In the headlines...

❤️‍🩹 Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman was discharged from the ICU, just over three weeks after he and his wife Yvette were shot in their home in an act of “politically motivated” violence that took the life of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog, Gilbert.

📉 A report found that Amazon Prime Day sales were down 41% on the first day. The sale is now four days long, so experts say it could mean consumers are just spending less early on … or we could all keep this trend going.

Global health

The world’s first malaria treatment for babies has now been approved for use

While malaria treatments for children exist, there have been none specifically made for babies and small children weighing less than 10 pounds. Instead, those patients were treated with drugs designed for older children, presenting a risk of overdose.

Now, this “treatment gap” is going to be filled with the world’s first malaria treatment specifically for babies and very young children. A new medicine has been approved and will be rolled out to regions with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.

The drug company that developed it plans to introduce it largely on a not-for-profit basis.

Why is this good news? In 2023, malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths globally — almost all of them were in Africa, and around three-quarters were children under five years old. This new medicine reaching those who need it most will be life-saving.

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More Good News

​The result of a “comprehensive, evidence-based public safety strategy,” Baltimore has had its fewest homicides in 50 years. Historic reductions in violent crime have led to a 22.7% decrease in homicides and a 19.6% decline in non-fatal shootings, and the city’s mayor acknowledged “that there is much more work to do and our success makes me commit even further to doing it.”

​A secret population of one of the most endangered animals in South America was just discovered in Chile. The stout, shaggy-coated huemul deer is highly endangered in the southern hemisphere, but a recent helicopter mission revealed that they are thriving in a future national park.

​For the first time, renewables generated more electricity than coal in Poland. It’s a major milestone for the company’s clean energy transition progress, as Poland still ranks among the world’s most emitting economies both per unit of GDP and energy consumption.

​In a bipartisan effort, Minnesota legislators funded $800,000 in outdoor education grants for grade school students. Minnesota joins states such as Oregon, Washington, and Maine in passing similar legislation, and the money will be available to the state’s five accredited outdoor schools to fund overnight outdoor learning experiences for students.

People doing good

Teen siblings raised $620K for cancer research in just 7 weeks, while one was battling leukemia himself

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good progress

While the gender gap persists, men in the U.S. are spending a record-high amount of time on housework

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.

While the gender gap persists, with women doing 40% more household work than men in 2024, that gap is slowly closing. In the first year of the survey, women worked an hour more than men on the home — in 2024, it was 40 minutes more.

If this path of progress continues, time spent on housework would be equal by around the year 2066. While it’d be great if that were more like 2026 — this progress, however slow, is better than that gap not closing at all!

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More Good bits

🎉 Your favorite drag queen is the first-ever to make the TIME100 list! (Instagram)

🧠 Alleviate your anxiety by being nice to yourself.

🌳 If you can’t quit your ChatGPT habit, at least use it to do some good.

😇 Pacific Crest Trail hikers should be on the lookout for trail angels.

💕 There’s a new Barbie on the block!​

What’s good?

I imagine the “good progress” section will have some ... mixed reactions today. 😉 That’s okay and understandable. I want to know what you think, though!

Are you encouraged by this progress? Or wishing we were further along?

Reply and tell me!

— Megan