(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Good News Roundup for Friday, January 6, 2023: Resolution [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-01-06 OK, time to get back to work! Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News! Today is the second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. I expect there will be a number of pieces in the media about that, unless all the media can talk about is the absolute nuttiness of the R party. Of course, the two events are related: the whole intention of these people is to sabotage the government. Again, the Capitol is under attack, albeit legally. Could they be arrested for the obstruction of official proceedings? And I’m not sure how we get out of it. Negotiate with the sane Rs to pick a coalition speaker? But there aren’t any. Point out that the Rs are not one party? Alas, doesn’t work with the rules. Slip Ipecac syrup into the Rs’ Kool-aid so that Hakeem Jeffries can win because insufficient Rs are voting? My resolution, before being distracted by what has been going on this week, was to talk about resolutions. I still think the topic is worthy. Resolution is one of those words with several meanings. (1) It can mean “the firm decision to do (or not do) something.” (2) It can also mean the quality of that firmness. (3) A resolution can also refer to how a situation or a story ends. New Year resolutions are covered by the first meaning. By the sixth day of the new year, often some of those firm decisions have already wavered. Of course, resolutions don’t have to be attached to a specific day. I think it’s better to make them outside of the holidays, or at least initiate them outside of the holidays, when your life is back to normal. Unless, of course, you’re doing a one-off, like insulating The fact that we’re in a much better place than we were two years ago — where we can joke a bit about what’s happening in the Capitol instead of being horrified — is because of our past resolutions and the past resolutions of our allies. Do you have any resolutions for making your life and our world a better place? Come on in and see what the good guys are doing, while we wait for other situations to be resolved. 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, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. 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 from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember: 💙 There are more of us than there are of them. 💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED! 💔 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, 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 (at least for part of the week). Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room. 👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍 South Carolina Supreme Court rules 6-week abortion ban unconstitutional Poppy Noor, The Guardian The South Carolina supreme court has ruled that the state’s six-week ban on abortion is unconstitutional, under the right to privacy. The 3-2 decision will mean the state’s six-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape and incest will be immediately and permanently struck down. Abortion will remain legal in South Carolina up until 22 weeks of pregnancy. decision. “We hold that the decision to terminate a pregnancy rests upon the utmost personal and private considerations imaginable, and implicates a woman’s right to privacy,” Justice Kaye Hearn wrote in her Patty Murray now President Pro Tempore of the Senate! Usually this is third in line for the presidency, but without a Speaker of the House, it’s second. x What a historic day on Capitol Hill. Senator Patty Murray was just elected the first woman President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The first, but not the last. Congratulations, Senator Murray. https://t.co/fyY83LwlRD — Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 3, 2023 Adam Kinzinger joins CNN Sareen Habeshian, Axios Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is joining CNN as a senior political commentator, the network announced Wednesday. The big picture: Kinzinger, one of two Republican members of the House Jan. 6 committee, ended his sixth term in Congress this week after deciding not to seek re-election. Zoom out: A fierce critic of former President Trump and election deniers within his party, Kinzinger was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the Capitol insurrection. I always feel a little better when those who have put principles first land on their feet. The TSA actually does a lot of good, removing all sorts of stuff from air travelers. Here’s a link to their top 10 from 2022. We need to take a moment to thank who is currently running the House: x Let's take a moment and thank Cheryl Johnson. Cheryl is the House clerk who has presided over the House Republican circus. She shouldn't have to do this, but she has truly kept the House in order during an unprecedented time and we should all thank her for her service. pic.twitter.com/KPtsFjhE9S — Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) January 5, 2023 💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣 It doesn’t happen until it happens, but I hope the rumors of its happening soon are true! x BREAKING: Jack Smith is set to make CHARGING DECISIONS possibly in a MATTER OF WEEKS. https://t.co/BD4a41C2wc — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) January 5, 2023 Wouldn’t it be nice if some of the worst House members were taken out of circulation? Anyway, this has been reported by bloomberg, and I always find that website difficult, but I’ve seen several tweets on the matter. Some people have lamented the fact that we don’t have a functioning House. And I agree, that is not good. But given the priorities of those who were elected, it would not be functioning anyway. They have promised sham investigations and to hold the debt ceiling hostage. ((perhaps something gets done)). In the meantime, the Rs are losing face to the leopard face eating party, and the Ds may be able to get something out of it. Michael Steele points out this is not new x Can we stop with the "potential damage this process is doing to the Republican Party"! Where the hell have you been for the past 7 years?! Were you awake in 2021 or 2022?! It stinks for a reason! pic.twitter.com/WoPgNajBWF — Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) January 4, 2023 And I know it can cause problems. But it’s not a surprise: x You mean to tell me that the party who didn’t have a plan for healthcare, didn’t have a plan for infrastructure, didn’t have a plan for Covid, didn’t have a plan for inflation, didn’t have a plan for immigration, don’t actually have a plan to efficiently vote for a speaker? — Taryn T, Duchess of the Blue Sea 🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@Talyn777) January 3, 2023 11 failed votes. As of last night. Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again, when you know it does not work? So many criminals! x OH BOY: Matt Schlapp Allegedly Groped the Crotch of a Male Staffer for Herschel Walker’s Campaign https://t.co/H1tWCHCH56 — #TuckFrump (@realTuckFrumper) January 6, 2023 ⚡️ Ali Alexander (an insurrectionist creep) says he has information that could get MTG arrested. Walter Einenkel, Daily Kos. Please proceed! 🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚 President Biden to award Presidential Citizens Medals to 2020 election heroes today MJLee, CNN They include Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, credited for luring rioters away from the entrance to the Senate chambers as lawmakers were evacuating by using himself as “bait”; former DC police Officer Michael Fanone who was brutally assaulted by rioters and said he suffered a heart attack as a result of the experience (Fanone is now a CNN contributor); and Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who testified before the House January 6 committee that she hit her head during a clash with the insurrectionists and was knocked unconscious before she chose to run back into the chaos. One person will receive the medal posthumously: Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was determined to have suffered strokes and died the day after he had responded to the insurrection. Washington DC’s chief medical examiner said that “all that transpired” on that day had “played a role in his condition.” Sicknick’s remains were laid in honor at the Capitol Rotunda last year. Other recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal on Friday include election workers credited for having rejected efforts by Trump and his supporters to overturn the results of the 2020 election. They include Shaye Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman, who both worked as election workers in Fulton County, Georgia. The two women, who are Black, gave emotional and poignant testimony to the House January 6 committee, describing how their lives were turned upside down after the former president and his allies publicly disparaged them as election fraud hustlers. Nice to have a Senate majority! x Here's a cool and important story overshadowed by the House debacle: President Biden yesterday took immediate advantage of the new 51 Dem majority in the Senate to renominate 25 candidates for the federal bench who failed to win Senate confirmation last year. Way to go, Joe! — Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) January 4, 2023 Governor Mills signs energy relief for heating in Maine Press Release. OK, this is also bipartisan on a local basis. Just hours after it earned strong, bipartisan support from the Maine Legislature, Governor Janet Mills today signed legislation enacting her Emergency Winter Energy Relief Plan. The Plan will provide direct financial relief to Maine families to help them stay warm, safe, and secure this winter amid near record high energy prices. “With high energy prices causing real hardship, this emergency measure will ease the financial burden on Maine people by putting money back into their pockets and ensure that our most vulnerable citizens are able to stay warm this winter,” said Governor Janet Mills. “I thank the Legislature for its strong, bipartisan vote, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to implement long-term solutions that will bring down energy costs, improve energy efficiency, and reduce Maine’s highest-in-the-nation dependence on expensive and harmful fossil fuels.” The Winter Emergency Energy Relief Plan received the two-thirds support required from each chamber to be enacted as an emergency measure. With Governor Mills’ signature, the legislation has taken effect. At the Governor’s direction, the Department of Administrative and Financial Services and MaineHousing are prepared to immediately begin implementing the law. Working for workers! x Imagine you hate your job. The pay is low. The benefits are crummy. But your boss made you sign a contract promising not to work for a competitor, so you’re stuck. Well, I’ve been calling for banning those agreements, and now the FTC is taking action: https://t.co/7I7ps7LvNp — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 5, 2023 Frankly, Commander would do better: x 🐾 Just a reminder: there’s nothing in the Constitution that would prevent a pup from being Speaker of the House. Awoooof! pic.twitter.com/RL73OpSELB — The Oval Pawffice® 🇺🇸 DOTUS Fans (@TheOvalPawffice) January 5, 2023 💜 Unity? 💜 As some float bipartisan pick for Speaker, Ohio and Pennsylvania actually do it! Aaron Blake, Washington Post ...even as the House was descending into chaos on Tuesday, two other Houses — both Ohio’s and Pennsylvania’s — shocked political watchers by forming a very similar coalition to elect their new speakers. There are key differences between the situations, but given the apparent difficulty of finding a Republican who could earn enough GOP votes, it’s worth taking stock of what happened in those two states and whether it could be replicated at the federal level. In Ohio, state Rep. Jason Stephens secured the votes of all 32 Democrats and 22 Republicans to defeat the more conservative official GOP nominee for speaker, state Rep. Derek Merrin, 54-43. The more similar situation came in Pennsylvania, where the chamber was narrowly divided. Those outcomes were far better than the far worse alternatives. Then, we have the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is going to repair a lot of stuff. It’s weird to see McConnell and Biden working together. This is from a WH Briefing Room Press Release To kick off 2023, the President, Vice President, and Senior Administration Officials will blanket the country to highlight how the President’s economic plan – including his success bringing Republicans, Independents, and Democrats together to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – is growing our economy from the bottom up and middle out. On Wednesday, January 4th , President Biden will visit the Greater Cincinnati area on the Kentucky side, and he will be joined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Sherrod Brown, Governor Andy Beshear, and Governor Mike DeWine. Vice President Harris will visit Chicago, Illinois and Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg will visit New London, Connecticut. On Thursday, January 5th , Speaker Nancy Pelosi will join White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu during his visit to San Francisco. The President, Vice President, and Senior Administration Officials will discuss how the President’s economic plan is rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs – jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, and revitalizing communities that have been left behind. ✂️ Biden’s first two years in office saw the passage of bipartisan legislation focused on infrastructure, semiconductor chip manufacturing, assistance for veterans and protections for same-sex marriage. But you know who can’t show up for this? Kevin McCarthy. A classy act in Arizona, as R Governor Doug Ducey leaves a kind and generous note for the new governor, D Katie Hobbs. Remember how Ducey refused to take tRump’s phone call when he was certifying the 2020 election. x Outgoing Republican Arizona Governor wrote this to his Democratic successor, Katie Hobbs: t/y @abc15 pic.twitter.com/tXktLjK8Z8 — Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) January 3, 2023 I cannot praise Ducey for most things — that stupid container wall! — but at least this was positive! And he did refuse to overthrow the election when we voted for Biden. 📥 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. 🐍 Schadenfreude 😈 Yeah, we’re all laughing! x #Romania🇷🇴🇪🇺 We welcome the seizure of the collection of large, environmentally damaging cars of #AndrewTate, the alleged human trafficker for the purpose of sexual exploitation, who is in the custody of the Romanian authorities, awaiting criminal trial. @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/0RZhTl1gyK — International Human Rights Foundation (@Declaracion) January 5, 2023 Cell phones used by Russians help Ukrainians target attack Erin Doherty, Axios The Russian military said that the use of prohibited cell phones by its soldiers allowed Ukrainian troops to "determine the coordinates of the location of military personnel" to launch a deadly strike. Driving the news: The death toll from the weekend attack on the Russian military facility is up to 89. It is among the deadliest strikes against Russian forces so far during the war, AP reports. ✂️ What they're saying: "The Russian military has a record of unsafe ammunition storage from well before the current war, but this incident highlights how unprofessional practices contribute to Russia’s high casualty rate," the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense said in a tweet. tRump getting sued … again x Sandra Garza, girlfriend of fallen officer Brian Sicknick just filed fed. civil lawsuit vs Donald Trump & two defendants charged w/ assaulting Sicknick. Alleging conspiracy, wrongful death, other claims. Seeking $10 million in damages. Sicknick died of natural causes after Jan 6 — Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) January 5, 2023 ⚡️ George Santos’ past coming to haunt him, including landlord-rights tweets — Marissa Higgins, Daily Kos 📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️ In Ukraine, getting out the news is not easy, not with bombs targeting the infrastructure that supports the press. However, in the last month or so there were several stories about how they have been persisting and even how groups in the US (and others) have contributed generators so they can keep going. Here are some recent stories from Ukraine: 🌻 Ukrainian personnel to master Patriot systems 🌻 On 4th January, UKAF killed 800+ Russian invaders 🌻 Norway hands over 100,000 artillery shells to Ukraine 🌻 Macron promises Zelenskyy tanks We can donate to Ukrainian Pravda here. 🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️ People have really stepped up with respect to Damar Hamlin (the charity has raised a lot more since then). It is great to see them coming together. x Damar Hamlin's original goal was to raise $2,500. Since last night, people have donated more than $4 million dollars towards his charity. It works out to a donation every 0.3 seconds. pic.twitter.com/o3ZPPl8JrR — Goodable (@Goodable) January 3, 2023 According to this report, Damar Hamlin is awake and communicating with those around him. Herb Scribner, Axios Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is awake and making "substantial progress" after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game earlier this week, his doctors said Thursday. Driving the news: The Buffalo Bills safety is still "critically ill" but appears to be neurologically intact, his team said earlier in the day. Though he is unable to speak since he remains on a breathing tube, he has been communicating through writing and can move his hands, feet and head, according to physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC). The progress marked a "good turning point" in Hamlin's ongoing care, UCMC physician Timothy Pritts said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Hamlin will continue to receive treatment in the intensive care unit before returning to his family. 📎 Odds & Ends 📎 Breakthrough in targeting bad fat Andy Corbley Good News Network Folks struggling with obesity might wonder that with all the medical miracles modern technology has produced, how come there isn’t a more sure-fire way to get rid of excess body fat? Well now, researchers at Columbia University have found that a positively charged nanomaterial called P-G3 interacts with negatively charged fat cells in obese mice that could open the door to precision non-invasive body fat removal. As fat cells (adipocytes) take on energy in the storage form of fats, called lipids, genetic changes cause them to behave in a chronically obese manner, and not like that of a fat cell from a normally-weighted person. ✂️ Lead author Lei Qiang believes they have found the “secret” to targeting fat in a specific way in specific places, saying in a press release that “now we can shrink fat in a depot-specific manner—anywhere we want—and in a safe way without destroying fat cells. This is a major advance in treating obesity.” Obviously, more research needs to be done, but it would be great not to have to worry about one of those pesky NY resolutions! Bees are smart and they work together! x That moment in Jurassic Park where the raptors figured out doorknobs https://t.co/X4SoKl6kvY — Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) January 5, 2023 Hertz makes more profits by using EVs! Brendan O’Leary, The Cooldown, 🎩 Overnight News Digest at Daily Kos Rental car company Hertz is shifting into high gear on the road to electric vehicles (EVs). Already, it has seen a 12% increase in yearly profits as the globe-spanning rental car company accelerates its transition to EVs and lower costs. ✂️ The revenue figure is in part explained by corporate demand for rentals provided by Hertz rising to 70% of pre-pandemic levels. But another key contributor was Hertz’ discovery that EVs are between 50-60% cheaper to maintain than gasoline-powered cars. ✂️ There are fewer moving parts on EV vehicles than gas-burning cars, which means there are fewer failure points on components that can make for costly replacements. Additionally, the less time a vehicle is receiving repairs at the auto shop means it’s spending more time on the road and thus has more opportunities to make money as a ren Pink dolphin sighting, had to share How putin’s war and small islands are accelerating the global shift to renewable energy Rachel Kyle, Talking Points Memo Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has reverberated through Europe and spread to other countries that have long been dependent on the region for natural gas. But while oil-producing countries and gas lobbyists are arguing for more drilling, global energy investments reflect a quickening transition to cleaner energy. ✂️ In December, the International Energy Agency published two important reports that point to the future of renewable energy. First, the IEA revised its projection of renewable energy growth upward by 30%. It now expects the world to install as much solar and wind power in the next five years as it installed in the past 50 years. The second report showed that energy use is becoming more efficient globally, with efficiency increasing by about 2% per year. As energy analyst Kingsmill Bond at the energy research group RMI noted, the two reports together suggest that fossil fuel demand may have peaked. While some low-income countries have been eager for deals to tap their fossil fuel resources, the IEA warns that new fossil fuel production risks becoming stranded, or uneconomic, in the next 20 years. Here’s an example: x Germany now says it will soon be independent of Russian energy. It's taken a year, while Merkel had 16 years and said it was impossible! As welcome as all these moves are to finally stand up to Russia, they expose the appeasement of previous admins. — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) January 5, 2023 Of course, technology now is better than it was in previous admins. Also, Russia was less of a threat. But it’s also true Russia was supplying Germany with a lot of money. One package at a time: x This supermarket in Thailand replaced its plastic packaging with reusable banana leaves. pic.twitter.com/nhbeJeJo6F — Goodable (@Goodable) January 2, 2023 🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (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 — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, 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: You can relax and recharge. You can join protests and freeway blog. You can help register new voters. You can smile. You can get out the vote for special elections. You can reach out to upset Republicans. We need to win some back. You can share your ideas below. 🌻 💙 “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. 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