Politics & Government Good News

Ways that people, organizations, and governments are fighting to strengthen democracy in the United States and around the world

An elderly couple place their hands on the shoulders and back of the head of a girl aged around 4 years-old.

This state just made it possible for grandparents to get free child care

While 21 states offer some form of access to child care assistance, this state offers the most comprehensive plan yet.

Kamala Harris in a pink suit talking with Soledad O'Brien in a blue belted blazer

New global study finds that most people actually want a gender-balanced government

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley polled 17,000 people in a dozen countries across Europe, the Pacific, and the Americas.

A photo collage of a dad and his two children with their backs behind the camera, two men on a road while holding construction tools, a macaw perched on a metal screen, Randall Lane standing on the TED stage, and two people doing a science experiment on a table

Good News This Week: April 18, 2026 - Polar Bears, Websites, & Macaws

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

A house roof partially ripped off, under a backdrop of stormy weather,

Alabama 'hurricane-prepped' the roofs of 53,000 homes. Here's how they measured up during an actual hurricane

Since 2016, the Strengthen Alabama Homes program has installed fortified roofs on more than 53,000 homes in the state.

Rainbow tape wrapped around flagpoles in Boise, Idaho

Idaho banned Pride flags at official buildings. So, Boise wrapped its flag poles with rainbow tape

The city responded to the statewide measure in a clever way, with the Boise City Council president stating: “The Pride flag is not a political statement.”

A rainbow crosswalk made out of colorful bricks in Miami Beach, Florida

DeSantis banned Pride crosswalks in Florida, so Miami Beach painted rainbows in a park instead

The city used funds from a 2025 budget surplus to replicate the Pride crosswalk in a nearby park.

A group of ten astronauts in blue space suits — 4 men and 6 women — pose with red NASA letters

Women outnumber men in NASA's newest astronaut class. And this week, the first woman will orbit the moon

Christina Koch will be the first woman to fly around the moon in the Artemis II launch.

A Black woman lays on a couch, clutching her stomach, in pain

Philadelphia now requires employers to provide accommodations for periods and perimenopause

The Philadelphia ordinance is a model for other cities and states to provide relief for workers suffering from symptoms of hormonal cycles and changes.

A Brazilian beach, with blue water lapping on the surf

For the first time ever, part of the ocean now has legal personhood. What does it mean for waves to have rights?

Waves at the mouth of the Doce River now have the “intrinsic right to existence, regeneration, and restoration”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks behind a podium, wearing a green blazer

NY leads the nation in youth mental health. Hochul says it's thanks to this one policy 'every governor should enact'

New York was recently named a national leader in protecting youth mental well-being. Governor Hochul’s stance as the state’s “first mom governor” might be why.

A woman in India washes clothes using a bucket of water and a sponge outside her home

In world-first program, Indian women receive 'unconditional' cash transfers for unpaid domestic labor

118 million adult women in 12 states across India receive unconditional cash transfers from their governments.

A group of 20 women graduates in their caps and gowns smile in a group photo

California's first graduating class of female inmates receives bachelor's degrees from Cal State

These 20 women represent a major milestone in a decade-long partnership between the state’s department of corrections and California State University.