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📰 A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from firing workers during the government shutdown, saying they “appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought.”
🔴 TED, the organization known globally for its TED Talks, announced its new leader will be Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy and “a visionary who has proven that technology and learning can serve humanity at scale — without losing integrity or heart.”
Governments doing good
Photo: AP Photo/Ethan Swope
California authorized a historic pay increase for inmate firefighters, ensuring they make at least minimum wage
Individuals who are incarcerated in California have been putting their lives in danger to help fight wildfires in the fire-prone state, earning credit toward their sentences and making between $5 and $10 per day.
Now, they’ll make at least $7.25 per hour under a new law that clears the way for inmates serving part of their sentence fighting wildfires, which was just signed by the governor. That wage will also be revisited annually.
More than 1,100 inmate firefighters helped battle the Eaton and Palisades fires in the Los Angeles area earlier this year.
Why is this good news? People deserve to be fairly and adequately compensated for their labor, whether they’re incarcerated or not. Advocates for this change have long said that the contributions and risks incarcerated firefighters take on to help protect communities have not been adequately represented in their compensation.
Global investment in renewable energy set a new record this year, even as the U.S. pulls spending
In the first six months of the year, the world invested a total $386 billion in renewable energy projects from small rooftop solar installations to huge offshore wind farms — 10% more than the first half of 2024.
That progress is happening despite the U.S. investing 12% less in the same time period. It was made up largely in the European Union, which invested 27% more in the first half of the year, largely from offshore wind developers shifting from U.S. projects to those in Europe’s North Sea. In the U.K., investment tripled.
Worldwide, offshore wind saw more financial support in the first six months of 2025 than all of last year. Small-scale solar is gaining ground, particularly in China, where investment doubled.
I also recently learned that the inmate firefighter program helps people learn invaluable life skills that they can draw upon when they’re released from prison — a huge boost to lowering recidivism rates.
What do you think of California’s wage boost for incarcerated firefighters?
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