Feb 19, 2019

Report: Trump launching global effort to decriminalize homosexuality

Photo: Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Led by U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the Trump administration is launching a new push to decriminalize homosexuality around the globe, beginning Tuesday evening with a strategy dinner in Berlin with LGBTQ activists, NBC News' Josh Lederman reports.

The big picture: The effort is being framed as a means of "denouncing Iran over its human rights record," an issue that Trump officials hope will unite Europe against the administration's top adversary. Last year, the Trump administration faced backlash for adopting a policy that denied visas to same-sex domestic partners of U.N. employees and U.S. diplomats, stipulating that visas were only granted to married couples.

Go deeper: Homosexuality still criminalized in much of the world

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: Market ends worst week since financial crisis

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The stock market ended its worst week since the financial crisis, prompting the Fed to release a statement. Meanwhile, the WHO warned that countries are losing their chance to contain the novel coronavirus and raised its global risk assessment to "very high" Friday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,860 people and infected about 83,800 others in almost 60 countries and territories outside the epicenter in mainland China. The number of new cases reported outside China now exceed those inside the country.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health

Marisa Fernandez, Orion Rummler

California coronavirus: Woman in new case did not recently travel overseas

Gov. Gavin Newsom. Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

A new case of the novel coronavirus in California was announced on Friday after Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that 33 people had tested positive for the virus, noting the risk to the public remains low.

What's new: An adult woman with chronic health conditions in Santa Clara County who "did not recently travel overseas" or come into contact with anyone known to be ill was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus on Friday by CDC and California Department of Public Health officials.

Go deeperUpdated 17 mins ago - Health

Ina Fried

Big video game conference delayed amid coronavirus concerns

Photo: GDC

Next month's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco became the latest tech event to be cancelled or postponed amid growing concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The big picture: A growing number of events are being scrapped, including Mobile World Congress and Facebook's F8 developer conference. Some, like the giant SXSW event in Austin, insist they are moving forward.

Go deeper56 mins ago - Technology