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2025-01-12   

play poker game WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Wednesday to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices' decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which restrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The Biden administration's top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender health care for minors. Supporters of transgender rights rally Wednesday outside the Supreme Court in Washington. In arguments that lasted more than two hours, five of the six conservative justices voiced varying degrees of skepticism over arguments made by the administration and Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer for Tennessee families challenging the ban. Chief Justice John Roberts, who voted in the majority in a 2020 case in favor of transgender rights, questioned whether judges, rather than lawmakers, should weigh in on a question of regulating medical procedures, an area usually left to the states. "The Constitution leaves that question to the people's representatives, rather than to nine people, none of whom is a doctor," Roberts said in an exchange with Strangio. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion in 2020, said nothing during the arguments. The court's three liberal justices seemed firmly on the side of the challengers, but it's not clear that any conservatives will go along. People attend a rally March 31, 2023, as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility, near the Capitol in Washington. Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back against the assertion that the democratic process would be the best way to address objections to the law. She cited a history of laws discriminating against others, noting that transgender people make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, according to studies. There are an estimated 1.3 million adults and 300,000 adolescents ages 13 to 17 who identify as transgender, according the UCLA law school's Williams Institute. "Blacks were a much larger part of the population and it didn't protect them. It didn't protect women for whole centuries," Sotomayor said in an exchange with Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she saw some troubling parallels between arguments made by Tennessee and those advanced by Virginia and rejected by a unanimous court, in the 1967 Loving decision that legalized interracial marriage nationwide. Quoting from that decision, Jackson noted that Virginia argued then that "the scientific evidence is substantially in doubt and, consequently, the court should defer to the wisdom of the state legislature." ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, left, and plaintiff Joaquin Carcano address reporters after a June 25, 2018, hearing in Winston-Salem, N.C., on their lawsuit challenging the law that replaced North Carolina's "bathroom bill." Justice Samuel Alito repeatedly pressed Strangio, the first openly transgender lawyer to argue at the nation's highest court, about whether transgender people should be legally designated as a group that's susceptible to discrimination. Strangio answered that being transgender does fit that legal definition, though he acknowledged under Alito's questioning there are a small number of people who de-transition. "So it's not an immutable characteristic, is it?" Alito said. Strangio did not retreat from his view, though he said the court did not have to decide the issue to resolve the case in his clients' favor. There were dueling rallies outside the court in the hours before the arguments. Speeches and music filled the air on the sidewalk below the court's marble steps. Advocates of the ban bore signs like "Champion God's Design" and "Kids Health Matters," while the other side proclaimed "Fight like a Mother for Trans Rights" and "Freedom to be Ourselves." Four years ago, the court ruled in favor of Aimee Stephens, who was fired by a Michigan funeral home after she informed its owner she was a transgender woman. The court held that transgender people, as well as gay and lesbian people, are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. The Biden administration and the families and health care providers who challenged the Tennessee law urged the justices to apply the same sort of analysis that the majority, made up of liberal and conservative justices, embraced in the case four years ago when it found that "sex plays an unmistakable role" in employers' decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate. Demonstrators against transgender rights protest Wednesday during a rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. The issue in the Tennessee case is whether the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Tennessee's law bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors, but allows the same drugs to be used for other purposes. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, called the law sex-based line drawing to ban the use of drugs that have been safely prescribed for decades and said the state "decided to completely override the views of the patients, the parents, the doctors." She contrasted the Tennessee law with one enacted by West Virginia, which set conditions for the health care for transgender minors, but stopped short of an outright ban. Gender-affirming care for youth is supported by every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.By MARC LEVY HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania conceded his reelection bid to Republican David McCormick on Thursday, as a statewide recount showed no signs of closing the gap and his campaign suffered repeated blows in court in its effort to get potentially favorable ballots counted. Casey’s concession comes more than two weeks after Election Day, as a grindingly slow ballot-counting process became a spectacle of hours-long election board meetings, social media outrage, lawsuits and accusations that some county officials were openly flouting the law. Republicans had been claiming that Democrats were trying to steal McCormick’s seat by counting “illegal votes.” Casey’s campaign had accused of Republicans of trying to block enough votes to prevent him from pulling ahead and winning. In a statement, Casey said he had just called McCormick to congratulate him. “As the first count of ballots is completed, Pennsylvanians can move forward with the knowledge that their voices were heard, whether their vote was the first to be counted or the last,” Casey said. The Associated Press called the race for McCormick on Nov. 7, concluding that not enough ballots remained to be counted in areas Casey was winning for him to take the lead. As of Thursday, McCormick led by about 16,000 votes out of almost 7 million ballots counted. That was well within the 0.5% margin threshold to trigger an automatic statewide recount under Pennsylvania law. But no election official expected a recount to change more than a couple hundred votes or so, and Pennsylvania’s highest court dealt him a blow when it refused entreaties to allow counties to count mail-in ballots that lacked a correct handwritten date on the return envelope. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority next year in the U.S. Senate. Follow Marc Levy at twitter.com/timelywriter'Important work': The top consultancy spenders in 2023-24

After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizersATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington . As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race , held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residents’ pets , he didn't just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get our free email newsletters — latest headlines and e-edition notifications.I love content creator Jon Gruden. I'd just like to open with that. He's an electric factory. His TikTok brand is unbelievable. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and look it up. He is an incredible follow these days. Nobody is doing it on the internet like Jon Gruden is doing it, truly. That being said, he fired off a take this week that is... well, not the sharpest. And it got a lot of run, so lets break where he went wrong, and what substantive lesson we can learn from it. Coach Gruden decided he wanted to show some love to three of the league's best running backs toting the rock this season: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs. And seeing as all three were free agents this past spring and are now thriving with their new teams, Jon fell into a textbook causation-correlation trap: The top three free agent running backs last year were Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs. They all switched teams and their new teams are 25-9. The teams they left are 7-26. Running backs matter. pic.twitter.com/YoXq3QXlgo It's true, the Titans, Raiders, and Giants are a combined 7-26 this year. That's a 0.212 win percentage. Not good! Meanwhile the Eagles, Ravens, and Packers are 25-9 (0.736). Much, much better. But, obviously, the idea that the transfer of these running backs has been the difference is completely absurd. That should be obvious without having to look anything up, frankly. These are players who went from bad teams to good teams! But let's put some numbers on it anyways. Last season, these three backs still played for the bad teams in question. They are bad this year without those players, and newsflash: they were bad last year with them too. 20-31 (0.392) was the combined record of the Titans, Raiders, and Giants when Henry, Jacobs, and Barkley still played for them. The teams they now play for, the Eagles, Ravens, and Packers, were a combined 33-18 (0.647) without them in 2023. All three made the playoffs! What does this tell us? It's not that running backs don't matter at all , because they clearly do. The Eagles, Ravens, and Packers all have the ability to really lean on their opponents in the second halves of games and snuff them out. When you're a good team who plays from ahead regularly, that's a very valuable ability to possess! But that's the key: being a good team . An elite, volume running back is a finishing piece. They're a flourish. They're a guy you add when you're at or near the apex of your team-building cycle. And perhaps more importantly, they're a guy you resist paying when you're at or near the bottom of the cycle. That's precisely what went on here. The teams that let their volume backs walk are better off for it because of where they are as a team. And the teams who signed up for the expensive volume backs are better for it because of where they are as a team. This is roster management 101. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company Instagram photo Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden was already one of Fresno’s most well-known locations. Now, with the popular beer garden being included in the official Fresno edition of Monopoly, even more people will become exposed to Tioga-Sequoia. On Nov. 22, Tioga-Sequoia celebrated its participation in the famous board game with a launch party. Tioga-Sequoia’s president Michael Cruz said that they were the first business featured in Fresno Monopoly to sell physical copies of the game and sold over 40 boards during the launch party. Cruz had been anticipating being selected for Monopoly for months, and they were still excited when they found out they had been chosen. Visit Fresno County, the county’s visitor’s bureau, recommended Tioga-Sequoia. “[Monopoly] was referred to us by the visitor’s bureau,” Cruz said. “They worked with local entities to kind of see who the icons in the valley are within different segments that they can appeal to and interview for the board, and I believe that’s how we got on their radar.” Cruz touched on what being a part of the game meant for him and the company. “They only do one [Fresno Monopoly version], so to be on something, one version of the first and only version of something that memorializes our place in the city. It’s more than just the immediate press that you get off of it,” Cruz said. “It’s something that’s going to be ingrained in a board game that people are familiar with, and they’ll be even more familiar with this local version that appeals to them and brings back memories and experiences.” One of the biggest storylines heading into 2025 for Fresno Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden was already one of Fresno’s most well-known The Madera County Department of Public Health announced Monday that Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire, dean of the Jordan College of AgriculturalThe Secretive Storm: Kim Jong Un’s Mysterious Plot Against Trump’s America Revealed

Prayers are pouring in for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold on Sunday afternoon. Darnold, who has led the Minnesota Vikings to an 8-2 start, is trending on social media, after limping off of the field against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The former first round pick, who has played like what many NFL scouts thought he could coming out of USC, suffered an apparent leg injury against the Bears in a divisional round game. It looked rough. here's the hit that knocked Sam Darnold out of Sunday's game. looks like a pretty rough ankle roll pic.twitter.com/kJnLWYxusn Prayers are pouring in for the Minnesota Vikings young quarterback on Sunday. "Prayers up for Sam Darnold," one fan wrote. "Well that’s just great. Tough result on a good escape and throwaway. Hope Darnold’s ok," one fan added. "Let Darnold be ok. I can’t do five more games of Nick Mullens," one fan added. "Darnold pls be ok," one fan added. "Please be ok Sam Darnold," one fan added. Stacy Revere/Getty Images Darnold had played well on Sunday. The former New York Jets first round draft pick had thrown for 240 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 24 passes. He had played throw for throw with No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Caleb Williams, who had tossed 25 of 36 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown. Hopefully, the injury to Darnold isn't anything too serious on Sunday afternoon, but right now, it's not looking good. The Vikings are looking to improve to 9-2 on the season with a win over the Bears on Sunday.

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A look at how some of Trump's picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy's overhaul Donald Trump's health team picks include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling an agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health, from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. In line to be Trump's health secretary is anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He says his task is to “reorganize” federal health agencies. They employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials, and effect Americans’ daily lives. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20 as diplomats push for a cease-fire BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without warning. Diplomats are scrambling to broker a cease-fire but say obstacles still remain. The current proposal calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon in the months of fighting that have turned into all-out war. Voters rejected historic election reforms across the US, despite more than $100M push JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Election reform advocates had hoped for a big year at the ballot box. That's because a historic number of states were considering initiatives for ranked choice voting or to end partisan primaries. Instead, voters dealt them big losses in the November elections. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota all rejected proposed changes to their voting systems. In Alaska, a proposal to repeal ranked choice voting appears to have narrowly fallen short. The losses in many states came even though election reform supporters raised more than $100 million, easily outpacing opponents. Supporters say they aren't giving up but plan to retool their efforts. The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia's full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war. It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting Kyiv permission to deploy American longer-range missiles inside Russian territory and ended with Moscow striking Ukraine with a new experimental ballistic weapon that has alarmed the international community and heightened fears of further escalation. US reels from rain, snow as second round of bad weather approaches for Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. is reeling from snow and rain while preparing for another bout of bad weather ahead of Thanksgiving that could disrupt holiday travel. California is bracing for more snow and rain while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia are also starting the weekend with heavy precipitation. Meanwhile thousands remain without power in the Seattle area after a “bomb cyclone” storm system roared ashore the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight Most people taking popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight have shed significant pounds. But obesity experts say that roughly 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not see robust results with the new medications. The response to the drugs varies from person to person and can depend on genetics, hormones and differences in how the brain regulates energy. Undiagnosed medical conditions and some drugs can prevent weight loss. Experts say it can take experimentation to help so-called nonresponders find results. Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 37 people PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior Pakistani police officer says fighting between armed sectarian groups in the country's restive northwest has killed at least 37 people. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people. The officer said Saturday that armed men torched shops, houses and government property overnight. Gunfire is ongoing between rival tribes. Although Sunnis and Shiites generally live together peacefully in Pakistan, tensions remain in some areas, especially Kurram. Hydrate. Make lists. Leave yourself time. And other tips for reducing holiday travel stress Travel, especially during the holiday season, can be stressful. But following some tips from the pros as you prepare for a trip can make for a smoother, less anxious experience. One expert traveler suggests making a list a week before you go of things you need to do and pack. Cross off each item as you complete it during the week. Another tip is to carry your comfort zone with you. That could mean noise-canceling headphones, playlists meant to soothe airport travelers, entertainment and snacks from home. Carry a change of clothes and a phone charger in case of delays. Stay hydrated. Leave extra time. And know your airline's rules. Downloading the airline's app can help with that. Andy Murray will coach Novak Djokovic through the Australian Open Recently retired Andy Murray will team up with Novak Djokovic, working with him as a coach through the Australian Open in January. Murray’s representatives put out statements from both players on Saturday. Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in tennis history. Murray won three major trophies and two Olympic singles gold medals who finished 2016 atop the ATP rankings. He retired as a player after the Paris Summer Games in August.

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