Happy Sunday, everyone, and welcome to your weekly dose of good news. In a world that can feel heavy with negativity, take a moment to pause, breathe, and remember there is good out there. More uplifting stories are on the way this afternoon, but for now, grab your coffee and start your day with a little hope.
On a personal note, I’m thrilled to share some good news of our own. Our coverage of the No Kings Day protests yesterday reached millions, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. We are breaking through. And because of that momentum, I’ll be expanding the team.
Here’s my promise to you: I will never sanitize or excuse this President’s actions as “just Trump being Trump.” I will hold power to account, defend the First Amendment, and deliver the truth, nothing more, nothing less.
If you believe in this work, if you want to see real voices amplified and fearless journalism thrive, then subscribe today. Every contribution strengthens this mission, broadens our reach, and keeps independent journalism alive.
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With that, here’s some good news:
No Kings Day 2.0 is officially ranked as the largest demonstration during the Trump era, and one of the largest in American history. Millions of people across the U.S. and abroad joined “No Kings” protests on October 18, 2025, to oppose the Trump administration and defend First Amendment rights, with about 7 million participants at over 2,700 rallies featuring speeches by figures like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Bill Nye, all calling for democracy, equality, and scientific integrity in largely peaceful nationwide demonstrations.
Manolo Betancur, a Colombian immigrant and owner of Manolo’s Bakery in Charlotte, North Carolina, has spent the past 12 years baking and delivering free birthday cakes to people experiencing homelessness — whom he calls “neighbors” — through a partnership with Raise You Up Ministries. His bakery recently celebrated delivering its 300th cake, a gesture that has brought joy, dignity, and a sense of belonging to many who’ve never had a birthday cake before.
Eeyore, a dog once rescued and healed after being hit by a car, became a hero when he led a Florida deputy to his missing 86-year-old “grandmother” who had suffered a medical emergency during a walk; thanks to his quick actions, the woman was found conscious and later made a full recovery, earning Eeyore widespread praise and media attention for turning from a rescued dog into a rescuer.
Scientists have discovered that blocking two enzymes, PDIA1 and PDIA5, which protect the androgen receptor fueling prostate cancer, can destabilize tumors, enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments like enzalutamide, and weaken cancer cells by disrupting their energy production—offering a promising new approach to treating advanced prostate cancer.
For the first time in 200 years, visitors to Athens can view the Parthenon completely free of scaffolding after the removal of restoration structures on its western façade, offering an unobstructed glimpse of the ancient 5th-century BC temple before new conservation work resumes in November.
During Toronto’s Don River restoration, bulldozers unearthed soil layers that reawakened a 130-year-old buried ecosystem containing algae, worms, and water fleas that revived once exposed to water and sunlight—astonishing scientists and transforming the area into a thriving 24-acre wildlife refuge that now prevents flooding and supports diverse species.
In a CBS Sunday Morning story by Ted Koppel, David Kaczynski—the brother who helped end the Unabomber’s 17-year reign of terror—and Gary Wright, one of Ted Kaczynski’s bombing victims, share how their unlikely friendship emerged from tragedy. After turning in his brother and grappling with guilt, David reached out to victims’ families to apologize, leading to his bond with Wright. Both men, on parallel healing journeys, now speak publicly about forgiveness, compassion, and rebuilding humanity after violence—showing that reconciliation, even after devastating loss, is possible.
Paleontologists in Montana identified a new small, land-dwelling crocodilian species named Thikarisuchus xenodentes—nicknamed “Elton”—that lived during the Cretaceous period, showing evidence of plant and insect eating and revealing a previously unknown crocodilian family that highlights the group’s evolutionary diversity and adaptability to terrestrial environments.
Schools in Menlo Park, California, found an inventive way to keep crows and geese from covering playgrounds in droppings by placing realistic coyote statues on campus—an idea inspired by a Canadian deterrent method that has proven highly effective, keeping play areas cleaner, conserving water, and amusing locals who sometimes mistake the faux coyotes for real ones.
Researchers at Nanjing University found that male mice who exercised passed enhanced endurance and metabolic efficiency to their male offspring through epigenetic changes—not DNA—by transmitting exercise-altered microRNAs in their sperm, offering the first evidence that physical training can biologically imprint fitness traits across generations via RNA rather than genetic code.
A team of female archaeologists in Turkey uncovered 138 Paleolithic stone tools near Ayvalık, revealing evidence of a now-submerged land bridge that once connected Anatolia to Europe during the Ice Age—suggesting early humans may have migrated through this route and reshaping theories about how our ancestors first entered the continent.
Archivists at Cambridge University launched the “Future Nostalgia” project to rescue data from deteriorating floppy disks—including those once used by Stephen Hawking—before the information is lost, aiming to preserve early digital writings and prevent the late 20th century from becoming a “digital dark age” by recovering and digitizing valuable historical materials across obsolete formats.
Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $42 million to the California nonprofit 10,000 Degrees to expand college and career opportunities for low-income students, funding scholarships, mentorships, and financial aid programs aimed at breaking cycles of poverty and fostering long-term community impact.
Fire-related deaths in the U.S. have fallen by two-thirds since 1980, thanks to improved building codes, widespread smoke detectors and sprinklers, safer furniture standards, and declining smoking rates — with kitchen fires now the leading cause, though even those have seen significant reductions in recent years.
Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine developed the first fast-acting antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, a protein therapy called RcoM-HBD-CCC that “cleans” blood in under a minute by binding and flushing out CO molecules without disrupting oxygen or blood pressure regulation; the breakthrough, published in PNAS, could transform emergency treatment and pave the way for use in respiratory distress, anemia, and organ preservation.
Francine, the beloved Lowe’s store cat from Richmond, Virginia, was found safe in North Carolina 17 days after accidentally boarding a delivery truck; after a viral search and community-wide effort involving drones, traps, and social media sleuthing, employees joyfully reunited with her and brought her home—now outfitted with a harness and tracker—as locals celebrated her return as a symbol of unity and kindness.
A pet tortoise named Mr. T was rescued unharmed after wandering onto train tracks at Bicester North Station in Oxfordshire; alert passengers notified Chiltern Railways staff, who safely retrieved and cared for the reptile before reuniting it with its owner, marking what workers called a once-in-a-career rescue and earning smiles across social media.
Four major dams on Maine’s Kennebec River have been sold to The Nature Conservancy for $138 million, marking the start of a plan to remove them and restore hundreds of miles of habitat for Atlantic salmon, river herring, sturgeon, and eels—reviving natural river flow for the first time in a century while balancing environmental goals with local industry needs.
Researchers at Switzerland’s EPFL developed a groundbreaking method to “cultivate” metal by infusing 3D-printed hydrogels with metal salts, producing dense structures up to 20 times stronger and far less prone to shrinkage than traditional 3D-printed metals—an innovation that could revolutionize energy technology, biomedical devices, and advanced manufacturing.
A female-led research team at the University of Sharjah in the UAE developed and patented a method to convert coffee grounds and plastic waste into activated carbon capable of capturing CO₂ emissions, creating a low-temperature, eco-friendly process that transforms everyday waste into a powerful tool for reducing industrial air pollution.
