February 7, 2025 • 11 mins
From a court ruling that protects the privacy of American citizens to legislative efforts that safeguard immigrant communities, Beowulf delivers a hearty dose of optimism.
Listen to our friends Jennifer and Dan of the Banned Camp podcast at BannedCampPodcast.com
Watch our friend Clark Reid at clarkreidsf.com
If you’ve got thoughts, ideas, or more good news to share, we’d love to hear from you! Call or message us at 202-656-6271, or drop us a line at beowulf@twosquaredmediaproductions.com
You can find out more about today’s good news stories here:
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/interim-court-order-restricts-treasury-data-access-to-select-government-employees
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/06/trump-federal-employee-buyout-court-challenge-.html
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/01/30/washington-bill-would-restrict-when-outside-national-guard-troops-can-enter-the-state/
https://www.opednews.com/populum/page.php?f=What-is-so-Special-about-B-Approval_Balanced-Voting_Voting_Voting-Machines-241208-232.html
https://nextcity.org/podcast/these-cities-are-welcoming-immigrants-with-municipal-id-programs
Positive, daily news for democracy lovers!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/good-news-for-lefties-daily-news-for-democracy--6256627/support.
Listen to our friends Jennifer and Dan of the Banned Camp podcast at BannedCampPodcast.com
Watch our friend Clark Reid at clarkreidsf.com
If you’ve got thoughts, ideas, or more good news to share, we’d love to hear from you! Call or message us at 202-656-6271, or drop us a line at beowulf@twosquaredmediaproductions.com
You can find out more about today’s good news stories here:
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/interim-court-order-restricts-treasury-data-access-to-select-government-employees
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/06/trump-federal-employee-buyout-court-challenge-.html
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/01/30/washington-bill-would-restrict-when-outside-national-guard-troops-can-enter-the-state/
https://www.opednews.com/populum/page.php?f=What-is-so-Special-about-B-Approval_Balanced-Voting_Voting_Voting-Machines-241208-232.html
https://nextcity.org/podcast/these-cities-are-welcoming-immigrants-with-municipal-id-programs
Positive, daily news for democracy lovers!
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/good-news-for-lefties-daily-news-for-democracy--6256627/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Good News for Lefties and America. Hello, dear listeners, Welcome
to another episode of Good News for Lefties. I'm your host,
Baobel Franklin, here to sprinkle a little sunshine on your
day with stories that are sure to warm the cockles
of your left leading hearts. If you're feeling a bit
(00:26):
down in the dumps about the state of the world,
fear not. Before we dive in, I'd like to remind
you to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and
wherever you get your pods. Your feedback helps us spread
the good vibes, and don't forget to share this podcast
with your friends, family, or anyone who could use a
little positivity in their lives. You can find us on Facebook,
(00:49):
Blue Sky, and Instagram. Just search for Good News for Lefties. Now,
let's get to the good stuff. In a win for
privacy advocates and sanity, US District Court Judge Colleen Kohlarcatelli
has issued an interim order that restricts access to sensitive
US Treasury data. This order limits Elon Musk and his
(01:12):
cadre of government efficiency DOGE employees in accessing this sensitive information.
The court's decision states that only two DOGE employees Tom
Kraus and Marco Illz. Remember that name, as we'll come
back to it in a minute. We'll have read only
access to this data. Norm Eisen, the executive chair of
(01:36):
the State Democracy Defender's Fund, celebrated this ruling, stating, we
just blocked Musk and Trump out of the treasury systems.
Securing the order is a big win. This ruling is
a significant step protecting the privacy of millions of Americans
who rely on government benefits. Here's to Judge Colarcatelli and
(01:59):
the organizations that fought for this victory. Cheers to keeping
our financial secrets safe from Elon Musk. Now, remember the
name of the DOGE employee I mentioned a minute ago,
Marco Elez. Well, there's good news about him. He's no
longer with DOGE and that's very very good news. Why
(02:21):
he resigned after some rather unsavory social media posts came
to light. Now you might be wondering what exactly did
mister els say. One of his tweets read, you could
not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity. Another
said normalize Indian hate, in reference to the presence of
(02:43):
Indian professionals in Silicon Valley. Yet another said I would
not mind at all if Gaza and Israel were both
wiped off the face of the earth. Still another said,
just for the record, I was racist before it was cool.
So Marco Wills, the author of those tweets, is gone
(03:05):
from doge and that is very good news. Indeed, we'll
be back to the news in a minute, but first
we at good News for Lefties. Are excited to feature
a truly funny podcast perfect for anyone who hates censorship.
It's called band Camp and it's hosted by the hilarious
(03:27):
duo of Jennifer and Dan. Band Camp is a comedy
podcast where they read band books and try to figure
out why they were banned in the first place. This season,
they're reading George Orwell's nineteen eighty four one chapter at
a time, out loud. If you think banning books will
lead to a not so great future, then band camp
(03:50):
is for you. Whether you're like Jennifer, curious to read
the book for the first time, or like Dan and
a little too lazy to read it for yourself, you'll
love band Camp. Look for band camp that's banned with
two ends on your favorite podcast player and subscribe today.
Let's get banned together. A federal judge in Boston has
(04:14):
paused the Trump administration's buyout offers for federal employees. Judge
George O'Toole Junior issued this injunction just hours before the
deadline for workers to accept the deal. The buyout plan,
which is part of the so called Fork Directive, aimed
to reduce the size of the federal workforce. The term
(04:36):
fork in this context is derived from the idea of
providing employees with a choice or a fork in the
road regarding their employment. Essentially, they can choose to accept
the buyout and leave the federal workforce or continue their employment.
But now that insane plan is on hold. In a
statement after O'Toole issued his order, the CEO of Democracy Forward,
(04:59):
the advocacy group representing the unions challenging the buy out,
said civil service members deserve more than one sided ultimatums
and misleading schemes. We are grateful for the court's ruling
today pausing Trump's unlawful ultimatums and protecting our federal employees. Now,
(05:20):
let's head over to Washington State, where Democratic lawmakers are
taking a stand to protect immigrant communities. Representative Charlotte Mina
is sponsoring House Bill thirteen twenty one, which would limit
the deployment of outside National Guard troops in Washington without
the governor's permission. The bill is a response to twenty
(05:42):
six Republican governors releasing a joint statement in December saying
they were ready to utilize every tool at our disposal,
whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard, to
support Trump's immigration policies. It is my concern that there
would be other states wanting to enforce federal immigration law,
(06:05):
Representative Mina said, and it could be with their national guards.
In recent years, states have sent their national guards to
other states to support immigration enforcement. This legislation is a
powerful reminder that states can push back against federal overreach
and protect their residents. Up next, a listener comment back
(06:29):
in a minute, and now a listener comment from Paul
in Orono, Maine. He writes in response to a recent
story we had on efforts to establish ranked choice voting
in Michigan, he writes, for many years there has been
a great deal of interest in ranked choice voting, or
(06:49):
properly called instant runoff voting, and something of a bandwagon
for people to jump on. Unfortunately, there are some serious
problems with this voting system that may its virtues largely
an illusion. He says. The problem that needs to be
faced is the very existence of the two party duopoly.
While ranked choice voting does allow voters the freedom to
(07:11):
vote for someone outside of those two parties, knowing that
their vote will be quickly converted to a vote within
the duopoly, this does little to undermine the duopoly itself.
There remains the problem of voters who are so habituated
to choosing between only the two duopoly candidates, and he
means the Democrats and Republicans, they are unlikely to change.
(07:34):
If the duopoly is to be undermined by change in
the voting system, something more is needed. Specifically, the voting
system needs to play the two duopoly candidates against one another.
There is such a voting system, it is called balanced
approval voting. With balanced approval voting, voters are asked to
evaluate each candidate, stating either support for the candidate or opposition.
(07:58):
They can abstain deifying neither support nor opposition. The vote
tally for each candidate is the count of supporting votes
minus the number of opposition votes. Well, Paul, thank you
for that comment, and thanks for introducing us to the
concept of balanced approval voting. We'll keep an eye on
the news for it, and we welcome debate about ranked
(08:19):
choice voting, which many, including myself, still view as a
positive thing, and we'll keep reporting on it as well.
If you've got thoughts, ideas, or more good news to
share on this or other topics, we'd love to hear
from you, call or message us at two zero two
six five six six two seven to one, or drop
(08:39):
us a line at beowulf at two squared Media Productions
dot com. And now let's talk about how some cities
in the US are stepping up to welcome immigrants with
municipal ID programs. For many undocumented and underdocumented residents, not
having an ID can mean being excluded from essential service
(09:00):
like driving, opening a bank account, or even reporting crimes
to law enforcement, and in the current political environment, it
can be downright dangerous. But cities like Greensboro, North Carolina,
and New York City are leading the charge with initiatives
like the Faith Action ID and the id NYC programs.
(09:22):
These simple forms of ID provide access to vital services
for everyone, regardless of their immigration status. RSLI Lopez, a
community nurse in Greensboro, shared how the Faith Action ID
helps newcomers access medical care. A lot of the clients
that come in sometimes they've recently arrived to Greensboro, she said.
(09:46):
The first thing I'll ask them is if they have
an ID, and sometimes they've lost everything on their journey here.
These programs are shining example of how local governments can
create inclusive policies that support all resid eidence. Compassion and
understanding can go a long way in building stronger communities.
(10:06):
Let's celebrate these cities for their commitment to inclusivity and
for showing that everyone deserves basic service access, regardless of
their background. Let's keep the momentum going, Folks. Share these
stories with your friends, family, or anyone who could use
a little positivity, and remember rate and review us on Apple,
(10:28):
Podcasts and other platforms. Your support helps us spread the
good news far and wide. You can find us on Facebook,
Blue Sky, and Instagram. Just search for good News for Lefties.
We're building a community of positivity and we want you
to be a part of it. Thank you for joining
me today. Until next time, keep your spirits high and
(10:49):
your heart's open. I'm Babel Frocklin. Weird name, I know,
but it's good news I'm telling you for lefties end America.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
The John Peeglesang Podcast is now available six times a
week with me John Fugelsang, I've been murdered on CSI,
picketed by Westboro Baptist Church, and host tell me Everything
on serious XM Progress one twenty seven. You will hear authors, politicians, actors, filmmakers, rappers,
rock stars, journalists, activists, unhinged callers, and way too many comedians.
They all have a place of the John Fugelsang Podcast,
(11:39):
and so do you. The John Fugelsang Podcast Fair and Biased.
Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you
listen to bos.
Good News for Lefties and America. Hello, dear listeners, Welcome
to another episode of Good News for Lefties. I'm your host,
Baobel Franklin, here to sprinkle a little sunshine on your
day with stories that are sure to warm the cockles
of your left leading hearts. If you're feeling a bit
(00:26):
down in the dumps about the state of the world,
fear not. Before we dive in, I'd like to remind
you to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and
wherever you get your pods. Your feedback helps us spread
the good vibes, and don't forget to share this podcast
with your friends, family, or anyone who could use a
little positivity in their lives. You can find us on Facebook,
(00:49):
Blue Sky, and Instagram. Just search for Good News for Lefties. Now,
let's get to the good stuff. In a win for
privacy advocates and sanity, US District Court Judge Colleen Kohlarcatelli
has issued an interim order that restricts access to sensitive
US Treasury data. This order limits Elon Musk and his
(01:12):
cadre of government efficiency DOGE employees in accessing this sensitive information.
The court's decision states that only two DOGE employees Tom
Kraus and Marco Illz. Remember that name, as we'll come
back to it in a minute. We'll have read only
access to this data. Norm Eisen, the executive chair of
(01:36):
the State Democracy Defender's Fund, celebrated this ruling, stating, we
just blocked Musk and Trump out of the treasury systems.
Securing the order is a big win. This ruling is
a significant step protecting the privacy of millions of Americans
who rely on government benefits. Here's to Judge Colarcatelli and
(01:59):
the organizations that fought for this victory. Cheers to keeping
our financial secrets safe from Elon Musk. Now, remember the
name of the DOGE employee I mentioned a minute ago,
Marco Elez. Well, there's good news about him. He's no
longer with DOGE and that's very very good news. Why
(02:21):
he resigned after some rather unsavory social media posts came
to light. Now you might be wondering what exactly did
mister els say. One of his tweets read, you could
not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity. Another
said normalize Indian hate, in reference to the presence of
(02:43):
Indian professionals in Silicon Valley. Yet another said I would
not mind at all if Gaza and Israel were both
wiped off the face of the earth. Still another said,
just for the record, I was racist before it was cool.
So Marco Wills, the author of those tweets, is gone
(03:05):
from doge and that is very good news. Indeed, we'll
be back to the news in a minute, but first
we at good News for Lefties. Are excited to feature
a truly funny podcast perfect for anyone who hates censorship.
It's called band Camp and it's hosted by the hilarious
(03:27):
duo of Jennifer and Dan. Band Camp is a comedy
podcast where they read band books and try to figure
out why they were banned in the first place. This season,
they're reading George Orwell's nineteen eighty four one chapter at
a time, out loud. If you think banning books will
lead to a not so great future, then band camp
(03:50):
is for you. Whether you're like Jennifer, curious to read
the book for the first time, or like Dan and
a little too lazy to read it for yourself, you'll
love band Camp. Look for band camp that's banned with
two ends on your favorite podcast player and subscribe today.
Let's get banned together. A federal judge in Boston has
(04:14):
paused the Trump administration's buyout offers for federal employees. Judge
George O'Toole Junior issued this injunction just hours before the
deadline for workers to accept the deal. The buyout plan,
which is part of the so called Fork Directive, aimed
to reduce the size of the federal workforce. The term
(04:36):
fork in this context is derived from the idea of
providing employees with a choice or a fork in the
road regarding their employment. Essentially, they can choose to accept
the buyout and leave the federal workforce or continue their employment.
But now that insane plan is on hold. In a
statement after O'Toole issued his order, the CEO of Democracy Forward,
(04:59):
the advocacy group representing the unions challenging the buy out,
said civil service members deserve more than one sided ultimatums
and misleading schemes. We are grateful for the court's ruling
today pausing Trump's unlawful ultimatums and protecting our federal employees. Now,
(05:20):
let's head over to Washington State, where Democratic lawmakers are
taking a stand to protect immigrant communities. Representative Charlotte Mina
is sponsoring House Bill thirteen twenty one, which would limit
the deployment of outside National Guard troops in Washington without
the governor's permission. The bill is a response to twenty
(05:42):
six Republican governors releasing a joint statement in December saying
they were ready to utilize every tool at our disposal,
whether through state law enforcement or the National Guard, to
support Trump's immigration policies. It is my concern that there
would be other states wanting to enforce federal immigration law,
(06:05):
Representative Mina said, and it could be with their national guards.
In recent years, states have sent their national guards to
other states to support immigration enforcement. This legislation is a
powerful reminder that states can push back against federal overreach
and protect their residents. Up next, a listener comment back
(06:29):
in a minute, and now a listener comment from Paul
in Orono, Maine. He writes in response to a recent
story we had on efforts to establish ranked choice voting
in Michigan, he writes, for many years there has been
a great deal of interest in ranked choice voting, or
(06:49):
properly called instant runoff voting, and something of a bandwagon
for people to jump on. Unfortunately, there are some serious
problems with this voting system that may its virtues largely
an illusion. He says. The problem that needs to be
faced is the very existence of the two party duopoly.
While ranked choice voting does allow voters the freedom to
(07:11):
vote for someone outside of those two parties, knowing that
their vote will be quickly converted to a vote within
the duopoly, this does little to undermine the duopoly itself.
There remains the problem of voters who are so habituated
to choosing between only the two duopoly candidates, and he
means the Democrats and Republicans, they are unlikely to change.
(07:34):
If the duopoly is to be undermined by change in
the voting system, something more is needed. Specifically, the voting
system needs to play the two duopoly candidates against one another.
There is such a voting system, it is called balanced
approval voting. With balanced approval voting, voters are asked to
evaluate each candidate, stating either support for the candidate or opposition.
(07:58):
They can abstain deifying neither support nor opposition. The vote
tally for each candidate is the count of supporting votes
minus the number of opposition votes. Well, Paul, thank you
for that comment, and thanks for introducing us to the
concept of balanced approval voting. We'll keep an eye on
the news for it, and we welcome debate about ranked
(08:19):
choice voting, which many, including myself, still view as a
positive thing, and we'll keep reporting on it as well.
If you've got thoughts, ideas, or more good news to
share on this or other topics, we'd love to hear
from you, call or message us at two zero two
six five six six two seven to one, or drop
(08:39):
us a line at beowulf at two squared Media Productions
dot com. And now let's talk about how some cities
in the US are stepping up to welcome immigrants with
municipal ID programs. For many undocumented and underdocumented residents, not
having an ID can mean being excluded from essential service
(09:00):
like driving, opening a bank account, or even reporting crimes
to law enforcement, and in the current political environment, it
can be downright dangerous. But cities like Greensboro, North Carolina,
and New York City are leading the charge with initiatives
like the Faith Action ID and the id NYC programs.
(09:22):
These simple forms of ID provide access to vital services
for everyone, regardless of their immigration status. RSLI Lopez, a
community nurse in Greensboro, shared how the Faith Action ID
helps newcomers access medical care. A lot of the clients
that come in sometimes they've recently arrived to Greensboro, she said.
(09:46):
The first thing I'll ask them is if they have
an ID, and sometimes they've lost everything on their journey here.
These programs are shining example of how local governments can
create inclusive policies that support all resid eidence. Compassion and
understanding can go a long way in building stronger communities.
(10:06):
Let's celebrate these cities for their commitment to inclusivity and
for showing that everyone deserves basic service access, regardless of
their background. Let's keep the momentum going, Folks. Share these
stories with your friends, family, or anyone who could use
a little positivity, and remember rate and review us on Apple,
(10:28):
Podcasts and other platforms. Your support helps us spread the
good news far and wide. You can find us on Facebook,
Blue Sky, and Instagram. Just search for good News for Lefties.
We're building a community of positivity and we want you
to be a part of it. Thank you for joining
me today. Until next time, keep your spirits high and
(10:49):
your heart's open. I'm Babel Frocklin. Weird name, I know,
but it's good news I'm telling you for lefties end America.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
The John Peeglesang Podcast is now available six times a
week with me John Fugelsang, I've been murdered on CSI,
picketed by Westboro Baptist Church, and host tell me Everything
on serious XM Progress one twenty seven. You will hear authors, politicians, actors, filmmakers, rappers,
rock stars, journalists, activists, unhinged callers, and way too many comedians.
They all have a place of the John Fugelsang Podcast,
(11:39):
and so do you. The John Fugelsang Podcast Fair and Biased.
Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you
listen to bos.
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