Michigan jury awards millions to a woman fired after refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine

DETROIT (AP) — A jury awarded more than $12 million Friday to a woman who lost her job at a Michigan insurance company after declining to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Much of the award — $10 million — is for punitive damages against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, according...

Mississippi Senate paid Black attorney less than white ones, US Justice Department says

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Senate discriminated against a Black attorney by paying her about half of what her white colleagues were paid for doing the same job, the U.S. Justice Department says in a lawsuit it filed Friday. “Discriminatory employment practices, like...

AP Race Call: New York voters approve constitutional amendment supporters say protects abortion

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York voters on Tuesday approved an amendment to expand the state constitution’s anti-discrimination language in a way that supporters say would protect the civil rights of people who are seeking or have had abortions. The Equal Rights Amendment bans discrimination based on...

New York bars discrimination over gender identity and pregnancy outcomes in vote supporters say protects abortion access

New York voters pass constitution change that supporters say will protect abortion and trans rights

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York voters have approved an amendment to the state’s constitution barring discrimination based on things including “gender identity” and “pregnancy outcomes,” changes supporters say will further protect transgender and abortion rights. Supporters...

AP Race Call: Clark wins Massachusetts U.S. House District 5

BOSTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Massachusetts on Tuesday. Clark was running unopposed in the state’s 5th District. She was first elected to the seat in 2012 and has climbed the Democratic ranks in the House. In 2022, Clark was...

Trump wants to narrow his deficit with women but he's not changing how he talks about them

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump says he will be the “protector” of women, whether they like it or not. He’s campaigned with men who use sexist and crude language and who have expressed alarm at the idea that wives might vote differently from their husbands. ...

Australian judge rules senator broke race law by telling rival legislator to return to Pakistan

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge ruled Friday that anti-immigration party leader Sen. Pauline Hanson breached a racial anti-discrimination law by crudely telling Pakistan-born Sen. Mehreen Faruqi to return to her homeland. Faruqi sued Hanson in Federal Court over a...

Crossing against the light? You won't get ticketed now that jaywalking is legal in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — Jaywalking — that time-honored practice of crossing the street outside of the crosswalk or against the traffic light — is now legal in New York City. Legislation passed by the City Council last month officially became law over the weekend after Mayor Eric Adams...

A second high court rules that Japan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

TOKYO (AP) — A second Japanese high court ruled Wednesday that the government's policy against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest in a series of decisions upholding plaintiffs' demands for marriage equality. The Tokyo High Court called the ongoing ban “a...