Good news on 'hopescrolling,' humanitarian action, renewable energy
09/18/2025
Note to readers
I’m continuing to take Fridays off to find the best new host for this blog after Typepad shuts down on Sept. 30.
Good news on ‘hopescrolling,’ humanitarian action, renewable energy
Fix the News begins this edition with this: “One of our readers is Professor Jennifer Mercieca, who teaches communication and journalism at Texas A&M. She recently ran an experiment with her students that we think you'll find fascinating.”
Well, I do find it fascinating and commend it to your attention.
As far as items in Fix the News’ section requiring a subscription:
— “Since 2022, UN-managed funds have channelled over $500 million to Ukrainian civil society, enabling local NGOs to evacuate six million people, deliver food and shelter, and sustain frontline services,” says Fix the News, citing a ReliefWeb article. "This is impressive both in and of itself and because it’s really hard to coordinate multiple donors and NGOs in a protracted crisis, and in Ukraine it’s actually gone very well. This means we (‘we’ being ‘humanity’) now have a new template for future humanitarian responses.”
— “Renewables now beat fossil gas on price almost everywhere, and it’s not going to get any easier for ‘carbonists,’” says Fix the News. More than 90 percent of last year's new global renewable energy capacity was less expensive than a fossil fuel alternative, reports the non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute.
— A decade ago, solar power was nearly non-existent in Hungary, says Our World in Data. Now, solar supplies a quarter of the country's electrical power. And in 2024, it overtook natural gas to become the second-largest source of electricity, after nuclear.
Also in the news
Saudi Arabia signs mutual defense pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan after Israel attack on Qatar
GOP leaders reject Democratic health care demands for bill to avoid government shutdown
Senate GOP takes final procedural step to speed action on Trump nominees — in groups, by simple majority
GOP shows division on Kennedy during Senate hearing with fired CDC Director Susan Monarez
House passes D.C. crime bills, on police chases and to give president more authority over appointment of D.C. judges
House Judiciary Committee grills FBI Director Kash Patel over Epstein materials
House lawmakers stop effort to censure Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar
Federal Reserve cuts key interest rate for first time this year, by a quarter-point
What the Fed's rate cut will mean for your finances
Democrat wins Minnesota House special election, preserving deal that forces parties to work together
Heather Cox Richardson on the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show on Wednesday — which was Constitution Day
Robert Reich: 'Trump tightens his grip on the media'
National Academy of Sciences rebuffs Trump EPA’s effort to undo regulations combating climate change
ProPublica: Musk has criticized environmental regulations; his companies have been accused of sidestepping them
WPost: Whistleblower says U.S. organ transplants corrupted by greed, bias
Four West Coast states issue joint vaccine recommendations ahead of CDC advisers meeting
D.C. Council passes measure to allow coronavirus vaccine without a prescription for elderly, other adults with risk factors
WPost: Seniors who want coronavirus shots should consider getting one this week