Biden pledges fight for voting rights, police reform in SC State address

President Joe Biden addressed South Carolina State University graduates and pledged to fight for stalled voting rights and police reform legislation.

'The woman for the job': Adams introduces Sewell as next NYPD commissioner

Mayor-elect Eric Adams named Keechant Sewell as the city's next police commissioner. That makes her the first woman to lead the nation's largest police force. Adams, himself a former police captain, introduced Sewell as his barrier-breaking choice for one of the most high-profile and powerful jobs in his upcoming administration.

Keechant Sewell to become first woman to serve as NYPD commissioner

Nassau County Police Chief of Detectives Keechant Sewell, 49, will replace Dermot Shea, who is retiring from the NYPD after 30 years

NYC Racial Justice Commission proposes ballot measures

The potential ballot questions include whether the city should have a Racial Equity Office and whether it should create a tool to measure the real cost of living in New York City.

Food banks get more volunteers but uncertainty looms

One out of four Americans volunteers, performing billions of hours of service annually. The most common volunteerism is collecting, preparing, distributing or serving food. But will rising COVID infections keep volunteers away?

Artificial intelligence can infringe upon human rights, experts say

A lot of artificial intelligence software relies on data from the past, which is ridden with historical injustices and inequalities. That makes the software itself problematic.

Long Island man accused of anti-LGBTQ crimes

The married 74-year-old father is accused of mailing at least 60 letters threatening to assault, shoot and bomb LGBTQ+ supporters.

World AIDS Day 2021

Activists, notable politicians, and even celebrity advocates have come together on what is known as World AIDS Day — Dec. 1 every year since 1988 — to push for advances in treatment, prevention, and in the way we as a society view those who live with the disease.

Racism is a 'public health threat,' Biden says in new HIV/AIDS strategy

In its new HIV/AIDS strategy released Wednesday on the annual commemoration of World AIDS Day, the Biden administration is calling racism “a public health threat” that must be fully recognized as the world looks to end the epidemic.

Santa gets a boyfriend in Norway postal service Christmas ad

The commercial, titled, “When Harry Met Santa,” celebrates 50 years since the country decriminalized homosexuality.

Sweden's first female prime minister resigns hours after election

Hours after being tapped as Sweden's first female prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and her coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government.

Why racial disparities in vaccinating kids are hard to track

The rollout of COVID-19 shots for elementary-age children has exposed another blind spot in the nation's efforts to address pandemic inequalities. Health systems have released little data on the racial breakdown of youth vaccinations, and community leaders fear that Black and Latino kids are falling behind. Only a handful of states have made public data on COVID-19 vaccinations by race and age. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not compile racial breakdowns either. Despite the lack of hard data, public health officials and medical professionals have been reaching out to communities of color to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

Biden signs order to tackle 'epidemic' of missing, murdered Indigenous people

President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at addressing what the administration calls an “epidemic” of missing or murdered Indigenous people.

Plessy v. Ferguson: Man at center of landmark case on verge of pardon

The state Board of Pardons' unanimous decision to clear theHomer Plessy’s record of a conviction now goes to Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has final say over the pardon.

Anti-Semitic rant at public meeting in Haverstraw condemned

A man's hateful comments during a town hall meeting stemmed from a discussion about a proposal to create a new synagogue in town.

Defiant USC professor refuses to remove Blue Lives Matter flag from office door

A University of Southern California professor is refusing to remove a pro-police Blue Lives Matter flag from outside his office door despite calls from students that it is "inappropriate."