UNITED NATIONS (AP) — More than 70% of the world’s people live in countries where inequality has grown since 1990, including China and India, and growing inequalities are benefiting the wealthiest, a U.N. report said Tuesday.

The Associated Press visited immigration courts in 11 different cities more than two dozen times during a 10-day period in late fall. In courts from Boston to San Diego, reporters observed scores of hearings that illustrated how crushing caseloads and shifting policies have landed the courts in unprecedented turmoil.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Hospital giant Kaiser Permanente and insurer Blue Shield of California on Friday pledged $45 million to a new state fund aimed at getting people off the streets.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia on Wednesday moved to the brink of becoming the crucial 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in what was seen as a momentous victory by women’s rights advocates even though it is far from certain the measure will ever be added to the U.S. Constitution.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — An advisory council appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom called Monday for California voters to consider a legally enforceable mandate to end homelessness, as the most populous state grapples with one of its most pressing and politically fraught problems.

DALLAS (AP) — A subtle design feature of the AR-15 rifle has raised a technical legal question that is derailing cases against people who are charged with illegally buying and selling the gun’s parts or building the weapon.