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.
This nonprofit teaches former felons digital media to boost job prospects
Each year, around 8,500 people in New York City are released from prison, more than half of which are rearrested within three years. Of those who have jobs a year after release, the recidivism rate drops to 31 percent. The problem, however, is that for someone who’s just gotten out of prison, Read More...
West Coast states are gearing up to build an electric highway
Imagine driving on a highway where semi-trucks don’t belch dirty diesel fumes because they can rely solely on electric power. Well, that could be the case on the West Coast relatively soon. Recently, utilities and state agencies in California, Oregon, and Washington announced a plan to transform Read More...
New agreement significantly lowers the cost of pneumonia vaccine
Pneumonia is the single biggest killer of children under five worldwide, but a new agreement hopes to change this by making the vaccine for the disease much more affordable. A new agreement between UNICEF and the Serum Institute of India will drop the price of the lifesaving drug from $3.50 to Read More...
Juneteenth may soon be recognized as a federal holiday
Juneteenth gained momentum as a celebrated holiday this year in the wake of a rising wave of calls for racial justice and reforms across the US. Now, with the support of corporate executives, sports officials, and elected officials, the move to make Juneteenth a national holiday is gaining Read More...
Senate passes monumental public lands conservation act
The Senate has approved a bill that would make billions of dollars available to fund national parks and public lands infrastructure including trails, roads, and buildings. Called the Great American Outdoors Act, the bill is a significant piece of conservation legislation and was passed thanks to Read More...
US Supreme Court rules in favor of “Dreamers”
The DACA program allows nearly 700,000 young, undocumented immigrants to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. Yesterday, the Supreme Court protected the program from being dismantled and upheld the rights of immigrants, many of whom came to the US as young children and Read More...
Proposed California bill would make cosmetic products safer for all
We are all in the market for clean beauty products free of harmful or toxic chemicals, but with mile long ingredient lists and complicated names, it can be hard to navigate choosing safe options. Fortunately, new legislation could make beauty products safer for all. The California assembly has Read More...
Colorado passes statewide police reforms
Earlier this week, we discussed police reforms taking place in cities like San Francisco, and even on the federal level. This past Saturday, the state of Colorado passed one of the most comprehensive police reform bills in the country. The bill, which Gov. Jared Polis has said he will sign Read More...
San Francisco police won't send officers to respond to non-criminal calls
Cities across the US are finally seeing some tangible police reform and defunding changes. San Francisco is joining the movement with their recent announcement that police officers will be replaced with trained, unarmed professionals to respond to calls for help on non-criminal matters involving Read More...
Three times more voters turned out for Georgia’s primary in 2020 than in 2016
Georgia’s primary elections made headlines last week for all the wrong reasons. However, despite long lines, lack of ballots, and voting machine malfunctions, three times as many votes were cast compared to the 2016 presidential primary. As of last Friday, 91 percent of votes were in for a Read More...