You’re not alone in your hopes for a better nation. While there’s always work to do, it’s vital to pause from time to time, recognize signs of progress, and celebrate successes together.
Intentional celebration builds resiliency. So, we offer you this week’s list of wins for democracy, equity, and checks on those who want to take our nation backward. Thanks for being part of something hopeful!
- American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages can access $278M in EPA funding to improve drinking water safety and other water infrastructure.
- Civil rights attorney and former public defender Natasha Merle is confirmed by the Senate to serve as a U.S. District Court judge.
- SCOTUS reinstates an order blocking the use of Louisiana’s congressional map due to its racial gerrymandering.
- Five Americans return to the U.S. after being imprisoned for years in Iran.
- The Biden administration moves to restore Endangered Species Act protections that were removed under the previous administration.
- The Dept. of Commerce provides $575M in funding to help coastal and Great Lakes communities become more resilient in the face of extreme weather.
- The Interior Dept. proposes an update of their renewable energy regulations to promote the development of clean energy sources on public lands.
- The FDA approves the first-ever medical treatment for adolescents with severe alopecia.
- Starting September 25th, households can once again request four free COVID-19 tests from the federal government.
- AZ: A federal court blocks portions of a suppressive voting law requiring unnecessarily strict proof of citizenship to cast a ballot.
- FL: A federal court strikes down a law banning Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming healthcare.
- IA’s Secretary of State’s office is no longer prohibited from providing voter registration forms, mail ballot applications, and ballots in languages other than English.
- ME: Gov. Janet Mills signs a bill expanding abortion access by completely removing timing restrictions on the procedure in certain cases.
- NY bans the dumping of radiological waste into the Hudson River.
- WY: A court temporarily blocks a law specifically banning the use of abortion pills.
- Multnomah County, OR files a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies in an effort to hold them responsible for the area’s deadly heatwave in 2021.
- Fossil fuel lobbyists must now identify themselves as such when registering for the Cop28 international climate summit.
- ChatWithCharley.org confidentially provides those seeking abortions with information and resources.
- The Pulitzer Prize Board expands eligibility for the Books, Drama, and Music awards to include all long-term U.S. residents regardless of immigration status.
- According to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, one in four Americans have become more supportive of abortion rights in the wake of abortion bans.
- Iceland’s Parliament bans so-called “conversion therapy” in a unanimous vote.
Want to be part of the solution?
Open our most recent Americans of Conscience Checklist, take action, and let your voice be heard!