Oregon becomes third state in U.S. to legalize human composting
The bill will legalize what’s known as natural organic reduction, or what some refer to as human composting. The law goes into effect July 1, 2022.
North & Central America
Connecticut is first U.S. state to make all prison phone calls free
Connecticut became the first state this week to make all prison phone calls free, addressing one of the biggest emotional and financial burdens faced by incarcerated men and women and their families as they try to stay in touch.
Las Vegas Raiders player Carl Nassib to become first NFL player to play while publicly out as gay
Carl Nassib, a defensive lineman for the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL, has come out in an Instagram post.
Maine becomes the first U.S. state to divest from fossil fuels
The new law directs the $17 billion Maine Public Employee Retirement System to divest $1.3 billion from fossil fuels within five years and directs the Treasury to do the same with other state funds.
Canada allows Indigenous peoples to officially reclaim their names
Canada has announced a new policy that allows Indigenous people who were forced to adopt European Christian names to officially reclaim their original names.
Juneteenth signed into law as a federal holiday in the U.S.
“Juneteeth” is the term that has been used to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, first learned that the Civil War was over and they were free.
Biden administration extends Title IX protections to LGBTQ students
“Students cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told the New York Times about the new rules.
U.S. Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as country’s first Muslim American federal judge
The Senate voted last week to confirm Zahid Quraishi, a former United States magistrate judge in New Jersey.
Biden administration to buy 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses to donate to the world
The first 200 million doses will be distributed this year, with the subsequent 300 million shared in the first half of next year.
El Salvador to use energy from volcanoes for bitcoin mining
Hours after becoming the first nation to authorize bitcoin as a legal tender, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele instructed a state-owned geothermal electric company to plan to use renewable geothermal energy from the country’s volcanoes for mining for the cryptocurrency.