(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . From the GNR Newsroom, its the Monday Good News Roundup [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-07-03 Welcome back to the Monday Good News Roundup, a magical time of the week where the GNR newsroom (myself, Killer300 and Bhu of the RPG.net message boards) get together and bring you the good news to get your week off to a good start. Yeah last week was maybe not so great. Last week, as you know, was my Birthday, and while I had a good time for the most part, well, every party needs a pooper, and that pooper for the last few years has been the Supreme Court. Since they go on vacation or whatever that week they always make sure to drop a couple of last minute turds in our collective punch bowls on the way out. Last year, as you may recall, they struck down Roe V Wade, a devastating turn. This year, not to be outdone, they killed Affirmative action, blew up, Biden’s studen loan forgiveness plan, and gave bigots free reign to discriminate against gay folk. But you may recall what happened the previous year as a result of gutting Roe V. Wade, how the young people were spurred into action, how the 2022 Red Wave was reduced to a mere puddle, how we’ve been kicking ass in elections since then, and how its become increasingly apparent that the younger generation has had enough of the GOP’s bullshit and are coming for them. The GOP know their days are numbered, and that’s why the GOP controlled SCOTUS is trying to cram through as much of the GOP’s wish list as they possibly can before they finally cash it in. I think its rather fitting I am putting this out on the eve of the fourth of July, because like our forefather we aren’t gonna stand around and let tyrants eff with us, we’re gonna fight back, and we’re gonna win. So lets get onto the good news. South Korean manufacturer LG is drastically scaling up its U.S. production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and the grid. The U.S. clean energy sector is transforming from an import-based industry to one that builds equipment domestically, bolstered by supportive policies in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. As Canary Media reported recently, U.S. battery manufacturing is on track to grow tenfold by 2027. But LG Energy Solution, one of the largest battery makers in the world, has already committed to factory construction that would increase its own U.S. production capacity by a factor of more than 55 by 2027. More and more the future of our country and the world rests in electric vehicles, and more and more companies are embracing that fact. Lab-grown meat, once a concept confined to science fiction, is about to become a reality in the United States: Upside Foods and Eat Just, two California-based companies that have been at the forefront of developing the technology, announced this week they had each received final regulatory approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their chicken. This means that cultivated meat — cells that are coaxed to grow into tissue inside stainless-steel tanks — can now be sold for the first time at restaurants and, eventually, on supermarket shelves around the country. Hey, just like in Eraserhead! Only, you know, not horrifying (I hope). In all seriousness this is great news, I can’t wait to try me some vat grown chicken. Think they can do veal? Earlier this year, I wrote an essay for these pages, entitled “Why Vladimir Putin’s Luck Ran Out,” explaining why Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine weakened his grip on power more than any other event in his two-decade rule of Russia. The shocking June 23–25 rebellion of Yevgeny Prigozhin has only confirmed that hypothesis. No matter the final details of the deal between Prigozhin and Putin or the claims of Kremlin propagandists and their supporters in the West, Putin has emerged from this crisis much weaker than he was just days ago. And he will not have many opportunities to strengthen his rule anytime soon. The fact that the Wagner Group—a private paramilitary company led by Prigozhin—existed at all was already a sign of Putin’s weakness. Strong leaders do not create and pay mercenaries to do their fighting. They rely on conventional armies. Of course, for years the Kremlin denied any links to Wagner and, in fact, did so as the group raged through Syria starting in 2015 and committed massacres in the Central African Republic in 2021 and 2022 and in Mali in 2022. For much of the time since the group’s founding in 2014, Prigozhin outright denied its existence too. This secrecy is also a sign of Putin’s weakness. Weak, criminal leaders need to hide their associations with their military forces. Strong, legitimate leaders do not. It was only in September 2022 that Wagner’s association with the Russian state was publicly acknowledged. A few years ago, things seemed rather bleak, as Putin was conspiring to put fascist cronies into power across the globe through his nefarious actions. We all know how that turned out, because at it turns out, fascists are notoriously incompetent. And now Putin stands totally emasculated, stripped bare before the world like King Lear; pathetic, miserable, unloved, and with only himself to blame. Grouping these four together to illustrate, despite the bullshittery that the SCOTUS got up to last week against us, they did hand us a few wins as well (Even though they pale in comparison to the losses). Can electric-powered heat pumps replace the fossil-fueled boilers that account for about 7 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions? Sure, says Addison Stark, CEO of AtmosZero — as long as they’re designed to be cost-effectively deployed in boiler rooms where steam is used to generate heat. On Tuesday, AtmosZero unstealthed with a heat-pump boiler meant to fill this niche in the industrial decarbonization landscape. The Fort Collins, Colorado–based startup, backed by $7.5 million from investors led by Energy Impact Partners and $500,000 from the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, also announced its first pilot project: a 650-kilowatt boiler being installed at the Fort Collins headquarters of New Belgium Brewing in partnership with heating and cooling engineering giant Danfoss. Ah heat pumps, the new hotness (literally), and another great way to help phase out fossil fuels. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has only been an official presidential candidate for a month, and he’s already fucking up pretty badly in New Hampshire. He lashed out at a reporter during his first visit; he’s trying to hide his abysmal abortion views; he pissed off a conservative women’s group; and, perhaps as a result, his state poll numbers are tanking. It’s a big problem for DeSantis that things aren’t going well: New Hampshire is the first primary in the country after the Iowa caucuses, and, realistically, DeSantis needs to win at least one of those states to prove he has any shot at taking down Donald Trump. Plus, if DeSantis were to win Iowa only to lose New Hampshire, it would affect his momentum. Honestly the fact DeSantis thinks he even has a shot in the primaries is kind of sad at this point. I would feel bad for the guy if he wasn’t an absolute monster ruining the lives of children in this state. So you know, Nelson Laugh. Maine lawmakers have advanced and appear to have the votes to pass a bill that would remove gestational limits on abortion when a licensed physician determines the procedure is necessary, expanding access in the state. Currently, Maine restricts abortion after fetal viability, or about 24 weeks’ gestation, unless the health or life of the pregnant person is at risk. Gov. Janet Mills (D) proposed the bill, Legislative Document 1619, which would update the state’s Reproductive Privacy Act to let doctors use their clinical judgement to determine when abortion is appropriate. The bill also removes criminal penalties for providers and for people who help someone self-manage an abortion. I wonder if the GOP knew the storm they were unleashing when they finally repealed Roe V. Wade. Well you know what they say, when the Gods want to punish you they give you what you want. UPDATE: On Thursday morning, President Joe Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced changes to campus sexual assault policies under Title IX, appearing to save these proposals for the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a year and a half into his presidency. These proposed changes would reverse Trump-era rules that allowed schools to avoid investigating off-campus assaults, and to require questioning that permit alleged assailants to cross-examine victims. Biden’s proposals would also extend Title IX’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity, protecting queer and trans students. Some Trump-era policies would remain: Schools would still be permitted to use the “clear and convincing evidence” standard of proof—which means about 75% certainty—to determine if someone has committed sexual misconduct if they use this standard in other discrimination cases; otherwise, schools are to use the “preponderance of the evidence” standard (51% certain), which is standard for civil suits. If Republicans retake the House and Senate in November, they could use the Congressional Review Act to overturn these changes. Another day, another one of Trumps terrible policies reversed (Mostly). Keep up the pace Biden. The group said in a post on Telegram that it targeted the website and stole about 500,000 files in retaliation to the state’s recent decision to ban gender-affirming care for minors, the Daily Dot reported. “We have decided to make a message towards the U.S government,” the group said. “Texas happens to be one of the largest states banning gender affirming care and for that, we have made Texas our target.” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill earlier this month that would prohibit doctors from prescribing hormone medication to minors or conduct surgeries to change their gender. The law will take effect on Sept. 1. People are not taking this crap laying down. Its getting dangerously close to the point where things get ugly. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but we will have to work to fix all this. At any march for rights there’s no shortage of creative chants. This year in New York City at the annual Queer Liberation March, a new one debuted. Playing on the lyrics to RuPaul’s “Cover Girl,” queer rights activists chanted “Socialists, put that bass in your walk! Unionize, let the whole workplace drop!” This was one of several labor-themed chants from a Left and Labor contingent which formed to amplify a labor movement that increasingly represents the LGBTQ+ community and is organizing for LGBTQ+ rights. Left Voice, an all-volunteer socialist publication, initiated the contingent. Around two dozen unions and politically left organizations joined the initiative, endorsing it, bringing out their members and publicizing the march. Some of these groups were the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, Astoria Boulevard Starbucks Workers United, MORE Caucus of the United Federation of Teachers, Workers Strike Back, Tempest Collective and the Crown Heights Tenant Union. Remember we are all struggling together. When we fight amongst ourselves over petty industries, the only ones who win are the bosses. That’s why fascists would pit us against one another. Don’t fall for it. In recent decades, we've seen substantial progress in mitigating the frequency and impact of oil spills from tankers. These are the container ships specifically designed to transport large quantities of oil. Great news, hopefully we will get that number down to zero as oil gets phased out. Just some recommended reading to help fight those “The Supreme court is full of Trump appointed Wingnuts who are slowly trying to chip away at decades of progress” blues. One of the biggest conservation programs for insects has made it possible for the “Large Blue” to make a comeback in south west England. The butterfly was declared extinct in 1979. Dedicated long-term work with population samples from Sweden has paid off greatly. This summer 750 butterflies hatched in the wild and have been confirmed laying eggs, which makes this conservation program a huge success. There has been fear of ecological collapse due to insects dying out, but as we can see the bugs are making a comeback (and I got the bites to prove it). Wait, do you hear that, out in the distance? Its a GNR LIGHTNING ROUND! Grab your rain poncho and umbrella because the good news is coming in thick. Industrial heat startup Rondo to open worlds largest battery factory Home batteries will bolster Puerto Rico’s power grid in emergencies What could go right? AI everywhere Science and culture come together to restore 120 miles of Hawaii’s reefs New Satellite could clean up air pollution Belize certified Malaria free by WHO Reducing alcohol related deaths in Lithuania New DNA test will make Cervical cancer screenings more accessible Scientists successfully unfroze rat organs and transplanted them A clean alternative to one of the worlds most common ingredients Ultra low cost smartphone attachment measures blood pressure at home Your smartphone may become a thermometer Kenya to launch biggest school meal program in Africa UNESCO designates 11 new biosphere reserves Canada to phase out animal testing for chemical toxicity White house announces 40B in funding to boost internet connectivity nationwide Taiwan see’s MeToo wave of allegations after Netflix show More than half of India supports same sex marriage Singapore holds first LGTBQ+ rally This app is helping millions of workers reclaim lost wages Interactive slide deck: explore data on EV sales, stock and changing points Always great to have a lightning round near the end of your roundup, so lets get back into it. The good news is that there is a politically popular and legally sound alternative that can produce high levels of racial and economic diversity: preferences based on socioeconomic disadvantage. While the U.S. Supreme Court has long been wary of government policies that treat people differently on the basis of race, the modern Court does not have this sort of hesitation about programs that treat citizens differently on the basis of economic status—from the progressive income tax to means-tested programs like food stamps. Prominent left and liberal voices in the 1960s and ’70s, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, advocated for this sort of approach, arguing that affirmative action based on class disadvantage could help address the legacy of slavery and segregation. Recent research finds that although preferences based on income alone are unlikely to produce sufficient racial diversity at selective colleges, the consideration of additional factors, such as family wealth and neighborhood poverty levels, can lead to high levels of both racial and economic diversity. We said it when they killed Roe V Wade and we will say it now: WE WILL NOT GO BACK. And I think that is a good point to end on honestly. I hope you all have a great week from us at the Good News Roundup to all of you wonderful readers, I hope your week is a pleasant one, and lets keep working for a brighter future together. 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