Judge Blocks COVID Vaccine Mandate for Head Start Program
President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a Louisiana federal judge ruled Saturday, handing a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government.
EPA Acts on Environmental Justice in 3 Gulf Coast States
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of enforcement actions Wednesday to address air pollution, unsafe drinking water and other problems afflicting minority communities in three Gulf Coast states, following a “Journey to Justice” tour by Administrator Michael Regan last fall.
Minority Women Most Affected if Abortion is Banned, Limited
If the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to further restrict or even ban abortions, minority women will bear the brunt of it, according to statistics analyzed by The Associated Press.
Wicker: Black Woman Supreme Court Nominee Would be 'Quota'
One of Mississippi's Republican U.S. senators said that if President Joe Biden nominates a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, that nominee would be the beneficiary of a “quota.”
EXPLAINER: Blood Supplies Run Short, Affecting Patient Care
After the holidays, it’s normal for the nationwide supply of life-saving blood to dwindle at hospitals and blood banks as donations slow. This year, with fears about COVID-19 and the omicron variant keeping donors away or making them sick, blood centers say the shortage is worse than usual.
Unvaccinated Medical Workers Turn to Religious Exemptions
Religious exemptions are increasingly becoming a workaround for unvaccinated hospital and nursing home workers who want to keep their jobs in the face of federal mandates that are going into effect nationwide this week.
Abortion Rights Funds Brace for Impact Ahead of Court Ruling
Texas has tightened abortion restrictions over the past two decades, leading women there to increasingly seek out-of-state abortions.
EXPLAINER: What's Behind Federal Anti-Lynching Legislation?
President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law the first bill that specifies lynching as a federal hate crime. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which Congress passed on March 7, enables the prosecution of crimes as lynchings if they are done during a hate crime in which the victim is injured or slain.
Mississippi Legislature Cuts Ties with Russia
Echoing deepening sanctions from the U.S. government, both the Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions this week condemning Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and barring any business between state entities and Russia.
Amid False 2020 Claims, GOP States Eye Voting System Upgrade
For years, Tennessee Democratic Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro’s call to require the state’s voting infrastructure to include a paper record of each ballot cast has been batted down in the Republican-dominated Legislature.