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shadowkatDisclaimer: As always, good news is often in the eye of the beholder and mileage may vary on the below. Hopefully you'll find something to make you smile.
1. Only about a quarter of medical schools include training on how to discuss safe gun storage and firearm injury prevention with patients. Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic is working to change that — and ensure that future doctors play a role in preventing gun violence.
https://www.thetrace.org/2025/07/medical-school-gun-violence-prevention/
2. Great land protection story from the Port Townsend Leader about the exciting recent purchase of 81 acres of forest and wetlands by our friends at the Northwest Watershed Institute (NWI)! The land will be permanently protected and stewarded as part of NWI's 500-acre Tarboo Wildlife Preserve in the Quilcene area. Jefferson Land Trust is proud to have played a facilitation role in this project by working with the U.S. Navy to secure matching funds through the Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. The Navy’s funding purchased a restrictive easement on the land that prevents development (but does not grant any rights to the military for use of the property).
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/northwest-watershed-institute-purchases-forest-for-addition-to-tarboo-wildlife-preserve,215813
3.Senator Chris Van Hollen’s amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee to "retain, preserve and compile" any records related to Jeffrey Epstein passed unanimously. On that note, the Epstein files are proving to be a real thorn in Trump’s shoe, and I’m here for it.
https://www.ksby.com/politics/senate-committee-unanimously-approves-amendment-that-would-preserve-jeffrey-epstein-files
[The fight over the Epstein files and release of the client list is amusing, partly because it's one of the many platforms that the Doofus ran on, and right now, his base, Magna is furious at him. Over on Twitter, Stephen King got into trouble with his fans - for stating that the Epstein Client List was about as real as the Tooth Fantasy and Santa Claus. ]
4.L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has signed an executive order to provide cash cards worth several hundred dollars—funded by philanthropy—to undocumented immigrants who miss work due to fear of ICE raids.
https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-bass-issues-executive-directive-support-immigrant-communities
5.US District Court Judge Nina Wang has fined two of Mike Lindell's attorneys $3,000 apiece for their error-riddled AI-generated legal brief. Lindell, of My Pillow, lost the defamation case and is on the hook for $2.3M in damages.
[Yeah, don't use AI to write things folks. It's a computer code created by IT - and IT can't write that well, and some can't write to save their lives.]
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5389852-mypillow-ceo-mike-lindells-attorneys-fined-for-inaccurate-ai-generated-brief/
6. Poland generated more power from clean energy sources than coal for the first time in June.
https://www.ft.com/content/ae920241-597e-49d9-a4b9-bfdfa9deabb6?accessToken=zwAGOQFSub4YkdOukgJBWX5J2dOkub_fqd6rtg.MEUCIC7wxgJShKjVR3u717YcwKFA3kRvRTs4yUanM49uZ5ZYAiEAiv7r4PrLesRguLHgvVlrgsCiItG8QsBG5GNgqjqgj5A&sharetype=gift&token=4a8b6641-d698-4252-8c2f-e667b96f2351&ref=climativity.com
7.Michael Jordan opened his fourth free clinic for people who are uninsured or underserved in North Carolina, his home state.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nba/michael-jordan-opens-another-free-health-clinic-native-north-carolina-2050274?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
8.NEW ORLEANS FINANCIAL COLLAB GETS $1M GRANT TO INVEST IN LOCAL START-UPS
The Financial Wellness Collaborative received the $1 million grant to help small businesses manage their financial health and scale-up.
https://www.blackenterprise.com/new-orleans-financial-collaborative-grant-invest/
9.Mexico sent water rescue teams and firefighters to help in Texas after the holiday weekend floods.
https://www.newsweek.com/mexico-sends-help-texas-floods-2095878
10.A new Gallup poll taken over the month of June shows Trump support on “handling the immigration issue” now stands at 35% with 62% opposing.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx
11. The former Librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has found a new position with the country’s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts.
https://apnews.com/article/carla-hayden-library-of-congress-mellon-foundation-9db128ac035982ecaa6b339dbe8b7276?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
[I thought her job got saved, but okay.]
12.The Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for a ban on LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, deciding that a Republican-controlled legislative committee rule blocking bans on the practice was unconstitutional.
https://newrepublic.com/post/197704/wisconsin-supreme-court-huge-win-conversion-therapy?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
13. The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to revive an aggressive Florida immigration law that had been blocked by lower courts. The law would have let state officials prosecute unauthorized migrants who enter the state.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/070925zr_6537.pdf
14. People are starting to believe their eyes: Americans who think global warming is happening now outnumber those who think it is not by a ratio of more than 4 to 1 (69% versus 15%).
https://mailchi.mp/yale/75-of-americans-think-global-warming-is-affecting-extreme-heat?e=eeeddb7587
15.Larry David is returning to HBO with an American history sketch show produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company.
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/larry-david-american-history-sketch-comedy-series-hbo-1236451946/
16.The Catholic Church's approval of blessings of couples in same-sex relationships "will remain" under Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Vatican's doctrine office told an Italian reporter in a brief interview.
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/gay-blessings-will-remain-under-pope-leo-vatican-doctrine-chief-says?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
17.In a searing ruling against the Trump administration, a federal judge temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests that advocates say have terrorized Los Angelenos, forced people into hiding and damaged L.A.’s local economy.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-11/federal-judge-temporarily-halts-alleged-indiscriminate-immigration-stops?ref=meditationsinanemergency.com
18.Texas clarified the definition of consent in its sexual assault laws in the last minutes of state lawmakers’ latest legislative session. This was a direct result of the activism of one woman, Summer Willis.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/02/texas-sexual-assault-bill-summer-willis-legislature-consent/
19. A newly completed investigation by Wyoming’s largest county found no evidence of noncitizen voting in the 2024 elections, undercutting claims used to justify the state’s controversial proof of citizenship law.
https://www.laramiecountywy.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/sheriff/documents/7-8-25-lcso-concludes-illegal-voting-investigations.pdf
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/wyomings-version-of-the-save-act-would-lower-turnout-even-further-now-its-being-challenged-in-court/
20.After decades of conservation efforts, Maryland is now home to one of the biggest populations of bald eagles in the U.S.
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/bald-eagles-endangered-status-recovery?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
21.Lisbon, Portugal launched a citywide reusable cup scheme to reduce plastic waste.
https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/07/03/deposit-drink-return-lisbon-is-the-first-european-capital-with-a-citywide-reusable-cup-sch?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
22.Another federal judge AGAIN blocked the Trump administration from enforcing his executive order ending birthright citizenship.
https://archive.ph/k3Qw1#selection-677.0-677.135
23.BLACK TEEN INVENTOR OF GABBY BOWS LANDS $1M IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND A NEW BOOK DEAL
https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-teen-inventor-gabby-bows-book-deal/
Gabby Goodwin invented GaBBY Bows, the first and only anti-slip double-face double-snap barrette, at the age of seven with her mom, Rozalynn, and holds three U.S. patents. The now-teenage CEO and graduating senior has received merit scholarship offers totaling more than $1 million — including four full rides — from eight esteemed universities.
Gabby has also secured a book deal with HarperCollins, and her first-authored children’s book, Naturally Me at the Confidence Salon, is now available for pre-order and set to release on May 27 everywhere books are sold. Inspired by Gabby’s real-life Confidence Salon, this picture book encourages young readers to celebrate their natural beauty, cultivate confidence, and pursue their dreams.
24.Amazon’s first day traffic on Amazon Prime Day was down 41%.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/still-early-in-the-event-amazon-defends-41-prime-day-sales-drop-report/ar-AA1Iq4GB
25.A federal appeals court in New York officially affirmed the jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll and fined him $5M.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/trump-loses-appeal-of-5-million-e-jean-carroll-sexual-abuse-defamation-verdict/ar-AA1ImtNa
26.A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from defunding Planned Parenthood.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-planned-parenthood-judge-blocks-big-beautiful-bill/
27.Former state officials from Montana have launched an ambitious effort to ban dark money and corporate spending from local politics in the state.
https://www.levernews.com/psychedelic-southern-comfort/
28.The DNC launched an automated account on Twitter that updates the public about Trump's refusal to release the Epstein files.
[LOL! Trump promised to release them when he became President, and said it would reveal all the Democrat Politicians were the clients. The Democratice National Convention has launched an automated account to update everyone on his refusal to do so - and why. Talk about something coming back to bite you in the ass - big time?]
https://x.com/TheDemocrats/status/1943346340227911726
29. Over 20 scientists from research institutions across the nation whose grants have been canceled by the Trump administration showed up to Capitol Hill to hold an old-fashioned science fair titled “The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants.”
https://nasawatch.com/congress/congressional-event-a-science-fair-of-canceled-grants/
30.The River Seine in Paris reopened to public swimming for the first time in a century [Remember when they couldn't really have people swim in it during the Olympics and were trying to clean it up?]
https://apnews.com/article/paris-swimming-seine-river-public-6ff093114f6addf0489b2bea952789e1?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
31.TSA changed its “shoe rule” and will no longer require airline passengers to remove their shoes at security.
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/shoes-airport-tsa-richard-reid-b2784565.html?cdmc=2zawtSbCIRBMVX9vGI9EAiYLSRy&sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
32. In 2024, men spent an average of 100 minutes per day doing household activities like laundry and cleaning, a record-high amount as captured by the American Time Use Survey. Well, at least that what they SAID they did.
https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/men-do-housework-women-still-do-more-rcna216748?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%F0%9F%97%9E%EF%B8%8F+Good+News%3A+The+housework+gender+gap+is+closing+-+18257932&sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
33.A city workers’ union struck a deal with the Philadelphia government to end a strike that had paused garbage pickup for over a week.
https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-labor-strike-ends-trash-pool-services-4f0687603189776d89b241f59e6e66f2
34.A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that election officials must certify election results by the legal deadline.
https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-fulton-county-certification-challenge-ii/?_hsmi=370612867
35. Governor Josh Stein signed a bill to strengthen North Carolina’s Medicaid program.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-stein-signs-bill-strengthen-201459461.html
36."Medical groups sue RFK Jr over vaccines - Six US medical organizations and an anonymous pregnant physician have filed a lawsuit against US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the Department of Health and Human Services over recent decisions to remove COVID-19 vaccines from a list of those recommended to children and pregnant people. The plaintiffs assert that the decision that limits access to these vaccines — made by Kennedy without the input of independent experts — is harmful to the public and unscientific. “The secretary’s intentions are clear,” says Richard H. Hughes IV, a lawyer leading the effort. “He aims to destroy vaccines.”"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/health/vaccines-kennedy-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.8LT1.RQBqBPQCWj7g&smid=url-share
37. $1 Million dollar lottery winner was homeless man.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/california-lottery-homeless-man-20769219.php
38. For roughly one in every hundred people, food containing even the smallest amounts of gluten can deliver a gutful of hurt and pose severe risks to their health.
While a domino effect of immunological reactions can be traced back to their genetic roots, a number of contributing factors are also involved, making it difficult to map the precise chain of events that causes celiac disease.
Using transgenic mice, an international team led by scientists from McMaster University in Canada has identified a crucial role played by the very cells making up the gut's lining, describing a major stepping stone that could lead to new therapies.
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-finally-uncovered-where-gluten-reactions-start
39.What started as a general survey of Wisconsin’s Fox River led to the discovery of a long-lost shipwreck. “That’s the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for!” the Wisconsin Historical Society wrote on social media.
Ironically enough, the researchers were using a sonar system to map the river bottom in hopes of locating a different shipwreck — the Berlin City, pictured here. But as fate would have it, they ended up finding remains of a buried 90-foot-long and 23-foot-wide hull that’s believed to belong to the L.W. Crane, which caught fire and sank in Oshkosh in 1880.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/1880-shipwreck-oshkosh-wisconsin-accidental-discovery/?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
40. For the first time the Virginia Fire Department had more women graduates than men.
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/female-firefighters-women-fire-department?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
41.Scientists from the University of South Australia have developed a long-acting injection aimed at simplifying treatment for people living with Parkinson's disease.
Researchers hope the weekly treatment could one day replace the need for multiple daily oral medications, but first it will need to go through animal testing and clinical trials.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-14/new-injection-aims-to-simplify-treatment-for-parkinsons/105502026?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
42.Scientists have detected the most massive merger of black holes ever. This titanic collision, "heard" in ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, involves black holes so massive that it could challenge current models of the universe.
The merger was detected by the gravitational wave detector network LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) on Nov. 23, 2023, during the fourth observing run of these three sensitive laser interferometers located in the US, Italy, and Japan.
The merger event that set spacetime ringing with this gravitational wave signal, designated GW231123, involved progenitor black holes with masses of 100 and 140 times that of the sun. These two were so massive that when they merged, they created a "daughter" black hole 225 times the mass of our sun, with the missing mass converted to energy, propelling gravitational waves that rippled out from the violent event.
[Okay this may not be necessarily good news? But I thought it was wickedly cool. Yes, I'm a space geek, I admit it.]
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/gravitational-waves-reveal-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-detected-one-forbidden-by-current-models?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
43. Using Flies to eradicate screwworm larva from Cattle...
Billions of flies may soon fall out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico — but not to worry, it’s all part of a government plan. If that sentence doesn’t exactly leave you feeling comforted, this one might: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is breeding the flies to help eradicate New World Screwworm larvae, which are endangering cattle.
Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told the Associated Press that even “a thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks” due to the live flesh-eating maggots. To prevent that from happening, the USDA plans to breed adult male flies and sterilize them via radiation. Once they’re dropped, the eggs that result from the sterilized flies mating with females won’t be fertilized, leading to fewer larvae and helping the population die off.
Not only has this method been effective in the U.S. in the past, but it’s also more eco-friendly than using pesticides to kill the bugs. “It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, a professor who specializes in veterinary entomology. “It’s an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/us-plans-begin-breeding-billions-flies-fight-pest-rcna216505?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
44. A Gene Therapy Trial is Showing Promise in Treating kids and adolescents with Genetic Hearing Loss
We’re starting off this Tuesday with the sound of progress: A gene therapy trial is showing promise for treating children and young adults born with genetic hearing loss. The study, involving 10 people between ages 1 and 24 with mutations in a gene called OTOF, found that a single gene therapy injection restored hearing in all 10 participants.
“This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,” study co-author Maoli Duan said in a press release about the therapy, which uses a synthetic virus to deliver a healthy copy of the OTOF gene directly to the inner ear.
Within six months, the average volume of perceptible sound among study subjects improved from 106 decibels (e.g., the sound of a motorcycle or power lawn mower) to 52, the equivalent of a quiet suburb or a conversation at home. The success stories include a 7-year-old participant who recovered almost all of her hearing four months post-treatment, allowing her to hold daily conversations with her mother and hear the sound of rain falling for the first time, per Gizmodo.
https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/in-a-first-congenital-deafness-in-teens-and-adults-treated-with-new-gene-therapy?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
And just in case you found zip in that list to smile about? Here's a photo of flowers.
1. Only about a quarter of medical schools include training on how to discuss safe gun storage and firearm injury prevention with patients. Scrubs Addressing the Firearm Epidemic is working to change that — and ensure that future doctors play a role in preventing gun violence.
https://www.thetrace.org/2025/07/medical-school-gun-violence-prevention/
2. Great land protection story from the Port Townsend Leader about the exciting recent purchase of 81 acres of forest and wetlands by our friends at the Northwest Watershed Institute (NWI)! The land will be permanently protected and stewarded as part of NWI's 500-acre Tarboo Wildlife Preserve in the Quilcene area. Jefferson Land Trust is proud to have played a facilitation role in this project by working with the U.S. Navy to secure matching funds through the Navy’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program. The Navy’s funding purchased a restrictive easement on the land that prevents development (but does not grant any rights to the military for use of the property).
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/northwest-watershed-institute-purchases-forest-for-addition-to-tarboo-wildlife-preserve,215813
3.Senator Chris Van Hollen’s amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee to "retain, preserve and compile" any records related to Jeffrey Epstein passed unanimously. On that note, the Epstein files are proving to be a real thorn in Trump’s shoe, and I’m here for it.
https://www.ksby.com/politics/senate-committee-unanimously-approves-amendment-that-would-preserve-jeffrey-epstein-files
[The fight over the Epstein files and release of the client list is amusing, partly because it's one of the many platforms that the Doofus ran on, and right now, his base, Magna is furious at him. Over on Twitter, Stephen King got into trouble with his fans - for stating that the Epstein Client List was about as real as the Tooth Fantasy and Santa Claus. ]
4.L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has signed an executive order to provide cash cards worth several hundred dollars—funded by philanthropy—to undocumented immigrants who miss work due to fear of ICE raids.
https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-bass-issues-executive-directive-support-immigrant-communities
5.US District Court Judge Nina Wang has fined two of Mike Lindell's attorneys $3,000 apiece for their error-riddled AI-generated legal brief. Lindell, of My Pillow, lost the defamation case and is on the hook for $2.3M in damages.
[Yeah, don't use AI to write things folks. It's a computer code created by IT - and IT can't write that well, and some can't write to save their lives.]
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5389852-mypillow-ceo-mike-lindells-attorneys-fined-for-inaccurate-ai-generated-brief/
6. Poland generated more power from clean energy sources than coal for the first time in June.
https://www.ft.com/content/ae920241-597e-49d9-a4b9-bfdfa9deabb6?accessToken=zwAGOQFSub4YkdOukgJBWX5J2dOkub_fqd6rtg.MEUCIC7wxgJShKjVR3u717YcwKFA3kRvRTs4yUanM49uZ5ZYAiEAiv7r4PrLesRguLHgvVlrgsCiItG8QsBG5GNgqjqgj5A&sharetype=gift&token=4a8b6641-d698-4252-8c2f-e667b96f2351&ref=climativity.com
7.Michael Jordan opened his fourth free clinic for people who are uninsured or underserved in North Carolina, his home state.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nba/michael-jordan-opens-another-free-health-clinic-native-north-carolina-2050274?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
8.NEW ORLEANS FINANCIAL COLLAB GETS $1M GRANT TO INVEST IN LOCAL START-UPS
The Financial Wellness Collaborative received the $1 million grant to help small businesses manage their financial health and scale-up.
https://www.blackenterprise.com/new-orleans-financial-collaborative-grant-invest/
9.Mexico sent water rescue teams and firefighters to help in Texas after the holiday weekend floods.
https://www.newsweek.com/mexico-sends-help-texas-floods-2095878
10.A new Gallup poll taken over the month of June shows Trump support on “handling the immigration issue” now stands at 35% with 62% opposing.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/692522/surge-concern-immigration-abated.aspx
11. The former Librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has found a new position with the country’s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts.
https://apnews.com/article/carla-hayden-library-of-congress-mellon-foundation-9db128ac035982ecaa6b339dbe8b7276?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
[I thought her job got saved, but okay.]
12.The Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for a ban on LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, deciding that a Republican-controlled legislative committee rule blocking bans on the practice was unconstitutional.
https://newrepublic.com/post/197704/wisconsin-supreme-court-huge-win-conversion-therapy?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
13. The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to revive an aggressive Florida immigration law that had been blocked by lower courts. The law would have let state officials prosecute unauthorized migrants who enter the state.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/070925zr_6537.pdf
14. People are starting to believe their eyes: Americans who think global warming is happening now outnumber those who think it is not by a ratio of more than 4 to 1 (69% versus 15%).
https://mailchi.mp/yale/75-of-americans-think-global-warming-is-affecting-extreme-heat?e=eeeddb7587
15.Larry David is returning to HBO with an American history sketch show produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company.
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/larry-david-american-history-sketch-comedy-series-hbo-1236451946/
16.The Catholic Church's approval of blessings of couples in same-sex relationships "will remain" under Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Vatican's doctrine office told an Italian reporter in a brief interview.
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/gay-blessings-will-remain-under-pope-leo-vatican-doctrine-chief-says?emci=e3d5dd2c-7b5e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&emdi=5775f64a-895e-f011-8dc9-6045bdfe8e9c&ceid=24376453
17.In a searing ruling against the Trump administration, a federal judge temporarily blocked federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests that advocates say have terrorized Los Angelenos, forced people into hiding and damaged L.A.’s local economy.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-11/federal-judge-temporarily-halts-alleged-indiscriminate-immigration-stops?ref=meditationsinanemergency.com
18.Texas clarified the definition of consent in its sexual assault laws in the last minutes of state lawmakers’ latest legislative session. This was a direct result of the activism of one woman, Summer Willis.
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/02/texas-sexual-assault-bill-summer-willis-legislature-consent/
19. A newly completed investigation by Wyoming’s largest county found no evidence of noncitizen voting in the 2024 elections, undercutting claims used to justify the state’s controversial proof of citizenship law.
https://www.laramiecountywy.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/sheriff/documents/7-8-25-lcso-concludes-illegal-voting-investigations.pdf
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/wyomings-version-of-the-save-act-would-lower-turnout-even-further-now-its-being-challenged-in-court/
20.After decades of conservation efforts, Maryland is now home to one of the biggest populations of bald eagles in the U.S.
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/bald-eagles-endangered-status-recovery?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
21.Lisbon, Portugal launched a citywide reusable cup scheme to reduce plastic waste.
https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/07/03/deposit-drink-return-lisbon-is-the-first-european-capital-with-a-citywide-reusable-cup-sch?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
22.Another federal judge AGAIN blocked the Trump administration from enforcing his executive order ending birthright citizenship.
https://archive.ph/k3Qw1#selection-677.0-677.135
23.BLACK TEEN INVENTOR OF GABBY BOWS LANDS $1M IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND A NEW BOOK DEAL
https://www.blackenterprise.com/black-teen-inventor-gabby-bows-book-deal/
Gabby Goodwin invented GaBBY Bows, the first and only anti-slip double-face double-snap barrette, at the age of seven with her mom, Rozalynn, and holds three U.S. patents. The now-teenage CEO and graduating senior has received merit scholarship offers totaling more than $1 million — including four full rides — from eight esteemed universities.
Gabby has also secured a book deal with HarperCollins, and her first-authored children’s book, Naturally Me at the Confidence Salon, is now available for pre-order and set to release on May 27 everywhere books are sold. Inspired by Gabby’s real-life Confidence Salon, this picture book encourages young readers to celebrate their natural beauty, cultivate confidence, and pursue their dreams.
24.Amazon’s first day traffic on Amazon Prime Day was down 41%.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/still-early-in-the-event-amazon-defends-41-prime-day-sales-drop-report/ar-AA1Iq4GB
25.A federal appeals court in New York officially affirmed the jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll and fined him $5M.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/trump-loses-appeal-of-5-million-e-jean-carroll-sexual-abuse-defamation-verdict/ar-AA1ImtNa
26.A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from defunding Planned Parenthood.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-planned-parenthood-judge-blocks-big-beautiful-bill/
27.Former state officials from Montana have launched an ambitious effort to ban dark money and corporate spending from local politics in the state.
https://www.levernews.com/psychedelic-southern-comfort/
28.The DNC launched an automated account on Twitter that updates the public about Trump's refusal to release the Epstein files.
[LOL! Trump promised to release them when he became President, and said it would reveal all the Democrat Politicians were the clients. The Democratice National Convention has launched an automated account to update everyone on his refusal to do so - and why. Talk about something coming back to bite you in the ass - big time?]
https://x.com/TheDemocrats/status/1943346340227911726
29. Over 20 scientists from research institutions across the nation whose grants have been canceled by the Trump administration showed up to Capitol Hill to hold an old-fashioned science fair titled “The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants.”
https://nasawatch.com/congress/congressional-event-a-science-fair-of-canceled-grants/
30.The River Seine in Paris reopened to public swimming for the first time in a century [Remember when they couldn't really have people swim in it during the Olympics and were trying to clean it up?]
https://apnews.com/article/paris-swimming-seine-river-public-6ff093114f6addf0489b2bea952789e1?sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
31.TSA changed its “shoe rule” and will no longer require airline passengers to remove their shoes at security.
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/shoes-airport-tsa-richard-reid-b2784565.html?cdmc=2zawtSbCIRBMVX9vGI9EAiYLSRy&sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
32. In 2024, men spent an average of 100 minutes per day doing household activities like laundry and cleaning, a record-high amount as captured by the American Time Use Survey. Well, at least that what they SAID they did.
https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/men-do-housework-women-still-do-more-rcna216748?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%F0%9F%97%9E%EF%B8%8F+Good+News%3A+The+housework+gender+gap+is+closing+-+18257932&sh_kit=7a2950363f4b90b1881ae76c68d24551846eea9063b67a6a14e9fa39bc419e40
33.A city workers’ union struck a deal with the Philadelphia government to end a strike that had paused garbage pickup for over a week.
https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-labor-strike-ends-trash-pool-services-4f0687603189776d89b241f59e6e66f2
34.A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling that election officials must certify election results by the legal deadline.
https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-fulton-county-certification-challenge-ii/?_hsmi=370612867
35. Governor Josh Stein signed a bill to strengthen North Carolina’s Medicaid program.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/governor-stein-signs-bill-strengthen-201459461.html
36."Medical groups sue RFK Jr over vaccines - Six US medical organizations and an anonymous pregnant physician have filed a lawsuit against US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the Department of Health and Human Services over recent decisions to remove COVID-19 vaccines from a list of those recommended to children and pregnant people. The plaintiffs assert that the decision that limits access to these vaccines — made by Kennedy without the input of independent experts — is harmful to the public and unscientific. “The secretary’s intentions are clear,” says Richard H. Hughes IV, a lawyer leading the effort. “He aims to destroy vaccines.”"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/health/vaccines-kennedy-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.8LT1.RQBqBPQCWj7g&smid=url-share
37. $1 Million dollar lottery winner was homeless man.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/california-lottery-homeless-man-20769219.php
38. For roughly one in every hundred people, food containing even the smallest amounts of gluten can deliver a gutful of hurt and pose severe risks to their health.
While a domino effect of immunological reactions can be traced back to their genetic roots, a number of contributing factors are also involved, making it difficult to map the precise chain of events that causes celiac disease.
Using transgenic mice, an international team led by scientists from McMaster University in Canada has identified a crucial role played by the very cells making up the gut's lining, describing a major stepping stone that could lead to new therapies.
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-finally-uncovered-where-gluten-reactions-start
39.What started as a general survey of Wisconsin’s Fox River led to the discovery of a long-lost shipwreck. “That’s the excitement of archaeology, sometimes we find something new that we were not looking for!” the Wisconsin Historical Society wrote on social media.
Ironically enough, the researchers were using a sonar system to map the river bottom in hopes of locating a different shipwreck — the Berlin City, pictured here. But as fate would have it, they ended up finding remains of a buried 90-foot-long and 23-foot-wide hull that’s believed to belong to the L.W. Crane, which caught fire and sank in Oshkosh in 1880.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/1880-shipwreck-oshkosh-wisconsin-accidental-discovery/?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
40. For the first time the Virginia Fire Department had more women graduates than men.
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/female-firefighters-women-fire-department?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
41.Scientists from the University of South Australia have developed a long-acting injection aimed at simplifying treatment for people living with Parkinson's disease.
Researchers hope the weekly treatment could one day replace the need for multiple daily oral medications, but first it will need to go through animal testing and clinical trials.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-14/new-injection-aims-to-simplify-treatment-for-parkinsons/105502026?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
42.Scientists have detected the most massive merger of black holes ever. This titanic collision, "heard" in ripples in spacetime called gravitational waves, involves black holes so massive that it could challenge current models of the universe.
The merger was detected by the gravitational wave detector network LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) on Nov. 23, 2023, during the fourth observing run of these three sensitive laser interferometers located in the US, Italy, and Japan.
The merger event that set spacetime ringing with this gravitational wave signal, designated GW231123, involved progenitor black holes with masses of 100 and 140 times that of the sun. These two were so massive that when they merged, they created a "daughter" black hole 225 times the mass of our sun, with the missing mass converted to energy, propelling gravitational waves that rippled out from the violent event.
[Okay this may not be necessarily good news? But I thought it was wickedly cool. Yes, I'm a space geek, I admit it.]
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/gravitational-waves-reveal-most-massive-black-hole-merger-ever-detected-one-forbidden-by-current-models?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
43. Using Flies to eradicate screwworm larva from Cattle...
Billions of flies may soon fall out of airplanes over Texas and Mexico — but not to worry, it’s all part of a government plan. If that sentence doesn’t exactly leave you feeling comforted, this one might: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is breeding the flies to help eradicate New World Screwworm larvae, which are endangering cattle.
Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association, told the Associated Press that even “a thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks” due to the live flesh-eating maggots. To prevent that from happening, the USDA plans to breed adult male flies and sterilize them via radiation. Once they’re dropped, the eggs that result from the sterilized flies mating with females won’t be fertilized, leading to fewer larvae and helping the population die off.
Not only has this method been effective in the U.S. in the past, but it’s also more eco-friendly than using pesticides to kill the bugs. “It’s an exceptionally good technology,” said Edwin Burgess, a professor who specializes in veterinary entomology. “It’s an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/us-plans-begin-breeding-billions-flies-fight-pest-rcna216505?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
44. A Gene Therapy Trial is Showing Promise in Treating kids and adolescents with Genetic Hearing Loss
We’re starting off this Tuesday with the sound of progress: A gene therapy trial is showing promise for treating children and young adults born with genetic hearing loss. The study, involving 10 people between ages 1 and 24 with mutations in a gene called OTOF, found that a single gene therapy injection restored hearing in all 10 participants.
“This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness, one that can be life-changing for children and adults,” study co-author Maoli Duan said in a press release about the therapy, which uses a synthetic virus to deliver a healthy copy of the OTOF gene directly to the inner ear.
Within six months, the average volume of perceptible sound among study subjects improved from 106 decibels (e.g., the sound of a motorcycle or power lawn mower) to 52, the equivalent of a quiet suburb or a conversation at home. The success stories include a 7-year-old participant who recovered almost all of her hearing four months post-treatment, allowing her to hold daily conversations with her mother and hear the sound of rain falling for the first time, per Gizmodo.
https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/in-a-first-congenital-deafness-in-teens-and-adults-treated-with-new-gene-therapy?ck_subscriber_id=3259884285
And just in case you found zip in that list to smile about? Here's a photo of flowers.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-16 03:35 am (UTC)& the flowers! Aren't those coneflowers amazing?!
no subject
Date: 2025-07-16 05:46 am (UTC)