The Daily Elm

My name is Ariella Elm and I run The Daily Elm.

The Daily Elm is your place to learn what is going right in the world and for things that aren't, what can you do to make it better.

I created this project back at the end of January, it's daily, so today is Day 298, if you were wondering.

You can find me everywhere (except Twitter), and I'll put all my links at the end as well.

You're not gonna like everything I say. For starters, I am a Democrat first, meaning the most important thing to know about me is how I vote. But, if I had to give myself another identity, I'd say "pragmatic progressive."

I am nuanced as shit, which, I know, is a very strange thing to say in 2025, but, well, I like a challenge.

I know that the people who spend their time on Tumblr are my target audience, and many of you don't use other platforms, so I decided it was time to come to you.

I have three series and a daily "long yap" as I've started calling it.

Long Yap - Something that I think deserves a longer post. It's an essay. I try not to make it too long and I fail every time. I will be posting those here in full.

Three Wins Today - Three things going right in the world, the smaller the better. Chances are you will never have heard of them before, that's the goal anyway, cause I want you to see more than three wins in one day. For now, for my sanity this will just be a link back to my website.

Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back - Four Democrats in the US House or Senate who are leveraging their power, usually stories you probably haven't heard at all. This could be using their voice, their letterhead, legislation etc. And this will also just be a link, for now.

Doomerella Gets Schooled - It's a skit where my alter ego and I banter about these stories. She's like you, scared and angry and doesn't think there's much hope and certainly not anything she can do about it. We're not very nice to each other, but It's fun to film, and hopefully fun to watch.

Election Day is Every Tuesday - A weekly election guide with all the elections I can find around the country. Which is never all the elections., there just isn't a complete database to be found. Most elections are nonpartisan so hopefully this helps. And makes people realize that there isn't a special election year or election month, they're happening all the time.

That was a lot, if you're still here, and you have other platforms, make sure to follow me there too!

Excited to be here with all of you!

Watch my full interview with DNC Finance Committee member Tim Wegener to learn what the DNC is ACTUALLY doing.

Intrigued? Watch the whole interview:

I got to interview her last year and you should check out the interview to see who our Democratic nominee is

It is probably gonna come down to a few thousand votes or less for the entire state between Francesca Hong and David Crowley

That’s not a lot

Please, go to the Sway app and find some groups to join that will help you with your next election (including mine). Let’s make 100 swung elections a reality!

Check out the full interview!

You have an election if you are registered to vote in AL, CT, MN, VT and WI

And if you’re not registered, but you’re eligible to vote, you can register at the polls TODAY everywhere but AL.

Primaries matter SO much. This is where you can really vote your conscious. So please vote!

This week’s guide:

It gives people who know the district best the ability to give their recommendations based on their knowledge, so watch my full interview with co-founder Claire Shorall and then head on over to sway and join some voter groups, including mine, Election Day is Every Tuesday!

Watch the full interview!

And make sure to join my voting group!

And sometimes it’s not even in political spaces, like in Milwaukee…

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wed, July 1 - 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Church voted 459-25 to stand against white nationalism by categorizing it as a “theological error” and added this language to their governing document, The Book of Order.

The policy says:

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) repudiates the ideology and practices of  white Christian nationalism in all its forms and affirms the PCUSA’s historical support for disestablishment of religion as enshrined in the First Amendment to  the U.S. Constitution.

And goes on to say:

The White Christian Nationalism agenda frequently extends beyond legislation into the active dissemination of misinformation and incitement of hostility against LGBTQIA+ persons, religious minorities, immigrants and communities of color. This ideology has made LGBTQIA+ persons specific and repeated targets. By characterizing diverse sexual orientation and gender identities as existential threats to the homeland or national identity, this ideology utilizes dehumanizing language to justify the exclusion of these communities and other marginalized groups from public life.

The Presbyterian Church has not always made sweeping progressive statements like this. In 1977, a vote to allow gay and lesbian members to become clergy failed, and it failed again in the 90s. But in recent years they have embraced progressive viewpoints, like this one, wholeheartedly.

It is wonderful to see that they are continuing to take stances like this, especially int his political climate.

The new PC(USA) policy shows people who have religious trauma, that PC(USA) might be a safe place for them. It reminds MAGA and other bigots that this Church is not a safe place for them, and it makes sure they’re not just talking, but also walking that talk.

North Carolina

Mon, July 6 - North Carolina Republicans have put a lot of effort into making sure Dems have as little power as possible, even though Dems are in control of the executive branch.

So it’s all the more impressive that the Dem minority in the legislature was able to convince the Republican controlled legislature that expanding parental would help their business interests, since that’s all they care about.

Before this bill, state employees who gave birth were given eight weeks paid leave while other parents were only given four. Now both get 12, and it’s all because North Carolina Dems are strategic.

This bill, The Public Workforce Modernization Act, which Governor Josh Stein has now signed into law, marks the largest update to the Human Resources regulations in over 60 years.

State Senator Natalie Murdock explained to me:

Years of advocating for 12 weeks of paid leave finally paid off. Session after session, Democrats file legislation to allow family members and new moms to take the time needed take care of themselves and their new child. No one should be in fear of losing their job to care for their new born or family member. This policy was included in a massive overall of our state HR policies. Our state needs to enact more policies like that this to improve maternal health outcomes. We look forward to building upon this work next year during long session.

I know that other countries are probably horrified that this is a win, but, in the US, it is. And it was only possible because Democrats in North Carolina are very good at what they do.

Even when Republicans think they have the power, even in a state like North Carolina, where they mostly do, good elected Dems are still able to create some change that gives me hope every single day.

Montgomery County, Maryland

Fri, July 10 - Montgomery County has created a portal to keep track of where ICE is through the County Values Act they passed in March. People go to the ICE Reporting Portal and input if the agent is wearing a mask and where they spotted the officer and then it gets filed.

It’s not ideal, of course, but it is what the county can legally do as county executive Marc Elrich said in his newsletter:

I want to be clear about what the County can and cannot do. We cannot stop ICE from enforcing federal immigration law in Montgomery County, and this reporting mechanism will not change that. What we can do is document what is happening, track patterns, and take action within our legal authority, including enforcing the limits we have placed on where ICE can operate without a lawful warrant…We have legal limitations, but we are doing everything within our power to minimize the damage ICE is making in communities. 

And this isn’t all the County is doing either. They passed the Unmask ICE Act back in April as well.

And while they’re doing what they can, there are some hiccups, like last week when county firefighters inadvertently helped ICE capture three men when they were called following these men jumping into the Patomac to get away from the federal law enforcement.

Councilmember Kristin Mink responded saying:

What this shows is that there is more scenario planning that we can do and that we need to do to make sure that we are prepared and ahead of this federal government in the actions that they are taking.

To me, this response shows that they are really trying. This is real and not just something they’re doing to try and appease their constituents.

And there is real power in that. I really hope they are able to get some good data out of this new portal and that, even though it can’t stop ICE from operating in the county entirely.

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And those are today’s stories. Having Democrats in office really matters, especially in red states. I wish more people knew that, but now that you do, spread the word!

And remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!

Follow for more nuance, anti-doomerism and calls to action!

You will not be shocked that the comment section will be flooded with angry people, so if you agree with this post, please follow for more nuance, anti-doomerism content and calls to action!

Turn on my notifications and subscribe to this newsletter so these stories come right to your inbox!

And join my group Election Day Is Every Tuesday, so you’re informed for every election, cause that’s how we start changing things.

Mitch McConnell isn’t dead, most likely, and frankly, I don’t care if he is.

When the jokes started, I knew exactly how this would go.

I knew that within days it would go from jokes to rumors to a full blown conspiracy theory.

I cannot properly articulate how much I wish I had been wrong.

But here we are.

And I could have almost accepted that, if not for the very strange obsession with wanting that seat to not be empty.

With McConnell off the floor, Republicans have one less vote. And in a closely divided Senate, boy does that matter.

Instead of 53 seats, they have 52. That’s a good thing in my book.

And Governor Andy Beshear said it best in a tweet this week:

I know there are a lot of folks wondering about the significance of August 3 regarding a potential Senate vacancy. I want everyone to know that this date has no legal impact on my options should there be a vacancy this year. Worth a reminder, right now, there’s one less vote for the SAVE Act, Trump’s war with Iran, or the potential replacement of a SCOTUS justice.

IF, and that’s a big if, McConnell is dead and Republicans are keeping it a secret, they VASTLY miscalculated, and we should take that as the win it is. Which we are literally seeing today, as the farm bill failed to get out of committee with him gone.

And I think people forget that Beshear is one of the few Democrats who was elected governor of a red state. And that’s because he is VERY good at convincing Republicans to sign on to things they would NEVER sign on to.

Just Wayne interviewed Beshear on June 5 and asked about what he’s been able to do that he’s most proud of:

We built the first hospital in our largest African American community, West Louisville in 150 years. It saw 60,000 people its first year in operation.When you deliver for your people, everybody does better.

Can you IMAGINE Republicans willingly opening a new hospital in a Black community? But they let it happen, because Beshear is good at what he does. Beshear’s budget proposal this year include keeping them open through state dollars regardless of what happens with Medicaid rules nationally.

THIS is what Beshear is focused on. THIS is why he keeps getting elected and THIS is the power of a Dem being given the opportunity to run a red state.

But no one cares about that. They care about if he announces he’s replacing McConnell with Thomas Massie.

Massie is a Republican. He is not a RINO, he is very much a Republican. We agree with him on a small number of things, but it really is a very small number.

Think of it this way. We hear about every time Massie crosses the aisle. It’s big votes but it’s not that often.

And the thing is, we HAVE a Democrat running for that seat in the fall.

His name is Charles Booker. He is a former Kentucky State Rep. He wants money out of politics. He is against the Iran war. He wants to abolish ICE. And he supports Medicare for All.

He is the exact candidate with the exact values we want running for the seat McConnell is leaving.

And yet, most people don’t know his name.

They know Beshear’s name though. The name that is now synonymous with “won’t do what’s needed to replace McConnell.”

But that’s not the story. That’s never been the story. He is doing what he knows how to do best. Fighting hardball. In this case that very literally means, doing nothing.

If McConnell is actually dead and Republicans are willingly leaving his seat empty in some attempt to spite Dems, let them miss the point. And trust that Andy Beshear will do what’s right for Kentucky.

Also, if you’re REALLY angry? Yell at the person actually responsible for making the seat is vacant, which would be Senate Majority Leader John Thune. If you attack Beshear instead of saying ANYTHING about Thune, I question if it’s about the seat at all.

And if you want to actually make a difference, really try to get a Dem in that seat, it’s not about Beshear, or Thune, all eyes should be on Charles Booker.

If social media lifted up Charles Booker even half as often as the berated Beshear about McConnell, maybe Booker could genuinely have a shot. But that’s certainly not the case with how things are going now.

I hope this convinces you to both watch my full interview with Tim Wegener and donate (monthly if you can) to the DNC

Watch the whole interview:

Sway is an organization trying to change who we approach voting across the board, from endorsements to election day. The idea is that recommendations from people you know and trust hold as much, if not more power than an endorsement from a given organization

And I got to sit down with Claire Shorall, one of the founders and discuss how they are changing the game.

Check out the full interview below!

And, join some Sway groups! Join mine, Election Day is Every Tuesday, but join others too! Ones you align with from around the country, and ones that focus on your elections specifically.

This is how we change the story around voting!

I think that’s a great idea.

Which is why, when they had the Daily Blueprint, I posted about it every single day.

The Daily Blueprint was a daily show from the DNC, 7 minutes of the top news stories from the Democrats. Half of it explained things Republicans were destroying that we needed to know about, and the other half made us aware of ways we were succeeding.

It included things like when and where you could watch a hearing and interviews with members of the Democratic party, both elected and not.

It was hosted by DNC Deputy Communications Director, Hannah Muldavin, and it ran for 104 days, the last day being November 12.

And then it stopped.

Why?

See the first sentence of this essay.

Even while this daily briefing was happening. Even as I posted it and analyzed it every single day, posts demanding a daily briefing were still going viral.

Could the DNC have posted it on more platforms? Yes. They absolutely could have.

But would that have mattered?

People say the same about Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries all the time, but his weekly briefings were not only live on YouTube, but also on IG.

Did that make a difference?

No, it didn’t.

Posts like that were STILL going viral.

This is why I can’t take anyone seriously who says Dems need to post more or better or differently.

What they’re already doing isn’t being acknowledged at all.

I have a weekly series called “You’re Being Lied To” where I highlight two Dems who posted something engaging about the work they’re doing, the fight their bringing to it and the noise their making.

These stories are things THEY posted. They are not things that were hidden or that I found by doing heavy amounts of research. I found them by scrolling my feed on IG.

There’s this expectation that if it doesn’t organically come to you, it’s not good enough, and doesn’t exist at all.

Okay, so how do you expect that to change?

How is a member of Congress or the DNC expected to get YOUR attention?

There is this pervading idea that it’s THEIR fault. That if it’s not handed directly to every single person on social media on a silver platter then the politician or organization is doing something wrong.

But it’s hard to make that a priority when it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Would more people have watched The Daily Blueprint if it wasn’t just posted on YouTube and Substack?

If it had been clipped up on YouTube shorts, as well as IG and Tiktok?

Sure. Yeah, more people would have seen it.

But what would those comments have looked like?

I bet you anything, even on those videos themselves, they would have said that same sentence from the start of this essay. And I know this because they did, and those are the same comments I got when I posted about the Blueprint myself.

It’s hard to think people actually want better comms when they refuse to highlight the comms actually happening.

It’s hard to believe it would make any difference at all.

Look, could Democrats be doing better, yeah sure, always, there’s always room for improvement.

But the companies are mostly run by Republicans, and so are most publications, and the ones that aren’t are run by the consultant class who are really angry no one wants to listen to them anymore.

And remember, these stories are supposed to come from journalists and creators, that’s how we’ve always learned what’s happening.

So if they’re not posting it…

Literally everything is making it as easy as possible for you to give Democrats as little credit as possible every single step of the way.

Which means, it’s on you to put a little effort in. If a Dem posts something that impresses you, don’t wait for it to be picked up. YOU can be the person who spreads it and gives it the attention it deserves. You can’t wait till a journalist acknowledges it exists.

THIS is how we beat Republicans. Cause THIS is where they are making the most inroads. They know they can’t get your vote but they can stop you and others from voting all together and from believing in Democrats at all.

Take back that power. Instead of saying “why don’t I see X, obviously it’s not happening.” Assume it is, find an example for yourself, and spread it.

THAT is how we save and strengthen democracy.

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You will not be shocked that the comment section will be flooded with angry people, so if you agree with this post, please follow for more nuance, anti-doomerism content and calls to action!

And maybe you’ll realize Ken Martin is pretty great at the same time.

And make sure to check out the whole interview on YouTube!

Starting in New Jersey…

New Jersey

Thu, July 2 - Governor Mikie Sherill signed the “John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey Act” into law.

This is the first voting rights law enacted since the Callais ruling. It will:

ensure that eligible voters who are members of protected classes, including racial, color, and language-minority groups shall have an equal opportunity to participate in the political processes of the State of New Jersey, and especially to exercise the elective franchise.

The law specifically focuses on voter suppression, intimidation and access.

When the bill passed the Assembly, sponsor, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Hunterdon, Mercer) said:

When those individuals marched into Selma, they did so with the understanding that they were facing immense danger, but they moved forward anyway, determined to show the underrepresented voices in our country the power of their vote and the way it can shape a democracy.

And I think that’s a really important reminder. It’s never safe to fight for what’s right, but it’s powerful to do it anyway. This might not feel like a big risk, given that New Jersey is a blue state, but puts a target on their back, and they’re doing it anyway.

This shows the importance of electing Democrats at every level of government. And that’s a reminder we always need.

New York City, New York

Mon, July 6 - Back in June, Obama Appointee, Judge Katherine Failla issued a Temporary Restraining Order against the DOJ accessing and NYU hospitals providing healthcare data of patients undergoing gender affirming care who were minors between 2020 and this year.

On July 6 that TRO was extended into a preliminary injunction. While a TRO can only last for around 14 days, a preliminary injunction can remain in place for the length of the trial.

Though there was a lot of coverage when the TRO was granted, the only info about the preliminary injunction comes from the case updates drop own on Lambda Legal’s case timeline.

When the TRO was issued, Chase Strangio, Co-Director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project said:

Patients and families trust their doctors with their most intimate, private information and should trust in turn that this information will be protected from impermissible and harassing demands for disclosure from the federal government or anyone else…We will continue to fight on behalf of these families and the fundamental liberty of all transgender New Yorkers and those who come here to seek needed medical care.

We should have some sort of update on the case after Aug 10 when NYU must respond to the complaint. I will keep you posted as we know more.

Regardless, anything that happens that makes it harder for this administration to have access to trans patient data is a win in my book.

Florida

Tue, July 7 - In a 2-1 decision in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a Trump Appointee, Judge Britt Grant, and a Clinton Appointee, Judge Charles Wilson ruled that Ron DeSantis’ WOKE Act cannot take affect in higher education.

Judge Grant wrote for the majority:

Florida’s salary-for-speech rule is a breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the State’s own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry—classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth.

Banning “unpopular ideas” defeats the purpose of higher education in Grant and Wilson’s eyes.

And as Leah Watson, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program said in the press release about the decision, “This ruling sets a strong precedent that higher education cannot be limited to the whims of politicians,”

Even in Florida.

There is this assumption that because DeSantis is so evil and Republicans control all state branches that they can just do whatever they want. But that’s not the case. The state cannot restrict what conversations are allowed to take place in a higher education classroom.

And as a reminder, this bill became law in 2022, so just because a bill becomes law in one year, doesn’t mean that law will ever be able to go into effect. Our judiciary is still our most powerful force against the Republican destruction of Democracy.

And that is something that gives me hope every day.

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So those are three stories that hopefully give you the strength to keep fighting today. Our courts are still pushing back, even Trump judges, and so are our blue states.

I am confident that the louder we are and the more we vote the sooner we will win.

If you want more nuance, anti-doomerism and calls to action like this, make sure to follow me!

Also, turn on my notifications and subscribe to this newsletter so these stories come right to your inbox!

And join my group Election Day Is Every Tuesday, so you’re informed for every election, cause that’s how we start changing things

Remember our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!

And no one could have explained all this better than Tim Wegener.

Intrigued? Watch the whole interview: