April 9 - 11, 2026 (Bear of Bad News 8)

IntroHello, my name is welcome to the Bear of Bad News, I’m your host LorBear, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, so I won’t! This is your weekly recap of positive news stories from around the world. Articles included in this broadcast were originally published from April 9 - 11, 2026The stories in this episode are sourced from various news outlets and publications. The Bear of Bad News does not conduct independent fact-checking or verification of these stories. Listeners are encouraged to review original sources for accuracy and complete context. We are not responsible for the accuracy or content of third-party reporting.Which is a fancy way of saying I read it, I didn’t report it, and here are this week’s stories:ArticlesMexico’s President Sheinbaum Decrees Universal Healthcare for 120 Millionhttps://thedeepdive.ca/mexicos-president-sheinbaum-decrees-universal-healthcare-for-120-million/April 9, 2026A dream come true’: Brazil’s blue-and-yellow macaws return to Rio after 200 yearshttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/09/a-dream-come-true-brazils-blue-and-yellow-macaws-return-to-rio-after-200-yearsApril 9, 2026Teen birth rates hit another historical low in 2025, CDC sayshttps://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5777587/teen-birth-rates-hit-another-historical-low-2025-cdcApril 9, 2026From EV stations to heat pump grants: Inside France’s €240m plan to reduce its fossil fuel reliancehttps://www.euronews.com/2026/04/10/from-ev-stations-to-heat-pump-grants-inside-frances-240m-plan-to-reduce-its-fossil-fuel-reApril 10, 2026In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last monthhttps://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/renewables-beat-natural-gas-us-grid-march-2026April 10, 2026Portugal’s plastic recycling rates lag behind European targets, but a new scheme aims to change thathttp://euronews.com/2026/04/10/portugals-plastic-recycling-rates-lag-behind-european-targets-but-a-new-scheme-aims-to-chaApril 10, 2026Record number of homes in Great Britain turn to green energy as fuel prices soarhttps://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/11/homes-great-britain-green-energy-fuel-pricesApril 11, 2026Wildlife to replace historical figures on banknotes - and you get a sayhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4geyyg9en6oApril 11, 2026Makeshift Gaza university offers chance to resurrect academic studieshttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/4/11/makeshift-gaza-university-offers-chance-to-resurrect-academic-studiesApril 11, 2026Let’s Do the Good News AgainIn addition to our regular stories, this week we have an article for Let’s Do the Good News Again.A French city cut its marine pollution — and its seagrass bounced backhttps://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/a-french-city-cut-its-marine-pollution-and-its-seagrass-bounced-back/April 7, 2026## Wheel of Good FortuneIn addition to our regular stories, we have the Wheel of Good Fortune this episode.Currently, there are 16 stories waiting in the missed queue after these articles were chosen. Wheel Spins this week were as follows: 5, 11,Plastic bottles recycled into Parkinson’s drug using bacteriahttps://www.dezeen.com/2026/03/16/plastic-bottles-recycled-into-parkinsons-drug-using-bacteria/March 16, 2026The Wabanaki Basketmakers’ Plans to Save Maine’s Ash Treeshttps://insideclimatenews.org/news/30032026/maine-wabanaki-basketmakers-help-save-ash-trees/March 30, 2026A Tale of Two ParagraphsAnd that is the end of this weeks articles, hopefully they added a little positive joy to your life. Before we end, I have our final segment of the show, something I like to call, A Tale of Two Paragraphs.In this segment, I take the first and last paragraph from an article on substack or another similar source, and read them to you, to encourage you to go read the article yourself. Many people forget the power of the written word to move us, and how intriguing the middle of the story is. The less I read the better, but people often want to know how we got to endings more than the endings themselves, and maybe then you will go exploring the substack and read the paragraphs in between.This weeks article is from the Sirota substack, entitled “Graham Platner Makes Clear Pod Will Not Save America,” and comes from It’s rare that the influencer podcast ecosystem produces anything other than noise and monetizeable engagement, much less a truly important and clarifying revelation. But today is an exception: This brief exchange between Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau and Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is a time-capsule-worthy illustration of the divide in the Democratic Party and the cartoonish lies still being peddled by the party elite.What’s more, it perfectly encapsulates how somehow — even now — that elite still doesn’t really understand what has happened in this country.A few paragraphs in between and an ending of:Of course, I don’t know whether Platner will win. I don’t know what kind of senator he might be. I don’t know if he is elected, whether he’d betray all of what he’s saying — and he told me a while back that he’d be circumspect about himself if he were me or anyone else looking at his candidacy or that of any other politician.But this isn’t only about him. It’s about the larger divide in the party that depicts itself as the opposition to authoritarianism. Democrats can only be that opposition if they come to terms with their party’s participation in the nightmare we’re now immersed in — and then start making different decisions.OutroWe hope you enjoyed our show everyone, thanks for tuning in, and until next time, I hate to be the Bear of Bad News, so I won’t!Have a good day.Thanks for reading The Bear of Bad News! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebearofbadnews.substack.com