The Department of Veterans Affairs was more likely to deny disability health benefits to Black veterans than their white counterparts, according to a new government data analysis.
By the numbers: In fiscal year 2023, 84.8% of Black veterans who applied for physical or mental health benefits were granted assistance, compared to 89.4% of white veterans, the VA found.
Pedestrian deaths in the U.S. are the highest they've been in 40 years, in part because Americans are buying bigger cars that are more likely to kill cyclists or pedestrians in a crash.
By the numbers: Drivers struck and killed at least 7,500 pedestrians last year, according to new estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association, a nonprofit organization focused on road safety
President Biden on Friday will sign an executive order aimed at expanding free access to contraception on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling.
The big picture: This is Biden's third reproductive health-related executiveorder since Roe v. Wade was overturned last June and the first not to address abortion access.
In the year since the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling, Planned Parenthood Minnesota's clinics have performed more abortions on out-of-state patients, along with more second-trimester abortions that are typically outlawed by conservative-led states, officials say.
Why it matters: Minnesota is one of at least a dozen states that have passed laws to accommodate out-of-state patients — becoming safe havens to non-residents trying to access the procedure while grappling with increased demand later in pregnancies.
Medical associations say state abortion restrictions adopted in the wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision have restricted access not only to reproductive care, but "unrelated" health care treatments as well, according to a report from six Senate Democrats.
Why it matters: CongressionalDemocrats have been trying to bring abortion back to the fore of political discourse as the one-year anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade approaches.
3M has struck a $10.3 billion settlement with U.S. cities and towns over claims of water pollution from "forever chemicals," the chemical and manufacturing company announced Thursday.
Why it matters: The settlement in the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) case that'd be paid over a 13-year period marks a major step in efforts to curb the threat of the chemicals that've been linked to health problems, and which were found to have contaminated drinking water systems.
