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.
These 15 states will join California in electrifying all buses and trucks
Fifteen states and Washington, DC have announced that they will follow California’s lead in switching all heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses over to running on electricity, in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States. It Read More...
Scientists develop anti-gravity solar panel that absorbs and purifies water
Pure drinking water may be a widely available commodity in developed countries, but in many other parts of the world, it’s still a scarcity. Many innovative solutions have been attempted, much like these ‘hydro panels’ from an Arizona-based startup, but there’s still a lot of work to be Read More...
Haven’t filled out the census yet? Here’s why you should.
By now, if you live in the US, you’ve probably received multiple census forms in the mail and seen it advertised on local buses. If you’ve put off filling out your census response, don’t panic, you have until October to respond and here’s why you definitely should do so. You might be Read More...
Proposed D.C. bill would end felony disenfranchisement
Voting is one of the strongest tools citizens have in voicing their opinion in political leadership and legislation, but in the US where about 1 in 40 adults cannot vote due to a felony conviction, the democratic system is lacking the voice of a significant portion of the population. To Read More...
Federal court decision protects grizzly bears in Yellowstone
In good news for grizzly bears and conservationists, a federal court has upheld a reversal of a policy that would eliminate protections for grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park. The reversed policy would have removed grizzly bears from the list of threatened species and opened Read More...
Oregon will officially vote on legalizing psychedelic psilocybin therapy
Back in August 2019, we published a small story about activists in Oregon working to decriminalize the use of magic mushrooms (psilocybin). Today, we’re here to tell you that these activists have taken a big step towards achieving their legalization goal. After more than a year of work and Read More...
UK passes updated and improved domestic abuse legislation
The pandemic has increased cases of domestic abuse around the world. In response to the crisis and outdated domestic abuse laws, the UK has passed progressive new domestic abuse legislation to save lives and protect vulnerable individuals. The new bill signed into law this week has a Read More...
Germany passes bill to phase out coal energy
Germany remains one of the most coal-reliant countries in Western Europe, but that’s all set to change after a new bill was passed in the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament. The bill sets the conditions under which Germany will abandon coal as a power source in order to meet climate Read More...
When will police budgets be discussed in your area? This site will tell you
Calls to defund the police need to be heard by the local politicians who make city budget decisions. But the meetings where those decisions are made can be difficult to find out about, or full of confusing bureaucratic language; those who have never attended a city council meeting before may not Read More...
Google’s internet balloons are now connecting Kenya to the web
We may take our access to the internet for granted, but more than 40 percent of the global population still can’t connect to the web. With this in mind, Alphabet’s internet-beaming Project Loon has set off on a mission to overcome this digital divide, starting in Kenya. Project Loon is a Read More...