Note: This story is part of a series of coverage from the first week of the 2026 UN Women’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). Read Day 1. Day two of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) on March 10 prominently included discussion about how, despite the world [...]

The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) opened at the United Nations headquarters in New York in March 9, bringing together global leaders, diplomats, judges, advocates, and civil society organizations under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls.” The day’s proceedings made clear that while progress on [...]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a foreign terrorist organization. The executive order, an unprecedented step at the state level, cites a supposed connection between the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as the primary justification for the designation. The Florida order specifically targets CAIR [...]

The US Supreme Court on Thursday released its opinion regarding the application for stay in the case National Institute of Health (NIH) v. American Public Health Association (APHA), et al. In a 5-4 vote, the justices paused the lower court’s order, which required the government agency to continue making the grant payments. An executive order [...]

US President Donald Trump announced via social media on Monday plans to issue an executive order eliminating mail-in voting and electronic voting machines, calling instead for paper ballots and hand counts. Trump wrote that “the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the [...]

The Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona handed down a ruling on Wednesday, finding the current K-12 school funding system unconstitutional and siding with the schools after a years-long lawsuit. The plaintiffs in this case are several school districts in Arizona, taxpayers, and organizations Arizona School Boards Association, the Arizona Education Association and the Arizona [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned Lebanese authorities on Monday over their continued inaction concerning the devastating explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020. The blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, killed at least 236 people, injured 7,000, and destroyed large parts of the capital. HRW said authorities have failed to deliver [...]

Texas Democrats in the US on Sunday vacated the state in order to break quorum and prevent a vote on legislation that would allow Republican lawmakers to draw a district map with five new Republican-leaning seats. Many Democratic lawmakers chose to wait out the legislative session in Chicago, due to its party ties. Illinois Governor [...]

The US Departments of Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS) launched parallel civil rights investigations into Duke University on Monday, citing potential violations of key federal anti-discrimination statutes. The investigations center on allegations that Duke has used race-based criteria in student journal selection, medical admissions, hiring, and programming. The agencies suggest that these [...]

The US Supreme Court held on Thursday that states are permitted to prevent Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood. The case involved two Planned Parenthood clinics in South Carolina that served both Medicaid and non-Medicaid patients. In 2018, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order banning public money for abortions, excluding Planned [...]