What Jess Craven offered yesterday, Extra! Extra!

 

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more This e-mail is for free subscribers. Thanks for being here! Extra! Extra! 6/21 Jess Craven Jun 21   READ IN APP   Michelle Obama made news in the best possible way this week as she shone at the Obama Presidential Library opening, giving a speech that earned absolute raves. Once a queen, always a queen. Hi, all, and happy Sunday! Also, of course, happy Father’s Day to all who are fathers, step-fathers, play a fatherly role, or have a father they love. I hope you have a truly special day. AND happy belated Juneteenth! I took the day off and I hope you did, too. It’s been another nutty week, and next one won’t be any saner, so let’s take a few minutes to enjoy, absorb, and really revel in some good news from over the last seven days. As usual, there was more of it than you might have thought. You work so hard. You trudge on in your resistance efforts, day in and day out, regardless of how hopeful (or hopeless) you feel. You are the reason we will, eventually, right this ship. This weekly list is your reward, your reminder of possibilities, and your recompense. You’ve earned it. Enjoy. Keep the good news coming! Upgrade to paid Read This  This piece will delight you. The American Pamphleteer I Was Wrong About the World Cup I did not want this World Cup here… Read more 5 days ago · 397 likes · 79 comments · Lady Libertie Celebrate This!  A federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to make a plan for staying open. Adrienne White won her State Senate race in Georgia’s Senate district 7, blocking Republicans from building their supermajority. The Obama library opened and the celebration was, from what I’ve seen, just spectacular. Among other things, the tan suits were out in full force. A Fulton County judge threw out a conspiracy-fueled lawsuit seeking to open Georgia's election-night operations center — where votes are received and published — to far-right observers. Trump’s reflecting pool has not only re-filled with algae, but the bottom is now peeling up. So much winning! Due in large part to loud and robust protest from citizens and voting rights advocates, Georgia Republicans reversed course on redrawing their maps in a special session. It’s a HUGE win. Stephen Colbert’s ‘Peanuts’ gag on the Late Show finale did, indeed, mean CBS had to pay a fine to Lee Mendelson Film Productions. They, in turn, donated the money to World Central Kitchen. The Trump administration has reversed its decision to dismantle a $368M deep-sea observation system following an outcry from lawmakers and ocean experts. A federal judge ruled that Idaho cannot immediately enforce its new law criminalizing the use of certain restrooms that do not match an individual’s sex at birth. Poland plans to generate up to 69% of its energy from renewables by 2040. French Polynesia made a major move for marine conservation. The government announced it will protect 200,000 square miles of ocean, more than twice the size of Michigan (or roughly the area of France). On Sunday night, people came together for Rise Up, Sing Out at more than 1500 watch parties in all 50 states, with hundreds of thousands more watching from home. ​The biggest expansion in federal scholarship money in 50 years is set to launch this summer, although few know about it. Five states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington state — have recently enacted legislation to shield their elections from federal actions. Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialist, won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, D.C. Governor Andy Beshear posthumously pardoned 43 individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned for helping enslaved people escape to freedom, signing the executive order Monday ahead of Juneteenth. All detainees from "Alligator Alcatraz" have been transferred out of the Florida Everglades facility. The Cook Political Report shifted seven more House races left this week. Andy Burnham, the affable Labour mayor of Greater Manchester in the UK, held off the challenge of the Reform candidate in emphatic fashion to return to parliament and is now odds-on to replace the deeply unpopular Keir Starmer as prime minister. A protester going by Vijay Bombs projected images of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on the tarp covering the front of the Kennedy center. Organizers behind the Montana Plan have had 34,906 signatures declared valid by the state of Montana. That is comfortably above the number needed to qualify for the ballot. Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court found that “skill game” machines, the slot machine-like gambling devices commonly seen in gas stations, convenience stores, and bars, are indeed slot machines and therefore illegal outside of casinos. Approval for Trump among rural Americans dropped this month to 50 percent — a new low, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll. Irish politicians voted in favor of removing the three-day mandatory wait time for an abortion in the Republic of Ireland. The Supreme Court turned away ex-Trump campaign aide Carter Page’s attempt to revive a lawsuit against James Comey. Protestors wearing tee shirts that read “Team Algae” showed up at the reflecting pool to troll Trump. The biggest wind farm in the U.S. began operation in New Mexico. SunZia’s 916 turbines will supply enough power for one million homes, mostly in California and Arizona. Sean Penn’s next feature film will tell the story of January 6 through the eyes of a Capitol police officer. The Trump administration has abandoned its effort to halt wind energy projects across the US and dropped its challenge to the court ruling that tossed Trump’s order freezing federal permitting and leasing for wind projects. Ariana Grande launched a new foundation that will help protect trans and LGBTQ+ rights. The Judge who authored a decision that endangered IVF lost his bid to become Attorney General in Alabama. Gov. Mike DeWine called for Ohio to abolish the death penalty. This is a major reversal for him. The state of New Jersey donated 770 World Cup tickets to youth soccer players, sick children, first responders, and healthcare workers. U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer announced that his government will impose a ban on social media use for children under 16 years of age. Kyrgyzstan established a “climate-ready corridor” for snow leopards, argali sheep, and wild goats. The corridor connects 2 million acres of pastureland, forest, and high-altitude landscapes and is designed to protect wildlife from predicted climate scenarios. New research found the HPV shot is virtually eliminating cervical cancer deaths in vaccinated women under 30. ICE plans to sell or give away most of the 11 warehouses it bought to detain migrants, reversing course on a signature initiative. More than 100 Stanford University graduates walked out during Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s commencement address, chanting ‘Free Palestine,’ in protest over Project Nimbus, the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. Artist Sheryl Crow spoke out eloquently about the UFC fight on the White House lawn. Citizens Bank took some hits last week for their continued financing of private prison giants CoreCivic and GEO Group: As part of the Not with Our Money, Citizens! campaign, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) withdrew an additional $2 million in response to Citizens’ reneging on their promise to meet. Also, the City Council of Jersey City, the second-largest city in New Jersey, voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging the city not to place taxpayers’ money with a bank that is “continuing to finance and profit from the detention of immigrants.” They have already started the process of withdrawing approximately $265 million from Citizens. Utility-scale solar has produced more electricity than gas power plants in California across most days this year. Bella Bautista made Georgia state history by securing the Democratic nomination for House District 14 and, in so doing, becoming the first openly transgender woman to win a primary in Georgia. DHS announced it is giving up on its plan to turn a warehouse in Social Circle, GA into a 10,000 bed ICE detention facility. This after the very red town’s citizens fought back vigorously (as did their two US Senators)! Bravo! The European Union’s 27 member countries voted in favor of opening the first cluster of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. This, after Hungary, under new leadership, dropped its longtime opposition! Yay! New data suggest the Atlantic’s vital circulation may withstand climate warming better than feared. JD Vance went on the View and got pretty well grilled by the hosts. The mainstream media could learn something! Residents of Milford, MI showed up to oppose the renewal of Flock Safety cameras in their town. The board unanimously voted to cancel one contract for 5 cameras. The other contract comes up for a vote in August, and citizens are organizing against that one, too. Watch This!  If by some miracle you haven’t seen Mayor Mamdani’s speech about the Knicks’ victory, you absolutely must. Even if you don’t know Knicks history well (I don’t) the second half of the speech will floor you. Chop Wood, Carry Water is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.