Good news on good news (!), life expectancy, EVs, conservation
There’s of course a lot of good stuff in this edition of Fix the News, but my favorite is the video of the moment Karl Deisseroth, one of the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize for medicine, tells his kids.
In other news:
— Global life expectancy is nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, reaching 73.3 years in 2023, close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, the World Health Organization says.
— Gasoline-powered cars dropped below 50 percent of global new vehicle sales for the first time, as record fuel prices resulting from the Iran war accelerated the shift toward electric vehicles, Oilprice.com reports.
— The global goal to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the Earth’s land and ocean by 2030 is in reach, the Campaign for Nature says.
By the way, it turns out that the “administrative stuff” Fix the News has been working on includes a now-complete searchable archive of every story it’s ever published.
“As far as we know this is the world’s largest and most accessible resource for stories of progress. It updates daily, and as a paid subscriber you have full access to all its features. Check it out here (also available in German and Spanish),” says Fix the News.
“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” — late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., civil rights activist
Here are regularly updated voting rights resources for the November midterm elections, on John Dineen’s briefing.center website. And here is John’s daily commentary on his briefing.center home page.
Trump-sanctioned International Criminal Court wins EU Parliament’s human rights prize
Brazil Supreme Court suspends permit for major Amazon gold mine
Trump administration’s mixed messages on limits to Ukraine access of Starshield
Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in his $10 billion lawsuit against BBC
Google Maps says no to Trump renaming Atlantic Ocean as Trump Ocean
DOJ opens criminal investigation of Corey Lewandowski, a rare instance of Trump ally or appointee being investigated
Powerful Democratic Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas accused of leading a marijuana criminal conspiracy
NYTimes: Lawsuits against tech giants create a new de facto regulatory regime
The Atlantic: Chatbots adding a new layer of chaos ahead of midterms
Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban use of student IDs for voting in midterms
Trump administration asks appeals court to intervene in California ballot lawsuit
ProPublica: Delays from Postal Service cost-cutting measures have endangered validity of ballots cast in rural areas across U.S.
Voting-related measures on midterm ballots include a voter ID push targeting mail-in ballots
Ford Foundation to overhaul its spending to counter what new leadership sees as mutually reinforcing rise of both autocracy and inequality
Reuters: Banks are blocking third-party AI agents access to customer accounts
Calley Means, a leader of MAHA movement, resigns from Trump administration, apparently frustrated with slow progress on nutrition goals
KFF: What you need to know if you’re shopping for an Affordable Care Act health plan
KFF: Medicaid at risk for hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants
First-of-its-kind mRNA cancer vaccine helps reduce chances of melanoma patients’ tumors returning
You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but these leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at:
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader John Thune