Posted by Karen McShell on Threads with the caption “The Weiners Circle does not play.”
Hi, all, and happy Sunday!
It’s been another difficult week, but there were a huge number of victories in it, too! It’s hard to spot the wins when the bad news is tumbling in at lightning speed, so below, as per usual on Sundays, is all the good news I could find in one long list. Read it. Delight in it. SAVOR it!
Remember, what we focus on grows. So please take the time to enjoy and appreciate every item below. Tell your friends about your favorite one. And share this list everywhere so that more people can find the hope they need to keep going.
Happy holidays, all! You are the gift that keeps on giving to me, so thanks for that. 🎁
Read This 📖
From America’s Voice: A Year of Solidarity: 12 Stories of Hope as Neighbors Stand Up for Immigrant Neighbors
Celebrate This! 🎉
We had another HUGE electoral overperformance in Kentucky on Tuesday! Democrat Gary Clemons won a special election in Jefferson County to fill a vacant state Senate seat. Harris won this district by 5 points; he won it by 48!!
Despite Trump’s relentless attacks, clean energy is still gaining significant ground in the US! Through November, 92% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2025 came in the form of solar, wind, or storage.
Colorado just completed construction on North America’s largest wildlife overpass.
Activists unfurled a large Epstein and Trump photo banner in front of the Capitol.
The Heritage Foundation saw two trustees resign amid fallout after president Kevin Roberts defended commentator Tucker Carlson.
The Bari Weiss Erika Kirk interview was a ratings flop.
Elise Stefanik announced she would not run for NY governor AND would not seek re-election in Congress!
A new statue honoring Barbara Rose Johns, a Black teen who fought segregation, was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol.
Less than 48 hours after the deadly attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead, Australian authorities announced proposals for sweeping new gun laws.
A US judge ruled that Trump cannot ban lawmakers’ surprise visits to ICE facilities.
Thanks to Gov. Spencer Cox’s ® signature, Utah just repealed a recent, highly restrictive collective bargaining ban that prevented labor unions for public sector employees like teachers, firefighters, and police officers from negotiating on behalf of their workers.
Four Republicans joined House Democrats to give Hakeem Jeffries’ discharge petition the 218 votes it needed to force a vote on the ACA extensions in January. While a three year extension will likely not succeed, this could force Republicans to pass something.
An Arizona city council voted unanimously to strike down development proposals for a $2 billion data center complex championed by former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
After pushback from members of Congress, a Texas judge has blocked the sale of Genesis HealthCare, a bankrupt private equity-backed nursing home chain, that would have allowed Genesis to continue to shirk accountability for alleged injuries and wrongful deaths that occurred in its facilities. 1
Just 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. It’s his worst mark in the six years that Marist has been asking the question.
Jared Kushner’s private equity firm says it is dropping out of the group of firms that planned to back Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, is retiring from the Senate.
Dan Bongino has said he will leave his role as the FBI’s deputy director in January.
Around 30,000 animals were rescued from illegal captivity in the largest wildlife trafficking raid in history. Operation Thunder took place over one month and included law enforcement agencies like national police, customs, border security, and forestry and wildlife authorities.
Norway has stopped issuing controversial deep-sea mining licenses through at least 2029.
Michigan is raising its minimum wage by 10% starting January 1, including a raise for tipped workers.
Thousands of GoFundMe donors raised $1.5 million for the hero who disarmed a Bondi Beach attacker.
More than 20,000 people — the most in a decade — across Australia made an appointment and showed up to wait for hours to donate blood after the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
In a first for the nation, North Dakota is set to provide high-speed internet access to the entire state by 2028. (This is due to President Biden’s Infrastructure Act, by the way. Thanks, Joe Biden!)
The percentage of adults in the U.S. who say they consume alcohol fell to a record-low 54%, the lowest in nearly 90 years.
Activists threw ice into Boston harbor to protest Trump on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
Sarah Palin’s bid for a new libel trial against The New York Times was rejected by a New York federal judge who also refused Palin’s request that the judge recuse himself.
The U.S. Coast Guard deleted language from its new workplace harassment policy that had downgraded the definition of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to ‘potentially divisive.’
Working Families Party put out a recruitment call for candidates specifically opposed to data centers.
European leaders agreed to keep Ukraine funded for two years with a loan of 90 billion euros, or about $105 billion.
Colorado is the first U.S. state to offer additional paid neonatal care leave for families. Families in the state already receive 12 weeks of paid bonding leave, and starting Jan. 1, Colorado parents with a child in the NICU can get an additional 12 weeks of paid time off.
Pope Leo appointed a new, pro-migrant archbishop of New York, bishop Ronald Hicks, who has first-hand experience of countries from where millions have emigrated to the United States.
Instacart has agreed to refund $60 million to customers to settle allegations that the grocery shopping service engaged in deceptive marketing and billing practices.
Former CDC leaders Susan Monarez and Dr. Debra Houry have been recruited to serve as consultants to the California Department of Public Health to launch the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX).
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that former Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education violated the Open Meeting Act by approving new K-12 social studies standards promoting Christianity to public school students.
Freddy Puza was officially sworn in as mayor of Culver City, California, becoming the city’s first openly gay mayor.
National Guard troops under Trump’s command left L.A before a court’s deadline.
A federal judge has indicated she will order the Trump-Vance administration to nullify the terminations of federal employees at four federal agencies, which were implemented in clear violation of the bipartisan law that ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Jared Kushner has pulled out of a planned Trump-branded development in Belgrade after the project sparked protests and the indictment of a senior Serbian politician.
The Denver City Council rejected a contract with Colorado-based airline Key Lime Air over the company’s work helping carry out President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation efforts.
St. Pete, FL debuted a series of rainbow-colored bike racks to replace a former Pride crosswalk that were removed earlier this year due to Republican requirements.
Cincinnati approved an $8.14 million settlement with over 400 protesters who were arrested during 2020 protests over George Floyd‘s death. The settlement led to new rules for police on responding to protests and coordinating with courts during mass arrests.
Two nonprofit groups launched an ad campaign, offering legal information and confidential advice to help U.S. troops who believe they may have received unlawful orders.
Michaela Benthaus, 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, became the first wheelchair user to float in space.
The DNC launched The Battleground Leadership Project— a six-figure investment to recruit and train coordinated campaign directors and organizing directors in key battleground states, closing the months-long gap between when campaigns need early staff and when they can generally afford to bring them on.
The Trump administration suffered a rare defeat at the Supreme Court, as the justices turned down an emergency request to halt a lawsuit over the government’s effort to bar immigration judges from speaking publicly about their work.
A federal jury acquitted a South L.A. man who towed an ICE agent’s vehicle in downtown Los Angeles earlier this year.
The Federal Reserve quietly Trump-proofed itself by renewing appointments of regional presidents for another 5 years.
New York became the second state (after California) to restrict the most advanced artificial intelligence under legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
In Oregon, roughly 80 Lincoln High School students marched from their downtown campus to Portland City Hall, where they gathered to chant, give speeches, and observe a moment of silence for those who’ve died in ICE custody.
Legendary pro wrestler Mick Foley announced he’s done with World Wrestling Entertainment for at least three years, citing the company’s close ties to Trump and the president’s “incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death.”
Learning Resources, a US educational toy company, is suing the Trump administration, claiming the president’s tariffs are illegal.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new state website that will track President Donald Trump’s “criminal compatriots.”
Watch This! 👀
There were countless hilarious takes on the Vanity Fair photos—this one is from the awesome creator raeshanda_lias on Instagram.
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This and the item above from ’s “You Love to See It.”
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