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US Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

US Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

The United States Supreme Court has allowed a ban on transgender military members to take effect while legal challenges over the restriction continue. On Tuesday, the court’s conservative majority issued an unsigned order lifting a lower court’s injunction that had blocked the ban from taking effect. The order also indicated that the Supreme Court’s three left-leaning judges – Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – sought to deny the emergency request to lift the injunction. Since taking office for a second term on January 20, President Donald Trump has sought to curtail the rights and visibility of transgender people in the US, including through restrictions on military service. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring that his administration would only “recognise two sexes, male and female”. That same day, he rescinded an order from his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, that allowed transgender troops to serve in the military. Then, on January 27, he unveiled a new directive, called “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness”. It compared being transgender with adopting a “‘false’ gender identity”. Advertisement Such an identity, the order added, was not compatible with the “rigorous standards necessary for military service”. “Adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” the executive order said. “A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” That executive order sparked a slew of legal challenges, including the one at the centre of Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. In that case, seven active-duty service members – as well as a civil rights organisation and another person hoping to enlist – argued that a ban on their transgender identity was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Advocates for the group point out that the seven have together earned more than 70 medals for their service. The lead plaintiff, Commander Emily Shilling, had spent nearly two decades in the Navy, flying 60 missions as a combat pilot. Her lawyers estimate that nearly $20m has been invested in her training during that time. But the Trump administration has argued that the presence of transgender troops is a liability for the military. “Another MASSIVE victory in the Supreme Court!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media following Tuesday’s order. “President Trump and [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] are restoring a military that is focused on readiness and lethality.” Advertisement Hegseth also posted a short message, using an acronym for the Department of Defence: “No More Trans @ DoD.” The Supreme Court issued an unsigned order allowing the ban on transgender troops to take effect [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo] This is not the first time Trump has attempted to exclude transgender people from the armed forces. In July 2017, shortly after taking office for his first term, Trump announced a similar policy on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote in consecutive posts, divided by ellipses. Similarly, in 2019, the Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. Then, in 2021, Biden’s executive order nullified it. The Trump administration pointed to its past success at the Supreme Court in its emergency appeal to lift the lower court’s injunction blocking its latest ban on transgender troops. That temporary injunction was the decision of a US district court judge in Tacoma, Washington: Benjamin Settle. Himself a former army captain, Settle was named to his position under former President George W Bush, a Republican. In March, Settle blocked the ban on transgender troops, saying that – while the government made reference to “military judgement” in its filings – its arguments showed an “absence of any evidence” that the restriction had to do with military matters. Advertisement “The government’s arguments are not persuasive, and it is not an especially close question on this record,” he wrote. Other judges have likewise issued injunctions, including District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, DC. She ruled in a case where 14 transgender service members sued against Trump’s ban, citing the right to equal protection under the law, enshrined in the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. “The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed – some risking their lives – to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote in her decision, issued shortly before Settle’s in March. Of the more than 2.1 million troops serving in the US military, less than 1 percent are estimated to be transgender. One senior official estimated last year that there are only about 4,200 transgender service members on active duty, though advocates say that number could be an undercount, given the risk of violence and discrimination associated with being openly transgender. The human rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation have been among those supporting transgender service members in their fight against Trump’s ban. The two organisations issued a joint statement on Tuesday denouncing the high court’s decision. “By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice,” they wrote. Advertisement “We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down.” Adblock test (Why?)

Noem calls for the death penalty following maritime human smuggling attempt that left child dead

Noem calls for the death penalty following maritime human smuggling attempt that left child dead

Homeland Security Secretary Kristin Noem called for the death penalty in the wake of a disastrous maritime human smuggling operation that left one child, and at least two others, dead. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California announced charges Tuesday against five illegals in an alleged human smuggling attempt gone wrong that resulted in at least three deaths, including a 14-year-old boy from India. According to the attorney’s office, witnesses observed an overturned panga boat at a beach in Del Mar, California, on Monday. The statement said bystanders and San Diego lifeguards attempted rescue efforts, and law enforcement officials recovered three bodies, including a 14-year-old boy identified in court records as “P.P.B.” The boy’s mother and father and two others were rescued and are hospitalized. The father is in a coma. The deceased child’s 10-year-old sister is still “missing at sea” and presumed dead. Two Mexican nationals, Julio Cesar Zuniga Luna, 30, and Jesus Juan Rodriguez Leyva, 36, were arrested at the beach and were charged with bringing in aliens resulting in death and bringing in aliens for financial gain. They face possible death sentences or life in prison and a $250,000 fine for the first charge and penalties of ten years in prison with a three-year mandatory minimum and a $250,000 fine for the second. Earlier in the evening Noem posted on X: “This tragic loss of life underscores the deadly reality of maritime human smuggling and why Congress authorized the death penalty when human smuggling results in a death. I am urging the Attorney General to prosecute the suspects to the fullest extent under the law.” TRUMP SAYS MEXICAN PRESIDENT IS AFRAID OF CARTELS AFTER SHE REJECTED HIS OFFER TO SEND US TROOPS TO MEXICO U.S. Border Patrol agents later identified two vehicles involved, apprehended the drivers and recovered eight of the remaining nine migrants missing from the boat, leaving only the 10-year-old child unaccounted for.   The U.S. attorney’s office charged the three Mexican nationals caught allegedly transporting the migrants — Melissa Jenelle Cota, 33, Gustavo Lara, 32, and Sergio Rojas-Fregosa, 31 — with transportation of illegal aliens. They face maximum sentences of ten years in prison and $500,000 fines. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Rojas-Fregoso, identified as having previously been deported Dec. 19, 2023, is also facing an additional two years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said “the drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business.” FATHER WHOSE SON DIED FROM FENTANYL WARNS OVERDOSES ‘CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE’ AS STATES FIGHT DEADLY CRISIS Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge of HSI San Diego, said “yesterday’s heartbreaking events are a stark reminder of the urgent need to dismantle these criminal networks driven by greed.” “Human smuggling, regardless of the route, is not only illegal but extremely dangerous. Smugglers often treat people as disposable commodities, leading to tragic and sometimes deadly consequences, as we saw in this case,” Gibson said.  “The HSI, along with the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and other partners from the Marine Task Force, remains firmly committed to holding those responsible accountable for these senseless deaths.”

Trump expresses ‘absolute confidence’ as Steve Witkoff is sworn in as special Middle East envoy

Trump expresses ‘absolute confidence’ as Steve Witkoff is sworn in as special Middle East envoy

President Donald Trump’s new special envoy to the Middle East was sworn in by Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday in an Oval Office ceremony. Speaking before the swearing-in, Trump praised Witkoff, who was instrumental in securing an extended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return of 33 hostages, including two Americans, who were being held by Hamas.  Trump said Witkoff has “been with me, more or less, one way or the other, every step of the way,” adding that he has “absolute confidence and support and trust” in his Middle East envoy’s ability to secure key deals in the realm of foreign diplomacy, such as ceasefire agreements between Israel and Hamas and between Ukraine and Russia.  Though Witkoff is a real estate businessman by trade, Trump said he “quickly established himself as one of the toughest, smartest and best negotiators in the business,” which is why he chose him for the important role of special envoy to the Middle East. TRUMP’S GOODWILL TESTED AS PUTIN IGNORES PEACE EFFORTS DURING WITKOFF’S VISIT “As a businessman, he’s admired and respected by all, and now Steve is putting his talents to work for America’s special envoy to the United States and making a lot of progress. Our country is blessed to have a negotiator of such skill and experience who really selflessly steps up to the plate, puts himself forward all the time,” the president said. Trump did note there was somewhat of a learning curve for Witkoff when it came to foreign government relations but said he has been “figuring it out” at a lightning pace.  “It takes him about an hour to figure it out,” Trump said. “After that, he’s brutal. He does a great job.”  NEXT US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR? HERE’S WHO TRUMP MIGHT PICK TO REPLACE WALTZ Trump noted Witkoff has already been active over the last several months, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders from Iran.  “He’s working tirelessly to end the bloody and destructive conflicts,” said Trump, touting Witkoff’s success so far in negotiations with various world leaders. After the ceremony, Trump took questions from reporters, addressing a range of topics, including the just-announced ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis. When asked about conflicting reports indicating the Houthis do not plan to stop attacking Israel, Trump said that the terror group’s surrogates have indicated “very strongly” that “they want nothing to do with [the United States].”   Trump was also asked questions about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and, in particular, about the release of the remaining 21 living hostages.  “This is a terrible situation. We’re trying to get the hostages out. We’ve gotten a lot of them out,” Trump told reporters, noting it is also just important to find and return the bodies of those already killed by Hamas.  TRUMP’S SPECIAL ENVOY ON PUTIN’S CONTINENTAL ASPIRATIONS: ‘I JUST DON’T SEE THAT HE WANTS TO TAKE ALL OF EUROPE’ He shared that two weeks ago a couple whose son died as a hostage came to him and said, “Please, sir, my son is dead. Please get us back his body.”  “They wanted his body. He’s dead,” Trump said from the Oval Office after Witkoff’s confirmation. “They know. He said they wanted his body as much as you would want the boy if he was alive. It’s a very sad thing.” Trump also commented on Iran and its potential development of nuclear weaponry. The president said definitively that “they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.” “This is really crunch time. I would tell you, for Iran and for their country, this is a very important time for Iran. This is the most important time in the history of Iran, for Iran, and I hope they do what’s right,” Trump told reporters.  “I’d love to see a peace deal, a strong peace deal. … We want it to be a successful country,” he added. “We don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon. And if they choose to go a different route, it’s going to be a very sad thing. And it’s something we don’t want to have to do, but we have no choice.” 

US officials to meet with Chinese counterparts in Switzerland amid trade war

US officials to meet with Chinese counterparts in Switzerland amid trade war

Top officials with the Trump administration are expected to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this week in Switzerland, marking the first major talks between the two countries since President Donald Trump ignited a trade war based on tariffs on imports. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT DROP TARIFFS TO GET CHINA TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Jamieson Greer, a trade representative, are expected to represent the U.S. as they meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The meeting comes as the U.S. market worries over the effects of Trump’s tariffs on prices and supply continue to increase. The Associated Press contributed to this report.