A double shot of positivity
In addition to our usual edition of Fix the News, we have a bonus publication this week.
Angus invited his friend, musician-philosopher Will Tait, to celebrate the Lunar New Year by bringing his own “slightly different sensibility” to achievements in 2025 from the FTN archives.
Tait says: “2026 may feel like it has already delivered a year’s worth of upheavals, but in the traditional Chinese calendar, the year has only just begun. To honor that turning, as the last skins of the ‘wood snake’ fall away, here are 99 stories from the year that was: inspirational trail-mix to pop in our saddlebags as we gallop forth into the Year of the Fire Horse. As you’ll see, these stories are gathered in nine themes, from improved human lives to the restoration of our living world, to cosmic revelations. May they offer uplifting sustenance with each bite.”
All 99 items are free to read, so I hope you’ll have a chance to at least scroll through them, in addition to FTN’s regular rundown.
As Tait puts it, he’s offering “just under a hundred servings of information nourishment that demonstrate humanity’s ability to care and collaborate, scrutinize and solve, imagine and improve. As usual the list could go on and on.
“Despite the chaos and carnage that runs alongside them, inspirational stories like these are perennial and pervasive — proof that there’s no shortage of humans who choose service, driven by a sense of justice, wonder, or possibility, and follow through until they leave a positive mark on the world.”
Also in the news
U.S. is removing guardrails from proposed Saudi nuclear deal, document says
Trump gets pledges for Gaza reconstruction and troop commitments at inaugural Board of Peace meeting
List of countries that attended Trump’s first Board of Peace meeting
New Trump administration order could lead to detention of thousands of legal refugees
New banner featuring Trump’s face unfurled on Justice Department headquarters
White House pressure leads universities to cut ties with nonprofit PhD Project, which helps racial minorities earn doctorates
Arts panel composed of Trump appointees approves his White House ballroom proposal
Judge pauses Virginia redistricting referendum
Florida Legislature approves bill to rename Palm Beach airport after Trump, sends it to Gov. DeSantis’ desk
Heather Cox Richardson on Britain’s arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Trump visit to Georgia, more
WSJ: Wall Street has been selling private credit as a hot opportunity for individual investors, but that sales pitch just got tougher
Amazon passes Walmart in annual revenue for first time, as both chase AI-fueled growth
Rocket re-entry pollution has been measured in atmosphere for first time
NYTimes: MAHA moms turn against Trump over his executive order to spur production of glyphosate pesticide
KFF: Vast majority of people with health insurance get some sort of federal subsidy
Just one vaccine eventually could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, Stanford researchers say
You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but the following leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at: