Good things happening : Extra! Extra! 1/25
Janet O'Connell
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Jess Craven from Chop Wood, Carry Water" <chopwoodcarrywa...@substack.com>
Date: January 25, 2026 at 3:11:17 PM PST
To: jocon...@hotmail.com
Subject: Extra! Extra! 1/25
Reply-To: "Jess Craven from Chop Wood, Carry Water" <reply+329mns&ei7y&&774c9ce1db40c192b7116e89a4983864...@mg1.substack.com>
This e-mail is for free subscribers. Thanks for being here!
Move On flew an anti-ICE banner over the AFC Championship game today. Hi, all. Happy Sunday.
There is no way to pretend that anything is other than awful right now. But I have promised to bring you good news every week, and for several years now I have never missed a Sunday. I’m not going to start now, when we likely need it the most.
I offer you this list as a balm for your troubled soul. Things are terrible, but good things are still happening. Hang on to them as you would a life preserver in troubled waters.
One last thing: I posted a video of clergymembers in Minneapolis singing a beautiful hymn as they knelt in protest in -20 degree weather on Friday. The song got stuck in my head, so I looked it up afterwards. It’s called “Lead With Love, by Melanie DeMore.
The lyrics are:
You gotta put one foot in front of the other, and lead with love. Put one foot in front of the other, and lead with love.
Don’t give up hope / You’re not alone / Don’t you give up /Keep movin’ on.
You gotta put one foot in front of the other / And lead with love / Put one foot in front of the other / And lead with love.
Lift up your eyes / Don’t you despair / Look up ahead / The path is there.
You gotta put one foot in front of the other / And lead with love / Put one foot in front of the other / And lead with love.
I know you’re scared / And I’m scared too / But here I am /Right next to you
You gotta put one foot in front of the other And lead with love Put one foot in front of the other And lead with love.
Let’s make that our anthem. If we keep singing—and living—it we can’t lose.
Celebrate This! 🎉
Activists created a 12.5 million block digital library in “Minecraft” to bypass censorship laws. In many authoritarian countries where news sources and books are censored, the video game is not, leading a group of designers to make a library full of information that people in those countries, and anyone else in the world, can access.
A Minneapolis church has delivered free groceries to 24k families amid the ICE occupation.
A group of Buddhist monks has now passed the halfway mark on their “Walk for Peace” through the U.S., a 2,300-mile walk to promote “peace, loving kindness, and compassion.”
Thousands of people marched from Copenhagen City Hall to the U.S. embassy last Saturday in protest of Trump’s comments that he wants to acquire Greenland.
For the third year in a row, college students are reporting lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts.
The Supreme Court appeared reluctant to allow Trump’s attempt to arbitrarily dismiss Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook during oral arguments.
In Pennsylvania, Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said he is evicting an ICE unit from a county-owned building where it has occupied an office for about three years but never paid rent.
A Miami club fired three employees for playing “Heil Hitler” at the request of Nick Fuentes and his Nazi friends. Gross.
A judge has finally forced Lindsey Halligan, unqualified interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to step down.
Tens of thousands of Minnesotans marched in Minneapolis and otherwise participated in an economic blackout on Friday to protest against the ICE surge in the state. There were solidarity events all across the country.
Jack Smith gave brave and damning public testimony that he had the evidence to prosecute and convict Trump on criminal charges.
The Republican Governor of Vermont has issued a statement denouncing ICE’s attack on Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce just released a letter on behalf of more than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies—including Target!—calling for ICE to de-escalate. It’s not enough but it’s a start.
The DNC and nearly every Democratic representative, including many in purple districts, have now called for the impeachment of Kristi Noem.
A CNN correspondent stated flatly that DHS officials are lying about the death of Alex Pretti.
The Wall St. Journal published an article entitled “Videos Contradict US Account of Minneapolis Shooting by Federal Agents.”
Even Fox News is pushing back (a bit) on the Trump admin’s lies.
The NBA Players Association just released a statement denouncing what’s happening in Minneapolis and extending condolences to the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
National Nurses United, the US’s largest union for registered nurses, has released a statement calling for lCE to be abolished immediately.
YouGov is out with a new poll after ICE killed another person in Minnesota yesterday. Abolishing ICE is now +5 among all adults, and +12 among independents.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police — the umbrella organization for 30,000+ police chiefs, sheriffs, and command staff responsible for creating guidance and best practices often used by the DOJ, courts, and police departments — has called on the White House to convene a federal-state-local summit on how to find a path forward for public safety.
Mayor Mamdani called for ICE to be abolished.
NY Governor Kathy Hochul called for Kristi Noem to be removed, as well as Greg Bovino.
Delta Air Lines announced it will share about $1.3 billion in profits with employees in 2026, giving workers an average of three to five weeks’ pay through its profit-sharing program, one of the largest payouts in company history and a continuation of a practice that has distributed roughly $5 billion to employees over time.¹
A federal judge appointed by Trump granted a temporary restraining order barring the Department of Homeland Security from altering or destroying evidence in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis.
Mark Carney made a remarkable, historic speech at Davos standing up to Trump and urging the world to, essentially, work for good without him.
Trump seems to have backed off of invading Greenland…at least for now.
Minnesota National Guard members were directed to distribute donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate to anti-ICE protesters at a federal building in MN. Guard members were issued reflective vests so they would not be mistaken for federal agents.
Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has filed to end her reelection campaign following months of scrutiny over her age and her ability to continue in her role as the capital’s nonvoting House member. She was really, really unable to fulfill her duties, so I’m going to call this a win for DC.
The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that protesters have been hectoring immigration agents who are “simply trying to take bathroom breaks” in Minnesota. Good.
The NRA is publicly challenging the Assistant Attorney General’s take on Alex Pretti’s killing.
The city of Philadelphia sued the Department of the Interior and the acting director of the National Park Service on Thursday over reports that slavery exhibits were being dismantled in the city’s historic district.
A German soccer federation executive committee member said it’s time to consider a World Cup boycott because of the actions of Trump. Good!
A federal judge rejected the DOJ‘s request for a search warrant to investigate Renee Good posthumously.
Chicago held an anti-ICE protest today in absolutely freezing weather and it seems like it got quite huge.
The Atlantic is now using the term fascism to describe the Trump regime. They previously would not.
A 2-year-old girl taken into ICE custody with her father on Thursday in Minneapolis was returned to her mother Friday afternoon, a family lawyer said.
The official fundraiser for Alex Pretti's family has officially reached more than $750k.
Matt Moberg, the Chaplain of the Minnesota Timbervolves, just posted this:
[H/T Greg Olear]
A New York state judge ruled that New York City’s only Republican-held congressional district was drawn unconstitutionally, ordering a new map.
A federal judge has blocked the Justice Department from examining Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s phone and computers for the time being.
Green Day, a band whose members are vocal critics of Trump’s, will perform at the Super Bowl opening ceremony next month. There are also rumors that Bad Bunny, whom we already knew was performing, will do so in a dress.
More than 2.5 million electric vehicles have been sold in California since 2010, exceeding one of the state’s EV goals despite setbacks in clean energy brought on by
People across the country walked out of school and work on Tuesday afternoon as part of a nationwide walkout to protest.
Volunteers at a local Los Angeles group called Civic Sundays have adopted a local apartment building filled with families afraid to leave their homes and are bringing them groceries every week. They are currently keeping thirty families fed and are considering adopting a second building.
Watch This! 👀
Just a sweet Minneapolis video posted by Sharon Says So on Instagram.
Chop Wood, Carry Water is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
1H/T Aaron Parnas
You’re on the free list for Chop Wood, Carry Water. If you love what I do and want to support it please consider becoming a paying subscriber. It’s only $5/month, and it really does help me keep doing this work. Or send me a one-time donation here. Thanks!
Also a reminder: I have many different state-centric newsletters. They are: CA, FL, MI, NV, TX, NC, GA, OH, PA, VA, AZ, NY, MO, and WI. (Just click on the state you'd like to adopt.) I also have a video-only newsletter in which I share content I’m posting on social. Subscribe here. And I have a podcast called Practivist Pod! Subscribe here. I have a newsletter focussed on global politics—often the Middle East. Subscribe here. Finally, here’s a FAQs doc with answers to common questions about the newsletter.
If someone forwarded you this email you can subscribe here.
Share
Like
Comment
Restack
© 2026 Jessica Craven
548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104
Unsubscribe
