"The head of the Los Angeles City Council stripped two members of much of their power (October 17) to pressure them to resign for participating in a private meeting in which they did not object to a colleague's crude and racist remarks and at times joined in the offensive banter. Acting Council President Mitch O'Farrell removed Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon from committee chairmanships," The Associated Press reported October 18. "The two men have refused widespread calls to step down despite widespread condemnation that led former council President Nury Martinez to resign." "The crush of migration at the southern border and the energy war against Russia have created renewed urgency within the Biden administration to reshape the relationship with oil-rich Venezuela. The discussions, which U.S. officials say revolve around restarting oil exports from Venezuela to the United States if the country takes steps to restore democracy, could spur a major diplomatic shift with Washington's staunchest adversary in South America." - The New York Times, October 13, 2022 Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, Francia Márquez Mina, vice president of Colombia, and designer Raul Lopez were among "Time Next 100" in Time's October 10/ October 17 issue. "An estimated 34.5 million Hispanic Americans are eligible to vote this year, making Latinos the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S. electorate since the last midterm elections." - Pew Research Center, October 12, 2022 Raquel Buenrostro, Mexico's new economy minister, was "the tax chief who oversaw a crackdown on big companies for allegedly abusing loopholes, amid a prolonged dispute with the US and Canada over the terms of the North America's free trade agreement." - Bloomberg, October 7, 2022 "Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro and his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on (October 3) buckled up for four more weeks of intense campaigning in the deeply divided nation, as the president's unexpectedly strong showing set up a tight October 30 runoff vote." - Reuters, October 3, 2022