2016 has been a rough year for America and the entirety of planet Earth. The news has been dominated by police shootings, terrorist attacks, and an angry a guy who loves walls and just asked Russia to hack his opponent.

But don't throw in the towel just yet. Some genius decided to ask strangers on reddit to share all the good things that have happened this year. Honestly, you'll feel a lot better after you read them. Here are 16 of the best responses.

1. cingalls recapped some of the awesome breakthroughs in the medical field that happened this year. These things are going to save a lot of lives. That's pretty cool.

We're closer to having successful vaccines for lung and brain cancer. New chemotherapy breakthroughs have increased the 5-year survival for pancreatic cancer from 16% to 27% and getting better. Thanks to our bad luck last year with Ebola, systems are now in place that speed up development and delivery of vaccines for the next outbreak. Scientists figured out how to link robotic limbs with the part of the brain that deals with intent to move so people don't have to think about how they will move their limb, it can just happen. Child mortality is down everywhere and it keeps going down.

2. And as CommanderBS (ignore the username), that wasn't the only medical breakthrough.

We found the mother f*cking gene that is linked to ALS, one step closer to eliminating it!

Redditor Tomun hopped on to add that we can't even make fun of online activism anymore.

And it's actually thanks to that ice bucket money too!

3. I_REE_therefore_I_am actually has some pretty good news about, get this, ISIS.

With all the attacks this year, it seems not many major news networks are reporting the fact that ISIS is now the weakest its ever been. They are losing on virtually every front in Iraq and Syria, and the reason the attacks in Europe have increased is because they are absolutely desperate for foreign fighters. No one seems to want to join a losing side.

Kurdish fighters liberated Manbij, Mosul is next on their target. The Iraqi forces forced them out of Fallujah which was their stronghold in southern and central Iraq, and it seems just a matter of time before they reach the Syrian border and thus only Mosul will be left. There are reports of top ISIS people moving their families from Mosul to Raqqa cause the push for the city is coming soon.

Meanwhile in Syria, ISIS have had Deir Ezzor under siege for years and the Syrian forces there are gaining ground around them. Manbig was lost to the Kurds and Palmyra was liberated a few months ago. Attempts by ISIS to retake the city have all failed. They're also getting pushed out of Aleppo province, and it seems that the Kurds will start pushing south towards Raqqa while the government does the same from the south side.

TL;DR: ISIS is losing.

4. Good news from the animal kingdom, courtesy of tarantulabob.

The tiger population has increased

Redditor ArthurChin backed this up with some specifics:

And not just a little bit, but by 22%! Even though 3,900 is still a pretty low number, that is great, great news.

5. Guys. DeadbeatMermaid survived cancer this year. So did a lot of other people. That's amazing.

I beat cancer :)

6. Juturna_ knows as well as any of us how cool space is. And now we're one step closer to learning all its secrets.

The Juno spacecraft reached Jupiter

That's not the only cool space news, as the awesomely-named HypersonicHarpist pointed out:

SpaceX keeps successfully landing boosters which, if they keep it up, will lead to reducing the cost of delivering payloads to orbit, and its just plain cool.

7. user_736 is right. We are living in the Golden Age of television. What a time to be alive.

Game of Thrones was pretty badass.

8. Babies are being born every day! Principal_Scudworth is a dad now! It's not all bad.

I became a father. It's fucking crazy and awesome.

yukontodd also gained an offspring. Congrats!

Finalized my daughter's adoption.

9. Anytime something good happens in India, that benefits hundreds of millions of people, and tkputin wants you to know good things are happening:

We in india eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus and another disease called yaws. Our space space agency successfully tested the reusable launch vehicle
demonstrator this year. And i got into a higher paying job.

India had another accomplishment Daler_Mehndii remembered:

India Plants 50 Million Trees in One Day, Smashing World Record

10. Unknown159951 (and probably many other people) had their first kiss this year! That has to make you smile a little bit.

I finally had my first kiss at the age of 20...

11. If nothing else, at least Cleveland is having a good year. That has to count for something. Right, bootshick?

By some miracle, Cleveland finally won a championship in a major-league sport.

12. This is huge, nihilist_denialist. Keep taking care of yourself.

I finally got my chronic major depression under control. Not only the best thing this year, but the best thing this decade for me.

13. AmericanGal1996 might very well change the world one day. So might a lot of other kids who are getting college acceptance letters this year. Think about that.

I got accepted to my top choice uni!

14. Congrats, Kurt_Cobain34223! If I may quote one of the greatest rom-coms of our time, "Love actually, is all around."

A personal one, but I'm engaged to the love of my life...

15. Pokémon Go is super fun and is actually helping a lot of people get healthier, like WhtPumpkinGrnRussian.

Pokemon Go has me down about a pants size already, I'm pretty happy about that.

16. FeathersRuff is right. 2016 is the year of Leo. How can that be bad?

Leo won an Oscar

See? It's not all bad, you guys. We'll all get through this year. And hey, it's more than halfway over. Hang in there, everyone!

Facebook has brought us all together for one reason—and it's not to look at your high school friends' baby pictures. No, it's to to watch some serious, Jerry Springer-level drama unfold publicly while you click the like button and take screenshots from the safety and comfort of your iPhone.

Here are 12 cheaters who got totally freakin' busted on social media, because let's face it, revenge is a dish best served on Facebook.

1. A picture is worth a thousand cuss words.

2. Abby Road to Splitsville.

3. Want your eggs scrambled, fried, or totally busted?

4. When you find out everyone's been in your Mercedes.

5. Found: size small, from Target, answers to the name of betrayal.

6. Now you know why she's wearing a turtleneck in all her beach selfies.

7. Calling all local (and non local) whores who are trying to grow their bangs out:

8. Having an affair? Step 1: don't get caught. Step 2: Take your clothes off to do sex stuff.

9. Apparently Frank was too busy gettin' off to log off his Facebook.

10. That twist ending though.

11. This is why you should always leave your socks ON during sex.

12. When you bust yourself for cheating, you have no one to blame but yourself.

According to research published Tuesday by cyber security company Bastille, most wireless keyboards transmit information in a way that makes it possible for hackers to easily retrieve every keystroke. Known as the KeySniffer method, it makes passwords, credit card numbers, and weird porn searches all vulnerable.

Wireless keyboards are designed to encrypt the data they exchange with their computer. However, that encryption can easily be cracked, and some keyboards were discovered to have no encryption at all. The keyboards tested were designed for Windows computers and come from brands like Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Radio Shack, and General Electric.

Bastille found the vulnerabilities by reverse-engineering the transceivers (transmitter/receivers) the keyboards use to pair with computers. They then used a radio transponder for controlling drones and a $50 antenna to boost the range of a potential hacker. That allowed them to steal data from 250 feet away, which means it would be very easy steal tons of passwords in a hotel or a shared office space.

You can check out the list of models Bastille tested here. Until then, lay off the super weird porn searches unless you have a hard line.

Let this be proof that making fun of yoga is still very much cool. A community board in Los Altos, CA, (right next to Mountain View a.k.a. Google Town USA), responded to a call to do "Yoga in the Park" by going on a fun pun run instead.

Whomever started this fun run of pun should be given the key to the city. Blessings to you, good citizen.

Even some of the Reddit users got in on the fun.

floppydude81 commented...

"Corgi on an ark?"

BlueEyedBassist commented...

"Monkey on the car!"

Mcgruffles took a stab at being controversial...

"Yo-Yo's with Rosa Parks?"

Too soon Mcgruffles, too soon.

What would some of these special yoga in the park be like?

Yoga in the Dark sounds like a fun time, right?

Yoga in the Stark sounds deep, yo.

We're def down for some yogurt in the park.

Yogi Bear led yoga would be very, very relaxing.

But the Los Altos "Citizen of the Year " award goes to whomever came up with Yoda on a Shark. We applaud you, dear Los Altonian.

Internet-famous prankster ObviousPlant (aka Jeff Wysaski) has fooled passersby with such tricks as hilarious (fake) animal facts at the zoo,punny (fake) paint colors at the hardware store, and sexy (fake) costumes at the Halloween shop. ObviousPlant's latest shtick was to encourage some human interaction at the grocery store, creating some real awkward moments and great internet fodder.

Ginger hobbit Ed Sheeran probably went and got married while you weren't paying attention (for understandable reasons)! Internet sleuths surmised as much from the giant ring on the pop star's left-hand ring finger in a photo posted by the singer's friend on Instagram:

Sheeran has been dating his girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn, for about a year, and are apparently so in love that they're able to get away with photobombing Taylor Swift:

But as some people pointed out, he's worn that ring before, just on a different finger:

He's not confirming either way, because he's taking some time off social media at the moment:

But either way, he still can be your non-threatening boyfriend.

This week, the internet just seems like something that makes us wish the internet didn't exist. But it's not all thinkpieces and weird uncles fighting in your Facebook comments. A small section of the internet is still filled with wonderful things, like this parrot that squeaks like a squeaky toy when squeezed.

Just watch that on loop 500 times or so until you forget about everything else.

It's here! It's here! It's here! OK, calming down. Netflix just released the trailer for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and even the 1 minute and 28 second trailer has warmed our Stars Hollow hearts.

In the trailer, Lorelai (Lauren Graham) muses with Rory (Alexis Bledel) over whether Amy Schumer would be her friend IRL. Rory says no because of Schumer's interest in water sport, as in at the beach, to which Lorelai acknowledges that it would never work out.

Schumer noticed this awesome name drop and responded:

Netflix will premiere the episodes over Thanksgiving weekend, November 25th at 12:01 am Pacific (start your timers now). No word on plot, but each episode will be 90 minutes (thank you Netflix) and focus on a season within the year of Lorelai and Rory. All the series favorites are back: Luke (Scott Patterson), Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), and even Sookie (Melissa McCarthy).

So like, cancel all your plans for Thanksgiving. Apologize to your family now; you're gonna be busy!

Want proof that your weight doesn't matter? Look at the Instagram post from fitness blogger Kelsey Wells, which shows her body first at 145 pounds, then 122 pounds, then 140 pounds. Spoiler alert: the transition from one weight to the next isn't what you think.

The caption reads:

SCREW THE SCALE || I figured it was time for a friendly, yet firm reminder. YOU GUYS. PLEASEEEEEE STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE NUMBER ON THE STUPUD SCALE! PLEASE STOP THINKING YOUR WEIGHT EQUALS YOUR PROGRESS AND FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING PLEASE STOP LETTING YOR WEIGHT HAVE ANY AFFECT WHATSOEVER ON YOUR SELF ESTEEM, like I used to. To any of you who are where I once was, please listen to me. I am 5' 7" and weigh 140 lbs. When I first started #bbg I was 8 weeks post partum and 145 lbs. I weighed 130 before getting pregnant, so based on nothing besides my own warped perception, I decided my "goal weight" should be 122 and to fit into my skinniest jeans. Well after a few months of BBG and breastfeeding, I HIT IT and I fit into those size 0 jeans. Well guess what? I HAVE GAINED 18 POUNDS SINCE THEN. EIGHT FREAKING TEEN. Also, I have gone up two pant sizes and as a matter of fact I ripped those skinny jeans wide open just the other week trying to pull them up over my knees.My point?? According to my old self and flawed standards, I would be failing miserably. THANK GOODNESS I finally learned to start measuring my progress by things that matter -- strength, ability, endurance, health, and HAPPINESS. Take progress photos and videos. Record how many push-ups you can do, ect. And if you can, your BFP -- there is only a 5 lb difference between my starting and current weight, but my body composition has changed COMPLETELY. I have never had more muscle and less body fat than I do now. I have never been healthier than I am now. I have never been more comfortable in my own skin than I am now. And if I didn't say #screwthescale long ago, I would have gave up on my journey. So to the little teeny tiny voice in the back of my head that still said "wtf is this- not 140!?" last week when I stepped on the scale, I say SCREW. YOU. And I think you should probably say the same to your scale too. #byefelicia

Bye Felicia indeed, especially if you named your scale Felicia.

At 7pm on July 27, Donald Trump hosted an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit. Unlike almost every other Ask Me Anything, which are hosted in their own forum, this was hosted on the internet's best-known "safe space": r/The_Donald, a fan club famous for banning anyone who isn't 10,000% on board with the "God Emperor."

If you ever wondered where the weird language of Trump fans comes from, it's from here. They were very excited, promoting the event for days, and submitting tens of thousands of questions in the hours beforehand. Here's 100% of what they got.

1. The first question Trump got was about voter fraud, and how any vote that doesn't result in Trump winning must be fraud.

2. Donald Trump, who received an estimated $2 billion in free media coverage last year and called disgraced Fox News CEO Roger Ailes a "great guy" who was screwed over by women "he helped," is concerned about media bias.

3. Milo Yiannopolis, the right-wing troll/thought leader who was banned from Twitter for leading a campaign of racist harassment against Leslie Jones, appeared to literally ask if Donald would make America great again.

Gee, will Donald Trump say yes to "will you make America great"?! The tension is killing me!

Whew.

4. Donald Trump is against the Obamacare behemoth and will repeal it...and replace it with something bigger (his plan to eliminate state barriers is actually not bad. See? We're balanced).

5. Donald Trump never shies away from hard questions like "why is Hillary so darn crooked?"

His answer did well with this very tough crowd.

6. Does Donald Trump like cops? There's only one way to find out!

7. "There have been many amazing Presidents."

8. Here was a weightier exchange, where Donald Trump once again made the pitch to angry Bernie Sanders supporters (and said Bernie was simply too tired to keep going).

9. Finally, someone asked the important question.

10. Asked what the greatest issues facing young people today were, Donald Trump once again seemed to be channeling Bernie Sanders.

11. Wait, what's this?! A wild almost-not-a-Trump-fan appeared!

And that was it! That was what Donald Trump's biggest fans got after a week of waiting. Imagine what's in store for the rest of us!

The actors who play Bran Stark and Tommen Baratheon from Game of Thronesare adorable friends in real life. Though they shared zero screen time together on the show, they share quality time together in the real world. Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) tweeted a pic of himself and Dean-Charles Chapman (Tommen) at Comic-Con last weekend:

Chapman let us know that they're brothers from a different mother:

They've been buds for some time, living like kings:

It's great that they continue to hang out in real life, since Chapman's character Tommen got splattered outside the highest window of The Red Keep (actually, both characters have had their falls).

Did you hear? Hillary Clinton is officially the first female nominee of a major political party in United States history! It's true, but you wouldn't know it from looking at some of the major newspapers in the United States.

Yep. The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and others prominently declared Clinton's historic moment in headlines while displaying pictures of the men connected to her (Bill, Bernie, other B's).

Because even when a woman makes history, it's still all about the dudes, right?

Not all papers were oblivious to this obvious awkward juxtaposition. At least the newspaper with the most subscribers in the United States, USA Today, got it right.

But who reads newspapers anymore?

Late on July 27, Barack Obama took the stage in Philadelphia at the DNC for his last big political speech as President of the United States, and as even his most hardened opponents admit, derisively, the man can give a speech. (Full text below.) POTUS endorsed Hillary, and told the story of their 2008 battle in a way that frankly sounded more romantic than Bill Clinton's rambling rom-com from last night. He also threw major shade at Donald Trump, the man who publicly questioned his birth, and welcomed fleeing Republicans the way Trump welcomes upset Bernie fans. Most of all, President Obama reminded everyone that his trump card still has plenty of oomph in it: hope.

Here are Obama's full prepared remarks:

Hello, America.

Twelve years ago tonight, I addressed this convention for the very first time.

You met my two little girls, Malia and Sasha – now two amazing young women who just fill me with pride. You fell for my brilliant wife and partner Michelle, who’s made me a better father and a better man; who’s gone on to inspire our nation as First Lady; and who somehow hasn’t aged a day.

I know the same can’t be said for me. My girls remind me all the time. Wow, you’ve changed so much, daddy.

And it’s true – I was so young that first time in Boston. Maybe a little nervous addressing such a big crowd. But I was filled with faith; faith in America – the generous, bighearted, hopeful country that made my story – indeed, all of our stories – possible.

A lot’s happened over the years. And while this nation has been tested by war and recession and all manner of challenge – I stand before you again tonight, after almost two terms as your President, to tell you I am even more optimistic about the future of America.

How could I not be – after all we’ve achieved together?

After the worst recession in 80 years, we’ve fought our way back. We’ve seen deficits come down, 401(k)s recover, an auto industry set new records, unemployment reach eight-year lows, and our businesses create 15 million new jobs.

After a century of trying, we declared that health care in America is not a privilege for a few, but a right for everybody. After decades of talk, we finally began to wean ourselves off foreign oil, and doubled our production of clean energy.

We brought more of our troops home to their families, and delivered justice to Osama bin Laden. Through diplomacy, we shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program, opened up a new chapter with the people of Cuba, and brought nearly 200 nations together around a climate agreement that could save this planet for our kids.

We put policies in place to help students with loans; protect consumers from fraud; and cut veteran homelessness almost in half. And through countless acts of quiet courage, America learned that love has no limits, and marriage equality is now a reality across the land.

By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we started.

And through every victory and every setback, I’ve insisted that change is never easy, and never quick; that we wouldn’t meet all of our challenges in one term, or one presidency, or even in one lifetime.

So tonight, I’m here to tell you that yes, we still have more work to do. More work to do for every American still in need of a good job or a raise, paid leave or a decent retirement; for every child who needs a sturdier ladder out of poverty or a world-class education; for everyone who hasn’t yet felt the progress of these past seven and a half years. We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer; our homeland more secure, and our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation. We’re not done perfecting our union, or living up to our founding creed – that all of us are created equal and free in the eyes of God.

That work involves a big choice this November. Fair to say, this is not your typical election. It’s not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice – about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government.

Look, we Democrats have always had plenty of differences with the Republican Party, and there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s precisely this contest of ideas that pushes our country forward.

But what we heard in Cleveland last week wasn’t particularly Republican – and it sure wasn’t conservative. What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world. There were no serious solutions to pressing problems – just the fanning of resentment, and blame, and anger, and hate.

And that is not the America I know.

The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties – about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten; parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we had.

All that is real. We’re challenged to do better; to be better. But as I’ve traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I’ve also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America. I see people working hard and starting businesses; people teaching kids and serving our country. I see engineers inventing stuff, and doctors coming up with new cures. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, not constrained by what is, ready to seize what ought to be.

Most of all, I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together – black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; young and old; gay, straight, men, women, folks with disabilities, all pledging allegiance, under the same proud flag, to this big, bold country that we love.

That’s the America I know. And there is only one candidate in this race who believes in that future, and has devoted her life to it; a mother and grandmother who’d do anything to help our children thrive; a leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings, and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American – the next President of the United States, Hillary Clinton.

Now, eight years ago, Hillary and I were rivals for the Democratic nomination. We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary’s tough. Every time I thought I might have that race won, Hillary just came back stronger.

But after it was all over, I asked Hillary to join my team. She was a little surprised, but ultimately said yes – because she knew that what was at stake was bigger than either of us. And for four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment, and her discipline. I came to realize that her unbelievable work ethic wasn’t for praise or attention – that she was in this for everyone who needs a champion. I understood that after all these years, she has never forgotten just who she’s fighting for.

Hillary’s still got the tenacity she had as a young woman working at the Children’s Defense Fund, going door to door to ultimately make sure kids with disabilities could get a quality education.

She’s still got the heart she showed as our First Lady, working with Congress to help push through a Children’s Health Insurance Program that to this day protects millions of kids.

She’s still seared with the memory of every American she met who lost loved ones on 9/11, which is why, as a Senator from New York, she fought so hard for funding to help first responders; why, as Secretary of State, she sat with me in the Situation Room and forcefully argued in favor of the mission that took out bin Laden.

You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis, or send young people to war. But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions. She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran. Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.

That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America.

And, by the way, in case you were wondering about her judgment, look at her choice of running mate. Tim Kaine is as good a man, as humble and committed a public servant, as anyone I know. He will be a great Vice President, and he’ll make Hillary a better President. Just like my dear friend and brother Joe Biden has made me a better President.

Now, Hillary has real plans to address the concerns she’s heard from you on the campaign trail. She’s got specific ideas to invest in new jobs, to help workers share in their company’s profits, to help put kids in preschool, and put students through college without taking on a ton of debt. That’s what leaders do.

And then there’s Donald Trump. He’s not really a plans guy. Not really a facts guy, either. He calls himself a business guy, which is true, but I have to say, I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated.

Does anyone really believe that a guy who’s spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion? Your voice? If so, you should vote for him. But if you’re someone who’s truly concerned about paying your bills, and seeing the economy grow, and creating more opportunity for everybody, then the choice isn’t even close. If you want someone with a lifelong track record of fighting for higher wages, better benefits, a fairer tax code, a bigger voice for workers, and stronger regulations on Wall Street, then you should vote for Hillary Clinton.

And if you’re concerned about who’s going to keep you and your family safe in a dangerous world – well, the choice is even clearer. Hillary Clinton is respected around the world not just by leaders, but by the people they serve. She’s worked closely with our intelligence teams, our diplomats, our military. And she has the judgment, the experience, and the temperament to meet the threat from terrorism. It’s not new to her. Our troops have pounded ISIL without mercy, taking out leaders, taking back territory. I know Hillary won’t relent until ISIL is destroyed. She’ll finish the job – and she’ll do it without resorting to torture, or banning entire religions from entering our country. She is fit to be the next Commander-in-Chief.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump calls our military a disaster. Apparently, he doesn’t know the men and women who make up the strongest fighting force the world has ever known. He suggests America is weak. He must not hear the billions of men, women, and children, from the Baltics to Burma, who still look to America to be the light of freedom, dignity, and human rights. He cozies up to Putin, praises Saddam Hussein, and tells the NATO allies that stood by our side after 9/11 that they have to pay up if they want our protection. Well, America’s promises do not come with a price tag. We meet our commitments. And that’s one reason why almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago.

America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump.

In fact, it doesn’t depend on any one person. And that, in the end, may be the biggest difference in this election – the meaning of our democracy.

Ronald Reagan called America “a shining city on a hill.” Donald Trump calls it “a divided crime scene” that only he can fix. It doesn’t matter to him that illegal immigration and the crime rate are as low as they’ve been in decades, because he’s not offering any real solutions to those issues. He’s just offering slogans, and he’s offering fear. He’s betting that if he scares enough people, he might score just enough votes to win this election.

That is another bet that Donald Trump will lose. Because he’s selling the American people short. We are not a fragile or frightful people. Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago; We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that together, We, the People, can form a more perfect union.

That’s who we are. That’s our birthright – the capacity to shape our own destiny. That’s what drove patriots to choose revolution over tyranny and our GIs to liberate a continent. It’s what gave women the courage to reach for the ballot, and marchers to cross a bridge in Selma, and workers to organize and fight for better wages.

America has never been about what one person says he’ll do for us. It’s always been about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enduring work of self-government.

And that’s what Hillary Clinton understands. She knows that this is a big, diverse country, and that most issues are rarely black and white. That even when you’re 100 percent right, getting things done requires compromise. That democracy doesn’t work if we constantly demonize each other. She knows that for progress to happen, we have to listen to each other, see ourselves in each other, fight for our principles but also fight to find common ground, no matter how elusive that may seem.

Hillary knows we can work through racial divides in this country when we realize the worry black parents feel when their son leaves the house isn’t so different than what a brave cop’s family feels when he puts on the blue and goes to work; that we can honor police and treat every community fairly. She knows that acknowledging problems that have festered for decades isn’t making race relations worse – it’s creating the possibility for people of good will to join and make things better.

Hillary knows we can insist on a lawful and orderly immigration system while still seeing striving students and their toiling parents as loving families, not criminals or rapists; families that came here for the same reasons our forebears came – to work, and study, and make a better life, in a place where we can talk and worship and love as we please. She knows their dream is quintessentially American, and the American Dream is something no wall will ever contain.

It can be frustrating, this business of democracy. Trust me, I know. Hillary knows, too. When the other side refuses to compromise, progress can stall. Supporters can grow impatient, and worry that you’re not trying hard enough; that you’ve maybe sold out.

But I promise you, when we keep at it; when we change enough minds; when we deliver enough votes, then progress does happen. Just ask the twenty million more people who have health care today. Just ask the Marine who proudly serves his country without hiding the husband he loves. Democracy works, but we gotta want it – not just during an election year, but all the days in between.

So if you agree that there’s too much inequality in our economy, and too much money in our politics, we all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders’ supporters have been. We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done.

If you want more justice in the justice system, then we’ve all got to vote – not just for a President, but for mayors, and sheriffs, and state’s attorneys, and state legislators. And we’ve got to work with police and protesters until laws and practices are changed.

If you want to fight climate change, we’ve got to engage not only young people on college campuses, but reach out to the coal miner who’s worried about taking care of his family, the single mom worried about gas prices.

If you want to protect our kids and our cops from gun violence, we’ve got to get the vast majority of Americans, including gun owners, who agree on background checks to be just as vocal and determined as the gun lobby that blocks change through every funeral we hold. That’s how change will happen.

Look, Hillary’s got her share of critics. She’s been caricatured by the right and by some folks on the left; accused of everything you can imagine – and some things you can’t. But she knows that’s what happens when you’re under a microscope for 40 years. She knows she’s made mistakes, just like I have; just like we all do. That’s what happens when we try. That’s what happens when you’re the kind of citizen Teddy Roosevelt once described – not the timid souls who criticize from the sidelines, but someone “who is actually in the arena…who strives valiantly; who errs…[but] who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement.”

Hillary Clinton is that woman in the arena. She’s been there for us – even if we haven’t always noticed. And if you’re serious about our democracy, you can’t afford to stay home just because she might not align with you on every issue. You’ve got to get in the arena with her, because democracy isn’t a spectator sport. America isn’t about “yes he will.” It’s about “yes we can.” And we’re going to carry Hillary to victory this fall, because that’s what the moment demands.

You know, there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign about what America’s lost – people who tell us that our way of life is being undermined by pernicious changes and dark forces beyond our control. They tell voters there’s a “real America” out there that must be restored. This isn’t an idea that started with Donald Trump. It’s been peddled by politicians for a long time – probably from the start of our Republic.

And it’s got me thinking about the story I told you twelve years ago tonight, about my Kansas grandparents and the things they taught me when I was growing up. They came from the heartland; their ancestors began settling there about 200 years ago. They were Scotch-Irish mostly, farmers, teachers, ranch hands, pharmacists, oil rig workers. Hardy, small town folks. Some were Democrats, but a lot of them were Republicans. My grandparents explained that they didn’t like show-offs. They didn’t admire braggarts or bullies. They didn’t respect mean-spiritedness, or folks who were always looking for shortcuts in life. Instead, they valued traits like honesty and hard work. Kindness and courtesy. Humility; responsibility; helping each other out.

That’s what they believed in. True things. Things that last. The things we try to teach our kids.

And what my grandparents understood was that these values weren’t limited to Kansas. They weren’t limited to small towns. These values could travel to Hawaii; even the other side of the world, where my mother would end up working to help poor women get a better life. They knew these values weren’t reserved for one race; they could be passed down to a half-Kenyan grandson, or a half-Asian granddaughter; in fact, they were the same values Michelle’s parents, the descendants of slaves, taught their own kids living in a bungalow on the South Side of Chicago. They knew these values were exactly what drew immigrants here, and they believed that the children of those immigrants were just as American as their own, whether they wore a cowboy hat or a yarmulke; a baseball cap or a hijab.

America has changed over the years. But these values my grandparents taught me – they haven’t gone anywhere. They’re as strong as ever; still cherished by people of every party, every race, and every faith. They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots, is what’s in here. That’s what matters. That’s why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries, and blend it into something uniquely our own. That’s why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That’s why our military can look the way it does, every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.

That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own. That’s what Hillary Clinton understands – this fighter, this stateswoman, this mother and grandmother, this public servant, this patriot – that’s the America she’s fighting for.

And that’s why I have confidence, as I leave this stage tonight, that the Democratic Party is in good hands. My time in this office hasn’t fixed everything; as much as we’ve done, there’s still so much I want to do. But for all the tough lessons I’ve had to learn; for all the places I’ve fallen short; I’ve told Hillary, and I’ll tell you what’s picked me back up, every single time.

It’s been you. The American people.

It’s the letter I keep on my wall from a survivor in Ohio who twice almost lost everything to cancer, but urged me to keep fighting for health care reform, even when the battle seemed lost. Do not quit.

It’s the painting I keep in my private office, a big-eyed, green owl, made by a seven year-old girl who was taken from us in Newtown, given to me by her parents so I wouldn’t forget – a reminder of all the parents who have turned their grief into action.

It’s the small business owner in Colorado who cut most of his own salary so he wouldn’t have to lay off any of his workers in the recession – because, he said, “that wouldn’t have been in the spirit of America.”

It’s the conservative in Texas who said he disagreed with me on everything, but appreciated that, like him, I try to be a good dad.

It’s the courage of the young soldier from Arizona who nearly died on the battlefield in Afghanistan, but who’s learned to speak and walk again – and earlier this year, stepped through the door of the Oval Office on his own power, to salute and shake my hand.

It’s every American who believed we could change this country for the better, so many of you who’d never been involved in politics, who picked up phones, and hit the streets, and used the internet in amazing new ways to make change happen. You are the best organizers on the planet, and I’m so proud of all the change you’ve made possible.

Time and again, you’ve picked me up. I hope, sometimes, I picked you up, too. Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you’re who I was talking about twelve years ago, when I talked about hope – it’s been you who’ve fueled my dogged faith in our future, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long. Hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; the audacity of hope!

America, you have vindicated that hope these past eight years. And now I’m ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen. This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me – to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation.

Thank you for this incredible journey. Let’s keep it going. God bless the United States of America.

In a move that should surprise no one who's met a li'l Arya or Kylo, there has apparently been an uptick in Pokémon-related baby names since the release of Pokémon Go. According to a press release from BabyCenter (via Perez Hilton), there's been a rise in the names Roselia, Eevee, and Onyx for girls; and Ivy, Shay, and Ash for boys. Because nothing says "new bundle of joy" like being named after a horrifying rock snake:

Sorry, Onyx. But you're mad creepy.

In the press release, Linda Murray, BabyCenter Global Editor in Chief, said "Parents are always looking to pop culture for baby name inspiration and, right now, it doesn't get hotter than Pokémon Go." Apparently she couldn't come up with a more generic statement.

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update hosted a 10-minute special after the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night. Hey, after appearing at the Republican National Convention last week, it's only fair. Colin Jost and Michael Che sat at a fancy-shmancy desk to roast Democrats, Trump and Bernie-or-Bust people. It was just like watching an episode of SNL if SNL had a better budget and a mostly unresponsive studio audience. Check it out:

Now if only they had Drunk Uncle come out for commentary. Because really, who thinks they know more about politics than your drunk uncle?