Strange - in most US states you have to yield to pedestrians at all times, even if they’re doing something stupid.

You are meant to yield at certain dedicated crossings without lights and you can’t negligently hit someone just because they didn’t use a crossing (jaywalking isn’t a crime either but there are some fast roads where people are not allowed to walk on). And obviously drivers are meant to be courteous towards pedestrians, especially where the space is more shared (eg suburban streets or some country roads), and this would generally mean yielding after some polite eye-contact-based negotiation.