Books Beat Bans, FEMA Freeze Foiled & Alabama's Math Miracle – Good News For Democracy! - Good News For Lefties (and America!) - Daily News for Democracy

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Good news for lefties and America. Good evening, progressives and lefties.
This is Good News for Lefties, a podcast that shines
a light on the stories that make you say, hey,
maybe democracy isn't doomed after all. I'm your host, Beowulf Rocklin.

(00:27):
Before we dive into today's uplifting tails, got a quick
request for you. If you're enjoying the show, please share
it with your friends, your family, and that one coworker
who looks like they could use it pick me up.
You can find us on Facebook, Blue Sky, and Instagram.
Just search for Good News for Lefties, and if you're

(00:47):
feeling extra generous, leave us a rating and review on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods. It
helps us spread the good news far and wide. All right,
let's get to it. All right, my literary loving lefties
gather around, because the forces of censorship just took a

(01:09):
glorious beating in Iowa. That's right, a federal judge has
once again blocked the state's Republican backed book ban. Here's
the scoop. Iowa's gop and their infinite wisdom decided that
school libraries shouldn't carry books with any depiction of sex
acts sounds reasonable, right wrong, because instead of just keeping

(01:31):
out actual smut, they went full Fahrenheit four fifty one
and started yanking classics like Ulysses nineteen eighty four, Beloved
and The Kite Runner. You know, just minor works of
art that have shaped human civilization? Who needs them?

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Right?

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Better to keep kids ignorant than risk them learning something.
But fear not, dear listeners, because Judge Stephen Locker saw
right through this nonsense. In his ruling, he pointed out
that the law was being applied unconstitutionally, banning books with
undeniable political, artistic, literary, or scientific value. In other words,

(02:07):
Iowa's GOP was so desperate to police kids reading habits
that they forgot about that pesky little thing called the
First Amendment. And get this, it's the second time Judge
Locker has blocked this ban. The first was in December
twenty twenty three, but the Eighth Circuit Appeals Court, packed
with Trump judges, naturally reversed it. So the authors and

(02:29):
publishers sued again, arguing that the law was so broad
it could ban any book with even a passing reference
to sex, no matter how age appropriate or artistically vital
and guess what the judge agreed. Now, Iowa's Republican Attorney General,
Brendan Byrd, is huffing and puffing about parental rights and
age appropriate content. But let's be real. This was never

(02:52):
about protecting kids. It was about controlling what they read,
what they think, and what they know. And thanks to
this ruling, at least for now, the books stay on
the shelves. So here's to the librarians, the teachers, the authors,
and the judges who stood up to this nonsense. Because
in the battle between free speech and Republican censorship, democracy

(03:16):
just scored a big win. And if you like this story,
you might want to check out our good friends at
the band camp podcast That's banned with two ends. Go
to bancamppodcast dot com check out their topic. We talk
about this all the time bancamppodcast dot com. Picture this.

(03:39):
You're a survivor of the Maui wildfires. Your home is gone,
your community is shattered. But hey, at least FEMA's got
your back right wrong, because thanks to the Trump Administration's
latest stunt, two hundred and fifteen, FEMA grants money meant
for disaster recovery flood prevention and emergency operations are rosen

(04:00):
in nineteen states, leaving survivors, first responders, and local governments
twisting in the win. But now a coalition of twenty
three Democratic attorneys general are slamming their fists on the
judge's desk, demanding enforce the dam ruling. You see. Back
in March, a federal judge already blocked Trump's illegal freeze

(04:21):
on these funds. But surprise, surprise, femas playing dune, claiming
they're just doing a manual review wink wink to ensure accountability. Translation,
we're stalling because we hate government spending unless it's on
golf trips or border stunts. Let's be clear, this isn't
some minor paperwork delay. Hawaii is about to shut down

(04:45):
aid for four thousand Maui wildfire survivors. Oregon's Emergency Management
agency might not be able to pay its staff, and
that's just the tip of the melting iceberg. California. A
g rob Banta, a man who clearly had he has
no patience for nonsense, put it like this. Without this funding,
states may be forced to wind down disaster relief programs.

(05:09):
In other words, people will suffer because Trump's team would
rather play petty politics than do their jobs. But the
courts aren't having it. Judge John McConnell Junior already smacked
down the freeze once, and now these twenty three ags
from California to Wisconsin are dragging FEMA back to court
to say cut the crap. Because here's a radical idea.

(05:31):
When Congress allocates money to help people rebuild after fires
and floods, maybe the government should actually give them the money.
Before we get back to the news, I'd like to
tell you about a podcast called The Good Government Show.
It's hosted by Dave Martin, and he talks with government
leaders across the country mayors, senators, representatives, federal agency directors,

(05:55):
and county commissioners. They talk about projects that work and
what good government really is. And if you listen, you
just might find out where to get the best dinner
in their city. It may seem strange to hear in
these troubled times, but be prepared to be impressed by
the dedication of the public servants they interview and why
they serve. So check out The Good Government Show with

(06:18):
Dave Martin on this platform or wherever you listen. Good News,
Good Government, The Good Government Show. Give it a listen. Okay,
let's talk about job interviews. You know, that deeply scientific
process where employers judge you on things like firm handshakes
and maintaining eye contact and not nervously sweating for your shirt,

(06:40):
all while pretending it's about skills and experience. Well, turns
out this system is especially brutal for autistic job seekers,
who often face discrimination before they even get a foot
in the door. But here's some good news. Researchers at
Virginia Commonwealth University just figured out two simple things things
that can help level the playing field. Neurodiversity training for

(07:04):
employers and allowing candidates to disclose their autism diagnosis up front. Revolutionary, right,
It's almost like treating people with basic dignity works. Here's
the breakdown. Less than sixty percent of autistic adults without
intellectual disabilities are employed full time or in school. Why

(07:25):
because the interviews are stacked against them. Autistic folks might
struggle with eye contact, miss social cues are give two
honest answers all things neurotypical bosses misinterpret as bad fit
instead of you know, just a different communication style. But
in a brilliant study VCEUS Christopher Wepley found something wild.

(07:48):
When employers got neurodiversity training and candidates disclosed their autism,
hiring bias dropped, not completely, but enough that autistic candidates
were rated just as hirable as neurotypical ones. And that's huge.
Neurodiversity training didn't cut it alone, and disclosure alone didn't either.

(08:08):
That's the comba that works, because when employees understand why
someone might seem awkward in an interview, they stop seeing
it as a red flag and start seeing it as
well just a human being. Of course, autistic folks shouldn't
have to disclose their diagnosis to get fair treatment. But
until we burn the whole interview industrial complex to the ground,

(08:30):
this is progress, and the best part the effects of
neurodiversity training last two months later, employees were still more
open to hiring autistic candidates. That's not just awareness, that's
actual change. So what should we take from all of this? First,
all companies should offer neurodiversity training not just as a

(08:52):
checkbox HR thing, but as a real tool to stop
overlooking talented workers. Second, interviews should always accommodations like one
on one chats instead of panel interrogations. And third, maybe,
just maybe we should judge people on their actual skills
instead of whether they seem like a good hang. As

(09:14):
Whelpley put it, it's not that you're different than me,
it's that we're different from each other. And in a
world that profits off conformity, that's a radical idea. It
started with a bag of dead batteries. In twenty eighteen,
Seattle dad Ryan Metzger found himself stuck with a pile
of household waste that shouldn't go in the trash, but

(09:37):
had nowhere else to go. That frustration sparked an idea
that's now keeping millions of pounds of waste out of
landfills across America. Metzger's started small, organizing recycling carpools in
his neighborhood for tricky items like batteries, like bulbs and styrofoam,
but demand exploded, and in twenty nineteen he launched Ridwell,

(10:00):
description service that makes responsible disposal as easy as taking
out the trash. From fourteen to twenty four dollars a month,
Ridwell provides special bins and picks up hard to recycle
items right from your doorstep every two weeks The service
now operates in seven states, serving over ninety thousand households.

(10:20):
They handle everything from plastic film and chip bags to
electronics and textiles, materials that most municipal systems can't process.
But here's what really sets Ridwell apart transparency. They track
every item to ensure it actually gets recycled or reused,
publishing detailed reports on their website. To date, they've diverted

(10:42):
fifteen million pounds of waste with a ninety seven percent
recycling rate. Plastic film becomes decking material through treks. Light
bulbs go to specialized mercury recyclers, art supplies get second
lives that creative reuse centers. It's proof that when you
make sustainability convenient, people will participate, even at a cost.

(11:06):
As one LA customer put it, there's so many big
problems I feel helpless about, but this is one small
thing I can do. That sentiment explains Ridwell's rapid growth.
In a perfect world, maybe we wouldn't need services like this,
but until corporations and governments step up, it's heartening to
see solutions emerging from everyday frustration. One bag of batteries

(11:31):
at a time, sometimes the most revolutionary ideas are the
simplest ones. Ridwill proves that with the right system, doing
good can be as easy as taking out the trash.
Up Next, a listener suggested story back in a minute Now,
a listener suggested story from Kevin in Garden City, New York.

(11:54):
The Atlantic Theater company that beloved Off Broadway gem is
finally reopening its door after a month's long strike. And
guess what the workers won. That's right, folks. After a
hard fought battle, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
YATZI has secured its first ever union contract for nearly

(12:16):
one hundred production workers at the Atlantic. Back in February
twenty twenty four, the crew voted nearly unanimously to unionize
because Shaker people who make art happen also like things
like fair wages and job security. But negotiations stalled, and
by January workers had had enough enter the strike, lights off,

(12:39):
shows canceled, and a very clear message to management pay
your people well. Fast forward to this month and Wolla,
a ratified agreement that's not just a win for the
Atlantic's crew, but a landmark for Off Broadway. Off Broadway
theaters are not rolling in cash many are nonprofits scraping by,

(13:00):
but this deal proves that even in tough times, workers
deserve a seat at the table, and when they get it,
everyone benefits. The shows go on, the artists get paid.
So here's to the stage hands, the texts, the unsung
heroes who make theater magic happen. They stood together, they fought,
and they won. Thanks for that story, Kevin. If you

(13:23):
have thoughts, ideas, or more good news to share, we'd
love to hear from you. Call or message us at
two zero two six six two seven one, or drop
us a line at Beowulf at two squared Media Productions
dot com. Alabama is now the only state in the
US where fourth grade math scores are higher today than

(13:45):
they were before the pandemic. How they pull it off
not with standardized test drills or thoughts and prayers, but
by ditching textbooks and letting kids play with toy bears
to learn fractions. Let's zoom in on to kalb County,
rural pocket of Alabama where poverty rates are high. But
as Superintendent Wayne Lyles puts it, we have high pride

(14:08):
and they've got the math scores to prove it. While
most of the country is still scrambling to recover from
pandemic learning loss DECALBS. Kids are out there adding whole
grade levels to their skills. Harvard and Stanford researchers were
so impressed they called it a national model. So what
was the real game changer here? Julie West, the district's

(14:30):
math coordinator, basically said, forget worksheets, Let these kids hold
the math. Cue the counting bears, rainbow measuring sticks, and
magnetic tiles. Suddenly math wasn't some abstract nightmare. It was
a toy box. And guess what kids started getting it.
Take Miss Tracy Butt's third grade class, where students solve

(14:54):
twelve times nine, not by rote memorization, but by debating
five different ways to crack the problem. One kid counts
by nines, another splits twelve into ten, and two. The
room buzzes with ideas, no wrong answers, just thinking. Alabama
didn't stop at DECALB. In twenty twenty two, the state

(15:15):
passed the Alabama Numeracy Act, a law that's flooding schools
with math coaches and teacher training. Karen Anderson, head of
the state's new Office of Math Improvement, admits that the
biggest hurdle wasn't funding, it was fighting the math is
liver stigma, you know. But now coaches are fanning out
across the state, turning skeptics into believers, and it's working.

(15:40):
Alabama's fourth grade maths scores dead last in twenty nineteen,
now middle of the pack. At a time when the
Trump administration is trying to dismantle the Department of Education,
Alabama is proving that investing in teachers and trusting kids'
brains pays off. No magic, no privatization, just port and play.

(16:01):
And if Alabama can do it, what's your state's excuse.
That's it for today's episode of Good News for Lefties.
If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to share it
with your friends, your family, and anyone else who could
use a little positivity in their lives. You can find
us on Facebook, Blue Sky, and Instagram. Just search for
Good News for Lefties, and if you're feeling generous, leave

(16:24):
us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or
wherever you listen. It really helps us spread the good news.
Until next time, I'm Beowolf Rockland, weird name Good News
for Lefties and America Stay tuned after this commercial break

(16:55):
for more of me, your humble and obedient servant, as
I speak with Jen and Dan of the band Camp Podcast.

Speaker 3 (17:03):
The John Peeple Sang Podcast is now available six times
a week with me John Fugel Sang, 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, rockstars, journalists, activists,
unhinged callers, and way too many comedians. They all have
a place of the John Feaglesang Podcast, and so do you.

(17:25):
The John Fiegle sing Podcast Fair and Biased. Find it
on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher for wherever you listen to bos.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
And Now an excerpt from a recent episode of the
band Camp Podcast where I speak with hosts Jen and Dan.
Then go listen to the full show the band Camp
Podcast that's banned with two ends bandcamp podcast dot com.
It's time for band Camp News. You feaker, news speaker,

(17:54):
they will freck in.

Speaker 4 (17:56):
It's a weird name, but he's got good news because
he can.

Speaker 5 (17:59):
Then he's broadcasting live from the good news for LEFTI
studio is buried deep inside his socialist safe house, hidden
somewhere deep in the Oregon woods.

Speaker 2 (18:11):
He is bay Wolf Rockland.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Because you can't be all right, May.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
Wolf is here with the good news. There better be
some good news today.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
There is some good news, some very good news. You
guys are aware, I know because you've talked about it.
We have talked about it here on the show. About
little free libraries, all things that you put in front
of your house or next to a park. I know
there's one in my neighborhood, and people contribute books, and

(18:43):
they take a book, they give a book. It becomes
a community thing. It's a wonderful node for interaction within
the community.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
I've got one of those. I've got a charter for one.

Speaker 1 (18:53):
Little free library is celebrating a milestone. It's two hundred
thousandth bos Nice, the nonprofit that manages these two hundred
thousand many libraries, works to increase access to literacy in urban,
suburban and rural communities all over the world. In fact,
there is even one in Antarctica. Excit you think you're
too remote, too rural for a little free library. Not so.

(19:15):
The most remote places in the world have them.

Speaker 4 (19:17):
Nice.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
You know, a really good place to put one in
the White House, right next to Trump's desk. They get
them to read a little.

Speaker 1 (19:24):
Bit books in the White House.

Speaker 2 (19:28):
There's got to be so many underserved areas, especially now
with libraries closing thanks to budget cuts and everything. Yeah,
it is pretty cool to think that there are literally
now just little mini libraries all over the place and
there's not a hassle. It's not like going to a
library is ever hard. But you do need an ID

(19:49):
and a library card all that kind of stuff. But like,
it's funny. Jen lives really close to a library and
you still have your own little MANI library.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
I have it. Mine is a kid's books only library,
which I really like because you know, you don't always
want to take your totherler to the library. I love
the library for my small kids. Moms will be walking
down the street with their stroller and it'll be like
a thing they do. They'll stop as a family and
pick up books they like. It's really a nice thing.
I like it.

Speaker 1 (20:20):
Yeah, I'm within walking distance of three little free libraries
as well as my regular big library, so I love it.
I think that is. You know how on Google Maps
they rate the walkability of a particular neighborhood, Yeah, zillo
or something like that. But I think that you should
rate the liveability of your neighborhood by how many little

(20:43):
free libraries and big libraries you are within walking distance of,
because I think that makes a big difference in my life.
I've obtained books that I've loved from little free libraries,
I've donated many myself. And let me take this as
an opportunity to plug the big libraries too, because I
think that is super important, and they are feeling an

(21:04):
even larger role in our society than they used to.
They will rent out I know in my community they'll
rent out backpacks and tents and games and all sorts
of things that are sometimes like cooking utensils and things
like that. They are providing more and more services as
other funding sources and other agencies and other social services

(21:26):
as you alluded to, are going away awesome.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
A little behind the scenes thing about band camp. We
get eight ton of messages from librarians like email. A
lot of librarians listen to us. We always reach out
to them and say, oh, it's great for the email.
We'd love to have you come on the show. And
they're like, it kind of can't because it's weird being
a librarian right now. It must say totally hide where
they're from.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
Good lord, and librarians aren't able to come out in
the open. It's like we're putting librarians in the closet somehow. Now.
It's it says, such a crazy time that we should
have to do that.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
It's like witness relocation program. It's like this, hush, be quiet,
start a new identity. You gave kids books and one
other thing. Speaking of books, we talked about this at
the very beginning of this season. Starting at the next
episode of ban Camp, I have to switch to a
PDF version because the library has been like now they're

(22:23):
calling me saying, you need to bring the book back.
Can you renew it? No, there's four people waiting for
your copy alone. You have to bring it back, Like, oh,
you should bring it back to Yeah.

Speaker 1 (22:33):
That is a tribute to how popular, especially in this
particular time nineteen eighty four, is a lot of interest
in that book about.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
Now that's powerful. It should not be a guidebook. It
just seems like here's how to live today.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
I'm glad people are reading it though, Like that's that's
all we need though, right.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, Jen, I was going to ask you,
do you think it's weird when we're reading nineteen eighty
for and I know, like just a few years ago,
it just seemed like the epitome of dystopian hellscape and
it is crazy how like we're kind of already doing
this part. Oh, this part's a little light, George, like

(23:15):
you know, oh, we're doing that now.

Speaker 4 (23:17):
I was thinking about that this morning, how all these
mass layoffs and firings of the federal workers, like they
would be killing them if they could, like, if they
could get away with it, they would just be vaporising. Yeah,
they but there's a line that they won't cross yet.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
Yeah. I was having a lot of perverse fun listening
to you guys the other day talking about it. Might
have been when you were talking about Victory Gin and saying, wow,
well at least they have free booze. We don't have that.
There are actually some aspects of this dystopian hellscape depicted
by George Orwell that are better than we have it today.

Speaker 2 (23:56):
Yeah. Yeah, what did you think of Jen talking about
Victory loube?

Speaker 1 (24:02):
Hey, I took some perverse pleasure in that as well.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
We're actually talking to the little library people about a
band book version of this and it's really coming along good.
I'm happy that you brought the story to us. Free
little libraries, if you see one in your neighborhood, go
grab a book, share a book, put some books in.
It's really awesome. It's totally free, and the person who
put it there cares about you. You know, I think

(24:28):
that's really cool.

Speaker 1 (24:29):
Be a part of your community. Give a book, take
a book, interact and be a part of the whole,
because that's symbolic of what we need to do here
on an everyday level, and certainly during these turbulent and
disturbing times, join together. We need to organize in order
to basically just survive.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Just realize a major issue. This was not a funny segment,
you guys. Why did we just go through good news
without making front of Trump or eOne months as it
happens every once.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
In a while. Oh I didn't say the word Voldemort.
That was somebody else.

Speaker 2 (25:06):
Thank you for being here baywell. As always, it is
great fun, good times. Everyone go find good news that
you go to say good goods for Babel.

Speaker 1 (25:16):
Hey, good news for lefties. It's good news for me,
so that's all right.

Speaker 2 (25:19):
Yeah, all right, everyone, go to start your day, listen
to some good News by Babel good News for Lefties.
Find it wherever you find podcasts.

Speaker 4 (25:27):
The Truth bebe

Speaker 1 (25:31):
And listen to Jen and Dan on the band Camp
podcast at bandcamp podcast dot com

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Books Beat Bans, FEMA Freeze Foiled & Alabama's Math Miracle – Good News For Democracy!

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