In the headlines...

👏 In a major victory for public health, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s order to cancel funding for research involving LGBTQ+ issues, gender identity, and DEI was “illegal” and directed the NIH to restore the grants.

👀 Juneteenth is tomorrow! The Good Good Good offices will be closed as our team commemorates this important holiday, but keep an eye out for a bonus Goodnewsletter tomorrow with good news, resources, and the best ways to celebrate. (You can get a head start here.)

People doing good

The Minnesota shooting also took the life of the lawmaker’s dog — now, donations are pouring in to a local service dog training program

Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman, her husband, and their family dog, Gilbert, were fatally shot Saturday morning in a “politically motivated” attack. Now, a nonprofit has become an outlet for people to share their grief.

Gilbert was a trainee of Helping Paws, Inc., a Minnesota-based nonprofit that trains assistance and service dogs to improve the lives of veterans, first responders, people with physical disabilities, and more. The Hortman family has about a 10-year history of supporting the organization.

And now, people looking for a way to process their grief have been flooding the organization with donations.

Why is this good news? When we’re heartbroken and things feel out of our control, giving back and doing something to help others … helps. While these acts of generosity can’t bring the Hortman family, or Gilbert, back — they can make sure their lives continue making an impact.

→ Read more​

More Good News

🏳️‍🌈 Bucharest Pride celebrated its 20th year by setting a new record turnout. Organizers said about 30,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday in a march to celebrate the diversity and visibility of the LGBTQ community in Romania — it was the event’s largest turnout in history.

​The U.S. is looking to give endangered species protections to the ‘world’s most trafficked mammal.’ Despite it already being illegal to trade them, tons of scales representing thousands of pangolins have been found around the world in recent years — these new protections would impact seven species in danger of extinction.

​Fifteen years in the making, Whoopi Goldberg co-founded the first-ever global sports network exclusively dedicated to female sports. Goldberg said that everybody she approached with the idea “patted me on the head and said no one wants to watch women's sports — but they do, I do.”

​Faith leaders in the U.S. are joining protests against ICE raids, sharing messages of nonviolence and leading by example. One reverend in Los Angeles positioned himself between law enforcement and his fellow protesters, saying he was upholding his moral duty to stand against injustice in a nonviolent manner because “silence in the face of injustice is complicity.

Education

As student loan payments resume, these schools try a new ‘pay-it-forward’ option instead: ‘No interest, no fees’

→ Read more​

good progress

The city of Denver broke national records in reducing unsheltered homelessness

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration says, based on the federal Point in Time count, the city “recorded the largest multi-year reduction in unsheltered homelessness in American history.”

​Unsheltered homelessness refers to people living outside, including in tents, cars, and other spaces not meant for human habitation. This year’s count showed there were 785 people living without shelter in the city, compared to 1,423 in 2023 — a 45% reduction.

It’s important to note that the PIT count is a one-night tally of every person experiencing homelessness in the country. Experts urge caution when using the data, as it’s highly variable and doesn’t factor in things like weather.

While not a year-round picture, the PIT data is still important in helping cities make decisions about addressing homelessness — because there’s still a lot of work to do.

→ Read more​

❤️ You may also like: How to make a homeless care package that actually helps​

More Good bits

📚 Some school districts ban books, one in Michigan is adding hundreds.

🖥️ Kids are using their screen time to protest ICE.​

😊 The data is clear: working from home makes people happier.​

🇨🇩 A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is a (literal) saint.​

🪿 Geese for peace!​

What’s good?

I felt so much less alone in my heartbreak over the Minnesota shooting knowing that others were looking for something good to do with their grief, too.

What piece of good news inspired you most today?

I’d really love to know — reply and tell me!

— Megan