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.
North & Central America
This archive covers progress stories from North and Central America, spanning the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the nations of Central America. Readers will find reporting on health, environment, community resilience, and policy advances across the region.
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.
California bans gun sales to people under 21
The bill will prevent people under 21 from buying rifles and other types of guns.
Pennsylvania to toughen gun laws in domestic violence cases
The bill will force people in Pennsylvania with a domestic violence ruling against them to more quickly surrender their gun.
California becomes first U.S. state to require women on corporate boards
California will be the first state to require publicly traded companies to have at least one woman on their board of directors.
California becomes first U.S. state to ban sale of animal-tested cosmetics
The bill prohibits manufacturers from trying to “import for profit, sell, or offer for sale” any cosmetic that is tested on animals. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020.
Paralyzed patients walk again with help from new, revolutionary pain stimulator
The new research shows that electrical stimulation of the spine can re-educate the body and help move the legs even though signals from the brain are cut off.