Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Attention!
I want you to pay attention to this. I also want you to understand what attention means.
Our attention is coveted. By many. The broligarchs are busy counting their billions, but their egos crave more. They want admiration and praise.
My suggestion is that no one here should watch the inauguration of the convicted felon. Don’t give it any additional air. You can get the recaps, such as you need them to fight for good causes, but please avoid watching it. We want a ratings failure.
Not watching will be easy for most of us, as we find him repellent.
But I also ask you to show attention to the things that matter. This means money and clicks and calling attention to important stories, by forwarding and talking about them.
I know, sometimes it’s hard. I have a suggestion. I love Mueller She Wrote, but sometimes it is too hard to listen to the news (or I don’t always have the time). Sometimes I play these things without actually listening, so they get the credit for the clicks.
I also think we need to do whatever we can to elevate the good. Praise truth and love. Honor these things, celebrate them.
We will do that here in Gnusville, as we prepare to resist in the coming years.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, and the chaos. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country and the planet from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know.
Remember:
💜 Although they lie all the time, reality matters. And our goals — based on reality — are more popular.
💙 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, make sure to protect yourself, your family and your friends, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Statement by Press Secretary Ernesto Apreza on the Vice President’s Travel
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Continues to Support Life-Saving Wildfire Response Efforts in California
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Statement from President Joe Biden on Lebanon’s Presidential Election
- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Remarks by President Biden During Briefing on the Palisades Wildfire | Santa Monica, CA
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Statement from President Joe Biden on the ILA and USMX Tentative Agreement
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Statement from President Joe Biden on AFL-CIO and SEIU Reuniting
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves California Major Disaster Declaration
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with Prime Minister Mottley of Barbados
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with Prime Minister Holness of Jamaica
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President Arévalo of Guatemala
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President William Ruto of Kenya
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with President Macron of France
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Readout of Vice President Harris’s Call with Chancellor Scholz of Germany
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Supporting Robust Response Efforts to California Wildfires
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Statement from President Biden on New Action to Expand Benefits for Veterans
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Launches New Era in Public-Private Partnership
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Introduces New Guidance for Missile Technology Exports to Advance Nonproliferation Goals and Bolster Allied Defense Capabilities
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: Statement by Press Secretary Ernesto Apreza on Vice President Harris’ Travel to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: White House Launches “U.S. Cyber Trust Mark”, Providing American Consumers an Easy Label to See if Connected Devices are Cybersecure
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: Remarks by President Biden at Signing of the Social Security Fairness Act
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Orthodox Christmas
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Establishes Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California
- Tuesday, January 7, 2024: FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Final Rule Removing Medical Debt from All Credit Reports
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Remarks of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan A New Frontier for the U.S.-India Partnership
- Monday, January 6, 2025: WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: President Biden Protects Atlantic and Pacific Coasts from Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Remarks by Vice President Harris After Joint Session of Congress to Certify the 2024 Presidential Election
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia of Venezuela
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Press Release: Bills Signed: H.R. 4984
- Monday, January 6, 2025: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional Actions in Response to the Horrific Attack in New Orleans
- Monday, January 6, 2025: FACT SHEET: The United States and India Committed to Strengthening Strategic Technology Partnership
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval of India
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing
- Monday, January 6, 2025: Memorandum on the Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing
- Sunday, January 5, 2025: Remarks by President Biden at Reception for New Democratic Members of Congress
- Sunday, January 5, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act
- Saturday, January 4, 2024: Press Release: Bills Signed: H.R. 670, H.R. 1318, H.R. 2997, H.R. 3391, H.R. 5103, H.R. 5443, H.R. 5887, H.R. 6062, H.R. 6395, H.R. 6492, H.R. 6852, H.R. 7158, H.R. 7180, H.R. 7365, H.R. 7385, H.R. 7417, H.R. 7507, H.R. 7508…
- Saturday, January 4, 2024: President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Saturday, January 4, 2024: Statement by NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Travel to New Delhi, India
- Saturday, January 4, 2024: Executive Order on Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Homeland Security
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Executive Order on Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of Management and Budget
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Executive Order Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Executive Order Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of the Treasury
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the United States Agency for International Development to Act as Administrator
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the United States Agency for Global Media to Act as Chief Executive Officer
- Friday, January 3, 2024: On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to Act as Director
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Executive Order Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the Office of Personnel Management to Act as Director
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the United States International Development Finance Corporation to Act as Chief Executive Officer
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Executive Order Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of the National Cyber Director
- Friday, January 3, 2024: President Biden Honors Nation’s Leading Scientists, Technologists, and Innovators
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Memorandum on the Designation of Officials of the Council on Environmental Quality to Act as Chairman
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Remarks by President Biden After Medal of Valor Ceremony
- Friday, January 3, 2024: President Biden Announces Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Ghana to Attend the Inauguration of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama
- Friday, January 3, 2024: President Biden to Award Medal of Honor
- Friday, January 3, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Accomplishments for LGBTQI+ Americans
- Friday, January 3, 2024: President Biden Announces Recipients of the Medal of Valor
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden
- Friday, January 3, 2024: Order Regarding the Proposed Acquisition of United States Steel Corporation by Nippon Steel Corporation
💪 Get Ready to Fight 💪
What you can do during the inauguration (see Chop Wood Carry Water) instead of paying attention to said inauguration:
Join Indivisible’s “Help Over Hate” Weekend of Service.
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, so this inauguration weekend -- as Trump and his allies prepare to attack our rights and divide our communities -- we’re coming together through action and solidarity. From January 17-20, Indivisible groups across the country will unite for this weekend of service by hosting events designed to empower their community. Check out their toolkit to find out how you can participate!
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Attend the People’s March on the 18th—there are smaller marches all over the country or a big one in D.C.
Lesson 15: Contribute to Good Causes. None of us can support every good cause, but we can pick a few that are near and dear to our hearts, and support those. You can send money, be active locally, or just promote by promoting their messages on line (attention matters).
This helps others and it helps society, because it helps form relationships among good people.
These institutions are part of a civil society. It was the civil society that stopped the last overthrow of the 2020 election.
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Lesson 16: Learn from peers in other countries. Snyder talks about how he’s American and a historian, but he’s not really an American historian because he actually studies the history of other countries.
Some advice: make sure you have relationships with people in other countries. Make sure you have a passport.
Be aware that democracy is a global thing. It’s really popular with most people around the world, but not with the oligarchs and the tyrants. We can learn from what others did well and what others did wrong. Note that others in countries where life is much harder are rarely nonchalant about voting.
Forget the silly idea of American exceptionalism. America is only exceptional when Americans behave in an exceptional manner. The Constitution will not protect us; we need to protect the Constitution. Institutions only hold when we support them. Oh, perhaps revisit lesson 15.
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
West Virginian GOP legislature ousts De Soto, one of their own Leah Willingham, AP News
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia delegate-elect was ousted Wednesday while confined to his house on charges related to terroristic threats against his colleagues.
Joseph de Soto, who recently became a Democrat, was elected in November to represent the southern part of Berkeley County in West Virginia’s 91st district as a Republican. He was arrested in December after saying God had called on him to kill several members of the Legislature, including House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and House Majority Leader Pat McGeehan, who are both Republicans.
De Soto, 61, was released on bond on Dec. 23 by the Berkeley County Magistrate Court, and was ordered to home confinement while awaiting grand jury deliberations. The terms of his confinement stipulate that he can’t contact those he allegedly threatened or have access to any deadly weapons.
Rs will oust out their own when they make threats against their own lives (except for tRump, which I still don’t understand). De Soto’s becoming a D was, I think, only a way to make them think twice before kicking him out. Anyway, they have many more cuckoos.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
Democrats keep statehouse majority in Virginia in special elections Olivia Diaz AP News
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats preserved their Statehouse majority on Tuesday in the first test of voters’ energy since President-elect Donald Trump’s win in November, which left many party members across the country reckoning with their losses in federal elections.
Tuesday’s races were the first official elections in Virginia since November’s presidential contest. Democrats now have a narrow 21-19 edge in the state Senate and a 51-49 lead in the House of Delegates, preserving their majorities in both chambers during Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s last year in office.
The results could limit Youngkin’s conservative agenda for the state, requiring the governor to gain bipartisan support for his legislative vision. Democrats’ wins also give the party a small boost days before Trump is set to take office after a decisive victory that included sweeping the swing states and leaving many liberals demoralized.
Fact sheet on record-breaking ACA enrollment White House Briefing Room
President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. Since day one of their Administration, they have taken steps to ensure that every American has access to affordable, quality health care. And, as a result of these efforts, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing that it has set another all-time record for ACA Marketplace enrollment, with nearly 24 million Americans signing up for coverage with one week left in the 2025 Open Enrollment Period. A total of 45 million Americans have coverage through the ACA – either the Marketplace or Medicaid expansion – and more people have health insurance today than ever in our nation’s history.
Statement from the President: “Today, we have once again set a record when it comes to ensuring access to affordable, quality health care: nearly 24 million Americans have signed up for Affordable Care Act coverage. That means that enrollment has nearly doubled since I took office. That’s no coincidence. When I took office, I made a promise to the American people that I would bring down the cost of health care and prescription drugs, make signing up for coverage easier, and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. I’m proud that my Administration delivered – even as Republican elected officials, who have been eager to put millions of Americans’ coverage at risk, stood in the way. I urge Congress to double down on the progress we have made and ensure Americans have access to quality, affordable health care by extending the ACA premium tax credit this year.”
Today’s announcement builds upon a remarkable record of success over the last four years. More Americans have health insurance than ever before, with the uninsured rate at record lows. In fact, in every year of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have set a new all-time record for ACA Marketplace enrollment.
💜 Unity? 💜
President Biden signs the Social Security Fairness Act. Here’s what the social security website says about it:
Last updated January 6, 2025
The Social Security Fairness Act, HR 82, concerning the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, was signed into law on January 5, 2025. Upon implementation, the Social Security Fairness Act eliminates the reduction of Social Security benefits while entitled to public pensions from work not covered by Social Security. The Social Security Administration is evaluating how to implement the Act. We will provide more information as soon as available.
I previously filed for Social Security benefits and they are partially or completely offset.
At this time, you do not need to take any action except to verify that we have your current mailing address and direct deposit information if it has recently changed. Most people can do this online with their personal my Social Security account without calling or visiting Social Security. Visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount to sign in or create your account. We will provide ongoing updates regarding implementation on this page.
I have not previously filed for Social Security benefits.
If you are receiving a public pension and are interested in filing for benefits, you may file online at ssa.gov/apply or schedule an appointment.
Note this had a lot of bipartisan support. True, 20 GOP senators voted against it, but a lot of them voted for it, too. Interestingly, HR 82 was done through the discharge petition manner of getting a bill passed in the House — but there it had bipartisan support as well.
A great, great thing for many hardworking people.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
Appeals Court rules FOX must face the Smartmatic defamation suit Marshall Cohen, CNN Business
A New York appeals court ruled Thursday that Fox Corporation must face Smartmatic’s mammoth defamation lawsuit over the airing of 2020 election lies on Fox News, dealing a blow to the Rupert Murdoch-controlled media giant.
Smartmatic, the voting technology company that Fox News guests and hosts falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election, sued both Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp in 2021. As part of its lawsuit, Smartmatic alleged that Rupert Murdoch and his eldest son, Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch, directed the cable network to embrace a “disinformation campaign to win back its audience” after Joe Biden won the election.
The latest ruling represents a key victory for Smartmatic’s efforts to go after the right-wing media outlet over its promotion of debunked claims that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. The Fox entities have denied wrongdoing.
SCOTUS isn’t going to rescue tRump from getting sentenced!
x
YES!
The Supreme Court on Thursday scuttled President-elect Donald Trump's last chance at halting his upcoming sentencing hearing in New York. The vote was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett breaking with conservatives to side with the court's three liberal justices.
— Jennifer Shin (@jennifershin.bsky.social) 2025-01-10T01:31:54.759Z
I think it’s OK to listen to all the news about tRump getting sentenced. Let’s lift up this story!
Ex-FBI informant who made up lies about the Bidens sentenced to six years Andrew Goudsward Reuters
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A former FBI informant who admitted to lying about U.S. President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s interactions with a Ukrainian energy company was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday, court records showed.
Alexander Smirnov
pleaded guilty last month to causing the creation of a false record after falsely telling his FBI handler that he had knowledge of bribes paid by executives at Burisma Holdings to Joe and Hunter Biden, according to court documents.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
I know not everyone is a fan of Rick Wilson at the Lincoln Project, but he has been speaking truth to power for a while, and he also has a fighting spirit we really need.
If you, like many, don’t have the time to click on the video to watch it, here are what I think are the salient points:
- The first thing you have to do in resisting is to declare you are resisting. Do not let others think we are giving up without a fight.
- We need to take advantage of the cracks already forming inside the tRump coalition, especially the elites vs the normals (called the pathetics by Wilson) who are salivating at the idea of mass deportations.
- We need to take advantage of the incoherence and irresponsibility of the tRump economic plans. Mass deportation: will kill the economy and cost a huge amount. High tariffs: will kill the economy. Irresponsible tax cuts: will balloon the debt. We won’t appeal to the same groups of the tRump coalition each time, but we can sow dissent.
- We need to oppose nearly everything. There’s no reward in being the adults in the room.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
I just want to mention all the tributes to President Carter, who knew the meaning of love.
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Goodable is theoretically at bluesky, but they still don’t post much there. So for the first time in many weeks I went to the site formerly called Twitter. They made some really nice xweets, so I will include them here:
The number of children who aren’t in school has dropped by a staggering 40%. In 2000, almost 400 million children weren’t enrolled. This year, that number is down to 244 million. Parts of Africa have achieved gender parity with an equal number of girls/boys enrolled.
Children getting meals at school: 480 million children now receive meals at school, up from 319 million just a few years ago.More than 48 countries have school lunch programs in place. This year, Indonesia vowed to provide lunch to 78 million children, making it the biggest school meal program in the world.
Rainforest: In the last two years, Brazil’s deforestation rate in the Amazon Rainforest has been cut in half and is approaching an all-time low.Not to be outdone, Columbia also recorded a 36% decrease, while Bolivia pledged to protect some of the oldest trees in South America. (Ed note: Columbia was outdone, but it is still good news
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The Bidens meeting their great-grandson!
Taking old Christmas trees to the zoo Andy Corbley Good News Network
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Bristol is now in its 5th year of asking for Christmas trees, which are often tossed in landfills following the conclusion of the holidays. They’ve diverted 15,000 Christmas trees from contributing to landfill waste, but the real joy is the Christmas spirit it lends to their resident animals.
The zoo’s curator Chris Wilkinson, said the trees make a real difference in the animals’ lives. Some, like their elephants, like to eat them, while others like the spectacled bears and rhinos, like to forage in between them.
Still others like to rub up against the trees and enjoy the pine scent, while for smaller animals, they provide a paradise of play and exploration.
“These meerkats live as a mob, and they have a group structure,” explains Larry Bush, one of the farm’s wildlife biologists. “So when we create a new stimulation inside their space like these Christmas trees, they’re really curious, they’re foraging in the trees, they’re using all of their senses to explore this new enrichment.”
“For the elephants—their habitat is full of sand, which means we can bury the trees and stand them up to make a whole forest for them to come and explore,” Wilkinson told the BBC. “They’ll eat them a bit, they’ll throw them around, they’ll explore for the food we put in.”
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and Familiars of the Flock (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
Do Nott Obey in Advance
Defend Institutions
Beware the One-Party System
Take Responsibility for the Face of the World
Remember Professional Ethics
Be Wary of Paramilitaries
Be Reflective if You Must Own a Gun
Stand Out (this means, speak up, even when others do not)
Be Kind to Our Language
Believe in Truth
Investigate
Make Eye Contact and Small Talk
Practice Corporeal Politics
Establish a Private Life
Contribute to Good Causes
Learn from Peers in Other Countries
Listen for Dangerous Words
Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives
Be a Patriot
Be as Courageous as You Can
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.
