Latest news with #CapitolHill
Russia Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Americans irritated by Zelensky's top aide
A growing number of American officials – from Capitol Hill to the Trump administration – are expressing deep frustration with Vladimir Zelensky's powerful chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, according to a Politico report. Yermak's repeated visits to Washington since the escalation of the conflict with Moscow in 2022 have been seen as increasingly unproductive and even counterproductive, according to ten people familiar with his interactions, the publication reported on Thursday. US officials describe Yermak as 'abrasive,' prone to pressing unclear demands, and 'uninformed' about the realities of US politics. His most recent trip to DC earlier this month included poorly attended briefings, last-minute meeting cancellations – including with Secretary Rubio – and confusion among aides about his purpose in town. 'We don't know why he's here,' one of the sources said, while another Trump administration source branded him a 'bipartisan irritator.' The Biden White House reportedly tolerated Yermak as an acceptable source of friction during wartime. But with President Donald Trump pressuring Kiev toward diplomacy, he now appears to have become an 'existential liability' for Ukraine, according to another source. Yermak dismissed the criticism, telling Politico through a spokesperson: 'If that means being considered 'challenging' by others — so be it,' stressing that he is focused on championing Ukraine's sovereignty regardless of political niceties. However, Yermak was reportedly 'extremely frustrated' with the results of his visit, according to another Politico source. One person described the trip as 'a disaster from the Ukrainian perspective.' Yermak is a former film producer whom Zelensky – an actor turned politician – brought into government in 2019. The 53-year-old has previously been described as 'Zelensky's right-hand man' and 'Ukraine's real power broker,' with some officials even claiming that he de facto runs the country.
New York Times
21 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
‘Little Lobbyists' Urge Senators to Oppose Trump's Bill Cutting Medicaid
Landry Bell, a 1-year-old boy who was born with Down syndrome, wriggled and smiled in his big sister's lap on the floor outside Republican Senator Mike Lee's office this week as he took a break from going office to office with his mother while she explained how cuts to Medicaid would devastate their family. Wearing a bright blue T-shirt emblazoned with the words 'Little Lobbyists,' Landry was among a group of children with serious medical needs who crisscrossed the Capitol with their parents urging senators to vote 'no' on the sprawling Republican bill carrying President Trump's agenda. The legislation would cut deeply into Medicaid to help pay for large tax cuts that would benefit businesses and the richest Americans. The Senate version of the legislation would make even more aggressive cuts to Medicaid than the version of the legislation that passed the House last month. Those proposed reductions, and the elimination of some clean-energy tax credits, are among the most contentious provisions driving debate on the bill among Republicans, as party leaders push to complete it and send it to Mr. Trump's desk within weeks. The Little Lobbyists formed in 2017 during Mr. Trump's first term to push back against Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, taking to Capitol Hill to demand that lawmakers oppose the move. Their successful campaign to save the law was part of a broader backlash against the proposal, which was driven in large part by major health care lobbies, like hospitals and insurance companies, as well as patient groups worried about losing insurance coverage. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Fox News Politics Newsletter: SCOTUS Upholds Ban on Trans Treatments for Minors
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here's what's happening… The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Tennessee law banning specific transgender medical treatments for adolescents in the state is not discriminatory, ruling 6-3 to uphold the law. At issue in the case, United States v. Skrmetti, was whether Tennessee's Senate Bill 1, which "prohibits all medical treatments intended to allow 'a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor's sex' or to treat 'purported discomfort or distress from a discordance between the minor's sex and asserted identity,'" violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. That law prohibits states from allowing medical providers to deliver puberty blockers and hormones to facilitate a minor's transition to another sex… READ MORE. CLEAR RED LINE: White House maintains Trump consistent in firm stance on Iran nukes — and shows off receipts SURVEY SAYS: Where Trump stands in the eyes of Americans five months into his second presidency GLOBAL GAGGLE: G7 with early Trump departure does not yield agreements on matters like world conflicts ANTISEMITISM SPREADS: UN commission accuses Israel of 'extermination' in controversial report KEEPING FAITH: 'Jewish Matchmaking' star living in Israel has hope amid conflicts with Hamas, Iran DEADLY REACH: In Iran's 'forever war' against the US, regime has targeted, killed Americans worldwide CONFLICT INTENSIFIES: Iran warns US joining conflict would mean 'all-out war,' refuses demands to give up disputed nuclear program 'VERY BIG': Trump weighs striking Iranian nuclear facilities: 'I may do it, I may not do it' DRONE FORCE RISING: 'Eyes in the sky': Army drone expert explains US strategy on innovation as global conflict looms TROUBLING PATTERN: FBI Director Patel says man who threatened Trump used same message as Comey's 'destructive' Instagram post ENEMY AT THE GATES: Senators Ricketts, Fetterman unite against China's quiet invasion of US farmland PRESIDENCY IN NAME: Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off Wednesday TAXPAYER TAB: Migrant influx helping drive $1B shelter bill in Massachusetts, report shows MAINTAINING ORDER: Trump admin deploys 2,000 more troops to blue city for anti-ICE riots ONE ON THE RUN: Third illegal immigrant captured after ICE facility breakout MASSIVE BUST: Louisiana racetrack ICE raid nets more than 80 illegal migrants during worksite enforcement operation EVIL KNOCKING: Suspected Tren de Aragua gang members terrorize apartment complex in shocking doorbell video SAFETY AND SECURITY: Potential Youngkin successor focused on message to keep Virginia 'red' COMEBACK OR COLLAPSE: Cuomo's lead shrinks with under one week until New York City mayoral primary: poll POLITICAL TOUCHDOWN: State senator, Indian immigrant, pulls upset in Virginia Democratic lieutenant governor's race PRIVACY BETRAYED: Republicans demand answers on California program accused of leaking patient health data to Big Tech 'BETRAYED OUR STATE': GOP Louisiana state senator says he's running for US Senate because incumbent Republican 'sucks' Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Schumer rips Supreme Court decision upholding state ban on transgender treatments for minors: 'Awful'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to uphold Tennessee's ban on transgender "treatments" for minors. "This Supreme Court seems to have forgotten that one of their jobs is to protect individual rights and protect individuals from being discriminated against. It's an awful decision," Schumer told reporters on Capitol Hill. Schumer accused Republicans of trying to infringe on the rights of transgender youths. Scotus Rules On State Ban On Gender Transition 'Treatments' For Minors In Landmark Case "On the floor, we had a bill, that the Republicans wanted to take away these rights," Schumer said. "And we got, I believe, every Democrat voting against it. So it failed because it needed 60 votes. So we're going to explore every solution." Schumer further condemned the Court's 6-3 decision online. Read On The Fox News App "Republicans' cruel crusade against trans kids is all an attempt to divert attention from ripping healthcare away from millions of Americans," Schumer wrote. "We'll keep fighting, and we'll keep marching on." The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), meanwhile, said the majority's decision "helps restore sanity for millions of families across America." "Boys are boys and girls are girls," RAGA President and Executive Director Adam Piper said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "While Republican AGs crusade against risky, irreversible gender transition procedures for minors, Dem pander to their extreme donors and slouch towards Gomorrah. We must continue to protect our daughters from men trying to invade their single-sex spaces, privacy and athletic competitions." Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti – whose office handled the defense in the case – praised the decision, saying that "the common sense of Tennessee voters prevailed over judicial activism." "The rapid and unexplained rise in the number of kids seeking these life-altering interventions, despite the lack of supporting evidence, calls for careful scrutiny from our elected leaders," he said in a statement. "This victory transcends politics. It's about real Tennessee kids facing real struggles. Families across our state and our nation deserve solutions based on science, not ideology. Today's landmark decision recognizes that the Constitution lets us fulfill society's highest calling – protecting our kids." Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee praised Skrmetti for securing the "historic" Supreme Court victory, adding that "protecting children is a fundamental responsibility that we take seriously." "I was proud to sign this bipartisan legislation that lawfully safeguards young people from irreversible, life-altering medical decisions," Lee said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Voters, through their elected representatives, should have the power to decide what they believe on serious issues like this one." Supreme Court Appears Divided Over State Bans On Gender Transition 'Treatments' For Minors The case centered on Tennessee state law SB1, which restricts sex transition treatments for minors for the treatment of gender dysphoria. The Tennessee legislature's findings, as detailed in the statute, included that such treatments "can lead to the minor becoming irreversibly sterile, having an increased risk of disease and illness, or suffering from adverse and sometimes fatal psychological consequences." The Republican-controlled state body also noted that minors "lack the maturity to fully understand and appreciate" these consequences and may later regret undergoing the treatments and want to de-transition. Writing for the conservative majority, Justice John Roberts noted that the case from Tennessee "carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field." "The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound," he wrote. "The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best. The conservative justices ruled that SB1 is not subject to heightened scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. They said the law incorporates two classifications – on the basis of age and the basis of medical use. "Healthcare providers may administer certain medical treatments to individuals ages 18 and older but not to minors," Roberts wrote. "Healthcare providers may administer puberty blockers or hormones to minors to treat certain conditions but not to treat gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, or gender incongruence. Classifications that turn on age or medical use are subject to only rational basis review." The decision says neither of those classifications turns on sex. Rather, SB1 "prohibits healthcare providers from administering puberty blockers or hormones to minors for certain medical uses, regardless of a minor's sex." All three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that the majority "abandons transgender children and their families to political whims."Original article source: Schumer rips Supreme Court decision upholding state ban on transgender treatments for minors: 'Awful'
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a stunning setback to transgender rights. The justices' 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump's Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to the one in Tennessee. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the law does not violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. In a dissent joined by her liberal colleagues, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the majority 'abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.' The decision comes amid a range of other federal and state efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. In April, Trump's administration sued Maine for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes in girls sports. The Republican president also has sought to block federal spending on gender-affirming medical care for those under age 19 — instead promoting talk therapy only to treat young transgender people. In addition, the Supreme Court has allowed him to kick transgender service members out of the military, even as court battles continue. The president also signed another order to define the sexes as only male and female. Trump's administration has also called for using only therapy, not broader health measures, to treat transgender youths. The justices acted a month after the United Kingdom's top court delivered a setback to transgender rights, ruling unanimously that the U.K. Equality Act means trans women can be excluded from some groups and single-sex spaces, such as changing rooms, homeless shelters, swimming areas and medical or counseling services provided only to women. Five years ago, the Supreme Court ruled 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. That decision is not affected by Wednesday's ruling. But the justices on Wednesday declined to apply the same sort of analysis the court used in 2020 when it found that 'sex plays an unmistakable role' in employers' decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behaviour they otherwise tolerate. There are about 300,000 people between the ages of 13 and 17 and 1.3 million adults who identify as transgender in the United States, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. The Williams Institute is a think tank that researches sexual orientation and gender identity demographics to inform laws and public policy decisions. When the case was argued in December, then-U.S. president Joe Biden's Democratic administration and families of transgender adolescents had called on the high court to strike down the Tennessee ban as unlawful sex discrimination and protect the constitutional rights of vulnerable Americans. They argued that the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Tennessee's law bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors, but it allows the same drugs to be used for other purposes. Soon after Trump took office, the Justice Department told the court that its position had changed. A major issue in the case was the appropriate level of scrutiny courts should apply to such laws. The lowest level is known as rational basis review, and almost every law looked at that way is ultimately upheld. Indeed, the federal appeals court in Cincinnati that allowed the Tennessee law to be enforced held that lawmakers acted rationally to regulate medical procedures, well within their authority. The appeals court reversed a trial court that employed a higher level of review, heightened scrutiny, which applies in cases of sex discrimination. Under this more searching examination, the state must identify an important objective and show that the law helps accomplish it. ___ Mark Sherman, The Associated Press
