Three to Get Ready for May 26, 2026

Bad News First

The news can be disheartening, but it can also inspire or focus our engagement. Let’s gird our loins and take a quick peek.

1. More white South Africans are coming, even as inhumanely detained immigrants are on a hunger strike and federal agents pepper-sprayed a U.S. Senator addressing protestors.
2. The White House is pushing a political app onto the phones of federal workers despite security risks, while proposing that federal workers sign nondisclosure agreements.
3. A CDC advisory panel recommends limited access to this year’s COVID-19 vaccine.

But Here’s the Good News

Encouraging developments don’t always make the headlines. But good things are happening every day!

1. Citing racial discrimination, a federal judge has blocked an Alabama congressional map disadvantaging Black voters, while in South Carolina Republican state senators voted with Democrats to block an effort to redraw that state’s congressional map to benefit Republicans.
2. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge by pharmaceutical manufacturers over requirements aimed at reducing Medicare drug prices.
3. The president’s approval ratings are hitting all time lows. (Maybe this is actually bad news? It really is hard to tell sometimes.)

And Here’s What You Can Do

Even small efforts have the potential to ripple out in ways we don’t expect. Plus, doing good is good for you.

1. Support democracy-minded federal workers by visiting The Federal Workers Alliance for Democracy and following/amplifying their efforts on your social media platform of choice.
2. Visit the Union of Concerned Scientists to learn about the risks facing scientific priorities and how you can help.
3. Subscribe to 250 to 250 for “A series of one-minute stories of the many people, places, and events that have built our country and remind us of the power of each person to make history.”