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Until recently, many Americans of Middle Eastern or North African descent were categorized as "white" in government surveys, making it challenging to accurately quantify this population and assess its unique needs. But that is changing. According to the Office of Management and Budget, the new category of "Middle Eastern and North African" or MENA aims to improve the quality of federal data on race and ethnicity. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said it will be crucial for better understanding...
The Environmental Protection Agency is setting stricter limits on vehicle tailpipe emissions through 2032 and giving automakers an additional three years to meet them. The Biden administration's plan to reach net-zero vehicle emissions came out almost a year ago. The auto industry's lower-than-expected profits are partly attributed to the compliance requirements for new electric vehicles under the previous EPA standards. Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy for the League of...
Michigan food service workers are commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, bringing to mind their own, more recent battle for fair wages and benefits. They are among the low-wage workers who got their day in court in December. They are asking for a controversial legal provision known as "adopt and amend" to be ruled unconstitutional, which would allow the state's minimum wage to increase to about $14 an hour. Roquesha O'Neal, a former restaurant worker and member of Restaurant...
Voting is not only good for democracy, it is also good for your health, according to one of the nation's largest medical associations. The American College of Physicians said voting empowers people to engage with their community, while ballot initiatives and elected officials determine just how well the health care system works. Dr. Omar Atiq, president of the American College of Physicians, said voters ultimately determine peoples' access to health care services and physicians' ability to...
While scientists say extreme climate changes are happening more frequently, a new study aims to link aging adults to it's risks and their potential to advocate for solutions. Academic leaders at Cornell University have developed the Aging and Climate Change Clearinghouse in an effort to understand this unique intersection, and work together toward solutions. The University's Hazel E. Reed Professor of Psychology and Professor of Gerontology at Weill Cornell Medicine, Karl Pillemer, directs the...
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the sole Palestinian-American voice in Congress, was officially reprimanded last Tuesday, but many of her colleagues say she will not stop fighting for peace. A 234 to 188 vote of nearly all Republicans and enough Democrats sealed Tlaib's censure, a punishment proposed by Republican Congressman Rich McCormick of Georgia. Tlaib held back tears as she asserted her position. "I can't believe I have to say this, but Palestinian people are not disposable. We are human...
Michiganders have many locations where they can register to vote, such as community colleges, universities, shelters, food banks, libraries, fairs and even on the web. Paula Bowman, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Michigan, said part of its mission is to engage voters in democracy, which starts by helping people to register. "(You) can't participate in your democracy in terms of elections unless you vote," Bowman stressed. "Even though in Michigan you can vote up through Election...
In Michigan and across the country, nearly 25% of the population encounters challenges in voting and accessing the polls. The Carter Center and Detroit Disability Power audited 261 polling locations in metro Detroit last election, and found just 16% of them fully accessible. Dessa Cosma, executive director of the group Detroit Disability Power, said many polling locations do not have accessible parking, a ramp, clear signage, accessible doors or a direct travel path even just to enter the buildi...
There are many good reasons for states to update their voter rolls in preparation for elections, but a new report contended many are too zealous about it, jeopardizing some people's right to vote. When people die or move out-of-state, their names may be removed from voter rolls. However, the report from the democracy and economy think tank Dēmos found more than 19 million voters were "purged" from the rolls between the 2020 and 2022 general elections, and said more than one-quarter were...