength has been the never-ceasing support from the local Maui community. No Ka 'Oi has been a testament of that, Romo and other customers told NPR. ✂️
No Ka 'Oi owner Omi Chamdi said he was one of the lucky ones — the fires had avoided his home and storefront. That's why, in its aftermath, Chamdi, a longtime Maui resident, immediately sprang into action and advertised free restorations.
"When the fires and devastations here on Maui occurred, pretty quickly I decided this is something I can do and I really want to do for the affected community," he said.
2023 was the year the students fought back, Martha Groves, Salon, December 30, 2023.
Since 2021, Katy has been among cities where conservative parent groups, notably Moms for Liberty, have successfully pushed state legislators and school districts to impose book bans, internet censorship and requirements that districts inform parents when students choose to identify as transgender or to use different names or pronouns at school.
Students in Katy and elsewhere have resisted in ways small and large. They have spoken out at school board meetings, launched “banned book” clubs to read the books that adults have said they shouldn’t read and held LGBTQ+ pride events, with parents and non-LGBTQ students showing their support.✂️
By resisting book bans and limitations on personal rights, she said, “we are fighting for democracy versus living in a fascist state in a fascist country. Book bans are not going to stop people from being gay.”✂️
“They cannot pay teachers enough, and workload issues are driving them out of the career,” she said. “The district is struggling while also implementing all of the worst policies the [state] Legislature could think of. It’s a fascinating microcosm of the struggles of public schools in this state right now.”
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello, Everybody! Happy New Year! Me and Mama had visitors for dinner yesterday so it was a very busy day! I like having visitors and we have had lots over the holidays. Two of my human brothers are twins and one of them came to stay for the holidays, and for a moment, I almost mistook him for my other brother!
That reminds me of the first story I have for you today. Only this story could have been very scary indeed! I am going to the groomer this week, and I intend to make sure that nobody but Mama tries to take me home. 😱
🐕 Family mistakenly brings home wrong dog from daycare.
🐕🦺 Dogs with jobs
This is just the sort of work I think I could be good at. Except for walkers with tennis balls. Those always get me. I lose my concentration. But I bet Bear doesn’t lose his concentration! Hooray for you, Bear!
For youth facing stressful justice system, Bay Area judges have an answer: Courtroom dogs, Natalie Hanson, Courthouse News, December 29, 2023.
Bear learned his skills at Canine Companions, an organization that breeds and trains service dogs. While often used by individuals with disabilities, government bodies like Contra Costa County also occasionally apply to acquire the dogs to accompany and calm people as they navigate through stressful government systems.
Bear is specially trained to comfort witnesses and victims, typically children, as they navigate what can be extremely stressful legal proceedings. Like his handler, Janet Wright, he technically works for Contra Costa County.
A day at work for Bear could mean meeting victims, including children, during stressful police interviews and legal depositions. It’s his job to emotionally support each client, whether by handing a child toys and puzzle pieces or simply laying quietly at their feet to calm them. He’s currently the only one at this job — and it can be a busy one.✂️
It takes years to train a dog like Bear, colloquially known as “court dogs,” and prepare them for the courtroom. While dogs like Bear can provide a huge service to traumatized children, it's usually up to officials at the county level to decide if they have the ability to handle, train and house them.
Wright, who has been paired with Bear since 2019, said that in the years since, she’s seen the impact his calming presence has had in juvenile court. As children gather strength to answer questions from lawyers and judges, they will often first whisper answers to him in court, she said.
Bear, she says, is particularly adept at sensing emotions and can soothe panic attacks. “He’s very relaxed [and] very calm — he knows his job at this point,” she added. “I don’t have to direct him when he’s in a courtroom, and when I hand over the leash, he just kind of knows.”
I only have two stories today because as I told you we had visitors yesterday! And all the week before too! I had a lot of work to do to keep our visitors snuggled and warm! But I will try my best to have more stories for you next time! Bye for now! Luv, CG 💙🐾
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
(My New Year’s Resolution is to make sure all Lightning RoundUp links are free. Enjoy!)
⚡️ 2023 wasn’t all bad, and here are 23 reasons why not, Washington Post Editorial Board, December 31, 2023.
⚡️ Reprising this: What went right in 2023: the top 25 good news stories of the year, Positive News, December 19, 2023.
⚡️ The 14 predictions that came true in 2023 — and the 7 that didn’t, Bryan Walsh, Dylan Matthews, Kenny Torrella, and Sigal Samuel, Vox, December 31, 2023.
⚡️ 2024 Looks Bright, Scott Dworkin, The Dworkin Report, December 28, 2023.
⚡️ 10 Nutrition Tips for a Healthy New Year, Alice Callahan, New York Times, December 28, 2023.
⚡️ Public libraries reveal their most borrowed books of 2023, Need Ulaby, NPR, December 29, 2023.
⚡️ These 8 mind-bending moments in science made us question reality in 2023, Rae Hodge, Salon, December 29, 2023.
⚡️ The Absolute Worst Political Predictions of 2023, Zach Stanton, Politico, December 29, 2023.
⚡️ The upside of regret: How a painful emotion can lead to better mental health, Stacey Colino, Washington Post, December 31, 2023.
⚡️ Aristotle’s 10 Rules for a Good Life, Arthur C Brooks, the Atlantic, August 2023.
⚡️ Your special 2024 horoscope: Monumental shifts are on the horizon, Bryanna Collier, CBC Life, December 2023.
And now for some Pluto seasonal music — because there’s never too much 5th Dimension or Age of Aquarius! 😃
🎶 Music Time! 🎶
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for the first Tuesday in 2024. This is it, my friends — 2024 at last and we are going to be ready for anything this new year can throw at us. Why? Because we have each other, we are the majority and we are going to fortify ourselves with the power of optimism. We know it may be a tough year in as many ways as the extremists can scare up, but we will be equal to the challenges.
Never forget we are the majority. Never forget that most people want to be kind, want to do right. And most people do, most of the time. Bear in mind how much good news there is about the state of the country — crime is down, the economy is booming, people are standing up for each other.
As 2024 really gets underway, tuck these reasons for optimism (and more each day that you will find in the GNRs) into your memory to pull out on the harder days. To remember and to renew your optimism.
Remember to look after your physical needs, too. Get some rest, eat nutritious food. And try to get outdoors every day — ideally for a walk, if you are able — but any breath of fresh air will be good for body and spirit.
Happy Tuesday, Gnusies. Thanks for reading and thanks for being here!