California is removing the word "alien" from its state laws and replacing it with words such as "noncitizen" and "immigrant," Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.
Why it matters: The word "alien" began to be used in the 1990s "as a political dog whistle to express bigotry and hatred without using traditionally racist language," per a statement from Newsom's office.
Police departments across the county are introducing LGBTQ awareness and cultural competency training to repair relationships between the community and law enforcement, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: The relationship has long been strained, and a study published by the Williams Institute in May found LGBTQ people are six times more likely than the general public to be stopped by police.
Arizona Gov. Greg Ducey is offering $7,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to parents whose children's school requires them to wear masks, KJZZ reports.
Driving the news: Interest in the program, which enables parents to use the funds to send their child to a different private school, has surged since applications opened in August, per the National Public Radio member station in Phoenix.
The border crossing in Del Rio, Texas, where thousands of Haitian migrants arrived in recent weeks, will be partially reopened on Saturday afternoon, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
Driving the news: Trade and travel operations at the Del Rio Port of Entry will resume for passenger traffic at 4 p.m. on Saturday and cargo traffic will resume on Monday morning.
Ten Black female police officers filed a class-action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Wednesday, alleging they were discriminated against, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: The women said they were subject to a culture of race and sex discrimination, a hostile workplace and retaliation when they complained. They also said that the problems have persisted for more than two decades under at least three police chiefs, per the Washington Post.
On the 10th anniversary of the end of "don't ask, don't tell," cadets say that campuses are more inclusive, but that more work needs to be done, AP reports.
The big picture: The "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which strictly prohibited gay people from serving openly, is no longer in effect, but homophobic comments still occasionally arise and many transgender students do not feel comfortable coming out, per AP.
The U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will visit Sudan next week to affirm support for the country's government after Sudanese authorities said they suppressed a coup attempt, Reuters reports.
The big picture: Sudanese authorities said they thwarted an attempted coup on Tuesday, accusing plotters loyal to the ousted President Omar al-Bashir of attempting to derail the movement that removed him from power and "ushered in a transition to democracy," Reuters writes.
Teachers and workers at New York City schools have until Monday to receive their COVID-19 vaccine before the city's mandate takes effect, prompting concerns over staffing shortages in schools across the city, ABC 7 reports.
Why it matters: About 6,000 teachers remain unvaccinated as the mandate's deadline looms, the New York Times reports.
Two Canadians imprisoned by the Chinese government for over 1,000 days have been released and are expected to arrive in Canada on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.
Why it matters: Their release comes hours after Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice that resolves the criminal charges against her and could pave the way for her to return to China.
