GOOD NEWS AS OF May 18, 2024

Better than any poll. In GOP primary results, Trump has continued to show weakness. This past week, despite suspending her campaign months ago, Nikki Haley won 20% of the vote in Maryland and 17.8% in Nebraska. Recently, she received 16.6% in Pennsylvania. 26% in Michigan. 18% in Arizona. This amounts to hundreds of thousands of Haley voters who care about commitment to NATO, about opposition to Russia, and commitment to democratic norms. Newsweek

A broad coalition of Republicans have united to defend the legitimacy of U.S. elections and those who run them. Even as Trump undermines voter confidence, these folks are working hard across the nation to deliver the message that elections are secure and trustworthy. A lead organizer suggests, “It’s about democratic principles at a higher level—what does it mean to be a conservative who believes in democracy and the rule of law?” AP News

Better than any poll. Biden is leading Trump in his number of donors. Even if you don’t want to get into this article’s weeds, the various maps are heartening. The green spikes show where Biden donations have increased, the orange is where they’ve dipped. New York Times

Better than any poll. A Democrat won a county seat over an ultra conservative Republican by 20 points, a possible indicator of which way the winds are blowing in a local election in Michigan. Newsweek

New polling suggests Americans might be warming to Trump’s prosecution—and even the prospect of Trump in jail. Here’s where things stand. The Washington Post

“He is my guy.” Despite their rift over Israeli policy, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania stands by Biden. TribLive

Another hopeful indicator. A January 6th felony rioter lost his GOP House primary in West Virginia. Rep. Carol Miller fended off a challenge from Derrick Evans, who was sentenced to three months in prison for his role in the Capitol attack. NBC News

House Democrats are launching a probe of Trump’s dinner with oil executives. Lawmakers are demanding details of a Trump promise to ease regulations on the oil industry while asking executives to steer $1 billion to his 2024 campaign. The Washington Post A top US ethics watchdog is also investigating. The Guardian

Biden is pushing to squeeze Trump in red counties. Biden’s campaign has opened more than 150 offices and hired more than 400 staffers in the seven battleground states. They will have 200 offices and 500 staffers there by the end of May. Axios

In Maryland, a recent poll can give us hope for November. Democrat Angela Alsobrooks led former Republican governor, Larry Hogan, 48% to 38%, with 14% undecided in their race for the U.S. Senate. Emerson College Poll

Truth Social, Trump’s media platform, keeps losing users. Down 23% in April. Mobile users are down 13%. Investor Place

Further examples of a possible right wing media decline. Folded into a broader article about Democratic power in The House, Heather Cox Richardson lists the following as examples of a weakening right wing ecosystem; the firing of Tucker Carlson, the passing of Rush Limbaugh, Dominion Voting’s victory over Fox News, and FreedomWorks’ shut down. Heather Cox Richardson

Democrats are strengthening public safety. Money will go toward hiring and training law enforcement, upgrading police equipment, forensic technology, violence intervention, youth outreach programs, mental health and substance use services, and more. Financing discrepancies are stark in swing states: AZ, GA, and MI Democrats earmarked three times as much funding for their districts as Republicans; PA Dems secured four times as much; NV Dems ten times as much; and WI Dems fifteen times as much. Thirdway.org

Biden unveiled a new $3.3 billion Microsoft AI data center in Wisconsin, to be built in the same location where Trump once touted a Foxconn facility which he called the “eighth wonder of the world.” That project never fully materialized. Now, Biden officials say the Microsoft project will lead to 2,300 union construction jobs, followed by 2,000 permanent jobs in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. Microsoft will partner with Gateway Technical College to develop an academy that hopes to train 1,000 Wisconsinites for data center jobs. Reuters Axios

The U.S. has completed installation of a floating pier to deliver aid to Gaza. The Guardian

HUD is expanding solutions to tackle homelessness through Housing Choice Vouchers. The new flexibility will help communities expedite the process for housing assistance to those experiencing homelessness. HUD

The Biden-Harris administration is partnering with states to conserve 168,000 acres of private forest lands across the nation. Nearly 50% of these investments will go to conserving forests near disadvantaged communities. USDA

The Biden-⁠Harris administration has announced new actions to support Recovery-Ready Workplaces. Almost 50 million people in the U.S. have a substance use disorder. Most are in the workforce. Last November, the administration launched a resource hub and national institute to provide best practices to employers and local governments, helping people to stay employed and support them in their workplace while they complete their recoveries. Here’s a heart warming update from NPR’s Marketplace.

Biden has quietly taken a key step to ‘decriminalize’ traffic safety policy, ending a deeply flawed policing program that encouraged traffic stops as a pretext for fighting crime. These programs eroded trust, violated civil liberties, and made roads more dangerous for Black drivers. The following thoughtful article from The Hill is provided by a senior advisor to The Policing Project. The Hill

The Biden-Harris administration is pressing for accelerated upgrades for a more reliable, resilient electric grid that could boost wind and solar power. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the biggest changes in more than a decade to the way U.S. power lines are planned and funded. Energy.gov, The New York Times

The Biden-Harris administration has reported significant progress toward protecting children from lead poisoning. HUD

A defense of Biden’s border policy. President Biden has dealt with a record number of apprehensions at the border and a backlogged immigration system, with competing criticisms that he is too soft or too harsh. Too complex to summarize in this thumbnail, here is an NPR interview with Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas about what is being done. NPR

The Supreme Court has upheld the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau funding, saving the agency and fending off a legal challenge from payday lenders. The case had threatened to curtail the bureau’s power, and disrupt financial markets by casting doubt on the functions of other independently funded regulators across the government. Politico

What to do about the polls? Once read, they are impossible to ignore. Our hearts rise. Our hearts sink. Here’s a lively Morning Joe clip that discusses current polls and some of their irregularities.

This week, a Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College poll said Trump is leading in five critical battleground states. We only mention this in The Good News because you might have seen it. But look deeper. While given front page status on The New York Times, and spawning many analytical articles, the poll showed Trump leading in Nevada by 13%. The Morning Joe panel cites experts who feel this is improbable; it’s not reflected anywhere else. An outlier. And, they ask, how can Biden be losing the youth vote in Michigan by 27% and winning it in Wisconsin by 24%? Indeed. There appears to be a highly irregular methodology here. It turns out that 20% of “likely voters” didn’t vote in the last two midterms; some never voted at all.

The next day, in a small article and hard to find, The Times published a New York Times/ Ipsos poll that showed Biden leading Trump nationally, 47-43%. And a Yahoo/YouGov poll shows Biden and Trump tied—but, if Trump is convicted, this shifts to Biden 46%-Trump 43%. So, what to do about the polls? Take them with a grain of salt, friends. Many grains of salt between now and November 5th.