Articles

LGBTQ rights bill ignites debate over religious liberty

A sweeping bill that would extend federal civil rights protections to LGBTQ people is a top priority of President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress. Yet as the Equality Act heads to the Senate after winning House approval, its prospects seem bleak — to a large extent because of opposition from conservative religious leaders.

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Unemployment benefits may extend to workers facing unsafe conditions

As workers faced furloughs and layoffs during COVID-19 pandemic, many relied on unemployment checks for their needed source of income. But some also face a dilemma – choosing between returning to work in potentially unsafe conditions posed by the coronavirus or risk losing their job and going without pay. President Joe Biden in a Jan. 22 executive order requested a solution to that quandary.

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Analysis: Federal executions likely a COVID superspreader

As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions in Terre Haute, 70% of death row inmates were sick with COVID-19. Guards were ill. Traveling prison staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses, who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases.

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