Everything Isn’t Total Shit: A Few Good Things Happened Recently
A reminder that there are good things happening!
Belgium banned imports from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.
Belgium’s federal government approved a ban on importing goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Days before the approval, Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot pressed EU counterparts at a closed-doors meeting in Brussels for a bloc-wide ban on said imports. (The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, buying close to 30 percent of its exports and accounting for nearly a third of its total trade in goods.)
Brazil has banned the sale and production of foie gras, citing animal cruelty.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law on Thursday to ban the sale and production of the French delicacy foie gras, citing animal cruelty.
Brazil now joins 19 other countries around the world that have banned foie gras production.
A bill was introduced in the Senate that would guarantee healthcare to all children in the U.S. from birth to age 26.
Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced a bill in the Senate last week that would guarantee healthcare to all children in America from birth to age 26.
“MediKids” would automatically enroll every child and young adult in the U.S. in Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit, which provides comprehensive and preventive healthcare services for children who are enrolled in Medicaid.
Specifically, the bill would:
Automatically enroll every child in MediKids at birth
Provide continuous eligibility for children enrolled in MediKids until age 26, regardless of income, immigration status, or health condition
Cover 100% of the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for this population
Poland’s president signed stronger animal welfare rules into law.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed an amendment to the country’s Animal Protection Act that will ban dogs and cats from being permanently kept on chains or tethers. (Current legislation allows dogs to be tethered for up to 12 hours a day.)
The amendment also introduces minimum welfare standards for dogs kept in outdoor kennels.
Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green signed measures into law to expand access to healthcare and create a state program to forgive medical debt.
Hawai’i Governor Josh Green signed HB1864, HB1969, and SB 3025 into law – measures aimed at expanding access to healthcare and creating a state program to forgive medical debt for eligible residents.
The bills include new insurance coverage requirements for fertility preservation, financial assistance for colorectal cancer screenings, and a framework that could eliminate as much as $91 million in medical debt for up to 50,000 residents.
More than 3,000 people across Trinidad and Tobago regained their sight through a free cataract and pterygium surgery initiative.
A free cataract and pterygium surgery initiative led by the Community Hospital of Seventh-day Adventists in partnership with Hands International helped more than 3,000 people across Trinidad and Tobago to regain their sight.
The initiative, which ran from May 14 to 26, provided thousands of free surgeries and addressed a significant need for eye care services. The initiative also provided treatment for pterygium, commonly known as “surfer’s eye,” a non-cancerous growth frequently associated with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, dust, and wind.
According to the providers, the free initiative provided access to eye care they had delayed for years because screening and surgery costs were beyond their means.
Representative Thomas Massie announced that he will soon introduce a bill to withhold federal funding from local governments that install Flock cameras.
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) announced that he will be introducing a bill to withhold funding from local governments that install Flock cameras.
"I’ll soon be sponsoring a bill to withhold federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy Flock (and other style) cameras to surveil law abiding citizens," Massie said.
Mexico will invest 58 billion pesos to strengthen the country’s educational system.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a historic investment in education, allocating nearly 59 billion pesos (approximately $3.3 billion USD) to improve school infrastructure across the country in 2026.
The funding will benefit preschool, elementary, secondary, high school, and university education, with plans to renovate thousands of schools, expand classroom capacity, improve learning environments, and strengthen educational opportunities for millions of students.
“What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.” – Howard Zinn