Measles outbreaks across the nation are prompting state lawmakers to consider eliminating vaccination exemptions for religious and personal beliefs that have been claimed by the parents of some children. Public health experts and officials blame the exemptions as one reason why states are seeing an increased number of cases of measles. “What you see as […]
An Arizona state lawmaker said this week that state-mandated vaccines are a “communist” value. State Rep. Kelly Townsend (R), in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday, warned that measles outbreaks are going to result in Arizonans having to “give up our liberty, the very sovereignty of our body.” “I read yesterday that the idea is […]
The Los Angeles teachers union on Wednesday decided to postpone its strike until Monday, saying in a statement that they do not want to bring “confusion and chaos into an already fluid situation,” according to The Los Angeles Times. The announcement comes as the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and the Los Angles Unified School […]
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s (D) approval ratings have plummeted since the revelation that his medical school yearbook page included a photo of a man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe, according to a new poll. The Morning Consult poll published Monday found that 48 percent of Virginia voters disapprove of Northam’s job performance, […]
Newly minted Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned from his post on Thursday after a newspaper obtained photos of him posing as a “Hurricane Katrina victim” in blackface. The Tallahassee Democrat obtained the photos and shared them with the governor’s office Thursday, according to the paper. Hours later, the office said it had accepted Ertel’s resignation. The […]
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) on Thursday vowed to sign a bill passed by the state legislature earlier in the day raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. Pritzker announced his support for the bill after the state House passed the measure in a 69-47-1 vote, The Chicago Sun Times reported. The state Senate approved the […]
Two committees in the Maryland House of Delegates voted to advance a bill on Friday that would allow the terminally ill to end their lives with prescription drugs. The House Health and Government Operations Committee and the House Judiciary Committee approved the End of Life Options Act, sending the measure for a full chamber vote […]
Authorities in Arizona have sent county prosecutors the results of an investigation into a since-shuttered migrant shelter where videos showed children dragged and pushed about by staffers. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday that it investigated “several allegations of child abuse and assault” occurring on Sept. 14, 17 and 21 at […]
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced on Friday a plan to expedite pardons for individuals convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession. Inslee said in a statement that officials should no longer punish people for something that is no longer illegal. Washington state legalized marijuana possession in 2012. “Forgiving these convictions can help lessen their impact and allow people […]
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus called on Gov. Ralph Northam (D) to resign Friday after he acknowledged his appearance in a photo showing a man wearing blackface and another dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe. “We are still processing what we have seen about the Governor but unequivocally say that what has been revealed is disgusting, reprehensible, and offensive. […]