Good Day, Gnuville! Happy New Year’s Eve EVE! Welcome to the last Tuesday GNR for 2025!
Today’s GNR will be light on the news (but there is some!) and heavy on helpful articles to foster your best self for 2026.
CG couldn’t get a section up today. Frankly, we are both beat! We’ve hosted two rounds of holiday house guests and in between Thanksgiving and Christmas had a long distance trip crammed with events, too. Jet lag? Who has time for jet lag?
We are so tired, we can hardly keep our eyes open past 9PM. I bet some of you are in the same situation! It’s a good kind of tired — what with having loved ones around and being reminded of the traditions that give our lives meaning and beauty — and it’s OK to rest, too! 😄
For today’s intro, I want to quote from Goodie’s fantastic post last Saturday. This part is just too good not to repeat. Read, enjoy and let it pump you full of righteous energy!
Look, I don’t have a crystal ball. But neither do the doomers.
For some people, being a doomer makes them feel smart. For some people, being a doomer gives them an excuse to not do anything. For some people, doomerism is a mask designed to destroy your hope.
To all the doomers I say: STFU. Seriously. Stop. Do you really look around and think “you know what this moment needs? More people saying that everything is awful and we will never win.” Girl, we have plenty of those people already. Way more than we need. Those positions are FULL.
What we need are people who act.
What we need are people who plan.
What we need are people who work together.
What we need are people who hope.
The rest of you just look dumb. And annoying. And suspect. Take a seat. Or better yet, join us. You’ll be glad you did and you are welcome any time!
— Mayor of Gnuville, GoodNewsRoundup,
10 Reasons to Be Hopeful Going Into the New Year: GNR
In the next section, I bring you some stories about people who act, who plan, who work together and who hope. But first, music! 😁
🎶 Musical Intro 🎶
3 reasons why we are going to beat MAGA
1. They are turning on each other:
MAGA’s circular firing squad intensifies, Sophie Tesfaye, Salon, December29, 2025.
To be clear, there is no ideological disagreement in any meaningful sense. Instead there is a sense of rage that right-wing grievance doesn’t automatically deliver results. But with a president far more interested in monetizing power and trimming his abode in gold, there is a dawning realization amongst the MAGA faithful that Trumpism prioritizes spectacle over substance — and they are now speaking up.✂️
Trump’s advisers have reportedly tried to wave the base’s unrest off as “cyclical” criticism, venting steam. But what’s happening isn’t routine griping. It’s the sound of a movement realizing that raw power doesn’t automatically translate into results, especially when the people in charge are more interested in loyalty tests and culture-war symbolism than in competent administration.
Yet it’s hard to feign sympathy for MAGA supporters who are now disappointed and disillusioned. They weren’t tricked; they were complicit. They chose cruelty over competence, so it should come as no surprise that their grievances have not resulted in good governance. Trump’s supporters should have known: A movement built to worship a man rather than serve a country will eventually turn on itself.
2. Polls are getting worse and worse for them:
The silver lining to the bad economic news is that people are catching on and holding the Republican badministration responsible for it: Trump Hit by Humiliating Poll as His 2026 Nightmare Looms, Will Neal, Daily Beast, December 29, 2025.
A new poll, conducted by Harris and reported by the Guardian Monday, shows more than 45 percent of Americans “said their financial security is getting worse,” compared to just a measly 20 percent who feel things are looking up.
The overwhelming majority among Democrats and Independents, at 76 and 72 percent respectively, believe rampant unaffordability is squarely the fault of the Trump administration, dropping only to 55 percent among Republicans.✂️
A November poll by NBC found those anxieties have further translated into voter intentions ahead of next year’s race for control of the House and Senate, with Democrats holding an eight-point lead on Republicans, marking the largest pre-poll advantage for either party since 2018.
Even Trump himself appears to have been forced to concede that his bluster on economic performance has roundly failed to win many hearts and minds of late.
3. US! We the people are going to beat them!
We, the people — ordinary people! — are standing up, even if it costs us.
Here's why Trump and the GOP are doomed, D. Earl Stephens, Raw Story, December 29, 2025.
We’re still here, and by God we’ve more than proven we can give as good as we get.
Because buried in the rubble and amid all that the smoke, Democrats have been winning elections at an astonishing clip, and if 2026 looks anything like 2025, Republicans are heading for a bloodbath in the coming months.
And they damn well know it.
The failing Trump is in deep trouble, and as we swing hard toward the midterms, his subservient cowards in Congress will have a choice to make: Stay with the man who is trying to end us and them, or run to the Left toward freedom and programs and initiatives that lift all of us up.
Or … there’s a third option: They can just flat surrender.
Chaos as more cancellations befall Trump's MAGA-fied Kennedy Center, Robert Davis, Raw Story, December 29, 2025.
President Donald Trump's new monument to himself is having a hard time scheduling entertainment acts after a major dance company and a jazz ensemble cancelled their dates, according to a new report.
The New York Times reported on Monday that the New York dance company Doug Varone and Dancers cancelled its two-night stint scheduled for April. The move cost the company $40,000✂️
“It is financially devastating but morally exhilarating,” Varone told the NYT.
A jazz ensemble called "The Cookers" also cancelled its New Year's Eve date, according to The Times. While the report said the reasons for the cancellation were not immediately clear, the outlet noted that it followed jazz musician Chuck Redd's decision not to perform at the Kennedy Center on Christmas Eve.
How Jazz Great Chuck Redd Gave American Culture a Gift This Christmas, Adele M. Stan, The New Republic, December 29, 2025.
In canceling his traditional Christmas Eve show at the Kennedy Center, the vibraphonist showed how to stand up to culture-hating bullies.
It’s probably safe to say that, despite his storied career, most Americans had probably never heard of jazz musician Chuck Redd before he canceled his annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam concert at the Kennedy Center, after President Donald J. Trump’s name was slammed onto the national performing arts venue in violation of the law. But Redd’s protest caught the attention of the national media, landing stories in the Associated Press, Politico, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, among others. So what did the Trump-appointed president of the formerly prestigious arts palace do? He made Redd famous by threatening him with a $1 million lawsuit.
The grounds for the suit aren’t entirely clear. The thing is, the Kennedy Center lost zero dollars due to Redd’s cancellation; it was a free concert. The only people who lost money due to vibrophonist’s protest were Redd and likely the musicians who were scheduled to perform with him. And, of course, one could argue that Redd’s move actually saved the Kennedy Center money, on staff and heating and the like.
How the clergy has rallied against the Trump administration's immigration policies, Jack Jenkins, NPR, December 24, 2025.
Since January, religious leaders from local pastors to Pope Leo have rallied against the Trump administration's detention and deportation of thousands of immigrants. Clergy are filing lawsuits, accompanying migrants to court hearings and leading protests at ICE facilities across the country. Altogether, this activity adds up to one of the largest surges of faith-based organizing in recent history, and it's growing. Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service has more
🎶 Music Time! 🎶
🥗 🌲 To Your Good Health ☀️ 🍎
Nearly every morning, I wake up early (just as the sky is beginning to lighten before dawn), and sometimes it takes a little while to shake off the weight of sadness that seem to have come with these disturbing times. I know what’s going on: even though it’s unpleasant and gloomy, I just have to wait it out for a little bit. So I go about my morning ritual of making coffee and reading the GNR while I allow my body and mind to settle back into its normal, resting state.
Reading my fellow GNR authors’ work literally takes me from the first morning gloom (and/or anxiety) of the trumpian era to a hopeful and determined outlook. I drain my coffee cup, set aside the laptop and jump out of bed ready to face the day with renewed vigor and optimism.
This Good Health section has a couple of entries about incorporating rituals into our lives, and I would like to recommend that you work a half hour into your morning to read the GNR with your favorite beverage as a good mental health ritual.
---—
Forget New Year's resolutions. For 2026, sit with a question instead, TED Radio Hour, NPR, December 2025.
An open question to help you navigate big changes
If you are thinking about making a life change or career move, Tippett offers the questions that helped her pivot: "What in the way I'm living now and working now depletes me, and what is life giving… and are the things I'm struggling with now the right things for me to be struggling with?"
In a world of increasing ecological, economic and political crises, Tipett says the very act of sitting with a question can shape you in important ways. And rushing toward an answer can minimize the gravity of the uncertainty you are feeling.
"Those moments when a new question rises up in us, stops us in our tracks, those are pivot points," said Tippett in a 2023 TED talk. "Those are moments when the possibility of discovery breaks in. So the invitation here is to engage in the adventure of a new reverence for the questions that are alive in you … in the world around you."
How to end the year right: come up with your own personal rituals, Elle Hunt, the Guardian, December 24, 2025.
How do you celebrate the end of the year?
At this time of year, it’s traditional to take stock and set intentions for the next. But rituals aren’t just for special occasions, Coupe argues – they can elevate everyday life. Here are her tips for creating more meaning during the festive season and beyond. (Details in the linked article)
Instead of spending money, look for meaning
Use ritual throughout the year
Think beyond resolutions
Check in with yourself
Be deliberate about where you spend energy
Elevate your everyday
Make the most of transitions
The perfect commute: how to turn a frustrating chore into fun – and better fitness, Anita Chaudhuri, the Guardian, December 29, 2025.
The point is not to descend into a spiral of doom but to get creative about how to maximise your available time. One strategy is to build habit stackinginto your commute to get other things done. Because going to work is something that you already do every day, piggybacking another activity to the routine makes it more likely that it will happen. That might mean building fitness into journeys by cycling, or walking part of the way, or running home. But it might also mean learning a language, meditating, doing admin or catching up with friends. The average UK commute is 27 minutes, rising to 38 minutes in London. That adds up to about five hours a week that people who commute every day have to themselves.
Nolan says commuting has the clear benefit of offering a structured, regular window to focus on an idea or project. She references Cal Newport’s bestseller Deep Work, in which he suggests we can use chunks of time to focus deeply on one topic. “So if you’re stuck on a bus, rather than scrolling, you could use the time to brainstorm a specific idea, either for work or a personal project,” says Nolan. “One reason ideas often come to us in the shower is because we’re so rarely quiet and still so ideas don’t have the opportunities to come to mind.”
Recipes for the body and soul
Our Most Popular Recipes of 2025, Meredith Francis, WTTW, December 17, 2025.
From nostalgic classics to new twists, our most popular recipes of 2025 serve up a little comfort, plenty of curiosity, and dishes with diverse origins inspired by places near and far. As ever, trusted sources like America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Country, and Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street continue to shape the way many of us cook at home.
Be sure to check out more recipes anytime at wttw.com/food and sign up for our free food newsletter Deep Dish, and keep coming back, as we’ll have more for you next year. See you in 2026, and happy cooking!
Cook’s Country developed their own recipe for this simple Hawaiian classic, which is our most popular recipe for the second year in a row! It makes for a perfect side dish for a picnic or barbecue.
Another Cook’s Country dish, this recipe for summery fish tacos was inspired by a restaurant in San Diego and features a vibrant Mexican sauce.
A South Side of Chicago specialty, atomic cake features a towering array of layers that include various cakes, custards, creams, and fruits. We have a recipe adapted from one bakery's version, accompanied by an investigation into the cake’s origins.
Go to the link for more great recipes!!
Zen in the kitchen? 26 tiny ways to be a better cook in 2026, Ashlie D Stevens, Salon, December 20, 2025.
If 2026 is the year you want to feel more confident, more curious and more quietly triumphant in the kitchen, these are the little interventions that will get you there. Not a manifesto, not a rigid curriculum — just 26 tiny habits, discoveries and delights that accumulate into a richer cooking life.
Some are practical: sharpening knives, roasting fruit, keeping a tasting journal. Some are sensory: noticing textures, nailing a bread-crust crackle, assembling a playlist that carries you through chopping and stirring. Others are the kind of small, almost imperceptible gestures that change the way you think about food — growing a single herb, refreshing a nostalgic recipe or finding a tool that sparks a new rhythm in the kitchen.
Taken together, these tips aren’t about perfection. They’re about presence: paying attention, trying, tasting, adjusting, and letting yourself quietly fall in love with cooking all over again. Think of this as your 2026 kitchen companion: a series of invitations to slow down, play and savor what it means to feed yourself, and maybe others, really well.
Also from Ashlie Stevens: 7 steps to a better winter salad
Nifty Noshes for New Years Eve! 31 appetizers to mix and match for your NYE bash, CBC Life, December 2023.
After a season of dinner parties and big feasts, what's better than a meal of all appetizers? There's something decidedly glamorous about an assortment of small bites that your guests can enjoy all evening. You don't even have to make them all yourself — you can invite people to bring their own and take some of the pressure off. A smaller selection of these favourite party foods is befitting for a chill night at home, too.
(yummy recipes at the link!)
Let’s celebrate with festive non-alcoholic treats: How to give non-drinkers more options at your holiday party, Lara Buchar, CBC, December 10, 2025.
As a holiday party host, it’s your duty to ensure that all your guests stay well lubricated over the course of the evening, regardless of what they’re sipping on. But all too often, that means that those who aren’t drinking alcohol are stuck choosing between a can of pop or whatever mixer is left over from the cocktail bar.
Everyone deserves to sip on something special over the holidays, which is why we consulted two experts for their very best tips on how to make your non-alcoholic drinks just as enticing as the boozy ones this holiday season (or, dare we say, even more enticing?).
Spoken Essay:
Here’s a nice offering from a guy that I am starting to think of as YouTubes poet laureate:
Food for thought as you ring in the new Year:
Gary’s Economics Christmas message:
The video below is typical of Gary Stephenson — plain speaking, no frills, full of concern for the greater good. Begin at about the 1:50 (intro is about the project he is working on and upcoming videos. The actual message begins after that intro). It’s got Dickens, it’s got the Bible, it’s got a message about past, present and future. And a very hopeful reminder that what seems impossible today, was even MORE impossible the first time it was done.
We (regular people) did it before and we can do it again — we can build a society that works for all of us.
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Americans are waking up. A grand reckoning awaits us, Robert Reich, the Guardian, December 29, 2025.
“I’d like to believe that the horrific darkness of this past year is a necessary prelude to a brighter and saner future”
⚡️ How Power Asserted Itself and How the People Struck Back, David Dayen, The American Prospect, December 29, 2025.
“My contribution was to try and cover what those in power were aiming to do, who was rising to stop them...”
⚡️ Greatest Hits of 2025, Robert Kutner, The American Prospect, December 26, 2025.
“Where appeasement failed, resistance worked.”
⚡️ 11 of Our Most Memorable Pieces from 2025, the Editors, Washington Monthly, December 24, 2025.
“Revisit writing from this year that we’re proud to have run.”
⚡️ 'Real sea change': Analyst pinpoints moment Trump came crashing back to Earth, Matthew Chapman, Raw Story, December 29, 2025.
⚡️ 'Big problem': Strategist warns Trump's 'Marie Antoinette' style could backfire on GOP, Robert Davis, Raw Story, December 29, 2025.
"It's a symbol of his distraction. It's the Marie Antoinette thing that he's got going. That is a big political problem."
⚡️ I’ll keep subscribing the the Daily Beast just for their “Trump, 79...” headlines 😄:
Trump, 79, Confused Over Putin Telling Him Home Was Attacked, Sarah Ewell-Wice, Daily Beast, December 29, 2025.
“The president was told about the alleged attack by the Russian president hours earlier.”
⚡️ Daily Beast’s 2025 recap: The World Was on Fire in 2025—and So Were Our Brilliant Illustrations, Hugh Dougherty, Daily Beast, December 29, 2025.
“Nobody knows what 2026 will bring. But day in and day out, the Daily Beast will be rendering its drama, outrages and shocks as only we can do. Stay tuned... and, if you dare, remind yourself of this tumultuous year captured in our inimitable way.”
⚡️ So This Is Why Trump Didn’t Want to Release the Epstein Files, Sarah Fitzpatrick, the Atlantic, December 24, 2025.
“The latest batch includes many new references to Trump—and enough ammunition for Congress to keep pressing.”
⚡️ In 2025, Epstein showed MAGA who they really are, Amanda Marcotte, Salon, December 29, 2025.
“Trump is desperate to distract his base”
⚡️😊 Your special 2026 horoscope: Prepare to get un-stuck, Bryanna Collier, CBC, December 29, 2025.
“Amazing transformations to the way that you think are on the horizon this year”
⚡️🎧 Heather Cox Richardson's BOLD 2026 YouTube Predictions (You're Not Ready), Jim Acosta Show, December 29, 2025.
⚡️🎧 Why Republicans Are Finally Abandoning Trump | David Pakman, Democracy Docket, December 29, 2025.
🎶 Music Time 🎶
🚧 🩷 How Can You Help Build a Better World?❣️🚧
I’m going to share some of the excellent links and suggestions from GoodNewsRoundup and chloris creator. Repetition is good!
🎩 GOODNEWSROUNDUP:
There are many ways to get involved. Everyone can find something that works for them.
Here are some ideas.
-
If you can, I strongly recommend going to an in person meeting in your area.
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Join the truth brigade! Grassroots-powered lie-stopping. Person by person; mind by opened mind
- Election Response Center is a project hosted by Working Families Party, MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen. They are organizing lots of events to get people fighting. Join one at this link
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The ACLU plays a key role in filing lawsuits that often stop voter suppression. Get involved with them at this link.
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Get involved with the Democratic party. We aren’t perfect, but they are fucking evil.
- Get involved with the States Project They are working on turning state legislatures blue
- Get involved with Swing Left. They are working on races right now!
- People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. Get involved with them here
- Center for American Progress Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan policy institute and advocacy organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and concerted action. Get involved with them here
🎩 CHLORIS CREATOR:
I know it’s tough to see the path forward. And I can’t guarantee that there is a path forward. But people who are smarter and braver than I have seen ways to move ahead.
Their (the fascists’) plans really are dark, but many of them are also dumb, in the sense that they don’t make sense. So many of them cannot succeed.
Here are some quick hits.
- Stay involved. Yeah, that’s tough. I want to look away too, but by taking simple actions you can make a difference. Keep contacting your representatives, both in DC and at home.
- Support causes that will fight. Send money if you can. Also, spread their news with clicks and conversation.
- Slow them down. Oppose and block at every turn.
- Make tRump unpopular. Doing this weakens him. And it should not be that difficult. The GOP made a lot out of Biden is old and eggs cost too much. Well, tRump is older than Biden was at the beginning of his term and tRump has no policies that are going to bring down inflation. And a host of other problems, like he’s a convicted felon.
- Divide the GOP from each other. They are a coalition based on contradictory promises, so there’s plenty to work with.
- Keep telling the truth and showing love.
- Make sure to pace yourselves in this marathon and to practice self-care.
Other Actions
📰 🗞️ SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCES!! 🗞️ 📰
If you are able to at all, lend your financial support to local newspapers, PBS and NPR stations and community newsletters.
📞 Call your Congress critters and register your concerns!
(202) 224-3121 is the main switchboard number for Congress. They will ask for your city and state or your zip code and connect you with your representatives. It’s easy and it does make a difference.
📪 Write postcards to help Democratic candidates and progressive judges get elected:
Postcards to VotersNewsie Progressive Muse usually posts an update in comments each day letting us know what PTV campaigns are currently happening. Right now there is an October birthday voters for Public Service Commission in GA campaign, among others, which I have been writing for.
New! 🚨 Many Ways to Belong — this is a new weekly newsletter from our own GoodNewsRoundup, the Mayor of Gnuville herself! It’s GREAT! SUBSCRIBE! 😃
3️⃣ Check out
Third Act Actions page — there might be something there that you can do.
🚨 NEW! 🚨
If you are able to donate, now is the time. Here are two donation links set up by fellow gnusies (GoodNewsRoundup and bilboteach):
Mayor of Gnuville, Goody says: To help us out, I set up a fundraising page!
It splits our donations among the 15 seats held by Republicans in swing districts. These are seats that were either won by a margin of 4% less and/or were won by Harris in 2024. In other words, these are seats we can win in 2026. None of them are in CA or TX (and thus likely to be redistricted). Any money you donate will go directly to whomever our candidate will be in 2026. We only need to flip three of these!
I know there has been bad press about ActBlue out there. Is it perfect? No. Is it our main fundraising arm for the party? YES!!! Our group alone has donated half a million dollars to Democrats through ActBlue
You know who is spreading bad info about ActBlue? Republicans in the House. Gee, I wonder why????
TO KEEP US FROM DONATING (that is why).
➡️ I know the spam we get from donating is the worst. So I set this one up so you can opt out of sharing your info with the candidates.
Of course, I can’t guarantee that you won’t get spam from this from someone. But, honestly, is that going to be what keeps you from saving Democracy? Spam emails?
Of course not!
Please, if you can, donate to take the house and SAVE DEMOCRACY.
Here is the link:
🧵 Remember: Share your favorite news sites, podcasts or vloggers in the comments! By spreading good news and action ideas, you help build that better world that we all hope to see. AND, the GNR comments section is a bonus reason to read GNR every day!!
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for another Tuesday — and the last Tuesday in 2025. Please take good care of yourselves and we look forward to seeing you all in 2026!
All the Best! CG and Nifty
![US Flag against blue sky. [Size small, 248 x 248] Tags Good News Gnus](https://images.dailykos.com/images/689612/large/USFlagagainstblueskysmallTagsGoodNewsGnus.jpg?1561513575 "US Flag against blue sky. [Size small, 248 x 248] Tags Good News Gnus")
