In the headlines...

🌀 The U.S. Department of Defense said it will continue sharing key satellite data for hurricane forecasts, reversing its original plans to stop providing it by the end of July.

⚖️ A federal judge extended temporary protected status for 60,000 migrants, including people from Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua, that the Trump administration had previously ended.

People doing good

YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober launched the “biggest water campaign in history” to bring clean water to 2 million people

On the heels of two successful crowdfunding campaigns — #TeamTrees, which raised $20 million to plant 20 million trees in 2019; and #TeamSeas, which raised $30 million to remove 30 million pounds of plastic waste from oceans in 2021 — Donaldson and Rober have taken on a new cause: access to clean water.

Bringing together “more than 3,000 of your favorite creators,” the duo is aiming to raise $40 million to bring safe, clean drinking water to 2 million people around the world. The fundraiser kicked off with a $500,000 donation from Shopify, and YouTube is matching the first $2 million raised.

The fundraiser will support the nonprofit WaterAid, which provides clean water, hygiene systems, and dignified toilets to people in need across the globe, with programs in 22 countries.

Why is this good news? While access to clean water and sanitation is already a major and urgent global health issue, climate change is making things worse, with more extreme droughts drying up and floods contaminating water sources.

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More Good News

​A team of dentists provides free care for hundreds of homeless patients every year — with a new grant, they’ll help even more. In addition to the pain and lack of confidence that come from tooth loss, without access to dental care, people can also lose the ability to eat solid food, may suffer from pain and chronic disease caused by poor dental health, and others may struggle to find work.

​Online bookselling platform Bookshop.org saw 65% growth in the first six months of 2025. The Amazon alternative now works with 2,471 independent booksellers, distributing 10% of all non-affiliate profits to them twice a year. In July, each eligible bookstore partner received at least $744.27.

​A Kentucky public library is hosting a free supply store to provide gently used items to help teachers prepare for the new school year. Teachers can not only browse gently-used classroom and art supplies, chapter books, and more, but they can also use a large poster printer, Cricut machine, sticker printer, 3D printer, heat press, and more at two library branches.

​A Sri Lankan court ordered the owners of a shipping container to pay $1 billion in marine pollution compensation. A Singapore-flagged container ship, which was carrying chemicals, sank near Sri Lanka’s capital in 2021, causing the most severe marine environmental catastrophe in the country’s history.

Economics

New study: Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality

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good data

After California expanded its paid family leave benefits, more people started using them

A new state law went into effect in January that increased paid family leave payments for parents in California. As a result, claims were up about 16% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same time period last year.

Before the expansion, most workers could receive up to 60% of their income when they took time off to care for a new baby. Now, workers making less than $63,000 a year can get up to 90% of their pay, and workers making more than that can get 70%.

The new legislation was to allow more families to take leave, especially low-income workers, and that seems to have worked. Claims for people making under $60,000 were up 17%.

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More Good bits

🐆 Jaguars act like big house cats … and that could protect them.

🇯🇵 Your next sustainable travel destination is Japan’s largest city.

👏 We’re one step closer to a new male birth control option.

🌳 Fighting logging is the new hugging trees. (May require login)

🦏 And radioactive horns are the new anti-poaching initiative.

What’s good?

My state offers 12 weeks of family leave ... but it’s entirely unpaid!

What do you think of California’s expanded paid leave policy?

Reply to this email and let me know!

— Megan