Good News Headlines 6/24/2024
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Supreme Court Upholds Federal Ban On Guns For Domestic Abusers
by Nina Totenberg, NPR
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the federal law making it a crime for anyone subject to a domestic violence court order to possess a gun. The 8-to-1 decision was the first since the court in 2022 broke sharply with the way gun laws had previously been evaluated by the courts. Back then the court’s conservative supermajority, led by Justice Clarence Thomas, declared for the first time that for a gun law to be constitutional, it had to be analogous to a law that existed at the nation’s founding in the late 1700s. But on Friday, over Thomas’ lone dissent, the court seemed to draw that line more flexibly.
US Crime Rate Drops To ‘Historic’ Lows With Murders, Rapes, And Robbery Plunging, New Statistics Show
by Good News Network
The FBI released its latest Uniform Crime Reporting survey last week that revealed a notable positive trend continuing across the US—with violent and property crimes dropping by double digits. Compared to January through March 2023, data from the first quarter of 2024 indicates that reported violent crime decreased by 15.2 percent. Murder decreased by more than 26 percent. Rape is down by 25.7 percent. Robbery dropped by 17.8 percent. Aggravated assault reports decreased by 12.5 percent. Property crime also decreased by just over 15 percent. The report includes data from more than 18,000 city, county, state, tribal, university and college, and federal law enforcement agencies.
Efforts To Protect Ozone Layer A ‘Huge Global Success,’ Scientists Say
by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch
An international team of scientists say efforts to protect the ozone layer have been a “huge global success,” with damaging atmospheric gases declining more quickly than expected. According to the new study, the total amount of chlorine — which depletes the ozone — in all hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) peaked in 2021, five years earlier than the most recent predictions. “This has been a huge global success. We’re seeing that things are going in the right direction,” said Dr. Luke Western, lead author of the study and a Marie Curie Research Fellow at University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, as The Guardian reported.
Maryland Is Pardoning 175,000 Marijuana Convictions. It’s Part Of A Trend
by Bill Chappell. NPR
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is absolving people convicted of more than 175,000 cannabis-related crimes, in what the governor called “the most sweeping state level pardon in any state in American history.” The large-scale absolution comes a year after Maryland legalized recreational marijuana use. The lion’s share of the cases are misdemeanors: More than 150,000 convictions are for possession of cannabis, and more than 18,000 convictions are for possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. “We cannot celebrate the benefits of legalization if we do not address the consequences of criminalization,” Moore, a Democrat, said before signing an executive order issuing the pardons.
Building Bridges In The Midst Of Conflict: 12 Organizations Working For Israel-Palestine Peace
by Optimist Daily
There is a glimmer of hope in the heart of one of the world’s longest and most complex wars, yet it often goes unrecognized. While the sad reality of violence and division dominates the media, countless grassroots organizations are working tirelessly to bring peace and reconciliation to the Israel-Palestine conflict. These are the region’s hidden heroes, made up of people who think that even at the darkest of times, peace is still attainable. Let us cast a light on 12 such organizations and their outstanding work.
