Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota become the first Muslim women elected to U.S. Congress
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
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.
Record number of women heading to U.S. Congress
More than 100 women were projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, easily shattering the record.
U.S. Supreme Court lets youths’ case demanding climate action proceed
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to halt the trial in a lawsuit brought by 21 young people seeking to force the federal government to take action to address climate change.
U.S. FDA grants ‘breakthrough’ status to psilocybin mushroom therapy for untreatable depression
The US Food and Drug Administration has just granted a “Breakthrough Therapy” designation to a treatment that uses psychedelic mushrooms as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
MIT develops battery technology that could give us electric planes that don’t pollute
Researchers believe that the new battery can lift a 12-seat plane off the ground and keep it off long enough for some commercially-viable flights without using fossil fuels.
Alaska sees first two transgender women elected to office
Kathy Ottersten and Liz Lyke recently took positions as elected officials during the past municipal election.
MIT pledges $1 billion to develop ethical artificial intelligence
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced a billion-dollar initiative to confront the rise of artificial intelligence that will involve supporting deep interdisciplinary research into both AI’s promise and its ethical perils.
Washington state abolishes death penalty
Washington has become the 20th US state to ban the death penalty, after its Supreme Court ruled the punishment was applied in an “arbitrary and racially biased manner”.
New report finds raising the minimum wage reduces prison recidivism
Economics professors found that a minimum wage increase of $.50 an hour reduced the chance that a person would end up back in prison within a year by 2.8%.
Minnesota now offers ‘X’ for gender option on driver’s licenses
In addition to “M” and “F,” “X” can now be checked by any applicant who does not want to identify as male or female.