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CBS News
17 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Minimum wage set to rise in 15 cities and states in July. Here's where.
Hundreds of thousands of workers across more than a dozen cities and states will soon receive higher pay, thanks to minimum wage hikes set to go into effect July 1. More than 800,000 workers in two states —Alaska and Oregon — as well as Washington, D.C., will be impacted by higher minimum wages that take effect July 1, according to the left-leaning economic think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Additionally, a dozen cities and counties are also set to boost their baseline pay rates next month. The higher minimum wages come as the federal baseline rate remains at $7.25 an hour, where it's been parked since 2009. As the cost of living has crept higher in subsequent years, some states and municipalities have boosted their own minimum wages through a combination of ballot measures, inflation adjustments and legislation. "These minimum wage increases will put more money in workers' pockets, helping many of them and their families make ends meet," EPI state economic analyst Sebastian Martinez Hickey wrote in a post about the higher pay. "The average increase in annual wages for a full-time, year-round worker resulting from these minimum wage hikes ranges from $420 in Oregon to $925 in Alaska." About 58% of the workers who will receive pay hikes are women, while Black and Hispanic workers will also disproportionately benefit, according to the EPI's analysis. While the federal minimum wage hasn't budged in 16 years, there have been periodic attempts to boost it, with the latest coming from Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, who earlier this month introduced legislation to increase the national baseline wage to $15 per hour. He was joined by Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch as a co-sponsor. Pay hikes in Alaska, D.C., and Oregon Alaska's baseline wage will rise by $1.09 to $13.00 an hour, which was approved via a ballot measure passed by voters. The boost will impact 6.3% of the state's workforce, or 19,400 people, who will see an average annual pay increase of $925, EPI calculates. In Washington, D.C., 7.5% of the workforce, or 62,200 workers, will benefit from the minimum wage rising by 45 cents to $17.95 an hour, thanks to an inflation adjustment formula. With the new minimum in place, a full-time worker in the nation's capital will earn an additional $727 in annual wages, on average, according to the EPI's calculations. Oregon's minimum wage will rise 35 cents to $15.05 an hour on July 1, also through an inflation adjustment, boosting pay for 9.4% of the state's workforce, or 801,700 workers. The average pay hike will equate to $420 annually. Where else are workers getting raises? In addition to Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C., 12 more cities and counties across California, Illinois and Maryland will boost their minimum wages next month: Alameda, California: The minimum wage will rise 46 cents to $17.46 Berkeley, California: The minimum wage will rise 51 cents to $19.18 Emeryville, California: The minimum wage will rise 54 cents to $19.90 Fremont, California: The minimum wage will rise 45 cents to $17.75 Los Angeles, California: The baseline wage will rise 59 cents to $17.87 Los Angeles County, California: The minimum wage will rise 54 cents to $17.81 Milpitas, California: The minimum wage will rise 50 cents to $18.20 Pasadena, California: The minimum wage will rise 54 cents to $18.04 San Francisco, California: The minimum wage will rise 51 cents to $19.18 Santa Monica, California: The minimum wage will rise 54 cents to $17.81 Chicago, Illinois: The minimum wage will rise 40 cents to $16.60 Montgomery County, Maryland: The minimum wage will rise 50 cents to $17.65
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan GOP Lawmaker When Asked If He Supports Women's Bodily Autonomy: 'I Don't'
Michigan Rep. Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton) has finally said what so many members of the GOP are too scared to say outright: they don't support women's bodily autonomy. Bohnak recently held an office hours event at a public library to take questions from his constituents. In audio obtained by the Heartland Signal, one Marquette resident mentioned how their community is now 'a healthcare desert' after the only Planned Parenthood clinic in the Upper Peninsula closed in April, and asked Bohnak whether he supported 'reproductive freedom.' While the Republican lawmaker said he supports 'reproductive clinics' that provide contraceptives or pre-cancer screenings, he wouldn't support a clinic that offers abortion care. Most Popular George Clooney Sounds Like a Lovely House Husband Ohio Woman Faces 'Abuse of a Corpse' Charge for Miscarriage in Another Post-Roe Nightmare Abortion Access Will, Once Again, Be Decided by the Supreme Court 'If you're talking about abortion, I'm not going to support an abortion clinic,' Bohnak said. The resident responded: 'So you don't support a woman's autonomy over her own body?' 'I don't,' Bohnak answered, making sure there was no room left for confusion. If there's anything that 2025 has taught me about the GOP, it's that they never know when to shut up. This confession is practically my Signalgate. Bohnak, who The Independent previously described as QAnon adjacent, was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in November, turning the U.P. entirely red by upsetting incumbent Democrat Jenn Hill. Before becoming a politician, Bohnak, who's skeptical of climate change, worked as a meteorologist. But he got fired in 2021 over his refusal to take the covid vaccine, claiming it violated the Nuremberg Code of 1947. During his campaign, Bohnak was repeatedly asked if he would vote to restrict abortion access, but—like every single GOP candidate in 2024—he refused to comment. If only he'd taken the same advice this time around. The U.P. is largely rural and isn't physically connected to the state's Lower Peninsula; instead, it branches off of northeast Wisconsin, which is currently fighting its own battle with abortion legislation. As the Marquette resident mentioned, Bohnak's district is now considered a reproductive healthcare desert, with the closest Planned Parenthood five hours south in the L.P.—though many clinics in the L.P. now offer travel accommodations for U.P. patients. In 2022, Michiganians did vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution—though needless hurdles to access remain. And, this week, on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs reminded hospitals of their duty 'to continue providing adequate and appropriate reproductive care to patients.' The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs should probably send a reminder to all of Michigan's lawmakers, too. They can start with Bohnak. Like what you just read? You've got great taste. Subscribe to Jezebel, and for $5 a month or $50 a year, you'll get access to a bunch of subscriber benefits, including getting to read the next article (and all the ones after that) ad-free. Plus, you'll be supporting independent journalism—which, can you even imagine not supporting independent journalism in times like these? Yikes.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JK Rowling hits back after TV's Lorraine claims trans row 'comes down to toilets'
JK Rowling has hit out at Lorraine Kelly after the Scots television host appeared to dismiss concerns about biological men accessing female-only spaces. Just days after the Harry Potter writer took a swipe at Boy George, the 1980s singer appeared on Lorraine during which the Glasgow-born television host turned to trans issues. Bringing up JK Rowling and Boy George's spat about trans issues the presenter, who claimed the singer 'stood up' for those without a voice, put her hands on her head as she declared it 'always came down to toilets' and 'I don't quite know why'. But Ms Rowling, who has long campaigned for women's rights, took aim at the Scots host, and said: ''Why does it boil down to toilets, tee hee hee?' 'It doesn't, Lorraine. It boils down to intact male rapists in female prisons, men using supposedly female-only rape crisis centres, the decimation of women's sports and the authoritarian attacks on freedom of speech and belief.' Ms Kelly said it had been 'very tough' for people in the 'trans community', and told Boy George he had been 'good' when he has spoken out. The host, 65, referenced his row with Ms Rowling, to which he described her as a 'muggle', and she asked: 'Do you think that we will ever get to a case, where I would love to be, where it really, really doesn't matter, and we just let people get on with their lives?' Boy George, wearing a large pink hat with bright pink stars, told her: 'Most people it doesn't matter, it matters only whether you're a nice person or a horrible person. 'Nobody chooses to be trans or gay, no one chooses to have blue eyes, it just happens.' The pair laughed as he waved down the camera barrel to Ms Rowling and told the writer to 'get over it'. Ms Kelly, whose show ITV bosses have cut back to 30 minutes from January next year amid a huge change to the daytime schedule, said: 'Having friends who are trans and who are going through a really tough time it's just like, let's be fair about stuff, let's talk, and we can all have our points of view, but at the end of the day we're all just people blundering through and trying to get on with our lives.' Boy George then told her: 'But also no one goes into the loo to hang out, it's a horrible place. Smelly, stinky, horrible place. Nobody goes in there to hang out.' Ms Kelly said: 'It always comes down to toilets doesn't it? It always comes down to toilets, and I don't quite know why.' During the interview Ms Kelly said that Boy George, who shot to fame as lead singer in pop band Culture Club, was someone who had 'always stood up for people who sometimes don't have a voice for themselves'. And Ms Rowling, 59, reignited her feud with the singer, and wrote on social media: 'My favourite part is how a man who went to prison for tying up a fellow human being and whipping them with a chain is 'someone who always speaks up for those without a voice'.' The 64-year-old was jailed in 2009 for inflicting 'wholly gratuitous violence' in a cocaine-fuelled attack and handed a 15-month sentence. Passing sentence Judge David Radford said the singer's offence was 'so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified'. Earlier this month Boy George branded her a 'rich bored bully', to which the Edinburgh-based writer quipped back: 'I've never been given 15 months.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Hampstead ladies' pond swimmers accuse trans women of spying on them
Swimmers at the Hampstead ladies' pond have accusedtransgender women of spying on them naked. Women have complained of voyeuristic behaviour from some trans women, who were born male, using the Kenwood Ladies' Pond, which they say has made left them feeling 'violated'. One said she had been stared at in the shower, while another saw a biological man taking photographs of other bathers. Now a women's rights group has threatened the City of London Corporation, which owns the outdoor pond, with legal action unless it stops biological men from using it. The pond opened in 1925 and is the sole women-only freshwater swimming amenity in the country. Since 2019 it has been open to trans women. The Corporation has not changed its policy since the Supreme Court ruled in April that, under the Equality Act, sex means biological sex. This judgement means toilets and changing rooms should be segregated by biological sex and not self-identified gender. Women's rights campaigners Sex Matters have threatened to take the Corporation to court unless it changes its regulations to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. The group said it has examples of women who have felt uncomfortable using the ponds since trans women were allowed in. They have 'been subjected to trans-identifying men being naked in the changing area and showers' and experienced 'trans-identifying men taking photographs of women and girls and trans-identifying men topless in the meadow, both of which are not permitted'. Other women have complained about ' trans-identifying men staring at women and girls in the showers and changing facilities'; and 'felt violated in what they considered was a women-only safe space'. One pond user, who wishes to remain anonymous, complained: 'I was showering outside after my swim, when a big man with a long wig and a long coat came walking down the path to the pond area. 'This man came and lingered in the restricted area between the outdoor showers and the fence, where my towel was draped. He stood there turned at an angle, looking at me and evidently wanting me to know that he was looking at me. 'I was trapped, because I was naked, and my towel was on the fence behind him.' In 2019, the pond changed its rules to allow trans women - that is biological men - to use the facilities, claiming it was required under the Equality Act. When the change was being discussed, Charles Lord, from the City of London Corporation, said: 'It shouldn't be controversial. It shouldn't be a debate. Trans women are women, trans men are men.' Even after the Supreme Court judgement, the Corporation put out a statement indicating it would not change its policy, saying: 'Any unlawful discrimination will not be tolerated. Our gender identity policy is designed to ensure our services are welcoming to everyone, including all who use the bathing ponds.' Trans women have been allowed to use the pond since the judgement, even though the signs say 'women only' and 'no men beyond this point'. The changing hut at the ladies' pond contains open communal showers and an open changing area. There is also a mixed pond and a men's only pond. Last month, 30 women's rights campaigners stormed the male-only pond at Hampstead shouting 'no goolies in our poolies' in protest at the policy. Sex Matters said the Corporation was failing on human rights grounds, discrimination and harassment, and had made an error in law. A spokesman for the Corporation said: 'In line with other service providers, we are reviewing our access policies, including those at Hampstead Heath's bathing ponds. 'In doing so, we must consider the impact of current and potential future arrangements on all visitors, while ensuring we meet our legal duties and provide appropriate access. ' This summer we will engage with our service users and other stakeholders to ensure we understand their needs and can take properly informed decisions. 'In considering the way forward, we have taken, and will continue to take, specialist legal advice. The current arrangements remain in place during the review. 'Our priority is to provide a safe and respectful environment for everyone.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Hampstead Heath Ladies' Pond faces legal action over 'failure to bans trans women despite Supreme Court ruling'
Hampstead Heath Ladies' Pond is facing legal action for allegedly failing to ban transgender women despite the landmark Supreme Court gender ruling. The famed women-only bathing spot has maintained its trans-inclusive policy pending a 'review' in spite of the UK's highest court ruling in April that trans women are not legally female. Women's rights campaigners sent a legal letter to the City of London Corporation, which manages the ponds, last week warning they intend to bring a legal challenge unless the policy is revoked with 'immediate effect'. The Kenwood Ladies' Pond opened in 1925 and is the sole women-only freshwater swimming pool in the country. There is also a men-only pond and a mixed-sex pond. The legal letter, seen by the Mail, says that the current policy 'violates the dignity of women using the Ladies' Pond' and that the Corporation is 'operating it unlawfully by allowing trans identifying males to access it'. It adds: 'The policy has the effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for many women users of the Ladies' Pond.' Women have been left feeling uncomfortable using the Ladies' Pond and some no longer feel it is 'a safe space to bring their daughters' due to continued use by trans women, the letter claims. It adds that some women have 'been subjected to trans identifying men being naked in the changing area and showers' while others have allegedly 'experienced trans identifying men taking photographs of women and girls'. Following the Supreme Court judgment the London authority confirmed its self-ID policy would 'remain in effect at this time' while it considered the implications. Last night it said that the 'current arrangements remain in place'. The letter before claim, sent by charity Sex Matters, adds: 'The defendant's decisions not to withdraw the policy pending the review will result in direct discrimination, indirect discrimination and harassment against women users of the Ladies' Pond. 'This is because by allowing trans identifying men to use the Ladies' Pond, it places these women at risk of fear, humiliation, indignity and harassment.' It calls for the policy to be 'withdrawn with immediate effect' and for the Corporation to issue a statement confirming that it will comply with the Supreme Court ruling and 'will operate the Ladies' Pond as a single-sex service'. The row over the ladies' pond dates back to 2017 when the Mail on Sunday revealed the City of London Corporation had agreed to allow trans women to use the pool and female changing rooms. In 2019, the local authority adopted an official policy allowing trans swimmers to use the pond - used by famous names such as actress Helena Bonham Carter and novelist Esther Freud - despite objections from women who said they felt 'unsafe' as a result. A City of London Corporation spokesman said: 'In line with other service providers, we are reviewing our access policies, including those at Hampstead Heath's Bathing Ponds.' He added: 'In considering the way forward, we have taken, and will continue to take, specialist legal advice. The current arrangements remain in place during the review. 'Our priority is to provide a safe and respectful environment for everyone.'
