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Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

CNN —Both the defense and prosecution in the Los Angeles sexual assault trial against former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein concluded closing arguments Thursday, bringing the weekslong trial one step closer to jury deliberations. A rebuttal from prosecutors to the defense attorney’s closing remarks is expected to begin Friday morning. Jurors heard from about 50 witnesses, including four accusers who were identified in court as Jane Does due to the nature of their allegations. Those alleged incidents are not being charged as part of this case because they happened outside of Los Angeles County. Midway through the trial, four of the original 11 charges against Weinstein tied to a fifth Jane Doe were dropped without explanation.

☆ Belgium knocked out of World Cup after goalless draw with Croatia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Belgium was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup on Thursday after a goalless draw with Croatia left it third in Group F.In what was a frustrating evening for the Red Devils, both Romelu Lukaku and Yannick Carrasco spurned good opportunities to score the goal which would have sent Belgium through. For Belgium, it is another disappointing end to an international tournament, but manager Roberto Martínez said afterward that Belgium can go home with its “heads held high.”“It’s not easy to win games in the World Cup. We’re out, but we can leave with our heads held high.”Belgium's Timothy Castagne looks dejected after being eliminated from the World Cup. After the break and following the introduction of Inter Milan striker Lukaku, Belgium increased the tempo as it pressed for a vital goal – Lukaku heading straight into the arms of Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. In the previous World Cup, we won three games in the group stage, we wanted to go all the way.”

☆ Kroger and Albertsons want to create a grocery empire. The last supermarket mega-merger backfired
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

With the FTC’s blessing, Haggen, a small supermarket chain in the Northwest with just 18 locations, bought 146 of the former Albertsons and Safeway stores, including the one where Martinez worked. In an weird twist, Albertsons bought back dozens of the same stores it previously sold to Haggen in bankruptcy court — at a lower price. Now she worries Kroger will divest Ralphs as part of its merger with Albertsons in a repeat of the Haggen 2015 deal. To address antitrust concerns that the merger will stifle competition in local markets where they overlap, Kroger and Albertsons plan to divest stores. In 2015, Haggen bought a Vons grocery store (owned by Safeway at the time) in Carpinteria as part of the Albertsons and Safeway divestitures.

☆ Argentina and Lionel Messi face crunch game against Poland
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Argentina was stunned by Saudi Arabia in its first game, before getting its campaign back on track with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in which Messi scored the opening goal. Argentina sits second on three points, a point behind Group C leader Poland, knowing a win in its final game against the Polish will assure its progression. Ariel Schalit/APNext up Argentina takes on Poland, and Robert Lewandowski, pictured celebrating scoring his team's second goal during the Group C match between Poland and Saudi Arabia. Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty ImagesArgentina faces a Poland team spearheaded by its own iconic striker, Robert Lewandowski, who scored his first World Cup goal last time out against Saudi Arabia. “We are still alive.”Mexico’s hopes are much slimmer, needing to beat Saudi Arabia by at least a three-goal margin, with Poland not losing to Argentina.

Young Latino voters were a crucial voting bloc in slowing down the so-called Republican red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, according to early exit polls. Thirty percent of young Latino voters favored the Republican House candidate. Additionally, 41% of young Latino voters identify as liberal, while 34% identify as moderate and 25% as conservative. Young Latino voters under 30, alongside young Black voters, showed stronger support for Democrats on Election Day compared to young white voters, according to the analysis by CIRCLE. "The ranking for those two states is really heavily influenced by the big presence of young Latino voters," Medina said.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

☆ Chicago principal suspended after student in German military costume goose steps at high school Halloween contest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The principal of a prominent Chicago high school has been removed from his duties over the handling of a student's German military officer costume on Halloween. A student donned the outfit for a costume contest on Halloween at Jones College Prep high school — an act “widely recognized by many students, staff” as “antisemitic,” Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement Friday. “This incident caused harm to many students and staff, and it is completely inconsistent with our values as a school district. NBC News has reached out to Powers and the high school for comment. This isn’t Powers' first controversy at the elite selective enrollment high school near the city’s downtown.

☆ Meet Mexico's first female college football kicker, Andrea Martínez
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEXICO CITY — Andrea Martínez didn’t quite realize what she was getting herself into when she tried out to kick extra points for a Mexican college football team. But when she won the spot, Martínez was told she would become the first woman to play college football among men in the country’s top amateur division. She continued playing soccer at her school until a few months ago, when Pumas CU, the UNAM football team, decided to hold tryouts for a place-kicker. Pumas' kicker Andrea Martinez sings her team's anthem before a Liga Mayor football match against Aztecas in Mexico City on Oct. 8, 2022. Fernando Llano / APSince joining the team, Martínez has given around 80 interviews.

☆ Indigenous Latino L.A. residents feel hurt, betrayed by racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But the disparaging remarks still deeply hurt the city’s immigrants from Oaxaca, which has one of Mexico’s large indigenous populations. Both growing up in their homeland and after reaching the U.S., they say they’ve become accustomed to hearing such stinging comments — not only from non-Latinos but from lighter skinned Mexican immigrants and their descendants. Martinez used a disparaging term for the Black son of a white council member and called immigrants from Oaxaca ugly. Los Angeles is home to the country’s largest Mexican population and nearly half the city of 4 million people is Latino, census figures show. Informal studies indicate several hundred thousand Oaxacan immigrants live in California, with the largest concentration in Los Angeles, said Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, director of the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Mexican Studies.

☆ Crowd demands resignations at chaotic L.A. City Council meeting after leaked recording of racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An outraged crowd converged on a meeting at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday and demanded the immediate resignations of three Latino City Council members after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced this week. Martinez has resigned as council president, and she announced she is taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles. Lori Condinus of the National Action Network Los Angeles was one of dozens of members of the public to speak. Martinez apologized and announced she was stepping down as council president in a statement Monday. “Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council."

☆ Los Angeles official takes leave of absence as racist comments roil city
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 11 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman day took a leave of absence from her post on Tuesday as a furor raged around her and two colleagues over racist comments she was heard making on an audiotape of their private conversation. Democrat Nury Martinez, who resigned her leadership post a day earlier, announced her leave of absence in a statement issued before the regularly scheduled council meeting. Herrera resigned on Monday night from his position as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Times reported. Martinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks." Martinez was first elected to the city council in 2013 and became president in 2020.

☆ Easter dishes from around the world
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-02 | by ( Janelle Davis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Judy Witts Francini/Divinacucina.com Italians usually buy the traditional colomba, an Easter bread shaped like a dove, at a local bakery or pastry shop. Judy Witts Francini/Divinacucina.com Lamb chops are traditionally served on Easter in Italy. Judy Witts Francini/Divinacucina.com These Easter cookies are from Puglia, a southern region of Italy. Judy Witts Francini/Divinacucina.com Italian Easter dishes Prev NextOther countries take a similar “more is more” approach to Easter meals, but a few dishes really stand out. Singapore: Beef murtabakSingaporean beef murtabak is an egg crepe wrapped around ground beef served with fresh lime, chili sauce and raita.

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