Record number of women of color running for U.S. Congress in 2020
At least 266 Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern and North African women are running for the House and Senate, shattering 2018’s numbers.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the countries of Central America. The 1,760 articles here track milestones in areas such as public health, conservation, policy, and community-led initiatives across the region. Browse to find reported evidence of what is working and why.
Philadelphia to provide free internet for 35,000 low-income families
Philadelphia will provide free internet access for 35,000 low-income families. Some households will be wired for free broadband access via Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and other families will receive service from no-charge wireless hot spots purchased by the city from T-Mobile.
Placebos prove effective even when people know they’re taking one, according to new study
A team of researchers from Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Dartmouth College is the first to demonstrate that placebos reduce brain markers of emotional distress even when people know they are taking one.
Disney makes history with first LGBTQ+ lead character in The Owl House
The Disney Channel show follows Luz Noceda, a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl who stumbles into an alternate world where she battles witches and demons and other forces of evil.
Oaxaca bans sale of junk food to children
Oaxaca is the first state to take the measure in Mexico, which has one of the world’s highest rates of childhood obesity. About 73% of the Mexican population is overweight, compared to one-fifth of the population in 1996, according to a study by OCED.
Argonne National Lab breakthrough catalyst turns carbon dioxide into ethanol
The new electrochemical process converts carbon dioxide emitted from industrial processes, such as fossil fuel power plants or alcohol fermentation plants, into valuable commodities at reasonable cost.
Apple has developed a game-changing low-carbon aluminum
The lightweight metal is chemically the same as the mass-produced version used in products like foil, soda cans, bike frames, and car doors. But it’s made using a different industrial process — one that doesn’t result in the direct release of greenhouse gases.
Missouri voters approve Medicaid healthcare expansion
Voters made Missouri the 38th state to approve expanding Medicaid health care coverage to thousands more low-income adults. As many as 250,000 more adults could choose to be covered by government health insurance beginning in July 2021.
Canada grants first legal exemptions for psilocybin use in 50 years
Four terminally ill cancer patients in Canada have now been approved to use psilocybin to treat end-of-life distress. These patients will be the first to legally use the psychedelic in Canada for almost half a century.
Pittsburgh launches ‘guaranteed income’ program with Jack Dorsey donation
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto announced that his city is now joining 15 other American cities in a program receiving funding from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, in which eligible residents will receive $500 in monthly “guaranteed income.”
The money used to start the program will come from funds Dorsey gave that is allowing Pittsburgh and 15 other cities to help those who are struggling during the economic crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.