Iowa Supreme Court blocks 72-hour abortion waiting period law
The judge sided with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa in a lawsuit.
United States
This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and milestones from the United States — covering policy wins, community-led efforts, scientific advances, and social progress happening across the country. Each entry highlights what’s working and why it matters.
Virginia and New York enact first laws demanding mental health education
The Empire State’s law, which was reportedly written in 2015, says mental health is “an integral part of our overall health and should be an integral part of health education in New York schools.”
California passes sweeping law to protect online privacy
The new law grants consumers the right to know what information companies are collecting about them, why they are collecting that data and with whom they are sharing it.
U.S. Supreme Court rules that police will need a warrant for cell phone location data
The motion, which was passed in a 5-4 majority on Friday, is a definitive stepping stone to setting up a framework that protects Americans from law enforcement and government officials taking advantage of our technological lives.
Record number of LGBT candidates running for governor in the United States
2018 is the first time in American history that more than one open LGBT person has won a gubernatorial nomination in any given year.
Hawaii bans use of toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos
Hawaii governor David Ige signed a bill banning the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to increased risk of learning disabilities, lower IQs, developmental delays, and behavior problems in children.
D.C. voters back measure to raise minimum wage for tipped workers
D.C. residents on June 19 narrowly approved a hard-fought ballot measure that will raise the minimum wage for all workers to $15 by 2025
MidAmerican Energy to become first 100% renewable energy utility with Wind XII Project
Wind XII consists of 591 MW of new wind capacity in Iowa and has propelled the company to be the first investor-owned electric utility in the U.S. to generate renewable energy equal to 100% of its customers usage each year.
Temple University researchers successfully reverse cognitive impairments in mice with dementia
New research shows, for the first time in an animal model, that tau pathology — the second-most important lesion in the brain in patients with Alzheimer’s disease — can be reversed by a drug.
Costco to boost its minimum wage to $14 an hour
The retail chain, second only to Walmart Inc. in terms of U.S. sales, said it would increase its starting hourly wages by $1 to $14 or $14.50 an hour.