Politics
Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.
A community-designed solution: restorative justice arrives in Oakland
The United States has the largest prison population in the world and the highest per capita rate of incarceration. The punitive justice that lands people behind bars often hits communities of color and poverty much harder than other groups. In Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in Read More...
Kansas City becomes first major American city to offer free public transport
For the first time ever, a major American city is offering universal fare-free public transit. That city is Kansas City, and it hopes to boost ridership and improve access for all citizens with the new initiative. The city’s popular streetcar is already free, but the city council and Mayor Read More...
The case for putting speed limits on cargo ships
Should cargo ships start going slower on their journeys across the ocean? This is the question being discussed this week at the UN where officials will hear proposals to cut shipping industry emissions by introducing speed limits. Container ships and other ocean liners in the industry deal with a Read More...
This is why the Netherlands is closing so many prisons
Earlier this week we wrote about the criminal justice nonprofit, Vera, which is teaming up with Google to create detailed, transparent data on prisoners. Policymakers have no access to such data, so the idea is that it will help them make more informed decisions to shape the country’s flawed Read More...
Europe is rolling out its own Green New Deal
While the Green New Deal struggles to get off the ground on a national level in the US, the European Commission has voted to introduce their own version of it. The proposal dubbed the "European Green Deal,” will overhaul the bloc’s economy to more sustainable, climate-conscious policies and Read More...
Los Angeles joins movement to eliminate late fees for overdue library books
When Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot decided to eliminate library late fees from Chicago Public Libraries back in October, the impact was immediate. Within three weeks, the number of overdue books returned increased by 240 percent. People who couldn’t afford to pay late fees were encouraged to Read More...
Vera and Google team up to create transparent prison data to shape reform policy
The US is in need of a better criminal justice system (71 percent of Americans agree), but in order to make this happen, we need better, more accurate and transparent data on prison populations. That’s the message from Vera, a nonprofit focused on tackling America’s most pressing injustices. Read More...
What Finland’s new parliament can teach America about gender equality
Finland’s new parliament looks radically different from most governments: it’s dominated by women under 35. The parliament is led by newly elected prime minister Sanna Marin, who, at 34 years old, is the youngest in the world. This may sound radical to Americans, but Finland elected its Read More...
The ocean is taking center stage at this year’s UN climate summit
On the opening day of this year’s United Nations climate summit or COP25, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a gut punch: “We are knowingly destroying the very support systems keeping us alive.” One of those vital systems is the world’s oceans, which generate at least 50% Read More...
Proposed bill would improve opioid addiction treatment funding and access
Litigation against major pharmaceutical companies has called attention to the crippling opioid crisis gripping the US, which begs the question: what can be done about it? Recently, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the bipartisan Opioid Workforce Act in hopes that Read More...