🇺🇸 Heads up! There will be no Goodnewsletter in your inbox tomorrow, the Good Good Good offices will be closed to commemorate Independence Day.

There’s a lot of heartbreaking news in the U.S. right now — but it’s not all bad. There’s still a lot of good to celebrate — and we filled today’s newsletter ​​with good news happening in the U.S., in politics, for the environment, and more.

In the headlines...

⚖️ The Wisconsin Supreme Court formally struck down an abortion ban from 1849 that had technically taken effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights.

👏 A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status early for Haitians who had their TPS extended until February due to gang violence, political unrest, a major earthquake in 2021, and several other factors.

National Parks

An Interior Department policy asked national park visitors to report ‘negative’ content — they’re complimenting rangers instead

Even after funding and staffing cuts, the national parks were hit with a new Interior Department policy: posted signs asked visitors to report not just maintenance needs or service improvements, but “negative” history.

Fortunately, the new signs had the opposite effect. A review of hundreds of comments submitted found that the vast majority of visitors used the feedback forms to praise park programs, rangers, tour guides, and more.

“The park rangers and volunteers at Catoctin are fantastic and go above and beyond to tell the full American story,” one visitor commented from the Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland.

Why is this good news? National parks and monuments are beautiful, no doubt — and they tell the whole truth about the country’s history. National parks and monuments help us remember even the dark parts of U.S. history, like the Underground Railroad and slavery, and the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

​​→ Read more​

More Good News

​Texas became the first Republican-led state to pass a ‘right to repair’ law. Giving Texans access to parts, tools, and repair documentation for digital devices like phones, laptops, and tablets, the law was signed by the governor after it passed unanimously in both the state Senate and House.

​Flint, Michigan has replaced most of the city’s lead pipes more than 10 years after contaminated water was found in the city’s water system. The water crisis, which exposed an estimated 100,000 residents to lead, led to national outrage, and state officials said they had now replaced 11,000 lead pipes in the city and restored more than 28,000 affected properties.

​An endangered bird that’s native to South Carolina returned to the state for the first time since the 1970s. Endangered mostly due to loss of habitat, the red-cockaded woodpecker population was plummeting for years, but recent recovery efforts, including land protection and habitat management, have proven successful.

​Hundreds of residents in east Denver voted to spend “The People’s Budget” to add sun shade to a local park. Denver’s participatory budgeting program — known semi-officially as “The People’s Budget” — asks residents what improvements they want to see in their neighborhood and citywide, giving them a direct vote on what gets funded.

Citizenship

‘America In One Room’: Study put 200 voters together for days — they changed each other’s minds on hot-button issues

→ Read more

Civic engagement

Over 5,000 people expressed interest in running for office following the New York City mayoral primary

Now officially the nominee for the Democratic Party in November’s general election for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani’s win in the primary election last month saw a range of reactions.

But there’s one that goes beyond any one city or election. A week after the primary election, Run For Something shared that it had seen a total of 5,000 new prospective candidates — its “biggest candidate recruitment surge ever.”

While Run For Something does specifically promote progressive values, reduced civic engagement and participation impacts all Americans. The organization also specifically works with Gen-Z and millennial candidates, potentially pointing to a renewed sense of hope and faith in the electoral process among young Americans.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

🐢 A Florida state park had its largest turtle release of the season.​

💉 A new, long-lasting HIV prevention drug has been approved nationwide.​

💵 Charitable giving is back on an upward trend.​

🩺 California lawmakers want doctors to get educated on menopause.

🎂 Happy Birthday, America! We’ve got big wishes for you.

What’s good?

As always, this newsletter is by no means ignoring all the truly awful things happening in the U.S. right now — rather, we’re recognizing that heartbreak and committing to giving just as much time and brain space to the people helping, too. There are a lot of them every single day!

What’s something giving you hope for America right now?

It could be something in this email! Reply and tell me. (And have the best holiday weekend available to you!)

— Megan