Why ‘NOPEC’ Keeps Arising as a U.S. Answer to OPEC
For almost two decades, lawmakers in Washington have been pushing legislation that would rein in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Facing a near-certain presidential veto, the proposal has never crossed the finish line. Now, the legislation is getting a new look amid surging gasoline and oil prices and OPEC+’s decision to cut output caps by 2 million barrels a day.
washingtonpost.comAnti-trans legislation, plus, Broadway is back : It's Been a Minute
Legislation targeting transgender Americans and trans children has increased sharply in the last year. Guest host Ari Shapiro speaks with the Florida mother of a trans daughter about how their family is coping with that state's new, more restrictive policies. Then, Ari discusses how this wave of law-making differs from so-called "moral panics" of past decades — and why that matters — with historian Jules Gill-Peterson, of Johns Hopkins University.Then, Broadway is back and bigger than ever, with 16 new shows opening this month. But this Broadway burst hasn't been immune to the pandemic. "Macbeth" director Sam Gold talks to Ari about having to go onstage himself this month, when too many of his cast tested positive for Covid; and about what feels different as actors and audiences try to get back to normal. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.
npr.orgGov. DeSantis announces new legislation to combat ‘corporate wokeness’
DeSantis announces new legislation to combat ‘corporate wokeness’ Standing in front of a "stop woke act" sign in The Villages, the governor unveiled his proposed new legislation linked to critical race theory.
Ron DeSantis announced new legislation that aims at taking a stand against critical race theory in classrooms and in corporate settings.
Standing in front of a “stop woke act” sign in The Villages, the governor unveiled his proposed new legislation linked to critical race theory.
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Unvaccinated hospital patients in Illinois should pay for their covid-19 care, Democrat proposes
The proposed bill, which calls for unvaccinated hospital patients to pay for health-care expenses out-of-pocket, comes as Illinois is grappling with increases in covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations in the last week.
washingtonpost.comHungary: Lawmakers pass law barring LGBT content for minors
Lawmakers in Hungary passed legislation Tuesday that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment, something supporters said would help fight pedophilia but which human rights groups denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination. The conservative ruling party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban introduced the legislation, which is the latest effort to curtail the rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in the central European nation. Hungary's National Assembly passed the bill on a 157-1 vote.
news.yahoo.comHuman rights officials denounce Hungary's anti-LGBT bills
BUDAPEST, Hungary — (AP) — Leading human rights officials urged lawmakers in Hungary on Monday to reject legislation banning any content portraying or promoting homosexuality or sex reassignment to anyone under 18. But Lydia Gall, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said equating sexual and gender diversity with pedophilia hurt the dignity of LGBT people and risked putting them in danger. "I urge you to remain vigilant against such initiatives to push through measures that limit human rights or stigmatize against some members of society," Mijatovic said in a statement Monday. Some human rights groups have compared the planned ban to a discriminatory 2013 Russian law banning so-called gay “propaganda,” widely viewed as a tool of discrimination. “The proposed legislative amendments run counter to international and European human rights standards.
wftv.comIllinois legislators OK measure allowing services like Grubhub to deliver alcohol
That legislation, which has to be approved by the House before it can be sent to Pritzker, also would allow restaurants, bars and retailers “flexibility to indirectly accept items such as tents, warmers and other equipment needed to attract customers to outdoor dining,” said the sponsor, Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat.
chicagotribune.comScotland to make period products freely available to all
LONDON – Scottish lawmakers have unanimously passed legislation that will make period products freely available to anyone who needs them, which according to campaigners makes it the first country to do so. Monica Lennon, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, had campaigned against “period poverty” — when someone who needs sanitary products can't afford them — since 2016. Under the bill, the Scottish government must set up measures to allow anyone who needs period products to get them free of charge. The Scottish government already funds free period products in schools and universities, but the bill makes it a legal requirement. A 2017 survey by the charity estimated that 10% of girls aged 14 to 21 in the U.K. have been unable to afford period products, and 15% of girls have struggled to afford them.
Proposal to cap delivery app fees in Chicago clears City Council hurdle
Grubhub spokesman Grant Klinzman said in a statement that the caps “are well-intentioned but counterproductive at a time when restaurants need more support, visibility and order volume than ever. They limit how restaurants — especially small and independent establishments — can effectively market themselves to drive demand, which severely impacts how many customers and orders we can bring to these restaurants.”
chicagotribune.comFormer UK leaders unite to slam Boris Johnson on Brexit plan
FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 file photo, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, left and John Major attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in London. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the U.K. and the EU. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk.