Celebrate This!
In Florida students at New College launched a Go Fund Me to pay for an alternate commencement after DeSantis assigned Trumpist Scott Atlas to be their official speaker. They made and exceeded their original goal!
New York City just passed a bill outlawing discrimination based on weight.
Missouri Republicans unexpectedly failed to pass an amendment aimed at thwarting citizen-backed initiatives to roll back the state’s near-total ban on abortion ahead of a Friday deadline to conclude legislative business for the year.
Workers in Georgia at one of the nation’s largest school bus manufacturers have voted to unionize.
The Montana state Supreme Court ruled in favor of continuing to allow nurses with advanced degrees to perform abortions.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation on Friday that would have given increased funding to anti-abortion centers.
Illinois passed a bill to ensure community college credits transfer to public universities. Some higher education institutions currently only count community college coursework as elective credits.
The Biden administration is launching workforce hubs in the coming months, part of an effort to meet the demands for labor driven by infrastructure and manufacturing investments. The hubs will begin in a number of states that are also key 2024 battlegrounds, including Arizona, Georgia and Ohio.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a nearly $11 billion investment to help bring affordable clean energy to rural communities throughout the country.
The Food and Drug Administration announced Friday it has approved a new kind of drug to treat moderate to severe hot flashes caused by menopause, which could offer relief to millions of women who do not want to take hormone therapy to treat their symptoms.
The Supreme Court left in place for now Illinois’s new ban on the purchase and sale of AR-15-style weapons and large ammunition magazines.
In the heart of GOP territory—Jacksonville, Florida—the Democratic mayoral candidate, Donna Deegan, defeated the Republican contender by four points—even though he had outspent her four to one.
And in traditionally conservative Colorado Springs, Colorado, a political newcomer and immigrant from West Africa, Yemi Mobolade, who ran as an unaffiliated candidate, trounced the GOP challenger to become that city’s new mayor elect.²
With Heather Boyd’s win in HD 163 we held the PA Statehouse!
The U.S. Supreme Court used the correct name and pronouns for a transgender migrant in a recent court opinion. It feels like the bare minimum, but it really is a landmark decision by the court.
Deforestation in the Amazon is already down 40% so far this year. In April alone, it dropped by 68%, a significant achievement for the country’s new president who promised to decrease deforestation.
In the Kentucky SOS race on Tuesday night incumbent Republican Michael Adams turned back a challenge from Big Lie spreader Steve Knipper by a 64-26 margin.
State Rep. Sara Innamorato, who had the backing of prominent local and national progressives, defeated county Treasurer John Weinstein 38-30 to win the nomination for Allegheny County, PA Executive. Progressive Matt Dugan also won District Attorney of Allegheny County!
In Philadelphia, progressive Rue Landau won at-large city council!
Disney announced it was pulling the plug on a nearly $1 billion office complex that was scheduled for construction in Orlando, Florida.
The publisher Penguin Random House, PEN America, five authors, and two parents have filed a 1st Amendment lawsuit against the Escambia County School Board after the school district removed books about race and LGBTQ people from shelves.
The Colorado legislature voted in favor of a new bill that removes bee-killing neonicotinoids from retail shelves this week. It will now head to the governor’s desk for his signature!
Russia’s energy revenues fell 50% as Western sanctions forced Moscow to sell at a discount.
Greece made nearly 200 beaches accessible with adaptive chairs.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that prohibits companies from retaliating against employees who obtain abortions.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced a new initiative to tackle unsheltered homelessness.
The Education Department announced that $95 million from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was just awarded in grants across 35 states to increase access to school-based mental health services and strengthen the pipeline of mental health professionals in high-needs school districts.
On top of the above, the Biden-Harris Administration announced many other new initiatives to tackle the nation’s mental health crisis.
The U.S. Senate confirmed civil rights lawyer Nancy Abudu to serve on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the first Black woman to ever sit on this court. The 11th Circuit has jurisdiction over district courts in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.³
A new report has revealed that kids’ reading scores have soared in Deep South states—it’s being called the Mississippi Miracle!
Mexico became the 17th country to include a non-binary choice on its passports. Launched on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, the first passport was given to Ociel Baena, a non-binary electoral magistrate.
A group of TikTok users sued Montana, challenging the state’s ban on the app, which is set to start on Jan. 1.
The Biden administration is rolling out over 300 new sanctions on Russia and slapping export controls on 70 entities
Progressives introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2023 on Wednesday with more than 100 cosponsors, a record level of support.⁴
The Minnesota legislature passed a warehouse worker safety bill on Tuesday night that The Nation called the strongest protections for Amazon warehouse workers in the country.⁵
An LA teen is suing her school district — and the USDA — to promote nondairy milk.
A D.C. police lieutenant was arrested Friday on charges that he warned the leader of the far-right Proud Boys of his imminent arrest just days before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and then lied to investigators afterward about the scope of their interactions.
A judge who interrupted the certification of Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election lost a primary for a seat on the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Brian Manookian, a Tennessee resident, filed suit to force the production of records proving who executed the cover-up of sexual abuse of teenage interns by the TN GOP at the very moment Speaker Sexton was expelling two Democratic black lawmakers for bogus decorum violations.
President Biden told U.S. allies on May 20, 2023 that he would allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on American-made F-16 fighter jets, moving toward letting other countries give the planes to Ukraine — a major upgrade of the Ukrainian military and a sharp reversal.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing rules on coal ash landfills to prevent heavy metals from seeping into groundwater.
The United Nations published a report laying out a strategy for reducing plastic pollution 80 percent by 2040
The Washington state Legislature passed some of the country’s strongest legislation to protect residents from hazardous chemicals in cosmetic products.
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As most of you already know, we had some big wins Tuesday, May 16—in fact we had almost nothing but! Donna Deegan won her mayoral race in Jacksonville, FL—she’ll be the first woman ever to hold the seat and only the second Democrat in thirty years to do so. Thanks to everyone who volunteered for her!
But there’s more: Heather Boyd won her statehouse race in Pennsylvania, ensuring that Democrats will keep their hold on the House majority there. Three cheers to all who helped turn out voters for this race! Nice work, team!
And Yemi Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant and businessman with no political experience, will be the first elected Black mayor of Colorado Springs after he defeated Republican Wayne Williams last night! HUGE!¹
Simon Rosenberg has a good recap of all of these victories and why they’re so encouraging here. Jay Kuo has an equally exuberant take on them here. Suffice it to say that Republican strategists must be getting very nervous. These seats were not supposed to go to Democrats; they did because a) we run strong candidates b) we have a massive, seasoned, and engaged volunteer base c) we’re exceptionally good at field work and d) the GOP has become a party of violent extremism which is stripping away our freedoms; it’s hemorrhaging voters because of it.
All of the above will remain true heading into 2024. See the Republicans’ problem?
So today’s a day to feel good, and proud, and even hopeful. But it’s not a day to rest on our laurels. (No day is.) We have more battles to win and lots more elections in which to prevail.
The good news is we keep outperforming expectations.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced new energy efficiency actions that will save Americans $652 million in utility bills every year.
Two more companies announced major clean energy manufacturing investments in the United States: Nel and Electric Hydrogen Co. They will build electrolyzer manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Massachusetts, respectively.
Scholastic tried to censor an author writing about racism in America. The author fought back and won.
The Department of Transportation is launching an effort to set new rules that would guarantee compensation when disruptions occur that are under airlines’ control.
Hungary’s president rejected a bill that would enable citizens to anonymously report same-sex families to authorities, a rare rebuke from an otherwise loyal ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, an educator and the first openly gay Black man to hold elected office in Texas, held onto his seat Saturday night. He defeated 9 challengers for the council seat he first won in 2021.
A woman who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 while wearing a pink beret and was recently identified to the FBI by an ex-romantic partner was charged with four federal counts.
Governor Tim Walz signed a law that brings automatic voter registration into Minnesota.
The Oregon legislature voted to ban polystyrene foam food containers and packing peanuts.
A new poll finds that a 66 percent majority of U.S. adults say mifepristone should remain on the market.
The Texas House advanced a bill to raise the minimum age to buy assault weapons. While it may not ultimately pass, even this advancement is huge progress.
A jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who alleged that Trump raped her in 1996 in the dressing room of a New York City department store. He must pay Carroll 5M.
Representative George Santos has been charged by federal prosecutors in New York.
CA Governor Gavin Newsom is allocating $8 million for physical and digital security upgrades at abortion clinics. ¹
Feinstein is back and voting!
The Washington State Senate passed House Bill 1085 to reduce plastic pollution. It now heads to Governor Inslee to be signed into law.
U.S. inflation cooled for the 10th straight month.
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed the tightest limits ever on power plants’ planet-warming pollution, a policy it must enact to meet President Biden’s pledge to halve U.S. emissions by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the availability of nearly $1 billion for low-income multifamily housing to become more energy-efficient, water-efficient and resilient to climate disasters.
After four months of investigation, House Republicans who promised to use their new majority to unearth evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden acknowledged on Wednesday that they had yet to uncover incriminating material about him.
Germany is relaxing its regulations for solar power installations after the country already set a new installation record this year. The country added 2.7 gigawatts of solar power capacity in the first three months of the year, putting it on track to beat its 9-gigawatt target for the year.
Texas’ Fort Hood has been renamed to honor Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a Korean and Vietnam War veteran and the U.S. Army’s first Hispanic four-star general.
The unemployment rate for Black Americans fell below 5% for the first time ever in April.
A federal appeals judge in Illinois has put a hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that blocked the state from enforcing its strict ban on some assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
In a unanimous vote, advisors to the FDA recommended the agency approve what could become the first-ever over the counter birth control pill.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding California’s Prop 12. This ruling protects the rights of states to set humane animal treatment and food safety rules.
The Congressional Integrity Project is set to launch a monthslong ad campaign demanding the Oversight Committee open investigations into the Trump family similar to those Comer has initiated against President Joe Biden since taking over as chairman in January.
In Illinois, nearly 45,000 Cook County residents have received letters in the mail telling them that — without even asking for it — their medical debt has been erased.
Ecuador struck a record-setting deal to reduce its debt burden and free up hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation around the Galápagos Islands.
The FDA just officially ended its ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Long seen as discriminatory, the eased restrictions could also help ease blood shortages by opening up blood donation to more people.
A new law in Colorado will prevent utilities from charging customers for funds they’ll use to hire lobbyists to block climate progress.
Climate change was restored to Utah’s supplemental state standards for science and engineering education by one vote late Thursday night.
Daniel Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter after he was filmed placing Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a New York City subway train earlier this month.
Nevada advanced a resolution to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
Washington’s new budget will include $21 million for abortion infrastructure as the state continues to see an uptick in out-of-state patients seeking reproductive healthcare. ²
The U.S. Department of Energy announced $26 million for eight selected projects to demonstrate how solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy resources can support a reliable and efficient U.S. power grid.
The team behind Netflix’s Don’t Look Up just launched a self-proclaimed “anti-BS” non-profit production studio aimed at combating misinformation from the fossil fuel industry. It’s great!³
Ohio voters and the coalition One Person, One Vote filed a lawsuit against a proposed amendment, to be voted on in August, that would make ballot measures more difficult to pass. ⁴
President Biden published an op-ed announcing new actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and maximize the benefits of the law, reducing gun violence and saving lives.
From Chop Wood, Carry Water, a daily political actions email by Jessica Craven
May 14, 2023
Footnotes:
1&2 Abortion, Every Day
3 The Lever
4 Marc Elias, the Daily Docket