Daily Kos: Good News

Good morning and happy Tuesday, Gnusies! While horrifying/disgusting/dispiriting news keeps pouring out of the White House, good news also keeps coming from the rest of the country at an amazing rate. We the People are pissed off and fighting back!

So grab a mug of your favorite morning beverage, settle into a comfortable chair, and enjoy the good news good people are making all over our country and all over the world.

Opening music

In honor of Labor Day yesterday, here’s Pete Seeger with a classic labor anthem. Feel free to sing along!

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Good news in the Resistance

Photos from Portland Oregon’s Labor Day “Workers Over Billionaires” protest

I don’t yet know how large the crowd was, but it was energetic, happy, and loud!

Good news in politics

Democrats now lead Republicans in the generic Congressional ballot by 8 points

To read the details on this poll and Verasight’s methodology, click the link.

From G. Elliott Morris’s Substack, “Strength in Numbers”:

Susan Collins has a strong new opponent

C’mon Schumer and Jeffries, get on board!!

Graham Platner Is the Real Deal

Progressive media love Platner. The New Republic also did a profile on him. 

From The Nation:

In [his] viral [launch video], Platner is leaning casually against the wheel of a small boat. He’s wearing a stained sweatshirt, but without any of the Fetterman affect—this is a working oysterman in his normal attire. He’s got a gravelly voice, a bristly beard, and ruggedly casual charisma. But beyond the working-class aesthetic, it’s this line in particular—“I’m not afraid to name an enemy”—that I think explains his magnetic draw. Americans understand that the system is rigged, and we’re hungry for candidates with the guts and honesty to call out the villains causing our pain.

In his launch video—which has already racked up 4 million views on X—as well as every other statement he’s made over the last week, there is no trace of the anodyne consultant-speak that has become so synonymous with Democratic politicians. Platner does not blandly talk about an “opportunity economy”—he growls that “the fabric of what holds us together is being ripped apart by billionaires and corrupt politicians.” He doesn’t try to rise above the fray—he says outright that watching his state “become essentially unlivable for working people” makes him “deeply angry.”

Bernie’s on board! See DKos diary Bernie Sanders breaks with Democrats — supports “The Oysterman” against Susan Collins in Maine by TheCriticalMind. 

And Platner’s internal polling shows him crushing Collins, while Janet Mills barely squeaks by:

Chicago mayor says National Guard must unmask if deployed, urges Trump to ‘stand down’

All cities being threatened with National Guard deployment need to follow Chicago’s lead.

From Politico:

Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order Saturday calling for President Donald Trump to “stand down” on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The order also affirms that the Chicago Police Department doesn’t take orders from anyone other than the mayor.

Chicago police will not “collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement,” according to the order. Johnson’s directive also urges the federal law enforcement officers on the ground in Chicago “to refrain from wearing masks” and to identify themselves by agency and badge number. Chicago Police, including undercover officers, will be required to wear their full uniforms.

“It gives a clear directive” about who’s in charge, Johnson told reporters after signing the order. “This is about making a clear distinction about what our law enforcement engages in vs. what the federal government engages in. This president is not going to come in and deputize our police department.”

The mayor’s executive order follows a memo from the Department of Homeland Security requesting use of the Naval Station Great Lakes north of Chicago as a home base for immigration operations in Chicago. Local officials said nearby suburbs could be affected, too. Separately, Trump has vowed to send the National Guard to Chicago to address crime, similar to actions his administration took in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. ✂️

Johnson, who has spoken to LA Mayor Karen Bass, said his office expects an “expansive slew” of federal agents are being sent to Chicago “as early as Friday.” Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker have both criticized the Trump administration for not communicating its plans. Without any information, the city is preparing by using the playbook it followed during the Democratic National Convention, which drew large protests that were considered peaceful.

Ciara Smith is the first Black person, youngest elected to be Anniston’s mayor

Great news from Alabama!!

From The Anniston Star:

The voters have spoken. Incumbent Mayor Ciara Smith bested four challengers Tuesday night to be elected to a full four-year term leading the Model City.

Smith avoided a runoff by winning more than half the vote. According to final tallies, she received 57.31 percent. Steven Folks garnered 19.49 percent, Ben Little 12.08 percent, Kevin Cheatwood 10.26 percent and Michael Woods .86 percent.

The win makes Smith, 26, both the first Black mayor and the youngest person ever elected to Anniston’s top job.

Though polls closed at 7 p.m., Smith waited until after 9 p.m. before declaring victory to a packed house of supporters and family members at the Anniston City Meeting Center.

“Before announcing, I just want to say something, because I think it’s so important,” Smith told the crowd. “I started this when I was 20 years old. I don’t think at 20 that I knew at 26 that I would be in this position, and I had faced a lot of trials and a lot of tribulations, but I can’t explain how it feels to be in this position, not because I know how much I’ve had to sacrifice, but I know Anniston will be better because of it. …I know that our community will grow, and I hope that my leadership will show people … that there are people who truly care and who desire to be in a place of leadership, because we truly want better for our people. And that’s ultimately my goal,” she added.

Allison Gill: I Am Suing the Department of Justice for the Epstein Files Training Videos

Allison Gill is a national treasure!

From Gill’s Substack “The Breakdown”:

If you’ve been following my reporting, you’ll recall that on July 20th, I wrote the following:

Regarding the ever-changing nature of the instructions, which one source described as “full panic mode,” there were at least four different review instructions. Keeping in mind that the Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS) are trained in FOIA redactions but many in the IMD are not, there were multiple video training sessions that went out on an unclassified network on what to mark for redaction, what not to mark, and how to record things that needed to be flagged. That means that video exists of trainers explaining the process of flagging instances of Donald Trump appearing in the files, and those videos went out on unclassified networks within the bureau. It’s also of note that the trainers toward the end were folks from the Department of Justice, and not the FBI.

Two days later, after additional sources reached out to me, I published the following exclusive story here on The Breakdown:

Two sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the existence of training videos instructing personnel on the process of tagging mentions of Trump, and that the videos were actually embedded in a PowerPoint deck (or decks) that lived on the shared drive. Several others confirmed the existence of the excel spreadsheet containing the document number and page number in the Epstein files where Donald Trump’s name appears.

The same day, Kel McClanahan of National Security Counselors filed a Freedom of Information Act request on my behalf for “all videos stored on Sharepoint (on the unclassified side) or Sharepoint or BuTube (on the classified side) which were created or used to train FBI personnel in how to review records about Jeffrey Epstein.”

In that filing, I also requested expedited processing of this request, classification as a representative of the news media, and a public interest fee waiver, stating, “The ongoing story of how FBI and DOJ reviewed the Epstein records is one of the most newsworthy and fast developing topics in the news today. MSW Media has a pressing need to report on these videos and shed light on FBI’s role in this matter, which raises significant questions of government misconduct.”

Under law, the FBI had 10 days from that filing to respond to my request for expedited processing. They have not, which gives me the right to sue them.

Here’s what I’m asking the court to do:

1. Order the Office of Information Policy and Federal Bureau of Investigation to expeditiously process its requests;

2. Order preliminary and permanent injunctive and/or declaratory relief as may be appropriate;

3. Award reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees as provided in 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(E), 28 U.S.C. § 2412(d), or any other applicable law;

4. Expedite this action in every way pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1657(a); and

5. Grant such other relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

Khanna, Garcia, and Massie keep up the pressure to release the Epstein files

They’re going to be relentless.

From The Parnas Perspective:

• As Congress reconvenes, Democrats led by Reps. Ro Khanna and Robert Garcia — with support from Republican Thomas Massie — plan to force a House vote demanding the DOJ release all Epstein files, intensifying pressure on Trump over his past ties to Epstein; meanwhile, the Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Epstein’s estate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and issued new demands for records, as former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta prepares to testify, ensuring the scandal remains a central and divisive issue in Washington.

• Rep. Robert Garcia said Epstein’s estate will turn over a “birthday book” — reportedly containing a 2003 explicit message from Donald Trump — and other subpoenaed documents to the House Oversight Committee by Sept. 8, while many Epstein victims plan to meet lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Chris Murphy on taking a political stance against unregulated A.I.

Okay, I know I have a bit of an obsession about A.I., but I appear to be in good company. 

From Time:

TIME100 AI 2025

Meet the innovators, leaders, and thinkers reshaping our world through groundbreaking advances in artificial intelligence.

Chris Murphy

In a blistering essay published in June, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut accused leading AI companies of perpetuating a “fraud” on the American people—one that could result, he wrote, in mass job loss and societal upheaval. Today’s top AI companies “are in a race to deploy consumer-facing, job-killing AGI as quickly as possible, in order to beat each other to the market,” he wrote. “Any talk about ethical or moral AI is just whitewash.”

The crux of his argument—which emphasizes the need for greater AI regulation and oversight—ran counter to those made by the likes of OpenAI and reflected in policy by the Trump Administration, which maintain that the U.S. must tread lightly on AI regulation to stay ahead in the “AI race” against China. However, many of the concerns Murphy raised, particularly about AI-related job losses, have increasingly become part of public discourse, positioning Murphy as a rising star in the Democratic Party, and a key voice on an issue few in Congress speak out about.

With the Democrats seeking a new political platform in the wake of their 2024 defeat at the hands of Trump, Murphy—who says he has spent time meeting with executives at top AI companies, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman—spots a political opening in widespread worker anxiety over AI. “I think it’ll be good politics for whichever party takes more seriously the threat to jobs posed by unchecked artificial intelligence,” Murphy tells TIME. “This is an opportunity that we can seize, but it requires our party to make a choice.”

And I think this is the right place to put one of my favorite comments of the week:

Several commenters noted that, in fact, it’s even worse than this: AI runs on clean fresh water (i.e., drinking water), not ocean water.

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🍿 Repellent Republicans Recklessly Rushing toward Ruin 🍿

They knew. They are complicit!

Of course we know this, but it’s always good to be reminded of their astounding hypocrisy.

Collins should be “ very concerned”

I can’t wait to see the last of Collins.

GOP Rep. Barry Moore exits through back door after he is heckled at Alabama town hall

This story has been covered here before, but it’s worth reading about again. Remember, this happened in deep red Alabama!

From NBC News:

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., exited a town hall in his home district through the back door Wednesday night after he faced relentless heckling in Baldwin County.

Moore made the hasty departure after he …was repeatedly mocked and laughed at for his comments at the event in Daphne, a suburb of Mobile. In the video, Moore did not offer concluding remarks or bid good night to the rowdy crowd as many chanted “Shame!”

Moore, who is running for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s seat as Tuberville runs for governor, disputed that he had slipped out of the back door in an interview Thursday on “The Dale Jackson Show,” a conservative Alabama-based podcast and radio show. “We left like any other event,” Moore said. “I think we tried to engage and answer questions, but unfortunately, it got hijacked.” ✂️

Moore was repeatedly grilled and interrupted as he tried to respond to people’s questions that stemmed from their frustration over Medicaid cuts, rural hospitals, tariffs, immigration, abortion and the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. …Asked what he viewed as Trump’s “most meaningful” accomplishment, Moore began praising his border security policies, which was met by laughter as town hall-goers jeered, “Next question.” People also challenged Moore’s claims that cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s megabill would affect only undocumented immigrants and accused him of “lying.”

A good question from abroad

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Good news from my corner of the world

Federal appeals court backs Oregon drug price transparency law

The final sentence quoted below needs to be followed by a sad trombone — wah, wah, waaaaah!

BTW, isn’t it great to see all the Dem AGs working together to promote policies like this?

From The Oregonian:

A federal appeals court reinstated a paused Oregon law meant to ensure transparency behind rising prescription drug prices after a legal challenge claimed it infringed on the property and free speech rights of pharmaceutical companies.

In a 2-1 decision on [August 29th], the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a February 2024 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mosman, who suspended new rules passed in a 2018 Oregon law…that require drug manufacturers to submit annual price reports on increasingly expensive prescription drugs costing more than $100 for a month’s supply. Under the law, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services required pharmaceutical companies to provide “a narrative description and explanation of all major financial and nonfinancial factors” surrounding the drug price increases.

The State of Oregon received support in the suit from 21 states attorney generals, who filed an amicus brief upon appeal defending the law with the hopes of supporting their own states’ similar planned or existing legislation.

Oregon’s law promised penalties ranging up to $10,000 in daily fines for not reporting to the consumer and business department, but in the year after it passed, the D.C-based industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, sued the agency. The group alleged the law compelled manufacturers to effectively confess sensitive and competitive information to the state while assigning them all the blame for price increases.

This Pacific Northwest delicacy is one-of-a-kind. Now it has a name — and science — to back it

I can vouch for the deliciousness of Oregon truffles. Their flavor and aroma go from fruity to garlicky as they age.

From The Oregonian:

The Oregon black truffle — which can fetch up to $800 a pound — is now a unique species, further distinguishing the aromatic fungus from its European counterparts.

Please call it Leucangium cascadiense — named for its now-proven Cascade roots. The distinction is more than a pretty name.

Before now, biologists believed the Oregon black truffle was the same as the Leucangium carthusianum, grown in Poland, Greece and Italy and originally found under pine trees in France. A new study published in the scientific journal Persoonia found that not only does the Oregon black truffle grow exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, but it also grows specifically on Douglas fir trees — exciting news in the mycology community.✂️

The study also discovered two other new North American truffle species — found in the eastern U.S. — and one new species combination, and the researchers elevated one variety of truffle to a species, [study author Benjamin] Lemmond said.

How Portland became a hub for designing and manufacturing blades of all kinds

I happen to be a knife nerd, as most professional chefs are. It warms my heart that Portland knife-makers are on their way to being recognized as world-class.

From The Oregonian:

Portland’s tight-knit knife industry dates back decades. But outside a circle of “knife nerds,” as industry leader Ron Khormaei puts it, the region’s growing cluster of knife manufacturers and designers have stayed mostly out of the limelight.

The recently formed Portland Knife Center of Excellence aims to help with that. Started last year by Khormaei — the founder of Steelport Knife Co., a five-year-old kitchen knife company — the center’s goal is to build national and global awareness for the local industry, increase knife tourism and attract new talent to continue the industry’s future.

Now some of the industry’s top leaders and companies are pushing for wider recognition among their national competitors — and among Portland locals.

It counts among its founding members heavyweights like Leatherman, Gerber and ​​CRKT, as well as specialty manufacturers like Steelport and Benchmade. It’s added boutique knifemakers including The James Brand and William Henry. “We have some of the most respected companies in this area,” Khormaei said. “In the field of knives and tools in the U.S., they are internationally known. But they are known as individual companies. And if you are not in the field, you wouldn’t know where they are from.”

The bigger challenge, however, will be to establish the City of Roses’ reputation as “Knife Town, USA,” Khormaei’s own nickname for the city. ✂️

Knife industry jobs are densely concentrated in the Portland area, where it employs seven times more people per capita than the nation as a whole… Specialized operators in and around the Portland area provide heat treatment facilities, and black oxide vendors and anodizing services give knives their finishes. Those companies help keep manufacturing processes smooth and efficient.

“It becomes easier to do business when there is a framework of similar businesses,” [Lucas] Burnley [a knife designer] said. “They become familiar with a type of product, which makes it easier for another product to also be made in the same location.” Khormaei hopes the growing camaraderie among knife makers will help expand that ecosystem and solidify the industry’s place in Portland for decades to come.

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Good news from around the nation

Judge issues injunction preventing Trump’s FTC from investigating watchdog Media Matters

A welcome victory for the First Amendment.

From AP:

A federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission from investigating Media Matters for America, the liberal media watchdog group that had alleged the spread of hate speech on X since Elon Musk acquired the social media platform.

U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan ruled Friday that the FTC’s probe of Media Matters, “purportedly to investigate an advertiser boycott concerning social media platforms,” represents a clear violation of the group’s freedom of speech.

“It should alarm all Americans when the government retaliates against individuals or organizations for engaging in constitutionally protected public debate,” Sooknanan wrote.

Even before the FTC got involved, Media Matters has been defending itself against a lawsuit by Musk following the organization’s November 2023 story that, following Musk’s purchase of the social media site once known as Twitter, antisemitic posts and other offensive content were appearing next to advertisements there.

Sooknanan said the injunction halting any FTC probe was merited because Media Matters is likely to succeed on its claim that the FTC is being used to retaliate against it for a critical article on a Trump supporter.

“The court’s ruling demonstrates the importance of fighting over folding, which far too many are doing when confronted with intimidation from the Trump administration,” said Angelo Carusone, chairman and president of Media Matters.

Workers at Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Organize a Union under NFFE [National Federation of Federal Employees]

It’s good to see National Parks workers unionizing! I hope this will give them some protection from the Felon and his minions.

From a NFFE press release:

Today [August 28], the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) is proud to announce workers at Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks have elected NFFE to serve as their union representative. With over 97% voting in favor at both locations, Interpretive Park Rangers, educators, researchers, fee collectors, first responders, firefighters, and other staff at the two historic parks are now officially unionized. The IAM Union Organizing Department and NFFE field staff led the successful campaign, working alongside the internal organizing committee to secure this major victory.

The election was held during the peak of summer from July 22 to August 19 when the parks have their highest staff levels and both permanent and seasonal employees had the opportunity to vote. The Federal Labor Relations Authority certified the results of the election on Monday, adding approximately 600 workers to the union.

Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon join their fellow park service employees at Yellowstone, Cuyahoga Valley, Pictured Rocks, and Gulf Islands National Seashore, as well as many other federal land management employees across the U.S. Forest Service & Bureau of Land Management represented by NFFE.

New Downtown Atlanta grocery store opens, addresses food insecurity

Hey, Cuomo! — if Atlanta can do it, so can NYC!!

From 11 Alive:

Atlanta is opening its first city-backed grocery store downtown, a bold move aimed at addressing food insecurity while revitalizing a historic landmark.

Azalea Fresh Market was established in response to a pressing need for more affordable food options. It was a collaborative effort between Atlanta officials, local organizations, Savi Provisions, and Independent Grocers Alliance.

At the opening of the market on Thursday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke about the food desert residents have been living in the Downtown Atlanta area along Peachtree Street.

“We have been in a food desert for far too long. We have to make sure we bring fresh food to where people are, where they live, where they go to work, and where students are — and this is the solution right here,” Dickens said.

According to a news release, 14% of Atlanta residents have been experiencing food insecurity. The market will provide people in low-income areas with access to nutritious food. The store is located in the historic Olympia Building.

Little Free Pantry

Here’s a hyper-local way to fight food insecurity. We have one in our neighborhood.

From Little Free Pantry:

Jessica McClard launched the grassroots mini pantry movement in May 2016 in Fayetteville, AR, when she planted the Little Free Pantry Pilot, a wooden box on a post containing food, personal care, and paper items accessible to everyone all the time, no questions asked. She hoped her spin on the Little Free Library®concept would pique local awareness of food insecurity while creating a space for neighbors to help meet neighborhood food needs.

A little over a month later, CrystalRock Cathedral Women’s Ministries planted Blessing Box in Ardmore, OK. By August 2016, the movement was global. Throughout the US and internationally, the grassroots mini pantry movement continues growing and moving.

Duplicate freely.

The mini pantry movement activates
neighbor engagement with food insecurity.

The mini pantry movement is a grassroots, crowdsourced solution
to immediate and local need. Whether a need for food or a need to give,
mini pantries help feed neighbors, nourishing neighborhoods.

[Search for mini pantries or] add your neighborhood mini pantry here!  

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Good news from around the world

Flotilla leaves Barcelona in biggest attempt yet to break Israeli blockade of Gaza

May they succeed this time!

From EuroNews:

The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the fourth attempt to break the maritime blockade so far this year, it is the largest attempt yet to break the long-standing Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

Twenty ships with more than 300 crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Irish actor Liam Cunningham, departed from the port of Barcelona on Sunday to Gaza in an effort to establish a humanitarian corridor.

The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the fourth attempt to break the maritime blockade so far this year, it is the largest attempt yet to break the long-standing Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea.

Among the crew of the flotilla is Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who has said that “little by little every day people are waking up to this genocide” and criticises the world’s silence in the face of Israel’s disregard for international law. ✂️

Meanwhile in the Italian city of Genoa, a food drive raised the collection of more than 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid. Ships carrying the aid departed from the city and will join the expedition in the coming days. On Saturday, 40,000 people took part in a torchlit march in the city to celebrate the flotilla.

Norway wealth fund sells Caterpillar stake over Israel allegations

This is a great way to get the attention of policy-makers who still hide their heads in the sand over what’s happening in Gaza.

From The Guardian:

The world’s largest wealth fund has excluded Caterpillar, the construction equipment manufacturer, over Israel’s use of its bulldozers to destroy Palestinian property in Gaza and the West Bank.

Norway’s $2tn (£1.5tn) fund said on Monday it had excluded Caterpillar and five Israeli banking groups on ethics grounds.

While the fund has already excluded more than 20 Israeli companies this year, Caterpillar is the first big US company to be removed through the wealth fund’s ongoing review to ensure its investments do not contribute to violations of international law.

“There is no doubt that Caterpillar’s products are being used to commit extensive and systematic violations of international humanitarian law,” said the fund’s independent council on ethics. It added that the machinery was “being used by Israeli authorities in the widespread unlawful destruction of Palestinian property”. The violations were taking place in Gaza and the West Bank, the council said, adding that “the company has also not implemented any measures to pre­vent such use”.

“As deliveries of the relevant machinery to Israel are now set to resume, the council considers there to be an unacceptable risk that Caterpillar is con­tributing to serious violations of individuals’ rights in war or conflict situations,” it said.

Can Cash Transfers Save Lives? Evidence from a Large-Scale Experiment in Kenya

Another illustration of how much impact simple transfers of money to poor families can have. In this study, the poorest households saw the most benefit.

From National Bureau of Economic Research (my bolding):

One-time transfers of USD 1000 were provided to over 10,500 poor households across 653 randomized villages in Kenya. We collected census data on over 100,000 births, including on mortality and cause of death, and detailed data on household health behaviors. Unconditional cash transfers (accounting for spillovers) lead to 48% fewer infant deaths before age one and 45% fewer child deaths before age five. ✂️

…the largest gains are estimated in neonatal and maternal causes of death largely preventable by appropriate obstetric care and among households living close to physician-staffed facilities and those who receive the transfer around the time of birth, and treatment leads to a large increase in hospital deliveries (by 45%). The infant and child mortality declines are concentrated among poorer households with below median assets…

Neil Young quits Facebook and Instagram over Meta’s use of chatbots with children

Good for him!

From CBC:

Neil Young has quit Facebook and Instagram over the platforms’ use of chatbots, according to a statement from his team. “At Neil Young’s request, we are no longer using Facebook for any Neil Young related activities,” read the statement posted on Aug. 14 to Facebook. “Meta’s use of chatbots with children is unconscionable. Mr. Young does not want a further connection with Facebook.” ✂️

On Aug. 16, Neil Young’s team posted a similar statement on Instagram explaining that he would be exiting the Meta-owned platform.

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Musical break

Here’s Neil Young’s latest song, “Big Crime”. 

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My favorite recent quotes, memes, and cartoons

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Good news in medicine

Injured Spinal Cords Repaired With Breakthrough 3D-printed ‘Scaffolding’–Team Regrows Nerves in Rats

This looks like a true breakthrough.

From Good News Network:

A breakthrough in stem cell biology has been 3D-printed in Minnesota—and the lab results show promise for spinal cord injury recovery, and even reversal.

A research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities demonstrated a groundbreaking process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues to provide spinal cord injury recovery. ✂️

The team created a unique 3D-printed framework for lab-grown organs, called an organoid scaffold, with microscopic channels. These channels are then populated with ‘spinal neural progenitor cells’ derived from adult stem cells in humans, which have the capacity to divide and differentiate into specific types of mature cells.

“We use the 3D printed channels of the scaffold to direct the growth of the stem cells, which ensures the new nerve fibers grow in the desired way,” said Guebum Han PhD, a former University of Minnesota mechanical engineering researcher and first author of the paper published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. “This method creates a relay system that when placed in the spinal cord bypasses the damaged area.”

In the study…the researchers transplanted these scaffolds into rats with spinal cords that were completely severed. The cells successfully differentiated into neurons and extended their nerve fibers in both directions—rostral (toward the head) and caudal (toward the tail)—to form new connections with the host’s existing nerve circuits.

The new nerve cells integrated seamlessly into the host spinal cord tissue over time, leading to significant functional recovery in the rats.

Drinking Coffee at the Wrong Time Cancels Its Benefits

Here’s to morning coffee!

From Science Featured:

Could the time you drink your coffee influence how long you live? …While coffee has long been known for helping people stay alert and offering some health benefits, past studies mostly focused on how much coffee people drink. This new study looked at when people drink coffee and how that might affect their overall health and lifespan.

Dr. Lu Qi and his team from Tulane University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, conducted this large-scale research. Their results were shared in the respected medical journal European Heart Journal, a publication that features findings in heart health and related fields.

Dr. Qi’s team found two main patterns of coffee drinking in the population. One group, called the “morning-type,” mostly drank coffee early in the day. The other group, the “all-day-type,” drank coffee throughout the entire day. The findings showed that those who drank their coffee mostly in the morning had a noticeably lower chance of dying from any cause, especially from heart-related diseases, compared to people who didn’t drink coffee. Those who drank coffee all day didn’t seem to get the same benefit.

During the nearly ten years of tracking participants, several thousand deaths were recorded, many of them due to heart problems. After taking into account other factors such as how much coffee was consumed, whether it was regular or decaf—which means it has little to no caffeine—how much people slept, their daily habits, and pre-existing health conditions, the results showed that people who had their coffee mainly in the morning were less likely to die early. The benefit was even stronger when it came to deaths from heart disease.

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Good news in science

Scientists breathe new life into climate website after shutdown under Trump

This news was highlighted by bilboteach in a comment in Sunday’s GNR, but since it’s the most important science story of the week, I’m giving it a boost.

The link to the new site is: climate.us. The link to the crowd-sourced fundraising drive is here. And the email address at which you can offer in-kind support is info@climate.us.

From The Guardian:

Earlier this summer, access to climate.gov – one of the most widely used portals of climate information on the internet – was thwarted by the Trump administration, and its production team was fired in the process. The website offered years’ worth of accessibly written material on climate science. The site is technically still online but has been intentionally buried by the team of political appointees who now run the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Now, a team of climate communication experts – including many members of the former climate.gov team – is working to resurrect its content into a new organization with an expanded mission.

Their effort’s new website…would not only offer public-facing interpretations of climate science, but could also begin to directly offer climate-related services, such as assisting local governments with mapping increased flooding risk due to climate change. The effort is being led by climate.gov’s former managing editor, Rebecca Lindsey, who, although now unemployed, has recruited several of her former colleagues to volunteer their time in an attempt to build climate.us into a thriving non-profit organization. ✂️

As multiyear veterans of the federal bureaucracy, at times they’ve been surprised by the possibilities that the new effort might offer. “We’re allowed to use TikTok now,” said Lindsey. “We’re allowed to have a little bit of fun. We have a group chat. We’re diving into things that are not part of our wheelhouse.”

The climate.us team is also in the process of soft-launching a crowdsourced fundraising drive that Lindsey hopes they can leverage into more permanent support from a major foundation. Lindsey also set up an email address to contact the team to offer in-kind support.

“Someone bought our domain name for us,” she said. “And we have somebody that’s volunteered web-hosting space for this phase. But we do not yet have the sort of large operational funding that we will need if we’re going to actually transition climate.gov operations to the non-profit space.”

Turning Lead Into Gold Is Now Real

This truly blew my mind. Just think of all those medieval alchemists!

From Science Featured:

…the research team working with the Large Ion Collider Experiment, a major particle physics initiative at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, gathered data using the experiment’s advanced detection systems at the world’s largest particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. They conducted the first detailed investigation of events in which protons were emitted alongside neutrons, which are neutral particles also located in the atomic nucleus, when lead atoms passed near one another at high speed. Their findings, published in Physical Review C, described how different combinations of particles were released and compared these observations to forecasts made by a widely used simulation tool known as the Relativistic Electromagnetic Dissociation model, which estimates how atomic nuclei break apart under the influence of electric forces.

Most of the time, these break-apart events did not result in the emission of protons, confirming that such outcomes are relatively rare. However, when protons were emitted, the patterns were clearly observable. …✂️

Perhaps most notably, the way these particles were emitted appeared to align with the creation of new forms of chemical elements. When only neutrons were released, different versions of lead, called isotopes, were formed. When one or more protons were emitted, the resulting elements included thallium, mercury, and gold. These findings help scientists better understand how components of atoms are rearranged during these interactions and what types of new matter might emerge. As Dr. Acharya explained, “The Relativistic Electromagnetic Dissociation model suggests these proton and neutron emissions are linked with the production of elements like thallium and gold, which we now observe with greater clarity.” ✂️

The work of the Large Ion Collider Experiment group marks meaningful progress in nuclear science. It provides a clearer understanding of how lead atoms behave under extreme conditions and sheds light on how atomic components are reassembled into new materials in both outer space and laboratory environments.

Science news you can use?

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Good news for the environment

Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize join forces to protect the Maya jungle

This is great news, especially the commitment by Guatemala to make sure that the construction of the Maya Train doesn’t do any further environmental damage.

From Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:

The leaders of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize announced on [August 14th] that they were creating a tri-national nature reserve to protect the Mayan rain forest following a meeting during which they also discussed expanding a Mexican train line criticized for slicing through jungle habitat.

The nature reserve would stretch across jungled areas of southern Mexico and northern parts of the two Central American nations, encompassing more than 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares). Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the move “historic” and said it would create the second biggest nature reserve in Latin America, behind the Amazon rain forest.

“This is one of Earth’s lungs, a living space for thousands of species with an invaluable cultural legacy that we should preserve with our eyes on the future,” Sheinbaum said, standing side-by-side with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceño.

The announcement was met with cautious celebration by environmental groups like Mexico-based Selvame, who have sharply criticized the Mexican government and Sheinbaum’s allies in recent years for environmental destruction wrought by megaprojects like a controversial train line, known as the Maya Train.

The group said in statement that the reserve was a “monumental step for conservation” but that it hoped that the reserve was more than just “symbolic.” ✂️

The Guatemalan leader said…he sees the economic potential of the [Maya Train] to the jungle region but remained adamant that the construction should not come with the kind of environmental damage that it inflicted in Mexico…“Connecting the Maya Train with Guatemala and eventually with Belize is a vision we share,” Arévalo said. But “I’ve made it very clear at all times that the Maya Train will not pass through any protected area.”

‘Plastic Cup’ Competitions Are Cleaning Up Rivers in Hungary

What a great idea!

From Reasons to Be Cheerful:

Hundreds of muddy plastic bottles, chunks of Styrofoam, car tires and even the odd refrigerator are piled high on a raft afloat on the river Tisza, about 90 miles northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Every now and then, a canoe pulls up to the raft, which is jokingly referred to as “the mothership.” The canoe unloads large yellow sacks full of plastic waste collected from the water, the occupants exchange laughs and have a bite to eat from the mothership’s surprisingly well-stocked pantry, and then they set off again to hunt for more plastic trash.

Every sack is recorded and tied up as the pile grows. This is important, because each canoe represents one of 15 teams, gathered on the Tisza to compete in the Plastic Cup, or PET Kupa. And the team with the biggest haul of trash wins.

Since its start in 2013, the Plastic Cup has inspired teams to build boats and rafts using floats made with hundreds of plastic bottles that they have fished out of the water. Afloat on these boats, teams embark on a mad treasure hunt, collecting waste wherever they find it.

…In 2008, while making a film on sand martins nesting on the banks of the Tisza, director Attila Dávid Molnár witnessed a flood of plastic bottles in the river, so many that he and his crew could barely see the water. “I knew we had to do something special about it,” he says. “This was not something that called for individual action or a warning video, it rather called for a movement.” ✂️

For the next two years, Molnár stewed over the question of how to get local communities involved in cleaning up the Tisza and the Danube. Then, in a book club, he heard about…David de Rothschild, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer who, in 2009, decided to raise awareness about marine plastic pollution by embarking on an 8,000 nautical mile voyage on the Pacific from San Francisco to Sydney — in a boat made of 12,500 plastic bottles. ✂️

At the first event of 2025 on the Tisza, 15 teams are enjoying a sunny day on the water, kitted out in protective gloves and lifejackets. Each team has designated sorters, who separate bottles from their caps, which PET Kupa recycles into a variety of products, including kayaks.

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Good news for and about animals

Brought to you by Rascal and Margot, and the beautiful spirits of Rosy and Nora.

More than 3.5 million birds migrated over Colorado in 1 night this week. Residents are being asked to turn out their lights to help them

Rascal urges everyone living in migration flight paths to please turn out their lights at night!

For more information, visit Audubon.org/our-work/cities-and-towns/lights-out.

From Vail Daily:

Coloradans are being asked to dim their lights to aid millions of birds flying over the state each night amid the annual fall migration.

Every year, billions of birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. Nearly 80% of birds that migrate do so at night, often navigating by starlight, according to the National Audubon Society. However, artificial light from humans can disorient the birds, throwing them off their migration path and sometimes causing them to collide with buildings or windows.✂️

During the migration, Lights Out Colorado — a program supported by Dark Sky Colorado and the Denver Audubon — asks residents to take simple actions to help protect the birds traveling at night: Shield outdoor lights to prevent light from being emitted upwards, and turn off lights as early as possible during the bird migration season.

In Colorado, the peak bird migration starts on Sept. 1 and continues through Sept. 24, according to BirdCast, a migration forecast tool created by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University and University of Massachusetts Amherst. Already, on the night of Aug. 28, an estimated 3.5 million birds were in flight over Colorado — and the migration is only expected to increase in the coming days and weeks, according to BirdCast.

Many birds are drawn to the artificial lights of buildings found along migratory pathways. …And it’s not just skyscrapers birds are crashing into. Nearly half of birds that die from flying into buildings in the U.S. collide with homes and smaller buildings, according to the Audubon Society.

Residents can help prevent birds from colliding with structures by turning out their lights while the annual migration is taking place.

This is some serious cat mischief!

Margot wants to take lessons!

Top 5 Dogs of the Week!

Rosy would have loved all of these good boys and girls, but especially Manchis. What a heroic girl!!

And a bonus good dog:

“I decided to get my donkey a new ball for being a good boy…”

I’ll bet you didn’t know you needed a donkey video this morning!

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