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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Survey: Moms Want More Than Breakfast in Bed This Mother’s Day

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Thursday, May 6, 2021   

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- As Mother's Day draws near, a
new survey conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research offers a clearer picture of what women in Wyoming and across the nation really want.

C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute, pointed out women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-fueled economic downturn, and researchers polled more than 1,400 women on their economic concerns and policy priorities for the new administration and Congress.

"This year, moms want a little bit more than breakfast in bed," Mason stated. "They want paid sick leave, they want equal pay for equal work, they want child care. They want all the things they haven't had for so long."

The Biden administration's American Families Plan, part of a larger economic recovery package, includes federal child-care assistance, paid family leave and other family-work supports as essential infrastructure.

Critics in Congress said the price tag for Biden's proposals is too high, and argued infrastructure spending should only include investments in fixing the nation's roads, bridges and other works traditionally paid for by taxpayers.

The Institute's analysis suggested full economic recovery hinges upon women being able to re-enter the workforce and be able to remain on the job in order to provide for their families.

Mason noted a majority of women are breadwinners in their families, and the public health crisis made it very clear what can happen when essential family-work supports are missing.

"We found out the hard way during the pandemic that women cannot do their jobs if they do not have adequate, high-quality child care and paid sick leave," Mason recounted. "It's just not going to happen."

Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 6.5 million women either lost jobs or were forced to leave the workforce to care for family members, including children when schools closed.

Black and Latina women have been disproportionately affected, with unemployment rates exceeding 20%. Oxfam America estimated women lost $800 billion in earnings over the past year.


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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

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Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

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