A $127 million win for Black farmers, Planned Parenthood's funding survives, and Mexico takes ICE to court. (1) (2)

Instead of an action item for the week, take a look at some of the progress made possible by people committed to taking action – in their cities, and for their communities around the world.

Netflix is adding sign-language overlays to dozens of kids' shows. Working with SignUp Media, Netflix is layering American Sign Language interpretation onto 73 children's and family titles — roughly 200 hours — for young Deaf viewers who can't yet rely on captions. Disability Scoop >

Missouri restored voting rights to about 40,000 people on probation or parole. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed HB 1871, which automatically restores the vote to most Missourians under community supervision, making the GOP-run state the latest to roll back felony disenfranchisement. Bolts >

Idaho's abortion ban is going to the voters. A ballot initiative to roll back one of the country's strictest near-total abortion bans qualified for the November 2026 general election. The 19th >

Federal officials backed off a rushed autism plan after an outcry. Health officials postponed a July 31 interagency meeting to late August and extended the public comment period to Aug. 20 after autism advocates protested being given four days to respond to a 336-page draft. Disability Scoop >

An upstate New York county banned stores from collecting your biometrics. Erie County, home to Buffalo, became one of the first major U.S. counties to bar private businesses from collecting facial-recognition and other biometric data, after Wegmans' use of the technology drew privacy complaints. Next City >

The oil industry is in "panic mode" as climate liability suits advance. Wrongful-death and other climate-damage lawsuits are moving through the courts, prompting an escalating legal and political defense from fossil-fuel companies. Grist >

Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested on rape and sex-trafficking charges. The influencer brothers, long promoted in far-right online spaces, were taken into custody on charges of rape and sex trafficking. Democracy Now! >

Immigration

A leaked email reveals new rules for ICE vehicle stops. An agency-wide email obtained by reporters details a memo updating the guidelines agents must follow when stopping vehicles, as arrests climb nationwide. The Intercept >

Houston organizers demand accountability after an ICE killing. Community members rallied under the banner "Justice for Lorenzo" following the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican father killed during an ICE operation. Democracy Now! >

Advocates sued the administration over secret files on people who watch ICE. A federal lawsuit alleges DHS quietly collected personal data on people who document immigration operations, citing the Privacy Act and the First Amendment. Truthout >

A Milwaukee Muslim leader was released after 80 days in ICE detention. Community organizer Salah Sarsour recounted his nearly three-month detention after his release. Democracy Now! >

Health

The DOJ declared its own ADA integration guidance "not enforceable." The department issued a notice withdrawing enforceability from its long-standing guidance on the ADA's integration mandate and the Olmstead decision, reversing more than a decade of practice on community-based care. Disability Scoop >

A Deloitte-run eligibility system wrongly denied Medicaid to disabled residents. A KFF investigation found Deloitte's Medicaid eligibility software in Michigan misclassified or denied benefits for disabled people, with similar problems in Tennessee and Texas — errors the piece warns could grow as states rush to implement a new federal law projected to cut Medicaid for roughly 7.5 million people. KFF Health News >

The administration deferred more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to two states. Federal officials withheld over $1 billion owed to California and Minnesota, citing "suspected fraud and noncompliance"; state officials disputed the rationale and called it political targeting. STAT >

Democracy

Twenty-five states sued to stop FEMA relief being tied to election changes. The states and D.C. challenged a policy conditioning disaster-relief funds on adopting specific election-law changes, arguing it violates the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional spending rules. Truthout >

The ACLU warned about a private surveillance camera network spanning 49 states. The group detailed how Flock, which operates more than 100,000 license-plate-reading cameras, logs vehicle movements into a searchable national database that can be tapped for immigration enforcement. Democracy Now! >

Racial Justice

A death in Missouri police custody revived scrutiny of police violence. The death of Lloyd Gilmore, a 44-year-old Black man with mental-health needs, after being tased and restrained by Sikeston officers, renewed local demands for accountability. KFF Health News >

Highway expansions are threatening Black-owned land across several states. Transportation projects from the South to the coasts are displacing Black landowners and raising flood risk in Black communities. Capital B News >

Reproductive Rights

The ACLU sued Penn State Health over a canceled gender-affirming procedure. The ACLU of Pennsylvania filed suit after one of the system's hospitals canceled a patient's scheduled gender-affirming care. Rewire News Group >

Four years after Dobbs, polling shows public opinion on abortion has shifted. It’s been four years since the ruling ended the federal right to abortion. A recent study highlights how sentiments have shifted since that pivotal moment. Truthout >

Climate

Pueblo leaders and New Mexico lawmakers moved to protect Chaco Canyon. Representatives from 20 pueblos and the state's congressional delegation gathered at the Capitol to oppose a plan to rescind the 10-mile drilling buffer around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which currently shields about 336,000 acres. High Country News >

Indigenous leaders handed the UN a 12-point plan for protecting their peoples. The roadmap demands stronger protections for land rights, cultures, and political participation, and flags a financial crisis facing the UN's Indigenous-advocacy bodies. Grist >

Uplifting stories to close out the issue.

Venezuelan restaurants in New York turned into relief hubs. After two earthquakes killed nearly 5,000 people in Venezuela, Venezuelan-owned restaurants and businesses across the city became donation centers, organizing volunteers to gather medical supplies, food, and clothing for survivors. Documented >

A neighborhood trust reopened Kensington's first grocery store in years. Philadelphia's Kensington Corridor Trust invested about $800,000 to buy and renovate a building, partnering with a local owner to open a grocery — with EBT accepted and a shared commercial kitchen attached. Next City >

A crowdsourced archive is preserving everyday Latino life in Chicago. Nuestro Chicago Archives collects family photos and videos from residents at community scanning events, building a public record of Latino Chicago from people's own collections. Borderless Magazine >

Carnival came to the Minneapolis riverfront. The 32nd annual Twin Cities Carifest filled the Mississippi riverfront with Caribbean music, dance, food, and storytelling, alongside a Lakota ledger-art exhibit and Black dance performances. Sahan Journal >

Minnesota's Liberian community marked 179 years of independence. The Twin Cities' Liberian community, more than 20,000 strong, held a three-day celebration with a music festival, soccer tournaments, and a parade in Brooklyn Park. Sahan Journal >

An Alaska Native village built the state's first sexual-assault response team for mining "man camps." Dot Lake Village trained a community-led team and set up a victim hotline to protect residents from trafficking and violence as a new gold mine draws transient worker camps nearby. High Country News >

Formerly incarcerated people designed a housing unit for people leaving prison. The Mobile Refuge Room, co-designed with the firm Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, is a trauma-informed transitional unit with lockable doors and controllable lighting built around what reentry actually requires. Reasons to be Cheerful >