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Voters elected Detroit’s first woman mayor, Mary Sheffield in what was reportedly the largest margin of victory in the city’s history. Sheffield is currently the city council president and has developed a reputation as a fighter for the city’s poor and working class.

Voters in Maine rejected a ballot measure that would have eliminated two early voting days, add voter ID requirements, and more. They also approved a “red flag” law, joining more than 20 other states with similar extreme risk laws.

U.S. Politics

To fight gerrymandering, a new political coalition is backing candidates that are guaranteed to lose

When North Carolina’s Kate Barr ran for state senate last year, she lost — and that was the plan all along.

Barr knew her district had been gerrymandered to the point where she wouldn’t even have a chance at being elected, so she wanted to spotlight the injustice and the threat it poses to free and fair elections.

And now, she wants to expand the effort. Barr launched a new political coalition called the Can’t Win Victory Fund to recruit candidates who are guaranteed to lose. Not only will the coalition organize for a path to fairer maps, but it aims to improve voter turnout and bring awareness to power imbalances.

Why is this good news? Gerrymandering has been used to undermine democracy for centuries. Both major parties in the United States do it, and in 2022, North Carolina’s State Supreme Court even ruled that the state constitution allows partisan gerrymandering.

The Can’t Win Victory Fund gives the people a platform to fight back.

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​Jimmy Kimmel is hosting a food donation center to help those affected by the cuts to SNAP benefits. Kimmel encouraged locals to donate food to the “Jimmy Kimmel Live Big Beautiful Food Bank,” and those who are not local were encouraged to “consider supporting your local food banks.”

​​A new project in Milwaukee broke ground on 40 tiny homes for homeless U.S. military veterans. The project aims to overcome barriers found in traditional shelters by allowing for privacy, property, and pets and will include on-site services and resources to address underlying causes of homelessness, such as mental health challenges or substance addiction.

​One of the country’s first “100% free full-service” grocery stores operates inside a Baltimore library. With “no income requirements and no ID needed,” two days a week, customers are welcome to grab whatever they can fit in a library-supplied bag from the Pratt Free Market, which is 90% volunteer-run and stocked like any other grocery store.

​Residents of a village in England crafted thousands of poppies to create a giant Remembrance Day installation at their local church. Volunteers in Wool knit and crocheted more than 5,000 individual poppies by hand, which were then attached to an 18m-long cargo net which now hangs from the 13.2m-tall church bell tower to honor armed forces members who died in the line of duty.

​A tech startup makes a free app for SNAP recipients, and now, it’s giving them $50 cash, too. About 5 million people use Propel’s app to check their SNAP balances, and get coupons and discounts on groceries, and is prioritizing distributing the cash payments to recipients with children or little to no income to help them keep food on the table.

Businesses doing good

ALS made it impossible for this woman to walk her dog. Engineers invented a custom, adaptive leash just for her

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People doing good

A San Diego man invented a solar-powered backpack that turns into a bed and a generator for homeless people

Zac Clark created the Makeshift Traveler backpack after hearing feedback from unhoused people who “had phones but couldn’t charge them,” and had their belongings constantly “stolen or damaged.”

Beyond being a source of power, the hard-shell backpack also includes a tent, hygiene kit, lockbox, flashlight, sleeping bag, socks, and other essentials.

Since it launched in October 2022, more than 1,200 Makeshift Traveler backpacks have been distributed at no cost to people experiencing homelessness in 25 cities throughout California.

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