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.
Why raising the minimum wage in restaurants is a win for everyone
Cities including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have adopted ambitious minimum wage increases. In New York, the new minimum wage of $15 an hour raised concerns of layoffs and cut hours, but for restaurant employees, the effects were quite the opposite. New York has shown that the Read More...
Restore Oakland brings together design and restorative justice programs
Innovative prison systems in countries like Norway and Denmark are demonstrating the power of restorative justice for reforming our criminal systems. Restore Oakland, a center in Oakland, is adopting principles of rehabilitation and community strength to end the cycle of mass incarceration in their Read More...
Toronto’s garbage trucks will run on biofuel made from the city’s food scraps
Garbage trucks in Toronto are becoming cleaner - that is, environmentally speaking - as the city has recently launched an initiative to power the vehicles using biogas produced from the very trash they collect. Starting in March 2020, the city’s fleet of garbage trucks will collect all of the Read More...
Your toddler can now attend an outdoor preschool in Washington state
For many of us, the idea of wrangling several toddlers outside may seem like a nightmare, but at outdoor schools, this is exactly the idea. Although many parents are apprehensive about this alternative education option, outdoor preschools are gaining popularity, as they have been shown to be Read More...
Why more cities are replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Chances are you went to work or school yesterday like any other Monday. In past years that wouldn't have been the case, but fewer and fewer states and cities are celebrating Columbus Day nowadays. And in many cities, Columbus Day is being replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Columbus Day, Read More...
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Let’s get to know him
In 2017, Abiy Ahmed was largely an unknown figure in Ethiopia. Fast forward two years later, and Ahmed has won the Nobel Peace Prize for the peaceful political reforms he has brought on as the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Ahmed took the reigns when the nation was in political disarray, but since Read More...
The sale of fur products will be illegal in California in 2023
California just became the first state in American to institute a statewide ban on animal fur products. Effective January 2023, the new law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday, prohibits the sale and manufacture of new fur products. The ban will not apply to used fur products, fur Read More...
Newly proposed marine sanctuary would protect migrating Pacific humpback whales
Beach-goers in California and Oregon from April to December can often see migrating humpback whales along the coastline as they make their yearly migration to warmer waters in Mexico. A new proposal for a national marine sanctuary along the west coast of the U.S. would help protect these whales Read More...
Youth crime rates are at their lowest level in 60 years
The United States’ youth crime rates are dropping at an astounding rate. Youth arrests dropped for the 13th year in a row, hitting their lowest level in 60 years. This trend shows an optimistic future for the criminal landscape of the next generation, as these teenagers head into adulthood. The Read More...
Alabama’s capital city, Montgomery, just elected its first black mayor
It was in Alabama’s capital city, Montgomery, where African American activist Rosa Parks led the bus boycott in 1955, paving the way for broader civil rights demands. Now, more than 70 years later, Montgomery has selected the first black mayor in its 200-year history: Steven Reed, a county Read More...