Biden signs executive order on police reform - May 26, 2022

President Joe Biden signed an executive order to reform federal and local policing, marking the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder that launched a global protest movement. The order contains aspects of the GOP-backed Justice Act, leading Republicans to criticize Democrats for blocking that bill in 2020. Minneapolis renamed the intersection where Floyd died in his honor as the community gathered for a vigil on the anniversary. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill banning abortions after fertilization, the most restrictive abortion law in the country. The state had been a refuge for women seeking abortions in Texas after a six-week ban went into effect last year. Abortion-rights advocates vowed to challenge the ban in Oklahoma’s Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered state agencies to protect abortion access, and the University of Michigan created a task force focused on abortion-care access in the event of a statewide ban. A growing number of companies are offering abortion travel benefits as more states pass restrictive abortion laws. The Federal Trade Commission fined Twitter $150 million for deceptively using personal account data for targeted advertising that affected more than 140 million users. Facebook and Instagram will start providing more details about how advertisers target people with political ads ahead of the midterms following years of criticism for withholding information on how campaigns use the platform for advertising. Apple told employees it will boost pay for workers this year amid inflation and increased cost of living. Starting pay for U.S. hourly workers will rise to $22, a 45% increase since 2018, and U.S. salaries are also expected to increase. The plans reflect moves by other major companies competing in a tight labor market. Microsoft recently announced that it would nearly double its global budget for merit-based salary raises. The Bank of Russia cut interest rates by 3% for the third time in a month, curbing a rally of the ruble as the coun