Greeting
Good morning, Gnusies! There’s some truly scary news out there, which you’re all well aware of. But my job is to bring you good news, and today that good news is the many folks making good trouble and the flood of suggestions pouring in to help more of us join in. So expect a lot of resistance news today, plus the usual palate refreshers. Let’s get right to it!
A couple of disclaimers: First, there is so much news of resistance actions that although I wanted to include all of it, I simply couldn’t keep up — which, of course, is good news in itself! Also, some of this news has been or will be covered elsewhere on Daily Kos by the time you read today’s GNR, but that’s what happens when important news is coming in fast. I’m relying on our motto: “Repetition is good!”
Opening music
I keep coming back to this song, which in my opinion is the best resistance song ever written.
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Good news in politics
Hakeem Jeffries steps up
This is the letter Jeffries sent to the House Dems yesterday (posted on Document Cloud). I think it’s important enough to justify posting in full:
Dear Colleague:
As we prepare to come back into session tomorrow, House Democrats will continue to push back against the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people. I write with an update on several urgent matters that we are working on for the country.
First, I have made clear to House Republican leadership that any effort to steal taxpayer money from the American people, end Medicaid as we know it or defund programs important to everyday Americans, as contemplated by the illegal White House Office of Management and Budget order, must be choked off in the upcoming government funding bill, if not sooner.
Second, at my direction, legislation will be introduced shortly to prevent unlawful access to the Department of Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service payment system that contains highly confidential and personal information related to Social Security and Medicare recipients, taxpayers, households, nonprofits, businesses and federal contractors.
Third, in partnership with the Democratic Policy & Communications Committee, we will continue to highlight Republican policies that raise the already high cost of living for everyday Americans, including the wide-ranging tariffs directed at allies that risk dramatically increasing the prices of groceries, fuel and automobiles in the United States of America.
Fourth, Judiciary and Oversight Committee Democrats will detail for the Caucus the ongoing and anticipated litigation efforts to combat several of the unlawful executive actions, including, but not limited to, ending birthright citizenship, the firing of Inspectors General, terminations of federal civil service employees, the purge of the FBI and the suspension of funds appropriated by Congress. There are currently more than 20 different lawsuits challenging at least 11 executive orders.
Fifth, Whip Katherine Clark will host a Caucus-wide meeting that includes the presence of outside experts, enhancing our ability to unpack and expose a recently uncovered Republican scheme to Rip Off [sic] the American taxpayer.
Sixth, Chairman Pete Aguilar will continue to convene the Immigration Working Group in connection with our efforts to secure the border, fix the broken system in a comprehensive manner, provide high-level constituent services to impacted communities and defend the Dreamers, farmworkers, and families who contribute to our economy in a significant way.
Seventh, House Appropriations Committee Democrats will continue to detail for the American people the federal funds that are at risk of being stolen, in the aftermath of our successful effort to halt the administration’s illegal so-called freeze by the Office of Management and Budget.
Eighth, House Budget Committee Democrats will battle Republicans at the anticipated legislative hearing where the GOP will unveil a scheme to cut taxes for their billionaire donors and wealthy corporations while sticking working-class Americans with the bill.
Ninth, our ongoing public safety accountability project will continue, as we detail for the American people the threat presented by violent felons who have been pardoned and released back into neighborhoods throughout the country, some of whom have a criminal record of predatory offenses including weapons charges, domestic violence and rape.
Lastly, we urge all Members to once again conduct district-wide outreach today, or as soon as possible this week, in order to connect directly with our constituents and discuss the challenges we are decisively addressing on their behalf. For example, I will conduct a telephone town hall meeting in my district this evening. We will track participation throughout the Caucus.
Thank you for your continued leadership during this perilous moment for our country. Together, we press onward.
Sincerely,
Hakeem Jeffries
Democratic Leader
Democratic Senator Says He Will Stall Trump Nominees Until USAID Is Back
Thank you, Sen. Schatz!
From The Wall Street Journal (sorry to quote WSJ, they got the exclusive):
Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of President Trump’s State Department nominees until the administration’s attack on the leading U.S. foreign-assistance agency ends, a move that threatens to stall Trump’s ability to get his foreign-policy team in place.
Schatz’s threat came as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aims to close the U.S. Agency for International Development; the agency’s existence as an independent government organization is codified in federal law. Over the weekend, DOGE staffers forced their way into USAID’s headquarters in Washington, gaining access to classified information and closing the building to employees on Monday.
The Senate typically speeds up the confirmation of many nominees through “unanimous consent,” a process that bypasses a formal vote if no senator objects. By objecting, Schatz’s hold would halt the Senate’s ability to move nominees quickly, requiring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to use precious floor time to advance the president’s picks through the confirmation process.
“I will oppose unanimous consent,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “I will vote no. I will do maximal delays until this is resolved.” ✂️
Schatz’s move shows that Democrats are stepping up their efforts to block DOGE’s attempts to dissolve USAID—and it a signals a greater willingness to push back on the new president. He and other lawmakers in his party will show showed up at the agency’s Washington headquarters Monday in a show of support. ✂️
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, (D., Md.) said he was in touch with the group Democracy Forward, a legal nonprofit organization, that would be willing to take up USAID’s cause. The best venue may be filing a lawsuit in Washington, D.C.’s federal court, he said.
New DNC Chair gets thumbs up from Simon Rosenberg
From Hopium Chronicles, Feb. 1, “Congratulations to Ken Martin, the new Chair of the Democratic Party!”
Friends, we have a new Chair of the Democratic Party, Ken Martin, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Minnesota, and President of the Association of the Democratic Party State Committees (ASDC). Ken has been a very successful Chair in Minnesota and has fought tirelessly to build a national party that is more than just the seven battlegrounds states. He won a decisive victory on the first ballot earlier today, and will be taking the helm in the coming days. ✂️
As we’ve discussed here one of Ken’s big early jobs will be to help Leaders Schumer and Jeffries, and the other Democratic Party Committees, to find a way of harnessing the energy that is out there right now, and turning all of us - the millions of donors and volunteers, traditional Dem Party allies, the new pro-democracy media ecosystem, our many grassroots orgs and tens of thousands of elected officials - into an effective and ferocious opposition. It is going to take a re-think and re-imagination of [how] we do our work together, and I look forward to doing everything possible to help Ken get this done so we can fight Trump far more effectively than we are today.
And Jessica Craven notes that “amazing PA rep Malcolm Kenyatta was just elected the Vice-Chair of the DNC! So was David Hogg! (The DNC has three vice-chairs.) ...So the DNC has strong new leadership. No more ‘rudderless ship.’ Yay!”
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Good news in resistance
Two federal employee unions sue to block DOGE access to Treasury database
Canada and Mexico won
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So Justin Trudeau is now saying the tariffs have been paused for 30 days as they implement a new border plan.
Basically, after the markets freaked, Trump backed off of the threats while Mexico and Canada essentially promised to do things that they were already doing.
[image or embed]
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 1:46 PM
ReproductiveRights.Gov Vanished, So We Brought It Back
Here’s proof of the vital importance of not only independent media but also the Internet Archive. If you can, I urge you to support the Internet Archive with a monthly donation — their work is now of the utmost importance because government documents and data are being erased.
From The Skimm:
The day after President Donald Trump began his second term, people noticed that they could no longer access a .gov web page outlining women's rights to abortion and contraception under US law. The Biden administration created the web page, reproductiverights.gov, after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the federal right to abortion.
In the wake of its disappearance, theSkimm is publishing the content of reproductiverights.gov to ensure that the critical information and resources it outlined remain available to women and families.
Note: The content appears below as it did on reproductiverights.gov on Jan. 15, 2025 when it was last saved in the Internet Archive. This was the US government's guidance prior to Jan. 15 and does not reflect the guidance of the current or subsequent administrations. Because the Biden-Harris administration has ended, we've removed a reference to that administration from the first paragraph.
[What follows that intro is the full content of the former .gov webpage.]
Top F.B.I. Agent in New York Vows to ‘Dig In’ After Removals at Agency
The F.B.I. is fighting back.
From The New York Times (gift link):
The top agent at the F.B.I.’s New York City field office vowed in a defiant email to his staff to “dig in” after the Trump administration targeted officials involved in the investigations into the Jan. 6 attack — and praised the bureau’s interim leaders for defending its independence.
“Today, we find ourselves in the middle of a battle of our own, as good people are being walked out of the F.B.I. and others are being targeted because they did their jobs in accordance with the law and F.B.I. policy,” wrote James E. Dennehy, a veteran and highly-respected agent who has run the largest and most important field office in the bureau since last September.
An F.B.I. spokeswoman declined to comment on internal bureau communications.
The email came after the Justice Department ordered the F.B.I. on Friday to collect the names of bureau personnel who helped investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, raising the possibility that Mr. Trump’s political appointees plan to purge career bureau officials, including rank-and-file field agents. That number could reach 6,000 — or about a sixth of the bureau’s 38,000 employees, according to the F.B.I. ✂️
Mr. Dennehy urged his employees to remain calm and to not make any rushed decisions about their careers as he committed to providing assistance to them no matter what happened. “Time for me to dig in,” he wrote.
In an extraordinary gesture, Mr. Dennehy, a former Marine, praised the two top acting officials at the F.B.I. — Brian Driscoll and Robert C. Kissane — for “fighting” for the bureau’s employees. Both resisted efforts to immediately oust career employees, and pushed for a formal review process to delay or mitigate the disruption, according to people familiar with the situation. “They are warriors,” he said of the two men.
AAUP Opposes ‘Anticipatory Obedience’ to Trump, GOP
Academia is fighting back.
From Inside Higher Ed:
The American Association of University Professors released a statement Thursday urging universities not to engage in “anticipatory obedience,” which it defined as “acting to comply in advance of any pressure to do so.”
“As Donald Trump assumes the presidency for a second time, the outlook for higher education is dire,” begins the statement, which the AAUP said its elected national council approved this month. “The Trump administration and many Republican-led state governments appear poised to accelerate attacks on academic freedom, shared governance and higher education as a public good,” the statement says. “They will attack the curricular authority of the faculty on a number of fronts … It is the higher education community’s responsibility not to surrender to such attacks—and not to surrender in anticipation of them. Instead, we must vigorously and loudly oppose them.” ✂️
The association recommended that faculty act by reviewing “handbooks and contracts to strengthen and reinforce faculty rights” in employment decisions and curricular changes. It also suggested reforming “policies to strengthen faculty oversight in areas currently being used to exercise excessive and undue discipline against faculty, staff and students,” including policies on Title IX, Title VI, acceptable use of institutional resources, outside speakers and campus protests.
Throwing sand in the gears works!
Invisible old ladies for the resistance!
I love, love, love this!! Sign me up, too!
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I am volunteering for the resistance in case our democratic community decides loses the ability to communicate. I’m an older lady and as you know, we are invisible. This can be the old lady super power. No one sees us and we can move and go wherever needed without being noticed. Sign me up.
— Nana T (@ts051.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
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Good news about media
This section used to be “The Media Messing Up,” but that’s a stale story. Now we have good news about media, thanks to independent journalists.
The power of independent journalism: From her Brooklyn apartment, she ‘scooped’ the nation’s media
🎩 to WineRev for mentioning this yesterday.
From AP:
First word of the Trump administration’s since-rescinded order to freeze spending on federal loans and grants came not from a major news organization, but from a woman working alone in her Brooklyn apartment.
Marisa Kabas’ scoop this past week was a key moment for a growing cadre of journalists who work independently to gather and analyze news and market themselves as brands. Many are refugees from legacy outlets while others are scrappy newcomers like Kabas, who found traditional career paths unappealing or out of reach.✂️
She was sitting at her kitchen table last Monday, sifting through emails on her laptop, when a source forwarded her a copy of a memo announcing the freeze sent by the Office of Management and Budget’s acting director. Kabas has her own website, the Handbasket, but to give the story wider visibility, she posted a screen shot of the memo on the social media site Bluesky.
Then she waited.
Her stomach was in knots. She calmed herself with a walk on a frigid night. Despite her belief in independent journalism — and her own work — she recognized that to many, news only becomes “real” when it appears in a major outlet. Three hours later, The Washington Post published its story, with a hat-tip to Kabas.
The directive caused such an uproar that the administration walked back its order two days later.
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Good news from my corner of the world
Ahead of Trump, lawyers raced to protect Oregon families from ‘threat of imminent deportation’
From The Oregonian:
In the weeks before President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, a small group of lawyers in Oregon worked swiftly to try to protect as many people as possible from the threat of deportation before policy changes took effect under the new administration.
Immigration attorneys with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s legal services program, Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees, or SOAR, raced to file as many motions as possible to terminate immigration cases or seek prosecutorial discretion requests in Portland Immigration Court.
Caroline van der Harten, program director for SOAR legal services, said “additional families have been protected from the threat of imminent deportation” and will now be able to pursue their cases before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, which is often more favorable, instead of going through immigration court.
SOAR increased its legal filings with the help of emergency funding of up to $78,280 from the Oregon State Bar. ...The emergency work began Dec. 1 and runs through Friday. As of Jan. 24, the group filed a total of 74 motions to terminate cases or requests for prosecutorial discretion – or nearly double the monthly rate as in the past.
We will protect you’: Portland church maintains sanctuary for undocumented immigrants amid Trump’s crackdown
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
A Portland church that made headlines for offering a sanctuary more than a decade ago has proclaimed it will continue to be a safe haven for immigrants seeking shelter, even as the federal government cracks down on illegal immigration. ✂️
President Donald Trump recently lifted the ban on immigration agents entering churches. With just a search warrant, ICE can now enter churches, and other traditionally protected spaces, to carry out deportations.
Under previous presidential administrations, such places as churches, schools and hospitals have been considered off-limits to immigration officials, because they provide essential services. ✂️
For nearly three decades, Augustana Lutheran has offered sanctuary. Rev. W.J. Mark Knutson said it’s a key tenet of the church’s philosophy of social justice. “We’re not going to let anybody come in here,” Knutson said. “If you’re afraid of being deported by ICE, you can come here and we will protect you until things get worked out. ✂️
Frank So, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, said it’s an uncertain time for churches and it’s unclear what the full effect of Trump’s policies will be. “Churches need to know what their rights are, and the more awareness that we are able to give, the more education that we’re able to give churches, the more powerful we can be as faith organizations,” So said.
Immigration attorneys sue after Trump administration blocks work at Tacoma detention facility
From Oregon Public Broadcasting:
An immigration advocacy group in Washington state has joined a federal lawsuit to block the Trump administration from restricting legal help for people facing deportation.
Last week, the Trump administration issued a directive to audit federal spending on immigration assistance, including at an immigration detention center near Seattle that holds people arrested in Oregon and across the Northwest.
Nine groups, including the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, say federal officials have since issued a stop-work order on a program that gives detainees legal advice in a group setting.
In a court filing Friday, the groups asked a United States district judge in Washington D.C. to halt the stop-work order at least temporarily. They argue the order violates detainees’ legal due process.
Officials with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project told OPB they are no longer getting daily rosters of detainees from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, a detention facility operated on behalf of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and have been barred from giving legal advice in group sessions. They say both measures hamper the organization’s ability to represent people facing deportation.
And now a hyper-local story:
Portland Councilor Mitch Green Takes Office Hours to the People in District 4'S Sellwood Community
Mitch is one of my new City Councilors, and I’m already really impressed with him. I had the opportunity to speak with him and then with his equally impressive Chief of Staff at this January 31st open house event. I brought up two specific neighborhood concerns and a larger concern that in the event of a natural disaster we can’t count on federal assistance. Regarding the latter issue, he assured me that the city leaders are indeed discussing it. I hope that’s true for all Blue State cities!
This kind of face-to-face engagement with voters is exactly what we need everywhere.
From Hoodline:
For District 4 residents looking for a more personal touch from their city's leadership, Councilor Mitch Green's decision to bring office hours into the community might just be the ticket.
According to the City of Portland website, Green's team is breaking from the tradition of meeting constituents at the centralized City Hall, instead venturing into the southeastern parts of the district. The upcoming session is slated for January 31 at the Sellwood Community House. This move is in line with an ongoing effort to engage with community members in a range of settings.
The post suggests no reservations are necessary for this event, painting a picture of an open-door scenario. "Come on in," the announcement reads, emphasizing the welcoming nature of these office hours.
Councilor Green's Chief of Staff Maria Sipin appears to be the go-to person for questions and accommodation requests, with her contact information readily provided for anyone planning to attend or needing assistance.
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Good news from around the nation
Lawmakers in at Least Seven States Seek Expanded Abortion Access
From Pro Publica:
In advance of this year’s state legislative sessions, lawmakers are filing more than a dozen bills to expand abortion access in at least seven states, and a separate bill introduced in Texas seeks to examine the impact that the state’s abortion ban has had on maternal outcomes.
Some were filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of such laws. Others were submitted for a second or third year in a row, but with new optimism that they will gain traction this time.
The difference now is the unavoidable reality: Multiple women, in multiple states with abortion bans, have died after they couldn’t get lifesaving care.
They all needed a procedure used to empty the uterus, either dilation and curettage or its second-trimester equivalent. Both are used for abortions, but they are also standard medical care for miscarriages, helping patients avoid complications like hemorrhage and sepsis. But ProPublica found that doctors, facing prison time if they violate state abortion restrictions, are hesitating to provide the procedures.
Costco raises pay above $30 an hour for many, as Teamsters threatens strike
From NPR:
Costco is raising pay — above $30 an hour for many workers — as the deadline looms for the company to reach a new contract with its unionized employees.
The powerful International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents about 18,000 Costco employees, or roughly 8% of the company's U.S. workers. Their current collective-bargaining contract expires at the end of Friday, and the union members have voted to authorize a strike if negotiations fail.
Now Costco CEO Ron Vachris has announced pay increases for nonunionized workers over the next three years, according to an internal memo viewed by NPR. In March, hourly wages for store clerks and assistants at the top of the pay scale will go up by $1 to $30.20 an hour, rising by another $1 each year after that. Wages for entry-level workers will increase by 50 cents to $20 an hour.
Costco Teamsters spokesperson Matthew McQuaid said the company wouldn't be raising pay if not for the union's pressure. It represents workers at Costco locations in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington. "Costco is still shorting their workers because nonunion workers lack the retirement security of a defined benefit pension plan and the job protections that come with a union contract," McQuaid said in an email. ✂️
Costco representatives declined comment. The retailer is the third-largest in the world by revenue, behind Walmart and Amazon.
Colorado PUC Approves Black Hills Clean Heat Plan, Mandates Statewide Beneficial Electrification
From EarthJustice:
[On January 22], the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) concluded deliberations on Black Hills Colorado Gas’ (BHCG) first Clean Heat Plan, marking a landmark decision that approves a portfolio of resources focused on energy efficiency and beneficial electrification. This is one of the first instances in the nation where a gas-only utility will be required to support electrification for all of its customers, such as replacing gas furnaces and water heaters with efficient electric heat pumps.
The approved plan includes a budget of $18.3 million for 2025 through 2027, with the vast majority of funds dedicated to building electrification and energy efficiency. In its deliberations, the PUC rejected portions of a settlement agreed to by BHCG and various state agencies. The PUC required the company to offer beneficial electrification to all of its customers, marking a significant step forward in reducing emissions and expanding access to clean energy solutions. The decision also dedicates the funding for energy efficiency to the weatherization of homes and businesses. The PUC also approved funding to study the feasibility of thermal energy networks, a small amount of funding for renewable natural gas, and funding to support advanced mobile leak detection.
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Good news from around the world
The All-Female Teams Rebuilding Homes in Ukraine
From Reasons to Be Cheerful:
In April 2022, a little over one month after Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian forces finally retreated from the northern Chernihiv region, leaving behind thousands of destroyed homes and lives. Realizing that their attempt to capture the area had failed, Russians tried to flatten it to the ground, shelling and bombing civilian homes from Russia’s territory.
That’s when the initiative Repair Together was born. Today, it has brought together over 4,000 volunteers who help clear the destruction debris and rebuild homes for those affected in the Chernihiv region.
Volunteers came from across Ukraine and worldwide because an active position in helping others transcends gender, race, nationality or other factors. However, what surprised many women volunteers was that some people still judged them based on outdated stereotypes. ✂️
The initiative’s co-founders, Daria Kosiakova and Vika Afanasieva, decided it was time to break all stereotypes and prove that women had a place at construction sites. This idea gave birth to the project Velyke Divnytstvo (“The Great Women’s Build”), in which an all-female team independently builds homes.
Daria adds that beyond honoring their values, co-founders wanted this project to be a safe space for women to learn and develop construction skills if they wish to: “I can confidently say this is a place where no one is surprised or scared if you don’t know how to do something. They’ll show you how, and you’ll pick it up.” ✂️
...the entire idea was breaking stereotypes, not just about women’s supposed physical limitations, but also the idea that women can’t work well together.
Two Hundred Companies Sign Up for Permanent Four-Day Work Week in the UK
From Good News Network:
A group of 200 UK businesses and charities have signed a pledge that company work weeks will be shortened to 4 days without a loss in pay. Including marketing and advertisement; tech, IT, and software; and charity groups as well, the companies employ more than 5,000 people.
Organized by the 4 Day Week Foundation, it follows something less than a trend but more than a fad, in which a mixture of employees and executives believe that a happier, more balanced workforce is key to driving productivity.
That balance, they would argue, can be achieved by far more people through the reduction of the 5-day work week to a 4-day one. “[With] 50% more free time, a four-day week gives people the freedom to live happier, more fulfilling lives,” Joe Royle, the foundation’s campaign director, told the Guardian. “As hundreds of British companies and one local council have already shown, a four-day week with no loss of pay can be a win-win for both workers and employers.”
This sentiment isn’t shared by all workplaces, but market competition should demonstrate over time whether or not firms that implement unorthodox work hours are in fact as productive or more so than traditional ones.
Economics says that with all else being equal, if enjoying more free time leads to greater employee retention and motivation, then these 4-day work week firms will begin to out-compete the old ones, which in turn will be forced to adapt or risk losing market share.
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Good news in medicine
A Breath Closer to Alzheimer’s Cure: How Xenon Gas Could Transform Treatments
From Good News Network:
Xenon is a colorless, odorless noble gas used for many purposes in science, but a recent study in mice found it stimulated the brain’s resident immune system, which can protect against Alzheimer’s, leading to reduced neuroinflammation and minimized brain atrophy, and promoted protective neuronal states.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in humans. Believed to be caused by the build-up of toxic proteins called tau and beta-amyloid in the brain, drugs that clear these snags haven’t been able to slow the progression of the disease. As a result, neither the driver nor the cure is well-understood.
Microglia, the brain’s most common immune cell, play a critical role in preventing cognitive decline throughout life, and coupled with cerebral spinal fluid, actually help remove tau and amyloid proteins.
Inhaled Xenon gas was found in laboratory work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to treat a mouse model of Alzheimer’s in which one group was suffering from a build-up of tau, and a second from a build-up of beta-amyloid. Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, Xenon gas seemed to perk the mice right up, which became particularly active in the building and maintaining of their nests. Post-trial examinations found that the gas induced and increased a protective microglial response typical of the kind that clears tau and beta-amyloid proteins. ✂️
Healthy volunteers are currently being enrolled at the hospital for a phase 1 trial on dosage and safety. Sci Tech Daily reports the team is also devising technologies to help use Xenon gas more efficiently as well as to potentially recycle it.
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Good news in science
Asteroid ‘Bennu’ Found to Contain More Building Blocks for Life Than Any Sample Ever Found–An Ancient Brine of Multivitamins
From Good News Network:
In 2018, a NASA mission arrived at the near-Earth asteroid Bennu to collect pristine samples to be analyzed on Earth. It turns out, there have never been more ingredients for life identified in a single extraterrestrial material of any kind. Indeed, Bennu carried all five DNA and RNA nucleo-bases, and enough amino acids to look like a multivitamin supplement. ...“We now know from Bennu that the raw ingredients of life were combining in really interesting and complex ways on Bennu’s parent body,” said Tim McCoy, the Smithsonian Museum’s curator of meteorites and the co-lead author of the new paper. “We have discovered that next step on a pathway to life.”
Bennu’s parent asteroid, which formed around 4.5 billion years ago, seems to have been home to pockets of liquid water. Bennu was also found to be rich in nitrogen and ammonia-bearing compounds and the new findings indicate that water evaporated and left behind brines that resemble the salty crusts of dry lakebeds on Earth.
An illustration of all the material to create life as we know it found in the Bennu sample
The theory of how life emerged without the existence of a creator is known as prebiotic organic synthesis, which is believed to have most likely taken place in liquid water with this sort of elemental configuration to play with. ✂️
While the Bennu brines contain an intriguing suite of minerals and elements, it remains unclear if the local environment was suitable for crafting these ingredients into highly complex organic structures.
“We now know we have the basic building blocks to move along this pathway towards life, but we don’t know how far along that pathway this environment could allow things to progress,” McCoy said.
Scientists create world’s first fully-3D printed microscope in under three hours
From University of Strathclyde:
3D-printed lenses make this microscope far less costly than traditional ones
Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have created the world's first fully 3D printed microscope in under three hours and for less than £50 – a fraction of the cost of traditional devices.
Using a publicly available design from the website OpenFlexure the scientists produced the microscope’s frame – and clear plastic lenses they designed themselves – using low-cost, accessible 3D printers.
The microscope was completed by adding a shop-bought camera and a light, with the whole device controlled by a Raspberry Pi computer processor.
To test the imaging performance of the system, the scientists used standard test samples: a stained blood smear and a stained, thin section of mouse kidney. The microscope demonstrated sub-cellular resolution, clearly imaging individual red blood cells and detailed structures in the kidney sample.
Dr Liam Rooney, postdoctoral research associate, who created the device with Professor Gail McConnell in Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, said: “In under three hours, you can transform a design, freely available on the internet, into a fully functional optical microscope.
“This opens the doors to democratised access, rapid prototyping, and bespoke design of microscopes and optics at a fraction of the price of traditional microscopes.
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Good news for the environment
Fire-Scarred Redwoods Are Rebounding by Sprouting 1000-Year-Old Buds
From My Modern Met:
The re-sprouting redwoods.
In August of 2020, a horrific fire swept through California's Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Ignited by lightening, the fire was unprecedented in the scale of damage it wreaked on the ancient trees. It left behind enormous charred trunks in what had once been a lush forest. Concerned scientists thought it might be the end of these trees as we knew them. But upon returning to the scene months later, researchers discovered the bereft trees had used long-stored energy to grow buds long hidden within their bark. These green sprouts demonstrate the resilience of the redwood trees.
The research was recently published in Nature Plants, and it has surprised many experienced scientists. When the redwoods lost their greenery to the fire's abnormally tall flames, they lost their source of energy. The trees collect sunlight to photosynthesize into sugars and carbohydrates which in turn are used to help the plant grow, or are stored for future exertion. Melissa Enright of the U.S. Forest Service, one of the paper authors, decided to wrap 60 burnt tree trunks in black plastic to prevent them from using new light. This caused the trees to turn toward their inner reserves.
With time, green sprouts emerged from the bark, although still petite compared to the leaves and branches lost in the fire. Radiocarbon testing showed that these sprouts grew from energy that was created and stored within the tree up to 21 years prior to the fire. The energy was used by buds hiding within the trees. Scientists know these buds begin to form within the tree as it grows, and can lay dormant for ages. The sprouts which burst forth after the fire may be up to 1,000 years old, given coastal redwoods themselves can live over two millennia.
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Good news for and about animals
Brought to you by Rascal and Margot, and the beautiful spirits of Rosy and Nora.
An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl brings Arab and Israeli scientists together
From AP:
It soars over the borders and divisions of the war-torn Middle East, bringing Arab and Israeli academics together. An unlikely symbol of cooperation, the barn owl is now getting global attention.
Experts from 12 countries gathered in Greece last week to discuss an effort to help this remarkable predator that began decades ago as an unlikely Israeli-Jordanian collaboration.
The moon-faced, shoebox-sized owl is a ruthless pest controller, protecting crops from rodents and other nuisances. “A pair of barn owls eats between 2,000 and 6,000 rodents every year, allowing farmers to stop using pesticides,” says Yossi Leshem, professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology.
But as modern building techniques eliminate the nooks and crannies that shelter their nests, their populations have fallen. Conservation initiatives aim to protect the barn owl from urban encroachment by creating networks of artificial nests, typically modified plywood boxes, and by cutting down on the use of pesticides and rodenticides that can poison predatory birds. ✂️
“From 14 nesting boxes in one kibbutz, it grew into a national project with 5,000 boxes in Israel and partnerships in Jordan, Palestine, Cyprus and Morocco,” [Leshem] says. In 2002, Leshem partnered with retired Gen. Mansour Abu Rashid, to bring the boxes to Jordan.
Abu Rashid helped extend the project’s tracking system to Jordan, using lightweight radio transmitters to monitor the birds. “Barn owls know no boundaries; they fly between Jordan, Palestine, and Israel,” said Leshem. “They symbolize cooperation.” ...Arab and Israeli scientists have kept their collaboration going during periods of tension and war, including the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Cat at Kentucky shelter has an astounding number of toes.
From Tacoma News Tribune:
Bindle hiding her toes. But if you look closely, you can see how big those front paws are!
“Looking for a cat with 27 toes? Then Bindle’s your gal!” the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville said in a Jan. 30 Facebook post. “Not only is Miss Bindle a big, squishy gal, she is also very sweet and loving. Her best feature, however, is her multitude of toe beans.”
Normally, a cat is born with 18 toes, with five toes on the front paws and four toes on the back. Bindle has, well, a little more than that.
“This gal boasts 27 toes, just shy of the world record of 28!” the shelter said.
According to the Guinness World Records, Paws, a cat in Minnesota, tied another cat for the record of most toe beans in 2018, CBS News reported. Jake, from Canada, initially set the record for a cat with the most toes in 2002, according to the Guinness World Records. “It almost looks like a catcher’s mitt,” Paws’ owner Jeanne Martin told CBS.
Polydactyl cats are nicknamed Hemingway cats, thanks to author Ernest Hemingway and his undying love for cats — most of which had six toes. His home and museum in Key West still house many polydactyl kitties.
Dogs in UK Are First to Be Trained to Sniff Out Bowel Cancer–After Nailing Parkinson’s and COVID
From Good News Network:
The Medical Detection Dogs charity began a groundbreaking study in 2024 to teach seven pooches how to detect tumors simply by smelling urine in pots. Following the first part of their training, the cocker spaniels, Labradors, and retriever are showing real signs of success.
SWNS news reported the results have proven to researchers that they can sniff out bowel cancer in urine. But in a few months they will face a new stage of double blind tests, before the results are confirmed 100%. The charity hopes the dogs will deliver an accurate and more sensitive early-stage bowel cancer detection method quicker than humans, which could improve healthier outcomes and help save lives.
Jodie the yellow Labrador sniffs out cancer.
All the bowel cancer dogs and the other pups at Medical Detection Dogs are trained to sniff out Parkinson’s disease, pseudomonas, COVID-19, Addison’s disease, and heart conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
“The charity has been investigating the odor of diseases for 15 years,” said Gemma Butlin, head of communications at the charity in Milton Keynes, 50 miles north-west of London. “The bowel cancer study is new to us, but detection is not.” ✂️
Sample pots from Hull University Teaching Hospitals are placed on interactive metal stands designed by The Open University, which feed through to a computer. Every sniff is logged, and the dogs tell humans with a signal—like standing still—if they detect cancer.
Cocker spaniel sniffing urine to detect cancer.
“When they sniff the odor, they give us a signal such as sitting or standing to indicate the smell. ...If they identify a positive sample, which takes less than 10 seconds, they’ll get lots of treats, cuddles, and affection.” Gemma said that each pup also spends time bonding with their trainer, having “lots of fun” in the process.
Bonus cute critters
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Hot lynx
www.qasimrashid.com/... ...How Do We Respond with Meaningful Action? An excellent set of suggestions from Qasid Rashid.
pirg.org/.… The repairers who helped recover from Hurricane Helene. “How a local Repair Cafe mobilized to help fix critical equipment after devastating flooding.”
www.aljazeera.com/… Is the US sending $50m in condoms to Gaza as Trump claims? Al Jazeera makes a convincing argument that the Gaza receiving condoms is a province in Mozambique. “What’s going on is that the bros at DOGE apparently can’t read govt spreadsheets.”
ggwash.org/… Why Traffic Never Gets Better. A thorough, concise explanation of induced demand.
www.newyorker.com/… The Strange, Uplifting Tale of “Joy of Cooking” Versus the Food Scientist. A delightful read from the New Yorker archives.
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Where Ever is Herd
Morning Good News Roundups at 7 x 7: These Gnusies lead the herd at 7 a.m. ET, 7 days a week:
- The Monday GNR Newsroom (Jessiestaf, Killer300, and Bhu).
- Alternating Tuesdays: arhpdx and niftywriter.
- Wednesdays: New: as of January 1st, 2025 — Mokurai; 2nd MCUBernieFan, 3rd WineRev, 4th and 5th alamancedem.
- Thursdays: Mokurai.
- Fridays: chloris creator. Regular links to the White House Briefing Room.
- Saturdays: GoodNewsRoundup, the one and only!
- Sundays: 2thanks. A brief roundup of Roundups, a retrospective, a smorgasbord, a bulletin board, an oasis, a watering hole, a thunder of hooves, a wellness, a place for beginners to learn the rules of the veldt. For instance, we do not welcome grammar-police comments in Roundups.
- Nanny Ogg posts Evening Shade diaries at 7:30 p.m. ET every day. After a long day, Gnusies meet in the evening shade and continue sharing Good News, good community, good actions, and many cats. Find most Evening Shades on the Trending List.
For more information about the Good News group, please see our detailed Welcoming comment, one of the first comments in our morning diaries.
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Good News Sources
🎩 to Mokurai for putting our old lists of sources together in alphabetical order!
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Action Steps to Take Now
Chop Wood, Carry Water
If you haven’t already signed up for the daily newsletter from Chop Wood, Carry Water, by Jessica Craven, do it!! And sign up to use Resistbot, the messaging tool that makes it really easy to act on Jessica’s suggestions: Go here! And then here.
Here’s how she describes what she’s up to:
I started sending these emails right after Trump's election in an attempt to help bolster my own spirits and those of my devastated friends. “Chop Wood Carry Water” is a saying I learned from my dad; the idea is: when the going gets tough, put your head down and focus on simple actions. This newsletter offers such actions; they’re easy, but they’ll also help build a better democracy (and keep you sane).
As we head into the biggest election of our lives, also, the danger from MAGA Republicans is more real than ever. Our engagement and simple actions have never been more important. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!
What’s in the newsletter:
Each weekday I post:
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A short pep talk
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A call script for your two Senators
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A call script for your House rep
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An "extra credit" action
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A Resistbot letter [Jessica provides complete info on this]
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Sometimes a strategic donation suggestion
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A way to help win an election
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An invitation to a politics-related webinar
It should take you about 5-7 minutes to take the actions.
I find her actions easy to accomplish and very satisfying! She also does a GNR-style summary of the best news stories of the week every Sunday, which is a wonderful gift. I used several of the stories she highlighted on Sunday in today’s GNR.
Indivisible’s action steps
This is new information from the Zoom webinar last night. Jessica Craven summarized it:
Indivisible’s calls to action are as follows:
First, they want us to call our reps, for sure... But they’re also urging us to go in to our U.S. Senators’ offices in person between now and Thursday. They’ve created a toolkit to tell us how to do it. I know it sounds daunting, but remember, these offices are there for constituents and they’re supposed to be willing to meet with anyone who asks. You won’t talk to the lawmaker, of course, but to a staffer who will convey what you say to them. I’m going to Senator Padilla’s L.A. office with a group of Indivisibles on Wednesday—if you’re in the L.A. area email me and you can join us. We will be demanding a NO vote on Russell Vought and an immediate ejection of Elon Musk.
(Oh, and if you don’t know where your lawmakers’ offices are, guess what? Resistbot has a keyword for that! Text the word VISIT to 50409, follow the simple prompts, and they’ll give you all of your lawmakers’ office addresses.)
Abortion assistance
If you see this post, can you please help spread this information?
#ASafeChoice is a referral network of physicians who provide medication abortion services ACROSS THE US.
People everywhere need to know about this option. These doctors have the capacity to help more women!
Let’s spread the word! ❤️✊
— Nick Knudsen (@nickknudsenus.bsky.social) December 4, 2024 at 1:00 PM
Here’s an easy action you can take RIGHT NOW:
Donate to two organizations providing support to people in no-abortion states who need assistance getting abortions.
National Network of Abortion Funds
The Brigid Alliance
Both of these organizations provide help with transportation, medical fees, hotel stays, etc., for those who have to travel out of state for an abortion. NNAF is a central clearing house for that assistance, The Brigid Alliance does that work directly.
And here’s another resource for women seeking abortions which I discovered only recently: Women on Web. They provide abortion pills worldwide for women who need to use them immediately and also for women who want to keep a supply on hand. You can make donations on their website to further their work.
And please pass this info along to anyone you know who may become pregnant.
From the National Network of Abortion Funds:
Misinformation is an anti-abortion tactic designed to already confuse people who are trying to get an abortion. In addition to pointing people to abortion funds, you can help by sharing accurate and important resources with your community:
- If/When How's Repro Legal Helpline is a free legal resource for people seeking abortions who have questions about their legal rights. Helpline attorneys and advocates can be reached at reprolegalhelpline.org or 844-868-2812.
- People need to know their rights when interacting with the health care system. If/When/How and Physicians for Reproductive Health created this simple guide with everything you need to know about talking to a healthcare provider after a miscarriage or abortion.
Get the truth out
Indivisible has created a Truth Brigade to push back against the lies.
Propaganda, false characterizations, intentionally misleading messages, and outright lies threaten our democracy and even our lives. We can effectively combat disinformation, despite the well-funded machines that drive it. They may have money, but we have truth and we have people.People believe sources they trust. When we share and amplify unified, factual messages to those who trust us, we shift the narrative. When we do this by the thousands--we’re part of the Indivisible Truth Brigade, and we get our country back. Join us.️
Our own Mokurai is a member. You can see all of the diaries in the Truth Sandwiches group on DK here.
How you can fight the climate crisis and the oligarchy in your own yard
Gardening Toad posted a DKos diary recently encouraging us to do our part “to completely rebuild our culture to one of equity and abundance for humans and the biosphere.” Check it out! What now? The power of us.
Goodie’s action steps
Most important: DON'T LOSE HOPE. This is a giant and important fight for us but, win or lose, we keep fighting and voting and organizing and spreading truth and light. We never give up.
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