• What to know about the Texas primary runoff elections

    What to know about the Texas primary runoff elections

    May 28, 2024 05:04 PM EDT

    ... forced to redraw congressional districts. Who runs the Texas House? Usually reelection would be a shoo-in for a speaker whose Republican majority passed some of the toughest anti-abortion laws in the country, vastly expanded gun rights, supported Abbott’s highly visible anti-immigration platforms and curtailed LGBTQ+ rights.

  • Pope Francis apologizes after using offensive slur in meeting about ban on gay priests

    Pope Francis apologizes after using offensive slur in meeting about ban on gay priests

    May 28, 2024 03:04 PM EDT

    ... enter seminaries and be ordained priests. Bruni said Francis was aware of the reports and recalled that the Argentine pope, who has made outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy, has long insisted there was “room for everyone” in the Catholic Church. “The pope never intended to offend ...

  • Trump's plans for health care and reproductive rights if he returns to White House

    Trump's plans for health care and reproductive rights if he returns to White House

    May 22, 2024 10:40 PM EDT

    ... Ella. We also spoke with Caroline Ciccone, who is at Accountable.US., a nonprofit who's tracking these policy proposals. And she essentially said that LGBTQ people, seniors, anyone looking for more access to reproductive care should be very concerned by these proposals. Amna Nawaz: So those are broader health ...

  • Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment fails in bitter end to legislative session

    Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment fails in bitter end to legislative session

    May 20, 2024 09:17 PM EDT

    ... ban on book bans that will prohibit public and school libraries from removing materials based only on content or ideological objections. Activists say books by LGBTQ+ authors and authors of color are among those most frequently banned. Minnesota is among the first Democratic-led states countering the trend playing out ...

  • Why young Americans are pushing for climate change to be taught in schools

    Why young Americans are pushing for climate change to be taught in schools

    May 18, 2024 09:35 PM EDT

    ... in the future.Laura Barron-Lopez: We've seen pushback in primarily conservative states when it comes to teachings about the history of racism or LGBTQ studies. Does teaching climate change receive similar pushback from some parents, and are those parents seeking to restrict what their kids may be able ...

  • News Wrap: Intense storms slam Houston and other parts of the Gulf Coast

    News Wrap: Intense storms slam Houston and other parts of the Gulf Coast

    May 17, 2024 10:55 PM EDT

    The U.S. State Department issued a worldwide caution security alert today addressing threats to the LGBTQ community. In its statement, the department said it's aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI-plus persons in events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to ...

  • Immigrants are vastly underrepresented in elected office. This program is trying to change that

    Immigrants are vastly underrepresented in elected office. This program is trying to change that

    May 17, 2024 06:16 PM EDT

    The biggest hurdles NAL has heard from trainees, Dagher said, is the “polarized political lay of the land that we are all experiencing,” whether it is racism, Islamophobia, or anti-LGBTQ sentiment. “When we are all trying to build a more inclusive democracy, how do we show up in our ...

  • Fico assassination attempt stokes fears of violence and uncertainty in June EU elections

    Fico assassination attempt stokes fears of violence and uncertainty in June EU elections

    May 16, 2024 10:30 PM EDT

    ... Fico campaigned on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform, a foreign policy liberated from its EU links, a tougher stance on migration and opposition to LGBTQ+ rights. After he returned to power last year, he immediately set about dismantling the office of the anti-corruption prosecutor and bringing the public ...

  • 'Lone wolf' charged with shooting Slovak prime minister, interior minister says

    'Lone wolf' charged with shooting Slovak prime minister, interior minister says

    May 16, 2024 01:35 PM EDT

    ... tainted by scandal — would lead Slovakia away from the Western mainstream. He promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organizations and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights. Despite the controversy surrounding Fico's leadership, condemnation of the attack came from both his allies and adversaries. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir ...

  • Who is Robert Fico, the populist Slovak prime minister wounded in a shooting?

    Who is Robert Fico, the populist Slovak prime minister wounded in a shooting?

    May 15, 2024 07:27 PM EDT

    ... its pro-Western course. He vowed to pursue a “sovereign” foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organizations, and campaigned against LGBTQ+ rights.He earned a reputation for his tirades against journalists, and faced criminal charges in 2022 for allegedly creating a criminal group and misuse ...