Happy New Year 2025

Tag: bans

Hegseth bans future trans soldiers, makes sweeping changes for current ones

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instituted a ban on allowing transgender people to join the military late last week, following a directive from President Donald Trump.

A memo dated Feb. 7 and signed by the defense secretary says, “Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused.”

“All scheduled, unscheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused.”

The memo also says service members with gender dysphoria “have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect.”

But the memo was unclear about what would happen to those currently in the military and identifying as a gender different than that assigned at birth, delegating responsibility to the under secretary for personnel and readiness to provide policy and implementation guidance for active service members with gender dysphoria.

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The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on the status of current transgender service members.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instituted a ban on allowing transgender people to join the military late last week, following a directive from President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

During a military town hall on Friday, Hegseth tore into diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is, ‘Our diversity is our strength.’ I think our strength is our unity,” he said.

Hegseth went on: “Our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. In this department, we will treat everyone equally, we will treat everyone with respect, and we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission.”

Late last month, the Pentagon declared identity months, including Black History Month and Women’s History Month, “dead” within DoD and said it would not use resources to celebrate them.

An executive order signed by Trump last month required Hegseth to update medical standards to ensure they “prioritize readiness and lethality” and take action to “end the use of invented and identification-based pronouns” within DOD.

It says that expressing a “gender identity” different from an individual’s sex at birth does not meet military standards.

The order also restricts sleeping, changing and bathing facilities by biological sex. It’s not an immediate ban, but a direction for the secretary to implement such policies.

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It revokes former President Joe Biden’s executive order that the White House argues “allowed for special circumstances to accommodate ‘gender identity’ in the military – to the detriment of military readiness and unit cohesion.”

The Pentagon declared identity months, including Black History Month and Women’s History Month, “dead” within DoD and said it would not use resources to celebrate them. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

A categorical ban on transgender service members was lifted in 2014 under President Barack Obama.

There are an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 transgender service members – exact figures are not publicly available.

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Between Jan. 1, 2016, and May 14, 2021, the DOD reportedly spent approximately $15 million on providing transgender treatments (surgical and nonsurgical) to 1,892 active duty service members, according to the Congressional Research Service.

February 10, 2025
NCAA officially bans trans athletes from women’s sports 1 day after Trump signs executive order

The NCAA has officially changed its gender eligibility policies to ban all biological males from women’s sports one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to address the issue.

The governing body of college sports announced on Thursday afternoon its new participation policy for transgender student-athletes.

“A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” the new policy reads.

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The previous policy, which had been in place in 2010, allowed biological males to compete in the women’s category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Trump signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D..C., in front of female athletes on National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Wednesday.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the executive order in a statement later on Wednesday, saying it provided a “clear, national standard,” and that the NCAA Board of Governors would review it and take steps to align the organization’s policy in the coming days.

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“The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes,” the statement said. “We strongly believe that clear, consistent and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.

“The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days, subject to further guidance from the administration. The Association will continue to help foster welcoming environments on campuses for all student-athletes. We stand ready to assist schools as they look for ways to support any student-athletes affected by changes in the policy.”

Baker previously addressed concerns over the issue of female athletes having to share teams and locker rooms with trans athletes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December. There, Baker insisted that female athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they’re uncomfortable sharing with transgenders and that the NCAA’s policies that allow trans athletes to compete against women are based on federal standards.

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The previous policy has resulted in multiple lawsuits against the NCAA and its member schools. Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines is currently leading a lawsuit over her experience of having to compete with and share a locker room with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 national championships. She is joined by several other women athletes who have also been affected by trans inclusion.

Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday evening, when three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates came forward with their own experiences of having to share a team and locker room with Thomas and were allegedly gaslit by their university administrators and fed pro-trans ideology.

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A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 6, 2025
Wine spirit: States seek to end shipment bans as local winery customers navigate uneven policies

Winemaker Charles Smith discusses the decline in wine sales on ‘Varney & Co.’

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, states that currently prohibit shipping alcoholic beverages to family and friends are working to change one of America’s last remaining “blue laws.”

Delaware, Mississippi and Utah all prohibit direct shipment of wine, with several other states enforcing varying restrictions.

Utah is considered a “felony state” in terms of liquor transit, with one of the only loopholes being a one-quart allowance of brandy from a resident returning from abroad.

In Delaware, the local winery industry is being unduly burdened by similar laws.

“Delaware is one of three states in the country that still allows no direct shipment of alcohol,” said state Rep. Jeff Spiegelman, R-Townsend.

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“This would enhance small business. It would enhance an agricultural product, and it would allow consumers to get the products that they’re demanding. They are demanding the service. And we’re planning on giving it to them,” he said in a video statement.

Spiegelman pointed to Harvest Ridge Winery in Marydel, Del., which by its name denotes its location on the state line.

Maryland customers are able to ship their wine, but Delawareans can’t under the law.

The lawmaker said the misconception with prohibitions like the First State’s is that opening up the shipping market would let bulk amounts of liquor proverbially flow freely around the state via Amazon and other retailers.

But the 47 other state test-cases show that is not accurate.

State Rep. Mike Smith, the sponsor of the legislation, said he hopes to put it forward in session very soon – and is encouraged that the “changing of the guard” in Dover will give it a good chance of passing.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer did not respond to a request for comment, but did replace term-limited fellow Democrat John Carney. Additionally, the leadership of Delaware’s Democratic legislative majority changed with the new year.

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Wilmington, on the Christiana River, is Delaware’s largest city. (iStock / iStock)

“I think everybody’s coming at it from ‘This is the best deal we’re going to get. Let’s do it,’” said Smith, R-Hockessin.

New House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, D-New Castle, did not respond to a request for comment.

Smith’s district abuts Oxford, Pa., and the lawmaker said he sees many customers from the Keystone State able to ship Delaware wine to their homes without issue as well.

Pennsylvania has had its own stringent liquor laws for decades, since former GOP Gov. Gifford Pinchot set the stage for its state-store system in the early 20th century.

Only in 2016 did Harrisburg move to allow wineries to ship limited quantities of wine – so long as they obtain a license and pay excise taxes. All other liquor must be purchased from government-run Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.

Supermarkets in the state also only recently found themselves allowed to sell beer.

During the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, a Naaman’s Corner, Del., booze superstore saw such a surge in Pennsylvanian customers locked out of their own shuttered state-run alcohol retailers – and slipping the few hundred yards across the state line – to the point that Delaware police began stopping out-of-state vehicles near the shopping center.

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Northbound traffic enters Delaware on the JFK Turnpike near Newark (Getty)

The disparity in booze-shipping and -purchasing laws – and movements to change them to mirror the rest of the country – are not unique to the northeast, as Mississippi lawmakers told Fox News Digital on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Tupelo State’s House Speaker Jason White, R-Kosciusko, said the chamber passed a bill in 2024 similar to Delaware’s planned legislation.

That effort died in the state Senate, but the spokesperson said the House plans to try again this session. The Mississippi plan would permit the direct shipment of wine – excluding liquor – and cap the amount of units per household. The state Senate reportedly has drafted a similar bill that gives proponents hope.

Meanwhile, Steve Gross, vice president of state relations for the Wine Institute, said the advocacy group is “very supportive” of efforts to pass “direct-to-consumer wine-shipping law[s]. . . .”

“We appreciate the work of these legislators to provide this choice to the citizens of Delaware.”

February 3, 2025
Former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, who played major role in Pete Rose, George Steinbrenner bans, dead at 86

Former Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent died on Saturday at the age of 86 due to bladder cancer.

Vincent was baseball’s commissioner from 1989 to 1992, taking over for Bart Giamatti after his sudden death just eight days after he banned Pete Rose from baseball.

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Vincent played a major role in Rose’s punishment, having been the deputy commissioner to Giamatti.

MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent before a game between the Detroit Tigers and White Sox at Comiskey Park in Chicago circa 1990. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

He became the commissioner on Sept. 1, 1989, and presided over the league during that year’s World Series between the Giants and Athletics that was halted due to the deadly earthquake in the Bay Area.

Vincent was commissioner during the owners’ lockout of 1990, and he handed down a permanent suspension to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was reinstated by Vincent’s successor, Bud Selig.

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Commissioner Fay Vincent was commissioner during the owners’ lockout of 1990, and he handed down a permanent suspension to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. (Phil Huber/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

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As baseball commissioner, Vincent angered owners by becoming the first management official to admit the collusion among teams against free agents following the 1985, ‘86 and ’87 seasons. He also divided expansion fees among both leagues and attempted to force National League realignment, changing the divisions of four teams.

“Mr. Vincent served the game during a time of many challenges, and he remained proud of his association with our national pastime throughout his life,” the current commissioner, Rob Manfred, said in a statement.

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent presents the World Series trophy to Athletics owner Walter A. Haas after Oakland defeated the Giants to win the World Series, Oct. 28, 1989, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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In one of his lasting acts as commissioner, he chaired an eight-member committee for statistical accuracy, which removed the asterisk that had been next to Roger Maris’ entry as the season home run leader and deleted 50 no-hitters. The group defined a no-hitter as games of nine innings or more that ended with no hits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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February 2, 2025
New Year 2025: Bengaluru makes mask mandatory, bans whistling during NY’s Eve celebrations

In a bid to ensure public safety, Bengaluru authorities have made wearing masks mandatory and imposed a ban on whistling in public places during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Meanwhile,the Bengaluru city police have made extensive arrangements ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations today (December 31) and going into the New Year 2025 celebrations (January 1), with as many as 11,000 personnel deployed to maintain law and order across the metro, according to a PTI report.

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Bengaluru Commissioner of Police in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), noted that arrangements have been inspected and the city is ready to welcome the New Year.

A total of 11,830 police personnel, including senior officers along with civil defence staff and others, will be maintaining strict vigilance across the city, monitoring any potential rave parties and drug-related activities.

Police said the government has permitted New Year celebrations only until 1 am, and the public is allowed to conduct celebrations only within the prescribed time limit.

Further, according to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, over 1,000 security cameras have been installed around the city for the same purpose, the report added.

Here is how to avoid crowd crush

To reduce the risk of being involved in a crowd crush, there are several steps you can take. First, plan your journey ahead by avoiding areas likely to experience heavy congestion, PTI reported.

Local authorities often design crowd control measures, such as multiple celebration sites, to help with crowd distribution. If possible, delay your departure until after the fireworks display to avoid the rush toward public transport. Stay alert for signs of overcrowding, such as slow or halted movement, and move towards less crowded areas if necessary.

Pay attention to signals of distress from those around you and help pass on critical information, such as asking the crowd to slow down. Extra care should be taken if you or someone you are with has mobility issues, is shorter, or experiences crowd anxiety.

(With inputs from agencies)

December 31, 2024