What Went Right: This Week's Wrap Up

Searching for silver linings? We’ve got you.

• Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order: The Supreme Court ruled that birthright citizenship cannot be eliminated through executive action, reinforcing that such a fundamental constitutional change cannot simply be ordered by a president.

• Judge Orders DOJ to Answer for Epstein Files: Independent journalist Katie Phang won an important procedural victory after U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled she has standing to sue the DOJ over its handling of the Epstein files. The court ordered the DOJ to produce additional records or explain why specific materials remain withheld.

• Federal Courts Continue Blocking Trump’s Election Agenda: Federal judges continued rejecting attempts to expand federal control over state-run elections, reaffirming that election administration remains primarily a state responsibility.

• Supreme Court Leaves Mail Ballot Rules Intact: The Court declined to overturn state laws allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted after they arrive, preserving existing voting procedures.

• SAVE America Act Remains Stalled: Despite strong support from President Trump, the legislation still lacks the votes needed to advance in the Senate.

• Progressive Momentum Continues: Following Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York, progressive candidates continue gaining traction. In Colorado, Melat Kiros unseated a 15-term incumbent in the state’s heavily Democratic 1st District.

  And in case you missed Walter Rhein’s interview with candidate Melat Kiros, you can watch it here:

What a breath of fresh air she is!

Be sure to tune in to Walter’s Substack to catch his other candidate interviews as well. He asks the hard questions and focuses on candidates who are true agents of change—and we love that about him.

• Scientists Identify a Way To Target Dormant Cancer Cells: Researchers at ETH Zurich developed a light-activated molecular switch that forces dormant cancer cells—often able to evade chemotherapy—out of hiding, making them vulnerable to treatment. While still in the research phase, the breakthrough could help prevent cancer recurrence.

• Researchers uncover why some brains resist Alzheimer’s: Scientists in the Netherlands identified natural protective mechanisms that help some brains withstand damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Understanding this resilience could lead to new therapies that slow or even prevent cognitive decline.

• Promising tuberculosis vaccine: Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported encouraging results from an intranasal DNA vaccine against tuberculosis. In animal studies, it reduced lung damage, accelerated bacterial clearance, and lowered relapse rates.

• Phone app detects asthma flare-ups days in advance: Scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands developed a smartphone app that analyzes subtle voice changes to detect potentially deadly asthma attacks up to three days before they occur. The app may also provide an early warning for symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

  

• Electric vehicles overtake petrol cars for the first time in the UK: A new analysis found that, for the first time, more new electric vehicles were sold than petrol cars over a 12-month period in the United Kingdom. In the year ending May 2026, UK consumers purchased 516,490 battery-electric vehicles, compared with 504,010 petrol cars, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition to zero-emission transportation.

• Giant Gorilla Maze Celebrates Sir David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday: One of Britain’s biggest mazes is celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday by creating a spectacular design in the shape of a mountain gorilla.

  Wistow Maze in Leicestershire, England, came up with the design to pay tribute to the legendary broadcaster who hails from their local county, having grown up near the University of Leicester. The popular award-winning attraction features a winding labyrinth that stretches for three miles and takes around two hours to walk.

• New solar technology makes desalinating seawater cheaper than bottled water: Materials scientists in China developed a solar-powered device that can produce freshwater from seawater more cheaply than bottled water. Using a durable weave of nanomaterials and organic polymers, the system absorbs 90.2% of incoming sunlight while using 47.5% less energy to evaporate water.

• French Polynesia expands ocean protections to 30% of its waters: The government of French Polynesia announced it is expanding marine protections, banning extractive industries such as seabed mining and industrial fishing across 30% of its waters.

• Scientists identify climate-resistant coral reefs the size of Wisconsin: Using AI to analyze 45,000 coral reef observations dating back to 1960, researchers identified climate-resilient reefs across eight countries that could survive and thrive despite warming oceans over the next 25 years. The findings were presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya.

• High-tech jacket pulls drinking water from thin air: Engineers at the University of Texas developed a jacket that can extract up to 1.5 pints of drinking water per day from the air. Researchers say the technology could benefit hikers, campers, agricultural workers, soldiers, and others who spend long periods without reliable access to clean water.

• Great Smoky Mountains grows by 600 protected acres: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will expand thanks to the permanent protection of a 600-acre property acquired by Foothills Land Conservancy. The Oliver Tract is considered one of the most significant remaining privately held properties bordering the nation’s most-visited national park.

• Billion-dollar initiative brings electricity to 50 million Africans: Fifty million people across 40 African countries now have access to electricity for the first time through Mission 300, a $15 billion initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The program aims to cut the number of Africans living without reliable electricity in half by 2030.

• Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Donate $26 Million to Charities in Honor of Their Wedding: A representative said that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have made donations totaling $26 million to over a dozen nonprofit organizations and charities.

• Marathon-Running Nun Raises $2.6 Million to Feed Families: For 15 years, Sister Stephanie Baliga has run the Chicago Marathon to support a local food pantry, helping raise more than $2.6 million for families in need.

• New Jersey Makes It Illegal To Interfere With Reproductive or Gender-affirming Healthcare: Legislation to strengthen protections for reproductive and transgender healthcare providers and patients has passed, and is poised for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s approval following party-line votes by New Jersey lawmakers Tuesday.

• Shelter Volunteers Comfort Pets During Fireworks
  Every Fourth of July, volunteers at a California animal shelter spend the evening reading, playing music, and quietly sitting with anxious animals to help ease their fear.

• One Couple Spent 30 Years Rebuilding a Rainforest
  Tony Parkes and his wife helped restore one of Australia’s largest subtropical rainforests, planting tens of thousands of trees and protecting hundreds of acres for future generations.

• According To Pew, America Is More Racially and Ethnically Diverse Than Ever—and Most Agree That’s a Good Thing: Recent Pew Research Center surveys show that three-quarters of U.S. adults think racial and ethnic diversity is a good thing for the country, with 62% saying it also has a positive impact on the country’s culture. This is true across political parties, too, with 66% of Republicans saying America’s diversity is good, and 86% of Democrats. They differ slightly on how that impacts the country’s culture.

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t include Mother Nature’s apparent decision to bring Trump’s Great American Fair in Washington, D.C., to an abrupt halt yesterday, with powerful winds that toppled tents and damaged the stage.

Petty? Perhaps. But many in the D.C. area remarked on how sudden and localized the storm appeared.

So there you have it—stories to brighten the mood as we head into yet another week of God knows what from the Trump regime.

Want another mood booster? Read the Declaration of Independence and remind yourself who the power in this country belongs to.

We the People.

And yes, we’re still fighting for transparency around the 2024 election because there are constitutional avenues to remove this illegitimate administration.

Now we’re calling on state attorneys general to open investigations into the foreign election interference described by whistleblower Vincent Reed in this article:

All states affected by foreign interference can open investigations, which means all blue states can investigate Aleria Technology and its ties to the Trump campaign, Elon Musk, DOGE, communications between Musk and his engineers, the real-time voting data Musk sent to his then-girlfriend Ashley St. Clair, and how he knew the election results hours before the race was called.

Did you read the Declaration of Independence like we suggested?

We have to be willing to take steps not pursued since the founding of this country. Now that we have evidence from the Epstein files of collusion to rig the 2016 election, investigate and pursue accountability for all involved.

Roll back the clock and undo transactions that occurred under an illegitimate presidency, including the appointments of Supreme Court justices who never should have been seated and the decisions that followed.

Get Lina Khan back in there to bust up monopolies and swing that bat like a Roosevelt.

If there are grounds to arrest and prosecute Clarence Thomas and John Roberts for corruption, tax evasion, or other crimes, do it. If the remaining justices can be criminally prosecuted for lying to Congress or for other unlawful conduct, go for it.

What about the real estate transaction involving Neil Gorsuch and a Russian oligarch? A $60 million profit in less than a year? Are there grounds for prosecution? If so, why wouldn’t we hold him accountable?

Impeach the federal judges placed by Trump as well.

They are the judicial byproduct of an illegitimate presidency. The judiciary shifted toward blatant unconstitutionality to pave the way for Trump’s return. From Florida to Georgia to the grossly corrupt Supreme Court, it was clear to anyone paying attention in 2024 that Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society were returning Trump to office, no matter what obstacles stood in his way.

Do the same for the 2024 election.

Investigate the roles and activities of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Eaton Corporation, DOGE, ES&S, Dominion, Pro V&V, DDHQ, and Amazon Web Services.

Examine communications involving Barre Seid, Leonard Leo, Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Jeff Bezos, and the billionaire strategy calls that began in April 2024.

Elections are being electronically rigged to benefit the top 5 percent, the military-industrial complex, Putin, Netanyahu, and the wealthy elites on both sides of the political aisle who like to rape children but would prefer not to go to prison for it.

Of course they couldn’t allow a Kamala Harris DOJ to come into power. The men who run the world would be in orange jumpsuits.

Investigate and prosecute all of them.

Crime is crime, no matter the collar or robe.

We also have a Plan B.

If state attorneys general refuse to open investigations, state legislatures can pass legislation to remove voting equipment and reporting systems and revert to the paper-ballot, hand-count, phone-in reporting method that was in place before the Reagan administration.

Too complicated? Or can’t get legislators on board?

That’s why we have a Plan C.

Governors can invoke emergency powers to remove the electronic components of the election process and revert to paper ballots, manual hand counts, and phoning in the results.

Will it take longer to get election results? Yes.
Will we actually have a shot at a free and fair election? Also, yes.

The bottom line is that we have to do something.

Now.

You can find the state attorneys general and their contact information here: National Association of Attorneys General

Call. Call. Call.

Use this script if needed:

Hi, my name is [Name], and I’m calling as a concerned citizen to request that the Attorney General open an investigation into foreign interference in the 2024 election.

This is not a partisan request. States have a duty to protect their own elections, their voters, and the integrity of the results. If foreign actors, private technology companies, political campaigns, or third-party vendors interfered with election systems, reporting systems, voter data, or vote totals, the public deserves a full investigation.

I am specifically asking the Attorney General to investigate: Aleria Technology and its ties to the Trump campaign; Elon Musk, DOGE, and communications between Musk and his engineers; any real-time voting data shared with private individuals; election equipment vendors, reporting systems, and engineering change orders; and any foreign interference connected to the 2024 election.

We are asking for subpoenas, preservation of records, vendor communications, software records, reporting-system data, and any communications involving campaigns, private technology companies, and foreign actors.

The people have a right to know whether the 2024 election was compromised. Please open an investigation immediately.

And please tell me the best way to submit supporting documentation to the Attorney General’s office.

Thank you for your time.

In solidarity,

[NAME]

Request meetings. Go to their offices. Bring friends. Organize gatherings at their district offices. Show up consistently and make your voices impossible to ignore.

This is your right as a citizen, and it works.

Demand investigations into the foreign interference in the 2024 election. The mechanism for change is not complicated.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Until we get traction.

This is our government. Sometimes we feel the need to remind people: the government belongs to us, the people. We seem to have forgotten that our representatives are supposed to represent us. They aren’t doing that. And they haven’t been for a long time.

And yes—we’re still holding onto hope. You should too.

Again, we don’t need permission to enforce the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. We just need courage.

Onward.

Want the truth they’re not telling you? For fearless reporting and expert-backed research, read The Common Coalition Report. And if you believe in funding real, independent work—subscribe to our Substack or support our all-volunteer team here.