Good News Roundups (GNRs) are a long-running series. Our writers collect upbeat news about the nation and world, news that we do not get from down-beating corporate media. Choosing not to flee or freeze, with the help of Good News Roundups we engage (fight). We don’t passively wait for the future to arrive, we invite the future with our actions. At our cores, know that doom-scrolling beats down inhibits our physical and mental health, so we choose to clean and feed in a flood of good news. You can read more good news by our writers here.
Welcome to this Good News Roundup!
If you’re new to Good News Roundups, please check out our longer welcome.
This is what Democracy looks like:
[750 words]
We elected a better Democrat, and then we spoke up for her.
Backstory: For those who don't know or forgot, and at the urging of quite a few of my favorite Gnusies, I regale you with the following.
Briefly, I supported the progressive candidate for county sheriff here in Washtenaw County, the home of the Michigan Wolverines. (Read about her progressive programs here.)
Alyshia was the underdog:
- The two largest cities in the county are Ann arbor and Ypsilanti, and almost all the members of those 2 city councils endorsed her opponent.
- The county prosecutor, Eli Savit, endorsed her opponent.
- Alyshia’s opponent’s campaign raised $300,000, which is 50% more than she raised ($200,000).
- Dark-money interests funded 2 mailings for her chief opponent’s campaign, so he was able to send out 5 mailings, while Alyshia could only sent two.
I helped her campaign a little. In the last 10 days of the campaign, I created a new concept, the Diary Deluge, and raised funds for her under my new rubric, “Late Money Is Like Lemonade,” which is a play on EMILY's list, “Early Money Is Like Yeast.”
Over the course of those days, members of Daily Kos came to my county’s aid and donated $600 for her campaign. In the last week of the campaign, she and her campaign manager, Will Garcia, told me they loved watching funds drop into her ActBlue account from distant states. Again, thank you, Gnuville and Daily Kos!
Note that good campaigns plan to run out of money by the last day. However, with the delivery of the $600 from Daily Kos, Alyshia and her campaign manager had extra money on Election Day, and with that, they pulled victory out of from underground.
On the morning of election day, Alyshia’s campaign made about 40,000 robocalls. In the early afternoon, they got reports from volunteers about how they were faring at the precinct level, the two of them decided to launch about 3,500 text messages to a geographically microtargeted group of people in the specific precincts where she was doing poorly, based on their skills and the previous filtering they had done on her social media.
By the dawn’s early light on Election Day, Alyshia was down 800 votes with about two thirds of all votes already cast. On election day itself, she gained 1,200 more votes than her chief opponent with only one third of the votes remaining! Alyshia won by 384 votes out of 61,534 votes cast or 0.6%!
After 100 days in office, in May 2025, Alyshia sent out this newsletter: Our First 100 Days.
This week. On Wednesday morning, Will, her campaign manager, texted me that she needed help again: She needed people to speak before the county board in support of her programs that evening. When I said I would help, Will forwarded me a long list of possible talking points, and I had time before the meeting to craft my remarks.
In all about 10 county residents spoke for Alyshia's programs. Out of about 25 speakers, I was one of the last. I introduced my remarks by saying I stood in solidarity with some of the previous speakers, and I named them. And I added that since they had already mentioned certain topics, I would skip those. Then I began my remarks as planned. For the curious, you can read the text of my remarks before the board here.
As I spoke, I watched the countdown clock, and when I finished my prepared remarks with about 20 seconds left, I spoke from my heart and expressed my deep gratitude to the members of the board for their difficult work.
That was my political adventure this week.
What’s next?
- This week, I plan to contact about 10 precinct delegates who have told me in the past that they wanted me to inform them when Alyshia needs support at county board meetings.
- This week, I plan to contact two other precinct-delegate leaders in my county.
- I might speak before the board again next month, if asked.
Among [Alyshia’s] accomplishments was this:
Our First 100 Days
We attended and coordinated dozens of community events and established 13 community-driven policy teams to co-create our practices with the people most impacted.
13 community-driven policy teams, co-creating. If we could replicate and foster this concept, throughout cities, it would go a long way towards changing the landscape. Not just in policing. But in governing. And in campaigns! [denig.]
Thanks, denig!
ICYMU: This Week in Gnuville
In case you missed us: Miss a day or two? Need more Good News? Need a respite from ruin scrolling? New to Good News Roundups? Kicking doom scrolling out of your life?
Image: Three writers of Good News Roundups stand in front of a good gnu. Image titled "Good Gnus by 2thanks, chloris creator, and Mokurai." Created by Edward Song, 2024. Thank you, Edward!
The Five R’s of the Resistance:
I’ve repeated these for many years. I’ve added boycott.
- Resist: Boycott, protest on the streets, call senators and representatives, etc.
- Rebel: Run for office, GOTV (Get Out The Vote), support a progressive.
- Revolt: Change the laws, change the culture, build your communities.
- Rely: Trust that millions of others are fighting the good fight.
- Rest: Take care of yourself, we are in this for the long term.
WineRev’s Good and Goofy Notes
Watch for WineRev’s History Corner in the comments: “Here there be highlights, lowlights, and sidelights from events of this date from years ago, so you might get a different and longer perspective on how humans have coped, as well as a few items that will help you win Bar Bets on Trivia Night at your favorite watering hole.” You can find all his comments here, even today’s, once he posts it. Tech Tip: You can search for >>> in Roundups to quickly find his comments.
WineRev from Wednesday:
The Dancing Gnu of Sunday means……..not what it usually does. After several bleary-eyed takes on the wall calendar, it IS Wednesday, and yet the Gnu of Sunday is Dancing in your dreams and before your pixel-ed eyes. My first take was that 2thanks was SO EAGER to get to an Independence Day Weekend Sunday that he/him just lost control. But upon checking sources (like reading the opening 300 words) we find 2thanks and his/he/him’s Dancing Wonder Gnu are pinch-hitting for another of our Front Pagers (good luck in the interview, bilboteach!).
So now YOU, the arriving seekers and finders and depositors of Good News, now you know why the Gnuville Breakfast Brunch is set up OUTDOORs at the ball field…….because we have a pinch-hitter, which means this is a Wednesday baseball game by the dawn’s early light. (Heard that line sung just recently.) You’ve gotten in the gate here, but don’t miss the goodies. The Bev Bar is in full serving mode with mimosas, margaritas, wine spritzers and morgen bier (German “morning beer”) for all the wonderful fans…...oh, and there’s also coffee, tea and mocha-cocoa, but at a baseball game……
The Snack Stand of Steam Tables have a steady flow of Gnusies picking up fan fare from the griddle, grill, smoker, toaster and microwave (alas, to oven-baked tater-tot hot dish this morning…..since the Snack Stand doesn’t have an actual oven.) Now carry your day break drink and your dawn doggie bag of breakfast up to your seats. There are rockers, wingbacks and recliners everywhere in the stands, while there are sofas in the Chaise Boxes.
Now tune in and cheer the Good News here at Round Up field! There are stories to read, rec, click a link, reply to, ask about and digress from, along with chuckles and cheers of various sorts. We thank 2thanks for the Launch (and he’s out there with a pinch-hit double and standing grinning on 2nd base.) Thank YOU for coming here as well, bringing your thoughts and cheers and heart.
Science
Please share good science news with us! (Especially JWST, health, environment.)
A good place to look for science news if you are waiting for the Sunday Roundup is the archive of Overnight News Digest. On Saturdays, the OND always focuses on science, though not all of it is devoted to what I would call Good Science News.
Need more good news?
… arhpdx posted a list of good news sites toward the top of a recent Roundup, or you can find that same list in my comment: Good News Sources. Thank you, arhpdx and Mokurai!
[On a desktop, you could open that comment in a new Tab by clicking the timestamp, and then you could Bookmark that page or save it to your Favorites.]
Our map of Gnuville: 900 of us have shared our global locations!
To leave your mark, please Reply in the comments to tljdk or the map-building comment. Please indicate only your general location, NOT street number and street. (Please persist, we are volunteers.)
Image: Screenshot of the Google Map of the world showing locations of members of Daily Kos's Gnuville (the Good News Roundup group) on 14 May 2023. You can use the map’s zoom arrows to resize the view and focus on your pin to find neighbors. Please note that the Google Map, though convenient to operate, is visually inaccurate because, among other issues, it enlarges North America and shrinks Africa [Maps present a distorted view of the world by kos].
If you join us regularly, are you Following us? More than 490 Kosacks Follow us.
Tech Talk for Kosacks
- Got a Daily Kos tech question? Let us know. No question is too basic.
- Solved a tech question recently? Please
brag mentor in the comments.
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:
- Mondays The GNR Newsroom (Jessiestaf, Killer300, and Bhu). Jessie’s invitation to the Good News Roundup Discord.
- Tuesdays arhpdx and niftywriter
- Wednesdays 1st bilboteach, 2nd MCUBernieFan, 3rd WineRev, 4th alamancedem
- Thursdays Mokurai and the Bluesky GNR Authors Starter Pack
- Fridays chloris creator.
- 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.
Evening Shade diaries at 7:30 p.m. ET every day: Sundays girasol. Mondays kraigo. Tuesdays Nanny Ogg. Wednesdays Momma O. Thursdays and Fridays Nanny Ogg. Saturdays kraigo. 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.
How to Resist: Do Something …
”Build your communities,” said Kamala Harris
A Cascade of Protests. Find one near you:
Mop Up Michigan: Michiganders for Money Out of Politics
Call 3 Reps a day in less than 5 minutes
To build my script for calling my Senators and Representative every day, I use the following:
Action Steps from Gnusies
Seven of our Good News writers regularly post a panoply of fantastic action steps in their Good News Roundups. If you don’t see a way to become active that suits your personality, your funds, or your time, please review their most recent diaries for many different options to volunteer and/or donate:
Please support the following Daily Kos authors. Follow the Democratic Party Spotlight Group here to find these stories easily in your Stream (DK Inbox for diaries).
- Dems, Dems, and More Dems, Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays at 9 a.m. ET, by Janesaunt.
- Congressional Black Caucus, Thursdays at 9 a.m. ET, by lpeacock.
- Rainbow Roundup: LGBTQ lawmakers and journalists, Saturdays, by T2.
- Hispanic Elected Democrats, Sundays at 8 a.m. ET, by bilboteach.
- Still Think Democrats Aren’t Fighting Back? Mondays and Fridays, by dfh1.
And These:
Looking at you, listening for your comment. On the horn of a dilemma?
… Say Something
We welcome certain comments in Roundups every day regarding:
- National or local Good News.
- Links, stories, music, videos, quotes, and posts from Bluesky. No tweets.
- Your resistance activity.
- Group Admins and 96% of Gnusies do NOT want images of the lying conman in diaries or comments.
In my Sunday smorgasbord Roundups, I especially welcome the following types of comments:
Who won YOUR week?
- Questions about Daily Kos tech issues or our map.
- Good News Roundups and you.
- How are you resisting?
- How are you supporting Democratic candidates?
- Please let’s stick to Good News today, no mews or databases.
In the comments of all Roundups, we do not welcome Grammar Police or Debbie Downers.
Notes on Images
Top Image: Our Starhawk created the above this detailed sketch of a gnu in brown, green, and black on white. A happy and dynamic gnu rises on a hind leg in a classic heraldric rampant stance. Joyful letters prance above and behind the mane: “Happy Dance.” Signature: Nick Korolev, 2021. — Thank you, Starhawk, for our dancing gnu!
Section-Divider Images: On the far horizon, we see gnus ranging across the veld, a few acacia trees, and sunlit desert hills. [Copyright © 2024 2thanks, a member of dailykos.com. All Rights Reserved. Use is permitted on dailykos.com in articles by authors of the Good News Roundups. 2thanks.dkos@gmail.com.]
A Little Bit About Me
(Sorry, too busy caregiving to update this section.)
Our Roundup is almost open!
Thank you for fighting for truth and justice with all us Gnusies! 40% of our Readers don’t visit every day, 50% of us do, and 10% are here for the first time! We all do what we can. Since 2017, we’ve shared positive news, laughed, organized, resisted, rebelled, revolted without being revolting, relied, rested, mentored, created, crossed rivers, chewed our cud, and laughed. Here’s looking at you, kid, and standing upwind! Beginners, you are cordially invited to comment!
As always, please share more Good News than I can find or provide.
This is a group diary, and by my power I declare this Good Gnus Salo(o)n open! Let the good-news sharing and community building begin! Laissez les bonnes nouvelles rouler!
Power with, not power over ❤️ ✊ ❤️
2thanks (he, him)
Thank You!: Many regular Roundup readers know that I’m the co-founding Admin and background mentor of the Good News Roundup group. Over the years I’ve supported and led this and other Daily Kos groups that have raised almost $1M for candidates, individuals, and groups. In response to my previous requests, many readers sent me gifts, $1500 so far toward my goal of $12,000. Team 2thanks thanks you! 💙
I’m now asking for help to pay for my wife’s medical treatments. If you value my gifts and activism, please don’t patronize me, but be my patron. Gift me via PayPal (click “Friend,”) Venmo, or CashApp, or send me a kosmail for my address. If you can't do that, I understand. Perhaps, instead, you could boost this story onsite or online. If you already sent me a gift, I bow deeply in gratitude. ~2thanks
I stopped drinking coffee because of my sleep doctor’s suggestions, but I may start drinking coffee again in the morning. How about you?
![Colorful sketch of a wildebeest by Starhawk, a side view of a happy, dynamic gnu dancing on one hind leg. A classic heraldric pose of a beast in rampant position. Image bears a hand-written title, "Happy Dance,". The lettering is joyful. Image created by Starhawk of Daily Kos. Uploaded 03-07-2021. Presented as a gift to all members of the Good News Roundup team. Tags Good News Roundups Gnus Gnusies Newsies gnhap](https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/924811/story_image/GnuHappyDance.jpg?1615144457 "Colorful sketch of a wildebeest by Starhawk, a side view of a happy, dynamic gnu dancing on one hind leg. A classic heraldric pose of a beast in rampant position. Image bears a hand-written title, "Happy Dance,". The lettering is joyful. Image created by Starhawk of Daily Kos. Uploaded 03-07-2021. Presented as a gift to all members of the Good News Roundup team. Tags Good News Roundups Gnus Gnusies Newsies gnhap")
