On Friday, 173 members of Congress — all Republicans — voted against the Equality Act. The bill, which passed with support from eight Republicans and 228 Democrats, adds sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal non-discrimination laws. 173 Republicans vote against Equality Act banning LGBTQ discrimination House Democrats championed a longstanding fight for nondiscrimination […]
Johns Hopkins Hospital sicced collections attorneys on thousands of patients over the past decade, often taking extraordinary measures to extract payment from patients who probably owed no money at all under the state laws governing the non-profit medical provider. According to a new report from union researchers with National Nurses United (NNU), the hospital’s outside […]
Lawmakers in Missouri sent a sweeping anti-abortion package to the governor on Friday, emboldened by other GOP states that passed extreme measures in recent days. Missouri’s Republican-controlled House approved the bill in a 110-44 vote, and sent it to Gov. Mike Parson (R). Parson is likely to sign it, as he has said he wants […]
Internal watchdogs opened more than a dozen investigations into a range of scandals surrounding the former heads of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department last year. Former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke both resigned as their ethics, management, and travel scandals mounted. In doing so, they have largely […]
President Donald Trump is still in a lot of trouble, and it has nothing to do with Congress. Federal courts continue to reveal new information that appears to show the president’s inner circle and closest allies were deeply involved in efforts to stymie investigations into his administration. With over a dozen investigations ongoing, the Justice […]
After signing the country’s strictest abortion ban into law Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) explained her reasoning in a statement, citing “Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.” But that belief is not reflected in the state’s abysmal statistics when it comes […]
The House of Representatives passed a sweeping nondiscrimination bill on Friday that would enhance protections for LGBTQ Americans, in a 236-173 vote. The vote was mostly along party lines, and all the no votes were from Republicans. The bill, named The Equality Act, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ban discrimination on […]
As the House of Representatives prepared to take up historic legislation on LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections Friday, one congressman relied on a rather surprising source to defend his vote. Speaking on the floor Friday morning, Rep. Ross Spano (R-FL) cited Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., as part of his argument that the […]
By Sarah Sax It’s impossible to imagine modern life without plastics. From the moment the day begins, we are using plastic. It’s in our toothbrushes, our shower curtains and our phones. We use it on the way to work in bus seats, car dashboards, and bicycle helmets. We see it at lunch in takeout containers […]
White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley downplayed reports Friday that the Trump administration was considering invoking the Insurrection Act to remove immigrants from the country — but he didn’t rule out that it was still on the table. “There are lots of tools at [President Donald Trump’s] disposal,” Gidley said, speaking with Fox & […]
After Georgia and Alabama both approved near-total abortion bans within a week of each other, a chorus of people on social media said the solution was clear: Elect more women. Some people pointed out that there aren’t many female lawmakers in the states that have passed restrictive abortion bans this year. The Alabama Senate, for example, […]
While Uber and Lyft may be ubiquitous in cities all over the United States, the companies are not only massively unprofitable, but they also increase vehicle usage and thus the carbon pollution that drives climate change. What’s more, it seems increasingly likely these ride-sharing companies can’t become profitable without being even worse for the planet. […]
