Biden signed an Equal Pay Day executive order that encourages — but does not order — the government to consider banning federal contractors from seeking information about job applicants’ prior salary history. The Labor Department also issued a directive aimed at strengthening federal contractors’ obligations to audit payrolls to help guard against pay disparities based on gender, race or ethnicity.

“It’s my hope that it sets an example for all private companies to follow as well,” Biden said after signing the executive order. “Gender equality is not a women’s issue alone. It benefits everybody.”

The Office of Personnel Management was directed to consider a regulation to address the use of prior salary history in hiring and setting compensation for federal workers.

Equal Pay Day is designed to call attention to how much longer women must work to earn what men earn.

Data show that while the pay gap is at its smallest ever, the coronavirus pandemic has altered women’s labor force participation so that “what we’re seeing is an artificial narrowing,” said Jasmine Tucker, director of research at the National Women’s Law Center.

For instance, women who remained in the labor force during the pandemic and worked full time often had higher earnings than their counterparts who lost low-paying jobs, so 2020 figures should not be compared with wage gap data from prior years, Tucker said.

The cloud of the pandemic cast a shadow over this year’s Equal Pay Day events at the White House — which included speeches by prominent activists and a familiar Biden administration refrain for workers to join unions.

“Over the past two years, the pandemic has only deepened these inequities, as caregiving has become more expensive and more difficult to find,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at an afternoon event.

“Over a 40-year career, a woman will lose out on about $400,000. For Black women, Latina women, Native American women, that loss in wages is closer to $1 million,” Harris said.

The White House Equal Pay Day summit was attended by Cabinet members, company executives and players from the U.S. women’s soccer team, who recently won a $24 million settlement with U.S. Soccer in a discrimination dispute.

The settlement includes a commitment to equalize pay and bonuses to match the men’s team.

Star midfielder Megan Rapinoe said the team’s high-profile win could especially resonate with union workers, who collectively fight for equal rights in the workplace.

“I think the more we connect our stories, the more we literally connect with each other,” she said, ”if I’m seeing myself in union workers in Alabama and they’re seeing themselves in us or our team, it’s all kind of the same thing because we’re all dealing with the same issue.”

Among other issues, the Biden administration wants to combat occupational segregation to get women better access to well-paying jobs, which tend to be male-dominated.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said fair pay efforts have a major impact on the economy, as “some research suggests that if women received a fair paycheck, poverty for working women would be reduced by half.”

Last October, the administration issued a national gender strategy to advance women’s and girls’ full participation in society.

Tucker said there is a long way to go to achieve equal pay — especially after the pandemic.

There were in excess of 1.1 million fewer women in the labor force in February 2022 than in February 2020, which means they are neither working nor searching for employment.

“There was a particular shedding among low-paid workers, and what was left was middle- and higher-paid workers who were insulated from the pandemic,” Tucker said.

In 2020, the average woman who worked full-time all year earned 83 cents on the dollar compared with a male colleague doing the same work, according to the White House. The gap is even bigger for Black and Native American women and Latinas.

The issue also impacts women later in life. A 2020 Brookings Institution study on women’s retirement found Social Security benefits for women are, on average, 80% of those for men.

___

Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

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The formal announcement came a day after his transition team announced Gov. Gina Raimondo as his choice to become commerce secretary, Mayor Marty Walsh as his candidate for labor secretary and Isabel Guzman as his pick to lead the Small Business Administration.

One of Biden’s top challenges after he takes office Jan. 20 will be to nurse an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic back to health. He said the newest members of his economic team will help achieve that “by building an economy where every American is in on the deal.”

Biden, in introducing his picks, urged the Senate to quickly confirm his Cabinet nominees and other hires who he said will help steer his response to “this dark winter pandemic.”

“We have no time to lose,” said Biden, who also announced he was tapping Don Graves, one of his longtime advisers, to be the deputy commerce secretary.

With the picks, which require Senate confirmation, Biden moved a step closer to rounding out a Cabinet that he has pledged will be the most diverse in history. He has yet to name a candidate for CIA director.

Raimondo, 49, is a former venture capitalist serving her second term as governor after previously serving as state treasurer. As commerce secretary, Raimondo would help set the Biden administration’s trade policy and promote U.S. opportunities for growth domestically and overseas.

“Rhode Island may be small, but our economy is mighty on the strength of our small businesses and innovative technologies,” Raimondo tweeted Thursday night. She pledged that as commerce secretary, “I will harness that same American ingenuity to create good-paying union jobs and build our economy back better than ever before.”

The Biden administration’s stance on international trade will likely mark a significant shift away from President Donald Trump’s heavy-on-tariffs approach. Trump slapped tariffs on Chinese steel and other goods to punish Beijing for what the administration said were unfair currency practices and potential national security threats. Those moves were largely opposed by U.S. allies, including Canada.

Biden opposes Chinese tariffs and has promised to improve U.S. relationships with countries around the hemisphere and globe. But he hasn’t indicated that undoing the tariffs will be a top priority. Instead Biden has promised to oversee an aggressive “Buy American” campaign that would use federal funds to purchase $400 billion of U.S.-made goods and spend another $300 billion on new research and development from domestic technology firms.

Walsh, 53, has been Boston’s mayor since 2014. When the Democrat took the oath of office in 2018 for his second term, Biden presided over the inauguration. Walsh was a state representative for more than a decade before becoming mayor.

He also has a long history with organized labor, formerly serving as president of Laborers Local 223 and heading the Boston Building Trades — a union umbrella organization.

The son of Irish immigrants, Walsh grew up in Boston’s working-class Dorchester neighborhood. He survived a childhood bout with cancer and has been open about his early struggles with alcohol, using his history with addiction to encourage people to get help.

He opened his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention by saying: “Good evening. My name is Marty Walsh, and I’m an alcoholic.”

Walsh on Thursday pledged as labor secretary to work as hard for working people and those trying to move into the middle class “as you do for your families and livelihoods. You have my word.”

Leaders of the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, two major organized labor groups, backed Walsh’s selection.

Biden’s pick for the leader of the Small Business Administration, Guzman, is the current director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate in the California governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Guzman has played a role in the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff at the SBA, the federal agency she’s been tapped to lead, and was an adviser at the first California-chartered, Latino-formed business bank to form in Los Angeles in over 35 years.

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NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.

___

Houston at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Montreal, 3 p.m.

Colorado at Orlando City, 3:55 p.m.

Chicago at New York, 7:30 p.m.

New York City FC at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

Portland at FC Dallas, 8 p.m.

San Jose at Minnesota United, 8 p.m.

Real Salt Lake at Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.

New England at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Philadelphia at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

D.C. United at Atlanta United FC, 3 p.m.

Orlando City at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

New York at Sporting Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Colorado, 10 p.m.

Toronto FC at Seattle, 3 p.m.

Montreal at D.C. United, 6 p.m.

New York at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

New England at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando City at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.

Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

Portland at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

Sporting Kansas City at Minnesota United, 1:30 p.m.

Atlanta United FC at New York City FC, 4 p.m.

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The 20-year-old Fiala was hit by Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and went hard into the boards behind the St. Louis net at 1:46 of the second period Wednesday night. His injury led to a 17-minute delay while Fiala received medical attention. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher to the hospital.

Nashville general manager David Poile said in a statement that Fiala had surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and will start rehabilitation when he returns to Nashville.

“It’s a tough loss, there’s no question,” Predators captain Mike Fisher said. “Everything went well I guess and he’s doing well. That’s the main concern. He’s one of those guys that’s played really, really well so far in the playoffs and is a big part of our team.”

Nashville won 4-3 for a 1-0 second-round series lead.

The 11th draft pick in 2014, Fiala scored two goals in the Predators’ first-round sweep of Chicago.

Coach Peter Laviolette said Fiala had worked his way onto the power play and was among the team’s top six forwards.

“He wants to get better, and it was getting to a point where he really was a difference-maker with the puck on his stick, as you saw in that overtime goal in the first round,” Laviolette said. “It was a really, really nice play and a patient play. It’s unfortunate for an accident like that to happen on the ice.”

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Murray had his hands full getting past Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4.

Nadal converted a break point in each set to secure his seventh straight clay-court victory.

“It wasn’t a day where I took a lot of free points because the court was very heavy. But I was serving well, at a good speed, and changing directions well,” Nadal said. “I had the chance to hit my forehand after my serve and take control of the rallies.”

Nadal, a nine-time champion in Barcelona, will next face qualifier Hyeon Chung of South Korea, who defeated eighth-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-1, 6-4.

The fifth-ranked Nadal is coming off his 10th title at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The top-ranked Murray took nearly two hours to close out the 40th-ranked Lopez.

“I didn’t feel so good at the start, but I played good tennis in some of the important moments,” Murray said.

Murray will play the quarterfinal against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who defeated fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.

Ramos-Vinolas eliminated Murray in the third round in Monte Carlo despite trailing 4-0 in the deciding set.

Murray was originally going to skip the Barcelona Open but decided to play after that loss to Ramos-Vinolas. He is looking to regain his form going into the French Open following a right elbow injury that kept him out of action earlier this year.

Karen Khachanov of Russia defeated fifth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 to play the quarterfinal against Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, who topped Benoit Paire of France 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3).

“I feel amazing,” the 20-year-old Khachanov said. “It’s the biggest win of my career.”

In other third-round matches, fourth-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria defeated Daniel Evans of Britain 7-6 (5), 6-2 to set up a quarterfinal against lucky loser Yuichi Sugita of Japan, who beat seventh-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 6-3, 6-3.

“It was my best win. It’s unbelievable,” said the 91st-ranked Sugita, who entered the main draw only after countryman Kei Nishikori withdrew with a right wrist injury. “This was very important for my life.”

Sugita is the first lucky loser to reach an ATP quarterfinal since Lucas Pouille reached the final four last year in Rome.

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The two schools will meet at Husky Stadium in Seattle on Sept. 14, 2024, and have a date at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sept. 13, 2025. The schools announced the scheduling agreement on Thursday.

Washington and Ohio State are coming off seasons in which they reached the College Football Playoff, with both falling in the national semifinals. It will be the first scheduled meetings between the programs since 2003 in Columbus and 2007 in Seattle. The schools met 11 times previously but never in a bowl game.

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The 2014 Wimbledon finalist from Canada, called Sharapova a cheater upon the Russian’s return from a 15-month doping suspension.

Sharapova has already been slammed by other players who are unhappy that the five-time Grand Slam champion has been given wild-card entries to some tournaments.

“I don’t think that’s right,” Bouchard, who is competing at the Istanbul Cup this week, told Turkish broadcaster TRT World. “She is a cheater and so, to me, I don’t think a cheater in any sport should be allowed to play that sport again. It’s so unfair to all the other players who do it the right way.”

Sharapova returned to tennis on Wednesday, winning her opening match at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. She received a wild card to play in Stuttgart, and also got them for upcoming tournaments in Madrid and Rome.

The French Open is considering an invitation for the two-time champion as well.

Some players argue that Sharapova should work her way back up the rankings by competing in lower-tier events and through qualifying for the bigger tournaments.

Bouchard went a step further, and even criticized the women’s tour for allowing her back.

“I think from the WTA it sends the wrong message to young kids: ‘Cheat and we will welcome you back with open arms.’ I don’t think that’s right and definitely she is not someone I can say I look up to anymore,” Bouchard said last week.

WTA CEO Steve Simon, speaking to German broadcaster ZDF over the weekend before Bouchard’s comments became available, said Sharapova paid the price for using the banned substance meldonium.

“I don’t think a suspension should wipe out the career’s worth of work,” Simon said.

After winning her second-round match in Stuttgart against Ekaterina Makarova on Thursday, Sharapova said she didn’t want to react on Bouchard’s remarks.

“I’m way above that. I don’t need to comment on that,” Sharapova said.

A day earlier, Sharapova said she doesn’t feel hurt by fellow players speaking out against the conditions of her comeback.

“I can’t control what people say and I never have,” the Russian said. “The only thing I can control is what I do out there and those are my words. I’m always prepared to walk the walk and I have and I’ve done that by winning five Grand Slams and being No. 1 in the world.”

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The Boilermakers will host the Horned Frogs on Sept. 14, 2019, and visit Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 8, 2029.

Purdue and TCU have met twice previously, opening the 1969 and 1970 seasons against each other. Purdue won the opener 42-35 in Fort Worth and the second, game, too, 15-0 at home.

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The Knicks say Noah had the surgery Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, performed by Dr. David Altchek.

The team didn’t give a timetable for Noah’s recovery, but coach Jeff Hornacek said late in the season that if Noah had the operation, the recovery time could be five months.

Noah had an injury-plagued season that ended early when he was suspended 20 games by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. There are still 12 games remaining on the penalty that he will have to serve next season when healthy.

Noah had surgery on his other shoulder last season, limiting him to 29 games in his final season in Chicago before signing a four-year, $72 million deal with New York.

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A chance to burn off all that pasta, pizza and gelato.

Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines held the first of three practices in Italy at Olympic Center Giulio Onesti, working for just under two hours in helmets and shorts, easing their way back into football after a week of sightseeing and fun.

“It was good to get back in a football mentality, get in a really good workout out here and we went into a speed and tempo that got these guys back into (that mode),” Harbaugh said. “We brought the tempo down to about 85 percent, just because all the walking around and traveling they’ve been doing – some of the guys had just gotten off planes a few hours ago. This was our third helmet practice, we had to have three in the spring.”

Some players, including safety Josh Metellus and linebacker Devin Bush Jr., didn’t arrive in Italy until Wednesday evening after remain on campus for final exams.

Metellus, Bush and a handful of other players did have a seven-hour layover in Paris, allowing them to see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc di Triomphe and various other sites.

“Paris was amazing,” Metellus said. “I was up for about 40 hours straight through last night. But I got to sleep around 10 p.m., got up at 7 and got right to it. I’m feeling good.”

Michigan held its workout in front of several fans – including several military members who are stationed in Italy. Some were Michigan fans, others were just fans of American football. One foursome from Ohio came wearing their Ohio State shirts. Rivalries aside, Harbaugh interacted with all of them briefly before practice and even posed for a photo.

“We miss (American) football. We’ve lived in Naples for a year, we were stationed in Turkey for five years before that,” said Alicia Saxton, one of the Buckeye fans in Rome. “When we found out Michigan would be here, we wanted to come over for it. We love the Big Ten. And we’re really appreciative of Jim Harbaugh. We love that the rivalry is back.”

Michigan’s fifth day in Rome was capped by a trip to an Italian opera performance at St. Paul’s within the Walls, an Episcopal Church in Rome.

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The NFL approved the Raiders’ plan to move last month. A $1.9 billion stadium is slated to be built for the team with the help of $750 million in public money.

“You cannot take the Silver and Black, put them in an air-conditioned dome in the desert, make them play on artificial turf within a stone’s throw of the fountains of Caesar’s Palace, and call them the Raiders,” Hanks said Monday at a charity event.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2pDdreA ) Hanks told author Dave Eggers that the NFL is a billion-dollar industry and NFL owners are billionaires. Yet, he says, when the owners want to build a stadium, “they expect the city taxpayers to buy the building.”

Hanks sees one positive in the Raiders’ exit: the possibility of a new baseball stadium for his Oakland Athletics.

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