My positivity partner in crime, Stephanie, is on Spring Break this week – hopefully doing a bit of this:
But we’ve still got you covered. Victories continue to pour in and spring has officially arrived here in NYC. So, with an iced coffee in hand, let’s get to the good stuff! ??
Your weekly songspiration!
1. Congress is on recess this week but thanks to constituents around the country, it’s been far from relaxing for some of them.
? South Carolina ? Colorado ? New Jersey ? Arkansas ? Oregon
And even when they skip out on their town halls, people are still finding ways to send a clear message:
You know who else is also taking some time off? Bill O’Reilly. And while that alone would be a gift, it’s all the better because it could be motivated by the 70 companies that have pulled their ads from his show. #coincidence?
2. While Kansas Republican Ron Estes squeaked out a win for a seat in the House of Representatives, we’re still chalking this up as a victory and here’s why – his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, took this ruby red state by 31 points, but grassroots efforts narrowed that margin to a slim 7. Let’s hope this is a glimpse of the future. Come on Georgia and Montana ?
3. Maryland has become the first state in the country to agree to reimburse Planned Parenthood if Congress cuts its funding. (Thanks, Melissa!)
4. The Department of Justice, with help from Spanish authorities, arrested one of the world’s most notorious criminal spammers, Russian hacker Peter Levashov. We’re happy to say bye bye to this botnet.
5. Google is now helping to fact-check fake news in its search results.
6. The Pulitzer Prizes for this year have been awarded. This tiny family-run newspaper’s win proves that small business can take on huge corporations. (Thanks, Nancy!)
7. I Am Not Your Negro has made over $6 million at the box office making it the highest grossing theatrical release in Magnolia Pictures history. Also, James Baldwin’s personal archive is returning home to Harlem.
8. Former Governor Robert Bentley resigned after pleading guilty to two misdemeanors related to the cover-up of an alleged affair. He has been replaced by Kay Ivey, Alabama’s first female Republican Governor. His downfall was thanks in no small part to his ex-wife, Dianne, who knew how to show the receipts.
9. After years of pressure, and some help from these Raging Grannies, Portland will divest from all corporations.
10. New Mexico outlawed school lunch shaming. In other food related news, you can now feel a lot better about eating KFC. ?.
11. Governor Cuomo signed into law a first-of-its-kind program to provide free tuition to students at public colleges and universities in New York state. (While the program isn’t perfect, we think it’s a step in the right direction towards affordable higher education).
12. In other New York news, a judge ruled that NYC can destroy personal documents associated with its IDNYC program, protecting the personal information of a million New Yorkers.
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P.S. It’s National Library Week! Support your local library – this will make it really easy.
#ilovelibraries ?
P.P.S. Tuesday is Tax Day. Hoping for a refund from 2016? Here’s one idea.
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