Welcome back to the Monday Good News Roundup, that time of the week when your GNR Newsroom (Myself, Killer300, Bhu, and the GNR Discord) bring you all the good news to start your week off right.)
Big news this week: Bhu completed their second surgery successfully, so thanks to everyone who kept them in their thoughts. And on that note lets get to the news, but first some music: Johnny Can’t read by Don Henley.
As the sun set on Place du 13 Mai in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, thousands of people danced, waved and cheered to pulsating rap and reggae beats and rousing speeches.
When young people started protesting on 25 September, first against water and power cuts, then demanding a complete overhaul of the political system, military police stopped them from reaching the square. The site has been a symbol of democracy and the focal point of anti-government protests on the Indian Ocean island since 40 student demonstrators were killed there by security forces in May 1972.
Then, on Saturday 11 October, the elite military unit Capsat came out in support of protesters, accompanying them to Place du 13 Mai. The next day, President Andry Rajoelina reportedly fled the country for Dubai on a French military plane. On Friday, Capsat’s commander, Col Michael Randrianirina, was sworn in as transitional president for what he said would be 18 to 24 months.
Young protesters, who had rallied as “Gen Z Madagascar”, were jubilant at the ousting of Rajoelina. Many were grateful to Capsat, which is responsible for military personnel and logistics. Some were worried about transitioning to military rule rather than a new civilian regime. All said they intended to keep fighting for a better Madagascar.
Our enemies are only unbeatable until they are not, regimes always seem unstoppable until they are stopped. Revolution is in the air, and the tyrants of the world are sleeping a little less easily today because they know they might be next.
Last Saturday, millions of protesters turned out across the country for the second “No Kings” march against Donald Trump. Trump, ever the statesman, responded with a Truth Social post that contained an AI-generated video of himself flying a plane with a king’s crown atop his head, dumping massive amounts of human feces on protesters.
At the same time that Trump was using AI to smear his critics, his supporters were spreading the claim that footage of the enormous rallies was actually fake news. They were wrong: the impressive rally footage was authentic. The turnout on Saturday was even larger than at the first No Kings rally, which wildly surpassed Trump’s sparsely attended military parade in June. While Trump’s biggest fans may have enjoyed his scatological retort and consoled themselves with the notion that massive crowds were a media fiction, the real-life streets were filled with Americans denouncing Trump as a would-be dictator.
We outnumber them, remember that always. We outnumber them, we will outlast them, we will win this battle for our nations soul.
The Trump administration notched itself an illusory victory in federal court this week in one of the ongoing legal battles over the federal use of state National Guard troops to police American cities.
On Monday, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, in a 2-1 ruling, stayed a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term in office.
By Friday, the full 9th Circuit administratively stayed the panel's own stay – "[w]ithout objection from the panel," an order notes.
That quick turnabout appears to be the result of some unfair play.
The sad thing is that if Trump actually played by the rules he might be able to do more damage, but he’s always pulling some shit.
Indeed, this presidential phobia makes headlines every day. Trump spends so much time and treasure prosecuting his fear of democracy—trying to crush dissent, flex as a massively incontinent monarch, fix elections, and disable rivals, including anyone who might open the Epstein files—that he neglects his stated goals. He hasn’t, after all, occupied Canada or Greenland. He hasn’t even wrapped Project 2025.
Which brings us to Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget and the architect of Project 2025, the administration’s blueprint for dismantling the federal government. As keeper of the administration’s Christian nationalist agenda, Vought, whom the media reliably describes as a “wrecking ball,” preens like he’s Blue Öyster Cult in 1975. But he’s afraid. It’s Q4, and 2025 was supposed to be his year. What he fears most is delays.
When the Trump nightmare is finally over, and I believe that will be sooner rather than later, I am going to write a book about the GOP’s downfall and title it “...And then Trump happened.” About how Trump and his screwball antics completely crippled the GOP and their efforts to take over America.
The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer announced via a newsletter to her fans yesterday (23 October) that she had set up The Midwest Princess Project to raise money that will be distributed to a range of LGBTQ+ and trans-specific charities.
In her message, she announced that the project had already raised over $400,000 via her recent Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things mini tour in North America.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them *looks up pictures of Chappell Roan on Ecoasia*...wear stuff that would make a cape look tame. Man I love pop music.
Retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, issued some words of caution to members of his party, warning to “be careful what you wish for” because North Carolina is a purple state and expanding the map could backfire on the party in a wave election.
Tillis, who served four years as the speaker of the state’s House, added that he pushed for an independent redistricting commission while working in both the minority and majority of the state legislature.
Yeah they’re still on this shit. The GOP realize they are in hot water and are trying to further rig the system, but the system is approaching maximum rigging at it is, this could seriously backfire for them.
Oak Lawn United Methodist Church (OLUMC) in Dallas has pushed back against the governor’s order — which mandates the removal of “decorative crosswalks, murals, or markings conveying artwork or other messages” from roadways or risk losing state funding — by painting each of its steps in the colours of the rainbow.
The governor said on 8 October: “Texans expect their taxpayer dollars to be used wisely, not advance political agendas on Texas roadways. Today, I directed the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure Texas counties and cities remove any and all political ideologies from our streets.”
Work on painting the steps, led by Robert Garcia Sr, began on Tuesday (21 October) and is expected to take about two weeks.
See this is what religion should be about: Helping the less fortunate and speaking out against oppression.
An exceptional "dual feeding" strategy underlies a Mediterranean coral's resilience to rising sea temperatures, according to a study in Nature.
The stony coral Oculina patagonica is known to feed itself with or without algae. Now, the first direct comparison of algae-hosting cells in O. patagonica and other coral species reveals how this flexibility works at the genetic and cellular level.
First discovered in the Gulf of Genoa in 1966, O. patagonica was thought to be an invasive species from the Atlantic, until recent studies showed it is native to the Mediterranean, quietly persisting in small numbers for millions of years until changing conditions helped it expand.
Great news for coral and for nature in general.
Instead of leaving everything up to local jurisdictions — which may be reviewing a large battery project for the first time — the law requires developers to collaborate with first responders on emergency-response plans. Battery developers must now meet with fire authorities during the design phase, and then bring them in to inspect fire-suppression systems prior to launching commercial operations.
That requirement “codifies an industry best practice to ensure early outreach to the fire department” or other relevant authorities, noted Nick Petrakis, director of engineering at Energy Safety Response Group, a firm that works with battery owners on crafting their emergency-response plans.
Great news from the world of batteries in California.
Now for a musical break: Foo fighters Bridges burning
As an estimated 1.4 million federal workers enter a third week either furloughed or working without pay, private nonprofits continue to show up in support of those impacted by the government shutdown.
Even rock stars like Jon Bon Jovi are doing their part.
The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation — which was founded by John and Dorothea Bongiovi in 2006 — currently has five community kitchens throughout New Jersey.
Wow, two musicians being super cool in the same GNR.
The number of North Atlantic right whales ticked up in 2024, according to researchers’ latest estimate of this critically endangered species.
Scientists, while cautiously optimistic, said threats including entanglement in fishing gear, climate change and low birth rates still loom over efforts to save the animals from extinction.
The numbers, released Tuesday, estimated there were 384 right whales in 2024, up from 376 the previous year. Researchers from the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration worked together on the annual update.
Hey remember how in the 90’s there was a big push to save the whales? Well we saved them. That’s why I have hope about stopping climate change.
Over at The Atlantic, George Packer is trying to continue to love America, and finding it very difficult. If you still believe that the American creed matters—the one that sprouted from the ideals of equality, self-government, and the preservation of our rights—he writes, “you’re holding on in a hard wind.”
I’m sure many of you agree, as we watch the current administration militarize American streets, detain citizens without due process, and overreach its executive power in countless arenas. Soon, we may even be witnesses to a United States-led regime change in Venezuela.
I surely feel the hard winds blowing. But I also see Americans souring on President Trump’s policies, pressuring their representatives to tighten the corkscrews, and occupied with questions of how best to meet this moment. I see an army of lawyers who took it upon themselves to slow or stop the administration’s unlawful moves, and a cadre of advocates doing their best to pick up pieces left behind—like the former USAID staff members who’ve collaborated to find alternate funding for nearly 80 projects that were facing closure. I see federal judges speaking out and whistleblowers, well, blowing whistles.
And, of course, I see the millions who showed up for the No Kings protests on Saturday. Organizer estimates mark it as the largest single-day protest in the US since 1970, and the second-largest in our history. The protests were nonviolent, and thus of little use to an administration looking to denounce them. And they attracted more than just the usual liberal suspects: New research from the Harvard Kennedy School found that the No Kings protests were likely “the most geographically widespread in US history”—reaching deep into Trump country—not to mention, remarkably persistent. “The first eight months of the year have seen more sustained . . . protest than any comparable stretch in Trump’s first term,” note the authors.
No Kings 2 was a big win for our side, its definitely got the GOP worried.
SAN FRANCISCO —
After mulling the decision to mobilize the National Guard to San Francisco and receiving calls from local tech industry leaders, President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he is backing off from sending the troops.
The president, in his Truth Social post, said he spoke with friends of his on Wednesday evening. Trump said they asked him not to move forward with his deployment. Trump also said his friends told him that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie "was making substantial progress."
Say it with me friends: TRUMP. ALWAYS. CHICKENS. OUT.
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James is encouraging New Yorkers to submit videos or other documentation of federal immigration enforcement actions in New York following yesterday’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on Canal Street in New York City.
“Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation,” said Attorney General James. “If you witnessed and documented ICE activity yesterday, I urge you to share that footage with my office. We are committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law. No one should be subject to unlawful questioning, detention, or intimidation.”
Fuck. Yes. You mess with one New Yorker you mess with all of us.
This past weekend marked a historic national day of action. Some seven million people gathered in red states and blue, from cities to small towns, to declare to the wannabe dictator in the White House, “There are No Kings in America!”
This peaceful, patriotic expression by millions of their First Amendment rights was met with…absolute and utter gibberish from Trump and his MAGA movement.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) described the No Kings rallies as of and by the “terrorist” wing of the Democratic Party.
Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “hate America” protest from “pro-Hamas” and “antifa” people.
It was as though, as The Guardian noted, the right was trying to wish violent protests into being.
But alas, their wish was not to be.
They are so mad that people neither like them or are afraid of them.
Friends,
On Saturday, 7 to 8 million of us took to the streets to demonstrate against Trump.
That’s not all.
Every major media outlet — including Fox News — has refused to sign Pete Hegseth’s unconstitutional demand that they report only what the Defense Department wants them to report or lose their press credentials. They’ve all turned in their press credentials, which means no one is turning up for Hegseth’s press briefings.
What’s the sound of a press briefing without the press?
Seven of the nine universities Trump “invited” to join his university compact — in which they give up academic freedom for a priority place in government funding — have said, essentially, f*ck no.
Disney was forced into reinstating Jimmy Kimmel after consumers threatened to boycott a wide range of Disney products. According to Strength in Numbers, the Disney boycott quickly became four times as large as any boycott over the last five years.
The great sleeping giant of America is awakening.
Trump is in trouble.
Okay I think that’s enough stories for one week. Now its time for Pokemon.
And now for the cute corner.
That’s all for this week
