It’s a holiday weekend! So let’s take a break from political dysfunction, technological doomerism, geopolitical disintegration and cultural cynicism to appreciate some of the genuinely good news in the world (there’s actually a lot!)
1. U.S. homicides fell to century-lows in 2025
…and murder rates have continued falling in 2026…
2. U.S. life expectancy is at all time highs
… though lower than comparable developed counties (82.7 avg. vs U.S. 79.0).
… thanks in large part to a 40% drop in drug overdose deaths (which remain too high)…
3. S&P 500 corporate profit margins at all-time highs
…which has powered stock prices to record highs and helped fully-fund corporate pension plans
4. We are beating dementia
“The most exciting longevity trend right now is that we are actually beating dementia.
At a given age—70, 75, 80, etc.—the prevalence of dementia is down compared to what it was decades ago.
Today's 90-year-olds have less than half the risk of dementia that ones in 1984 did!” (X)
5. Dads are spending more time with their kids
Per Derek Thompson:
“Compared to their Boomer parents, childcare time among Millennial dads has more than doubled. Compared to their Silent Generation grandparents, it’s nearly quadrupled. You will be hard-pressed to find any part of day-to-day modern life that has changed more in the last half-century than the way today’s parents—and fathers, in particular—spend their time.”
6. Cambrian Explosion of health innovation
Amy’s already mad at me for including more than six charts, but there’s so many more great stories, especially in health innovation. New technologies are enabling a Cambrian Explosion of cures. When we look back in a few decades, today’s most advanced therapies may look like leeching.
If you’re a Glutton for Good News consider:
FDA approved a gene therapy that can cure a rare, inherited form of deafness, restoring normal hearing in children who were born deaf.
A man with type 1 diabetes has become the first patient to produce his own insulin after receiving genetically engineered cell transplants, without needing drugs to prevent rejection.
“A drug nearing regulatory approval is the first to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer… with some scientists predicting that the approach could wind up being the most significant advance in cancer treatment since the arrival of immunotherapy.”
In some of the driest regions on Earth, a new technology is proving that drinking water can be drawn directly from the sky, even when the ground is parched.
(h/t News Items, the best source for health breakthrough stories & everything else that matters).
VIDEO
Nobody did it better than Phil Hartman’s Bill Clinton.
Happy Memorial Day. Thanks for reading, thank you to those who served & made the ultimate sacrifice. Drive safely.
One of your best! Good to step back and realize there is indeed good news and positive trends.
Thanks for the good news, but we need a dose of reality"
Middle-class families can't afford high grocery and utility bills.
Gas prices are through the roof.
43 million Americans are carrying 1.8 trillion in student loan debt.
There are increasing delinquencies and repossessions related to 1.16 trillion in auto loans.
Americans are carrying 1.25 trillion in credit card debt at interest rates pushing 20%.
The University of Michigan consumer index is at an all-time low.
Labor's share of economic output has hit an all-time low, while the profit share is at a near record high.
Looking ahead, this does not bode well for the American economy.
Beryl Rosenstein
Pikesville, MD