Nearly 500 workers were apprehended at a construction site for a South Korean battery maker in Georgia, officials said. The episode prompted diplomatic concern in Seoul.

European Union officials accused the American tech giant of using its size and dominance to undercut rivals in the online advertising market.

A reduction at the Federal Reserves next meeting this month looks all but assured after Augusts labor market data.

President Trump and his defense secretary say they want to return to the era when America won wars. They largely ignore the greatest accomplishment of the past 80 years: avoiding superpower conflict.

Scammers are using A.I. tools to make it look as if medical professionals are promoting dubious health care products.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-09-05T17:18:25Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is set to issue an executive order on Friday renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War a long-telegraphed move aimed at projecting Americas military around the globe. It comes as some of Trumps closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation that would codify the new name into law, with Congress having the sole power to establish, shutter and rename federal departments. Absent a change in law, Trump will authorize the Pentagon to use secondary titles.From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War, Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube, an Army veteran, said in a statement. It is only fitting that we pay tribute to their eternal example and renowned commitment to lethality by restoring the name of the Department of War to our Armed Forces. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.The Department of War was created in 1789 and was renamed in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. Trump has said he wants to change the name back to the Department of War because it just sounded better. The Republican president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have long talked about changing the name, with Hegseth creating a social media poll on the topic in March. Since then, Hegseth has hinted that his title as defense secretary may not be permanent at multiple public events, including a speech at Fort Benning, Georgia, on Thursday. He told an auditorium full of soldiers that it may be a slightly different title tomorrow. In August, Trump told reporters that everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.When confronted with the possibility that making the name change would require an act of Congress, Trump told reporters that were just going to do it.Im sure Congress will go along, he said, if we need that.___Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.___Follow the APs coverage of the U.S. Department of Defense at https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Co-owner Marc Ost at Eric's Rx Shoppe holds a box of COVID-19 vaccines as he unpacks a shipment in Horsham, Pa., Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)2025-09-05T15:56:35Z Michelle Newmark has tried and failed a couple times to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.First, she was told she needed a prescription. Then she learned that her local CVS drugstore wont have shots for a couple more weeks. The Reston, Virginia, resident was considering a drive to Maryland to get vaccinated before a friend told her of a closer CVS that was booking appointments. What was once a simple process has become a whole different beast this year, Newmark said.Its very frustrating that I cant get a vaccine that I feel should be widely available like it always has been at the past, she said. The debut of updated COVID-19 vaccines has gotten off to a clunky start in many states. Limits on who can get the shots and prescription requirements are confusing customers and leaving some people worried about whether they will get protection from the virus this fall. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has insisted that everyone who wants a shot still can get one after consulting with a doctor, but he also told a Senate committee hearing Thursday that this access depends on the states. The situation is changing daily and varies by state. And it may take time for vaccine-seekers to understand how the system works now for them.We anticipate it will get to be a little bit more of a smooth road in the coming weeks, said Brigid Groves, a vice president with the American Pharmacists Association. In the meantime, challenges are cropping up, and some patients are hitting the road to get vaccinated.Lee Yarosh made plans to drive about 30 miles from Ossining, New York, to a Fairfield, Connecticut, drugstore to get vaccinated because the 71-year-old retiree couldnt schedule a vaccine closer to home. On Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order allowing pharmacists to administer the vaccine to patients as young as 3. But Yarosh is keeping his Monday appointment in Connecticut because he needs the vaccination ahead of a trip to Europe. Chris Stone said he tried about five times to book a COVID-19 shot appointment online at his usual drugstore, but he was only allowed to schedule a flu vaccination. The 69-year-old Richmond, Virginia, resident said he expects to get the shot from his doctor during a checkup next month. But he doesnt want to wait that long.If they fiddle around too long its going to be really hard to get the coverage you want during the winter season, Stone said.Most Americans get their COVID-19 vaccines at drugstores, and many seek shots in the late summer or early fall to get protection against any winter surges in cases.Pharmacists in most states can administer updated vaccinations without a prescription thanks to approval of the shots from the Food and Drug Administration last week. But several states are requiring prescriptions which are normally not needed for vaccines as they wait for a recommendation on the shots from a committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That committee wont meet until later this month. Some states, including Pennsylvania and New Mexico, were waiting for that recommendation before allowing pharmacists to give the vaccines. But they have since changed rules to let pharmacists start vaccinating sooner.Before that, Pennsylvania drugstore owner Marc Ost said his store fielded more than 50 calls from customers asking about the COVID-19 shots. His pharmacists couldnt administer the shots until the state changed the rules on Wednesday.Theres been a lot of confusion as to what we can and cant do and a lot unclear guidance, said Ost, co-owner of Erics RX Shoppe in Horsham, outside Philadelphia.As of Friday morning, CVS Health the nations largest drugstore chain said its pharmacists can provide vaccines without a prescription in 38 states. Prescriptions are required in 11 states plus Washington, D.C., but its pharmacists cannot give the shots in Nevada.In some states where CVS runs in-store clinics, customers can get vaccinated there even if they cant get a shot at the store pharmacy counter, spokesperson Amy Thibault said. She noted that the pharmacies and clinics are governed by different regulators. New limits on who can get a vaccine also are raising questions among customers. Previously in the U.S., the vaccines were recommended for people ages 6 months and older.But the recent FDA approval limits the shots for people age 65 and older and those younger who have a health condition that makes them high-risk for a serious case of COVID-19.Doctors and pharmacists say they still expect many people to qualify for the shots because the list of conditions that would make someone high-risk is long. It includes ex-smokers and people who are physically inactive.And pharmacists will mostly rely on the patients word that they have a condition that makes them eligible for a shot. Even so, the fact that there are now limitations worries Jen Spector. The 57-year-old Doylestown, Pennsylvania, resident should easily qualify for a shot because she has diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and some other medical conditions. Still, Spector says shes nervous that someone will turn her down when she tries to get vaccinated.If I get sick, it could take my body a year to heal from all this, she said. My immune system is crap.___Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre contributed from Albany, New York.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. TOM MURPHY Murphy covers how people and businesses navigate the U.S. health care system. He is a member of APs Health and Science team. mailto

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss slop in history, five-alarm fires, and AI art (not) at Dragon Con.EMANUEL: We published about a dozen stories this week and I only wrote one of them. Ive already talked about it at length on this weeks podcast so I suggest you read the article and then listen to that if youre interested in OnlyFans piracy, bad DMCA takedown request processes, and our continued overreliance on Google search for navigating the internet.

JD Vance posted a curse-laden message to X defending Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. after his disastrous Senate Finance hearing yesterday, in which Vance made it all about trans kids.Senators largely berated Kennedy for his attempts to erode access to and confidence in vaccines in his tenure at HHS, with even Republicans expressing anger at him for his claims that vaccines have not saved uncountably many lives, his firing of vaccine experts at HHS, his cutting of funding for vaccine research, and the FDA narrowing its approval of the COVID-19 vaccine, which will make it more difficult for many people to obtain. Related RFK Jr. roasted for disturbing Darth Vader breathing as senators berate his anti-vaccine policies Clips from the hearing went viral as senators angrily questioned Kennedy, and he responded with conspiracy theories or just pretended that his own public actions didnt happen. Now, many senators are calling for him to resign.So Vance decided to defend Kennedy by bringing up trans kids. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today When I see all these senators trying to lecture and gotcha Bobby Kennedy today all I can think is: You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal therapies for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma, Vance wrote. Youre full of s**t and everyone knows it.When I see all these senators trying to lecture and "gotcha" Bobby Kennedy today all I can think is:You all support off-label, untested, and irreversible hormonal "therapies" for children, mutilating our kids and enriching big pharma. You're full of shit and everyone knows it. JD Vance (@JDVance) September 4, 2025Gender-affirming care is supported by all major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as safe and life-saving for young people with gender dysphoria. The medications are often reversible, and they dont mutilate children; they help save lives.Classy, as ever, Mr. Vice President, the conservative Wall Street Journal responded, which noted that many of the senators attacking Kennedy are also transphobic. None of this is true of Dr. Cassidy, Dr. Barrasso, and other Senators, and the Vice President knows it.Mr. Vance is trying to rally Republicans to RFKs side by framing this dispute in a polarized partisan framework, either/or, us/them. That may serve his political purposes as he courts RFKs supporters with 2028 in mind, but it wont win over anyone paying attention to the health secretarys contradictions as he attacks life-saving vaccines.Others on X criticized Vance for bringing up trans kids to deflect from criticism about vaccines. So the defense of RFK Jr gutting vaccine expertise is a culture war rant about gender care? Thats not a counterargument, its a deflection. Public health policy should be debated on evidence, not on whatever wedge issue you think will rile up the crowd. Jake Scott, MD (@jakescottMD) September 4, 2025No one thinks youre authentic because you say the word shit in a tweet Kristi Yamaguccimane (@TheWapplehouse) September 4, 2025I think a sitting Vice President hurling obscenities in his public statements debases the culture and discourse. You gain nothing from it, and it cheapens your argument. i/o (@avidseries) September 4, 2025How are you the Vice President? For god sake, bring decency and cordially back to The White House.This sounds like a reddit comment. You are the Vice President of the United States of America. Act like it. Be better. IGRYAN (@BigRyanPark) September 4, 2025Are your kids vaxxed? James Lippens (@ShamebyJames) September 4, 2025Mr. Vance,If RFK is doing so badly that the best you can do is accuse his critics of being bad people, maybe you should suggest replacing him with someone competent? Andrew Fleischman (@ASFleischman) September 4, 2025JD has as much class and dignity as his degenerate boss. You ignorant pigs have set the bar so low its hard to imagine how youre still able to slither under it. Marlene Robertson (@marlene4719) September 4, 2025Someone from the Trump administration is trying to distract from the conversation at hand through fearmongering about trans people.You don't see that every day oh wait, you do, because that is the default go-to when the administration is failing on an issue, and they're Jared Ryan Sears (@JaredRyanSears) September 4, 2025Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Note to readers: Whenever I talk about GWK Academy, I emphasize that our first step is to help hopeful parents understand all their family-building options including foster care and adoption. For this months post, Ive invited dads Antwon and Nate to share their journey. Their story not only clears up common misconceptions about foster care; it may also inspire you to follow in their footsteps.When Antwon and Nate Chavis became parents, it wasnt through the path they first envisioned. Together for 12 years and married for eight, the couple stepped into foster care in 2017, imagining they would provide a temporary safe place for children in need. What happened instead reshaped their lives, expanded their definition of family, and eventually led to adoption. Related Gay men using surrogacy often want twins. But that dream comes with big risks. We didnt actually start out planning to adopt, Antwon explained. We just wanted to be resource parents a stable place for kids until their families were ready to have them back home. But adoption kind of found us.Over the years, they welcomed multiple long-term placements. Each child carried their own story, resilience, and needs. Some stayed a while before moving on. One became their daughter. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today She was a child who needed a permanent home and had already found it with them. We expected to have a rotating crew of lovable misfits, Antwon laughed, but instead, we had three kids who left permanent stamps on our lives.Antwon and Nate Chavis | ProvidedFor Antwon, a pediatrician, foster parenting felt like a natural extension of his work. I know the damage that can be done from the lack of stable homes, he said. I wanted our home to be a place where kids could feel safe and loved until their families were ready again, or until a permanent home could be found.For Nate, it began as a way to give back. At first I thought of it as something abstractly good, he said. I didnt realize it would change me, or how I see parenting. But it did. Im so grateful for that.Day-to-day life with foster children, they both emphasize, doesnt feel extraordinary. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it just feels like your kid, Nate said. Youre packing lunches, cleaning up messes, driving to daycare. Youre just being a family. Antwon added, If kids sense their place is temporary, thats unbearable. They deserve to feel like they belong even if theyre only with you for a season. Being a family in foster care also extends well beyond the time a child is in their home. Even after they leave, theyre a permanent part of us, Antwon said. We hope that when they look back, they remember their childhood as a time when they were loved not necessarily remembering us, but remembering the feeling of being cherished.Sometimes those bonds endure. Their very first foster daughter, for example, still calls them family. Every year, they take her and her siblings shopping for back-to-school and for Christmas. Its a blessing, Antwon said. She knows shell always have us in her life, in some capacity.The couple also stressed that foster parenting is not just about what you give, but what you receive. The love that comes back from these kids is incredible, Nate reflected. Its changed how I see the world. Theyve also built deep connections with certifiers, case managers, and other foster families the village that makes this work possible. Those relationships matter, Antwon said. You dont do this alone. You need people around you who get it.Antwon and Nate Chavis | Provided These experiences have reshaped not only their approach to parenting but also Antwons perspective as a pediatrician. Im more empathetic to struggling parents. Foster care isnt about poverty its about safety. Most parents love their kids and just need resources or support. I bend over backwards now to help them, because I know how important that chance is.For people who are considering foster care, Nate encourages them not to let fear hold them back. The day-to-day is just parenting. Yes, the fear of losing them is real. But even if you only have a child for a short time, its worth it. I wouldnt change it. Antwon added, People say, I couldnt do it, it would hurt too much. But the kids dont get to choose. Theyre already going through it. Wouldnt you rather they go through it while knowing love? Anyone whos considering parenting can foster. You just have to be willing.Through every placement, every goodbye, and now as adoptive dads, Antwon and Nates story is one of resilience, compassion, and unwavering love. Its a reminder that parenthood can take many shapes sometimes temporary, sometimes permanent, but always powerful.Antwon and Nate Chavis | ProvidedSometimes love is keeping a child for a season, Antwon reflected. And whether they stay or go, they deserve to leave knowing they were cherished.At GWK Academy, we believe every path to family IVF, surrogacy, adoption, and fostering is valid and beautiful. And as Antwon and Nates story shows, the foster system is full of children who are simply waiting for someone to love them, even if only for a season.VisitGWK Academytoday, and take your first step toward becoming a parent. Were with you the whole way. And dont forget to come back toLGBTQ Nationfor monthly family-building insights and support from your friends at GWK Academy.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The pink-haired duo, the StudBudz, made up of WNBA stars Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams, are opening up about the origins of their friendship and whether the two are sleeping together like fans suspect.The StudBudz have been on the fast track to fame ever since they captured the nation's attention when they did a 72-hour-long livestream during the WNBA All Star weekend earlier this year. Now, Hiedeman and Williams have made it all the way to the pages of Vogue. In a new photoshoot and interview with the magazine, the StudBudz delved into how they met and the intense moment the two realized they were besties. We met my rookie year in 2019, when I went to the Connecticut Sun, Hiedeman explained. I just wanted to hang out with her because she was the coolest person on the team. Williams, on the other hand, tried to keep her distance because she liked to keep her professional and personal lives separate. But then I felt her vibe, and she was the only one on the team I invited to my birthday, she said.See on InstagramSadly, the two got broken up after a series of trades and playing internationally, but they kept in touch, and then last year, Hiedeman and Williams were reunited when they were both signed by the Minnesota Lynx. I remember the day we became best friends, Williams said. I was going through my breakup, and I called T [Hiedemans nickname] crying in the hotel room. My dog just stayed on the phone with me and talked me through that. I said, This really my best friend. And she told me the next day, Bro, we really best friends, I aint never heard you cry before.The StudBudz may spend most of their time together, between being teammates, hosting a Twitch channel, and being BFFs, but according to them, thats where their relationship ends, despite fans theorizing that their flirty banter means theyre secretly sleeping together.While on set for the photoshoot, Hiedeman jokingly catcalled Williams, who says she was late to the gay party but considers herself a full-on stud now, calling her girly and fine shit for wearing makeup.Williams responded, Duh! Im a bad bitch!See on InstagramBut although fans insist they are in love with each other, the StudBudz quickly put an end to the fan theory when Willams said, me and T aint having no sex, before Hiedeman added, My friend is very cute, but just not my type.The two friends pointed out that they have different types when it comes to women. While Hiedeman likes baddies who can also be a bit of a bro, Williams likes very feminine, submissive energy. I dont need my woman to be my bro.As for whether or not the StudBudz are looking to settle down, Hiedeman said, If love finds me, it finds me, but Williams is dodging commitment. If love finds me, I don't want to be found! Williams said. On God. The perfect girl can fall in my lap and I'm gonna be like, Yeah, nah, not right now. We can have fun though.

Two and a Half Men actor Charlie Sheen is opening up for the first time about his past sexual relationships with men in new Netflix documentary and his upcoming memoir The Book of Sheen."Liberating. It's f---ing liberating... [to] just talk about stuff, Sheen said in the self-titled documentary, Charlie. Its like a train didn't come through the side of the restaurant. A f---ing piano didn't fall out of the sky. No one ran into the room and shot me.While talking to People for this weeks cover story, the 60-year-old star said that after years of sleeping with women, he decided to try something new. "I flipped the menu over," he said. I'm not going to run from my past, or let it own me.See on InstagramSheen also opened up this morning on Good Morning America where he admitted that his sexual experimentation with men started when he was using crack. "That's what started it," he said. "That's where it was born, or sparked. And in whatever chunks of time that I was off the pipe, trying to navigate that, trying to come to terms with it 'Where did that come from?... Why did that happen? and then just finally being like, 'So what?' So what? Some of it was weird. A lot of it was f---ing fun, and life goes on.While struggling with addiction issues that kept Sheen in the headlines, he contracted HIV. He tried to keep his illness private, but guests staying at his house would see his medications and try to blackmail him with photographic evidence. At first, he paid them off, but finally divulged his HIV status on the Today show back in 2015."I do know for a fact that I never passed it on," he said, per People.Sheen said that the memoir and documentary are giving him the chance to share his life uncensored, The stories I can remember anyway.The actor says that his romantic life is uneventful as it possibly could be right now because hes more focused on his kids, but that hes open to love again. Probably not marriage, though!

Nature, Published online: 05 September 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02800-7Horses with genomic edits to make them run faster have been banned from polo, but a zoo of CRISPR-edited animals is gaining acceptance in agriculture.

Nature, Published online: 05 September 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09586-8Author Correction: PPP2R1A mutations portend improved survival after cancer immunotherapy

Dolphins tight end Darren Waller is doubtful for the team's season opener after sustaining an injury earlier this week, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.

Employers added 22,000 jobs in August. Revised data also showed that employment fell by 13,000 jobs in June, the first net loss since December 2020.

After years of training (clowning, Butoh and more), the longtime friends take on Samuel Becketts towering drama on Broadway.

The change came less than a week after an interview aired with Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. The administration accused the network of deceptively editing her appearance.

Brent Simpson is the first police officer known to have C.T.E. He showed signs of the disease in the last few years of his life.

A member of an aristocratic family, she married the Duke of Kent, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

WASHINGTONRunning into several White House staff members as they tried to sneak their new friend inside, the Trump boys reportedly begged their father Tuesday to let them keep a homeless man they had found as a pet. Please, Daddy, please can we keep our fuzzy buddy? said Eric Trump, his visibly hopeful eyes widening as he and Donald Trump Jr. stroked the scraggly beard of a 75-year-old man they had found roaming the streets of D.C. alone. Well take real good care of him, we promise. Hes really smart and already knows how to sit, shake, and where to do his business, so we think he may have lived with a different family before. And he comes when you call his name, see? Mark! Come here, Mark! Plus, he gives the best kisses. Come on, Daddy, how could anyone say no to this cute little furry face? According to sources, the Trump boys later buried the homeless man on the South Lawn after forgetting to feed him.The post Trump Boys Beg Father To Let Them Keep Homeless Man As Pet appeared first on The Onion.

OpenAI announced new safety features will be soon coming to ChatGPT in an effort to better protect teens and others experiencing acute distress. The Onion shares a selection of those safeguards.Begins every conversation by telling users not to vapeTargeted BetterHelp ads for any user in the midst of a mental health crisisParental alerts for any teenage user ridiculing Sam AltmanSeatbeltsIf users mention thoughts of self-harm, chatbot will uncomfortably change the subjectSays I just put on a condom before sextingUsers must verify they are 13 or older before accessing instructions for refining plutoniumWont give any advice about carrying out mass shooting until user drags the slider to fit the puzzle pieceThe post New Safety Features Coming To ChatGPT appeared first on The Onion.

Floridas surgeon general announced that the state will eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates, although legislative approval may still be required. What do you think?What do we do with our kids who are already vaccinated?Brent Winski, Pebble AnalystI wish my kids were alive to see this.Gwen Tarrats, Plaque ProofreaderWe survived just fine before Florida.Thomas Cupp, Error MinimizerThe post Florida Eliminates All Vaccine Mandates appeared first on The Onion.

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Conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett downplayed fears about the courts 6-3 conservative majority overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, in a CBS interview that aired yesterday. The court is currently deciding whether to hear a long-shot challenge to the decision.You know, what the court is trying to do is see what the American people have decided, Barrett told CBS News. And sometimes the American people have expressed themselves in the Constitution itself, which is our fundamental law; sometimes in statutes. But the court should not be imposing its own values on the American people. Thats for the democratic process. Related The Supreme Court conversion therapy case: Heres what you should know Barrett added that the Courts decisions are not just an opinion pollof the nine justices outlooks. Recent decisions, split entirely along the courts ideological lines, suggest otherwise.Barrett who spoke to CBS about her new book, Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution was one of the five conservative justices who, in 2022, voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision granting the right to an abortion. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today In her book, Barrett wrote, The court has held that the rights to marry, engage in sexual intimacy, use birth control, and raise children are fundamental, but the rights to do business, commit suicide, and obtain abortion are not.During her 2020 confirmation hearing, Barrett repeatedly refused to state how she would rule on a challenge to Roe v. Wade. She stated that it would be inappropriate to pre-commit to an outcome in any case that might come before the Court. When senators asked about her past, public anti-abortion statements, she said those views were separate from her role as a judge. Judges cant just wake up one day and say I have an agenda, and walk in like a royal queen and impose their will on the world, she said. She committed to following the doctrine ofstare decisis(respect for precedent), noting that it includes considering factors like reliance and workability.Nevertheless, she voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. She and her fellow conservative justices argued that neither the Constitution nor the nations history or tradition protected a right to abortion, adding that such issues should be left to individual states. The decision has resulted in increased infant and pregnancy-associated deaths in states with abortion bans. The long-shot bid to overturn marriage equality at the Supreme CourtWhile the Court is considering whether to hear a challenge to the decision, LGBTQ+ legal experts said its far more likely that the court will use free speech and religious freedom claims to roll back queer civil rights.Kim Davis the four-times-married, conservative Christian former Kentucky county clerk who infamously refused to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple following the courts 2015 ruling recentlyasked the Supreme Court to take her case, which argues that people should be able to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages based on religious beliefs.Anti-LGBTQ+ advocates hope Davis case could be the one to lead the justices to overturn marriage equality. After all, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomasargued in 2022that the same legal reasoning used to overturn abortion access could also be used to overturn marriage equality. Some worry that, because of the Courts 6-3 conservative majority and its habit of favoring Christian religious liberties, the Court could vote to overturn marriage equality. But the Supreme Court gets about 10,000 petitions a year asking it to deliberate on various cases the court agrees to hear only 75 to 85 of these cases,according to The Judicial Learning Center. Even Bill Powell, the lawyer representing the same-sex couple in Davis case, thinks the Supreme Court wont hear her case.Not a single judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals showed any interest in Davis rehearing petition, and we are confident the Supreme Court will likewise agree that Davis arguments do not merit further attention, Powell said.Even if the Supreme Court did take the case, Chris Geidner, the gay publisher and author ofLaw Dork,toldLGBTQ Nationin Januarythat he didnt think a case like Davis would provide sufficient legal reasoning to overturn same-sex marriage entirely. Rather, he said that a successful religious freedom or free speech challenge toObergefellwould do other bad things, like hollow out civil protections or public accommodations for same-sex couples, essentially inconveniencing or endangering LGBTQ+ couples but not outright denying them the right to a marriage license.Gay legal journalist Joseph Mark Stern agrees somewhat with Geidners take. In recent Bluesky posts about Davis case,At this Supreme Court, the biggest realistic threat to gay rights isnt outright reversal of Obergefell, but the ongoing abridgment of gay equality in the name of religious liberty and free speech, Sternadded. The Supreme Court has also weaponized the First Amendment to legalize discrimination against same-sex couples in public accommodations, a project that will expand in the coming years.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Charlie Sheen, known for his explosive rise and fall in Hollywood, is stepping forward with candid revelations about his past in his upcoming memoir The Book of Sheen and a forthcoming Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen. For the first time, the 60-year-old actor publicly discusses his sexual encounters with men, experiences he had long concealed amid addiction and blackmail.In both the memoir and the documentary, Sheen revisits a period in his life dominated by substance abuse and secrecy. Speaking candidly to People magazine, he describes a moment of personal reckoning: I flipped the menu over, referencing his exploration of same-sex encounters after years of exclusively dating women. Im not going to run from my past, or let it own me, he says. So what? People quotes Sheens declaration, encapsulating his attitude toward self-acceptance and reclamation of his truth. Asked how it felt to finally speak openly about these experiences, Sheen responded with striking relief and humor: Liberating. Its fking liberating [to] just talk about stuff, he told the documentarys interviewer. And, as he quips, Its like a train didnt come through the side of the restaurant. A fking piano didnt fall out of the sky. No one ran into the room and shot me. In fact, the fallout he anticipated never occurred. Its like a train didnt come through the side of the restaurant,Charlie continued. A fking piano didnt fall out of the sky. No one ran into the room and shot me.Sheen traced the origins of these encounters to his crack cocaine addiction saying Thats what started it, he admitted during an interview on Good Morning America with Michael Strahan. He recalls periods of self-reflection away from drug use, questioning, Where did that come from? Why did that happen? before finally concluding, So what? Some of it was weird. A lot of it was fking fun, and life goes on. The Weight of Secrecy and ExtortionSheens revelations extend beyond personal exploration and into darker territory, billing details about extortion attempts tied to his hidden encounters. Speaking on GMA, he described feeling held hostage by individuals threatening to expose these aspects of his life.Adding context via The Independent, Sheen explained that some of these threats centered around his HIV-positive status, which he publicly revealed in 2015 but had kept private since being diagnosed in 2011. He said prospective accusers had used his medical condition for leverage, prompting his decision to pay for silence. From Chaos to ClaritySheens path from headline-making chaos to a semblance of peace is traceable in both his sobriety journey and the tone of his latest disclosures. A People profile details his years of recovery, sobriety struggles, and the continuing process of self-forgivenesseven calling regret a trigger for what he calls shame shivers. He also reflects on the fallout from his now-notorious 20/20 interview and subsequent speaking tour around 2011calling that chapter misguided while affirming hes now seeking accountability rather than victimhoodAlthough Sheen no longer seeks marriage, he remains open to romantic possibilities and places family, particularly his children, at the center of his life going forwardSource

Netflix just released the first teaser trailer for BOOTS and its already shaping up to be one of the years most exciting queer stories on television. The eight-episode comedic drama premieres October 9 and brings an off-beat, heartfelt look at life in the 1990s U.S. Marine Corps, a time when being gay in the military was still illegal.What BOOTS Is AboutAt its core, BOOTS follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer, 13 Reasons Why), a closeted, directionless young man who enlists in the Marines alongside his best friend Ray McAffey (Liam Oh). Ray, the son of a decorated Marine, feels the heavy burden of family expectations while navigating the brutal world of boot camp. Together, they form part of a diverse group of recruits, each pushed to their physical and emotional limits.Related | Shirtless Military Hunks Climb Herndon MonumentThe series doesnt shy away from the contradictions of the era: resilience and camaraderie thrive against a backdrop of systemic exclusion. With sharp wit and plenty of heart, BOOTS explores friendship, identity, and the fight to belong in a world determined to keep you in line or leave you behind.Inspired by The Pink MarineBOOTS draws inspiration from Greg Cope Whites memoir The Pink Marine, a deeply personal account of serving in the Marines while closeted. The series comes from creator and co-showrunner Andy Parker (Tales of the City), showrunner Jennifer Cecil (Umbrella Academy, One Tree Hill), and legendary executive producer Norman Lear. That pedigree alone makes BOOTS one to watch.A Star-Studded CastThe cast is stacked with talent. Alongside Heizer and Oh, the series features Vera Farmiga as Camerons chaotic mother Barbara, Max Parker as the haunted Sgt. Sullivan, Cedrick Cooper, Ana Ayora, Dominic Goodman, Kieron Moore, Rico Paris, and more. Their performances promise to balance irreverent humor with deeply human drama.BOOTS. (L to R) Angus OBrien as Hicks and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 101 of BOOTS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix 2025BOOTS. (L to R) Liam Oh as Ray McAffey, Rico Paris as Santos, Johnathan Nieves as Ochoa, and Angus OBrien as Hicks in Episode 104 of BOOTS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix 2025BOOTS. (L to R) Max Parker as Sergeant Sullivan and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 106 of BOOTS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix 2025Vera Farmiga in Boots Photo: Netflix(L-R) Joy Osmanski and Vera Farmiga in Boots Photo: NetflixMiles Heizer in Boots Photo: Netflix(L-R) Cedrick Cooper and Ana Ayora in BootsPhoto: NetflixWhy Boots MattersFor LGBTQ+ viewers, BOOTS isnt just another coming-of-age series. It highlights the resilience of queer people forced to survive in systems built against them, while also celebrating friendship, love, and chosen family. And with Norman Lears stamp as executive producer, the series continues his legacy of telling socially resonant stories that challenge the status quo.Watch the Boots TrailerNetflixs teaser offers just enough grit, humor, and heart to leave us wanting more. Consider this your official invitation to lace up and prepare for duty.Watch the first teaser for BOOTS below and mark your calendars: BOOTS premieres October 9 on Netflix.Source

Nature, Published online: 05 September 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02857-4Facility aims to stop deadly viruses such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya through the release of disease-fighting mosquitoes.

Patriots starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez won't play in Sunday's season opener against the Raiders due to a hamstring injury, head coach Mike Vrabel said Friday.

The Mets have optioned Kodai Senga to Triple-A after the right-hander posted a 6.56 ERA over his past eight starts.

Tennessee starting guard Ruby Whitehorn pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanors in exchange for judicial diversion stemming from an altercation last month that resulted in her suspension by the team.

Levy, 63, has established himself as one of the most respected executives in soccer, but Thursday saw him stepping down in a seismic move. How did it happen, and what will his legacy look like?

by Lexi Churchill, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, and Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief Weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues. After the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary, school leaders in Uvalde, Texas, initially planned to publicly defend district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, but officials instead chose to remain silent as investigations into police actions unfolded, newly released records show. Arredondo is now facing criminal charges over law enforcements delayed confrontation with the gunman.The previously unreported details were revealed in over 25,000 pages of records the district has disclosed over the course of a week since Aug. 26 after a yearslong legal fight with news outlets, including ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, which filed over 70 public information requests for the records in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The documents should have been published in early August when school leaders and Uvalde County originally released requested records following a settlement with the news organizations. Rob Decker, an attorney representing the school district, admitted at a board meeting Aug. 25 that his office made an error on our side by only releasing a fraction of the files. Board members, including Jesse Rizo, who lost his 9-year-old niece Jackie Cazares in the shooting, grilled Decker about the firms oversight. When we use the word error, thats putting it really lightly, Rizo said. The word negligent comes to mind. However, the districts law firm may have again failed to disclose all of the requested information, according to Laura Prather, one of the attorneys representing the newsrooms in the records litigation. Prather sent a letter Friday demanding the district publish the remaining files, which could include details about the school maintenance issues with doors that failed to lock, Arredondos severance and additional communications among officials. Decker, the districts lawyer, did not respond to requests for comment.The school districts repeated disclosure problems mirror the mistakes made by the city of Uvalde last year, when officials there did not include at least 50 body- and dashcam videos in their first records release. They scrambled to disclose all of them months later. As the districts law firm began trickling out records last week, another shooting made national headlines when two children were killed and another 21 kids and adults injured at a Catholic school in Minneapolis. The timing only further underscores the importance of releasing the Uvalde records as quickly as possible, said Kelley Shannon, executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.A lot of times, governments will think that by stalling or trying to avoid the release of records, they can shirk responsibility and avoid the tough questions, said Shannon. Doing so only makes it harder to stop similar tragedies from happening and hinders families ability to heal. Getting information sooner rather than later is the way to go, she said, and thats not what weve seen surrounding the Uvalde shooting. Though news organizations had previously obtained from sources many of the records government agencies withheld, the newly released documents include undisclosed internal communications that offer deeper insight into the inner workings of the school district. Its leaders have rarely commented on the shooting publicly in the three years since it left 19 elementary students and two teachers dead. Among the new revelations, the documents show the unraveling of the districts support for Arredondo as details of the delayed law enforcement response were made public in the weeks after the shooting. School leaders have long attributed their silence and refusal to release these records to the multiple local, state and federal investigations into the law enforcement response to the massacre. That included a criminal probe by the Uvalde district attorney that eventually led to child endangerment charges being filed against Arredondo and another school officer last year. Both have maintained their innocence ahead of the trial, scheduled for later this year.Arredondo initially received the bulk of the blame for the response, though an investigation by ProPublica and the Tribune later found that officers across state and local agencies wrongly treated the shooter as a barricaded subject, rather than an active threat, and failed to take control of the response. Three days after the tragedy, Steve McCraw, then head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, announced at a press conference that Arredondo was responsible for law enforcements failure to confront the gunman until 77 minutes after hed entered the school. Hours later, district spokesperson Anne Marie Espinoza emailed then-Superintendent Hal Harrell a press release that defended Arredondo, stating, in part, that his action isolating the shooter helped students and staff escape the building. The statement cautioned that the district could only provide limited information due to the ongoing investigations but said it was appropriate timing to share these clarifying details. The school district, however, never published that version of the press release, allowing McCraws narrative to continue circulating undisputed. The internal communications released so far dont explain why. None of the districts leaders involved responded to the newsrooms questions in recent days. The district instead published a press release the following Wednesday that made no mention of Arredondo but said the school would not comment on the shooting until all state and federal agencies completed their review. Emails also show that during the week after McCraws press conference, the districts law firm drafted paperwork to place Arredondo on administrative leave. Harrell waited several more weeks before taking that action. The documents reveal Arredondo was increasingly anxious to discuss his side of the story. In an email exchange with a reporter from The New York Times shortly after McCraws press conference, Arredondo wrote that he wished he could speak publicly: Its extremely difficult not to be able to respond right now. The police chief said he could not comment due to the ongoing investigation at that point. About two weeks later, as the investigations continued, Arredondo gave the Tribune an exclusive interview sharing his experience of the shooting response and maintaining that he was not the incident commander. He told Harrell, the superintendent, the article was coming about two hours before publication.The superintendents emails indicate he met with the districts law firm the next day to discuss drafting an agreement for Arredondo that barred him from making any more public statements unless he received written permission from Harrell. The instructions emphasize that the district will remain silent about the shooting to ensure the integrity of the pending investigations, indicating public comments could be considered interference.Any failure to comply with these directives may result in adverse job action, up to and including termination of your employment, stated the agreement.On June 15, the police chief informed the superintendent that he needed time off to attend a hearing at the Texas Capitol the following Tuesday and to prep with his counsel the day before. Arredondo testified behind closed doors for five hours in front of the state House committee tasked with investigating the shooting on June 21. The same day, McCraw provided a searing condemnation of the law enforcement response in a separate state Senate hearing that was open to the public. He claimed police could have stopped the shooter within three minutes had it not been for Arredondos indecisiveness. The next day, Harrell placed Arredondo on administrative leave. In a draft of the press release announcing Arredondos leave, then-Assistant Superintendent Beth Reavis suggested saying that district leaders had not received any information about the response ahead of the hearing. Yesterday, like you, I saw the released information for the first time, she suggested to Harrell and the districts attorney, then said they should add, Something like Petes on leave, blah blah blah in an email.The district ultimately published a press release stating Harrell initially did not intend to make personnel decisions until after the investigations into the shooting were concluded, but due to the uncertainty of when they would be done, he decided to place Arredondo on leave.Arredondos attorney, Paul Looney, said he wasnt surprised when the district walked back its support for their police chief or when he found out from the news organizations that the district had drafted a letter requesting Arredondos leave weeks before giving it to him.Its obvious that their initial reaction was the truth and then they decided to shelve the truth and join DPS on cover-your-ass politics and Pete was expendable, Looney said. The truth is that Pete did a good job that day.The majority of the documents disclosed in the latest batch were pulled from Harrells email inbox. In the hours and days after the tragedy, leaders and survivors of other school shootings offered support. But many parents, educators and law enforcement across the country called for him and the police force to resign.Harrell often emailed himself to-do lists that included reminders like funerals, security we can get done and people he needed to call. The former superintendent received backlash during a June 9 press conference where he declined to answer questions about law enforcement investigations. The next day, he included retirement plan and transition plan on his emailed to-do list. Harrell, who did not respond to the newsrooms interview requests, retired later that year.The latest batch of emails also raised additional questions. The release, for example, included a chart that showed 13 threats made to schools in the district that year, including one to Robb Elementary, but did not provide details on how leaders handled them or exactly when they occurred. Once the school district completes its release of records, DPS will be the last agency sued by the newsrooms that continues to shield materials related to the shooting from disclosure. Prather, the newsrooms counsel, said the state law enforcement organizations documents are especially important because the agency led the investigation into the shooting and maintains a 2-terabyte file with the most extensive accounting of the event. The newsrooms won an initial ruling in 2023 and the judge ordered DPS to publish its records, but the agency appealed the decision. The appellate court has yet to make a ruling after oral arguments last October.The state agency did not respond to requests for comment for this story, but it has long argued that publishing documentation of the shooting could interfere with ongoing investigations and eventual prosecutions. Youre talking about a situation where people have experienced the most horrible tragedy and loss they could possibly imagine and they already distrust those who are supposed to protect their children, Prather said. Then to further fight for three years to get answers about what happened that day and to have that information trickle out, only after youve been told by a court over and over to produce it its like a death by a thousand cuts. Jessica Priest and Alex Nguyen of The Texas Tribune contributed reporting.

YouTubes live broadcast on Friday night of the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers game is set to be a major test of the platforms programming ambitions.

Many residents are willing to endorse or participate in violent resistance.

Activists are hoping to recreate the magic of 1970s Earth Day at a moment when the movements future is cloudier than ever.

Carl Heastie, the speaker of the Assembly, has not yet endorsed his fellow lawmaker. Hes not the only prominent Democrat to hold back support.

ConocoPhillips of Houston on Wednesday announced plans to reduce its global work force by up to 25 percent.

Thriller novelist Andrea Bartz is photographed in her home, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025 (AP Photo/Richard Drew)2025-09-05T19:12:56Z NEW YORK (AP) Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit by book authors who say the company took pirated copies of their works to train its chatbot.The landmark settlement, if approved by a judge as soon as Monday, could mark a turning point in legal battles between AI companies and the writers, visual artists and other creative professionals who accuse them of copyright infringement.The company has agreed to pay authors about $3,000 for each of an estimated 500,000 books covered by the settlement.As best as we can tell, its the largest copyright recovery ever, said Justin Nelson, a lawyer for the authors. It is the first of its kind in the AI era.A trio of authors thriller novelist Andrea Bartz and nonfiction writers Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson sued last year and now represent a broader group of writers and publishers whose books Anthropic downloaded to train its chatbot Claude. A federal judge dealt the case a mixed ruling in June, finding that training AI chatbots on copyrighted books wasnt illegal but that Anthropic wrongfully acquired millions of books through pirate websites. If Anthropic had not settled, experts say losing the case after a scheduled December trial could have cost the San Francisco-based company even more money.We were looking at a strong possibility of multiple billions of dollars, enough to potentially cripple or even put Anthropic out of business, said William Long, a legal analyst for Wolters Kluwer. MATT OBRIEN OBrien covers the business of technology and artificial intelligence for The Associated Press. mailto

Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani acknowledges applause at the end of his Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2014 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy, Jan. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, file)2025-09-05T18:17:56Z MILAN (AP) For Giorgio Armani, it was always the clothes. And his clothes all started with the fabrics.While other fashion empires make their money on handbags and footwear, Armanis appeal has always been in the apparel, the core of his $10 billion empire.After his death Thursday at the age of 91, Armani has been remembered for softening the 1980s power suit, decades of fruitful Hollywood collaborations and as a defining figure of Italian luxury ready-to-wear.But he was also a keen business owner who maintained his independence in an era of consolidation, an innovative communicator and a boss who was in charge of every aspect of his business. I have to say, King George is the first in everything. The first but not the only, said Mario Boselli, who was president of the Italian fashion chamber from 1999-2015. He was the master of luxury ready-to-wear. The JacketThe deconstructed, soft-shouldered Armani jacket catapulted Armani to fashion stardom, first with Richard Gere in the 1980 film American Gigolo, and then as the centerpiece of a womens wardrobe.I would say that the famous Armani jacket was a discovery that allowed women to live every day with an Armani garment that could go from work to dates. Armani could dress a woman from morning to evening, I would say with great precision, for every occasion, Boselli said.Armani himself said in his 2015 memoir he wanted to create a new kind of femininity that forced men to look at women with new eyes. I have great esteem for women. I think they know how to be seductive without resorting to an exhibitionism that easily slips into vulgarity and excess, Armani wrote. He credited American women as the first to appreciate my work and my audacity.Jackets remained the core of his collections through the decades. But with time he introduced more couture elements into his ready-to-wear in part to counter his image as the power suit designer, said Scott Schuman, the Milan-based photographer behind The Sartorialist fashion blog and the creator of the Armani tribute Instagram account @armaniarchive. The TextilesEvery collection started with a cascade of textiles on a huge table, which Armani himself would examine after his team made a first selection.The collection, and the mood and the vibe started from the fabrics, said Milan-based Austrian designer Arthur Arbesser, who was on the Armani design team for seven years until leaving in 2013 to launch his own brand.That was unique, I learned from him what it was to touch the fabrics, then to come in with another fabric and with another shade to form a gradient of colors, Arbesser said. Boselli first met Armani 45 years ago, arriving at his Borgnonuovo offices with a satchel of jersey knit samples as a sales rep for his familys textile company.He saw the entire collection of fabrics, and chose them personally, Boselli recalled. That is not something everyone does. It takes time, it takes care. He had great respect for the work of others.Shuman said the fabric choices made going into Armanis stores a sensory overload. Creating BeautyArmanis main objective: Creating beauty.Armanis aesthetic of timeless elegance was constant throughout the decades, which at times made fashion critics question its relevance. But Armani always had a following, from Hollywood stars who could count on him for stunning looks without too much risk, to everyday people who sought well-made, tailored looks to project them from morning to evening.Armani was a beautiful river of design. You could pop in and out, and there was some kind of continuity, Schuman said. Kenneth Richard, founder of The Impression, an influential fashion newsletter, called Armani the original game-changer,' for the scale of a fashion empire he built himself, and for extending his brand into areas like home decor and hotels while maintaining his famed attention to detail. You can check into an Armani hotel, get fitted downstairs and go to a red carpet event. Where else can you do this? You are sleeping on Armani sheets, in an Armani bed, with an Armani couch,' Richard said. And all of it is owned by Armani, not licensed as many brands do. On the runway, Armani stuck to a singular voice through 50 years. His aesthetic was refined, and approachable. You cannot become a $10 billion brand when you are consistently doing the same thing over and over again, without being approachable. He sells. People want to wear his clothing.Whats NextGiorgio Armanis final collection will be previewed during Milan Fashion Week later this month during an event marking 50 years of his signature fashion house. Armani set up a foundation as a succession tool to avoid his businesses being split up. A rarity in the Italian fashion world, he never sold even a part of his company to an outsider.He also indicated the creative succession would go to longtime collaborator Leo DellOrco and his niece Silvana Armani, who have headed the menswear and womenswear collections, respectively, for all Armani collections: Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange. The question of generational succession has always been a fraught one in Italys largely family run fashion industry. Armanis attention to every detail in the empire he launched 50 years ago will make him a tough act to follow. He was involved in very step of the process from the very beginning to the end. Every photograph, every font, everything,' Arbesser said. That is what makes a difference. These days, there is no boss, no creative director, who has so much control over everything. That is where the magic is. And that is where it is hard to see what is going to happen now. COLLEEN BARRY Barry covers all things Italy for The Associated Press. Her focus includes fashion and design, overtourism and the environment, politics and sometimes the Vatican. twitter instagram mailto

A transgender college student has informed the Supreme Court that she will no longer pursue her challenge to Idahos 2020 law that banned transgender and intersex women and girls from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity. The plaintiff, Lindsay Hecox, filed a suggestion of mootness asking the Court to vacate the court of appeals judgment and remand with instructions to dismiss the appeal.From the beginning of this case, I have come under negative public scrutiny from certain quarters. I also have observed increased intolerance generally for people who are transgender and specifically for transgender women who participate in sports, Hecox wrote in a declaration filed with the suggestion of mootness filing. I am afraid that if I continue my lawsuit, I will personally be subjected to harassment that will negatively impact my mental health, my safety, and my ability to graduate as soon as possible. Related The Supreme Court will hear trans sports ban cases, which could spell doom for trans rights HB 500, signed into law by Republican Gov. Brad Little, made Idaho the first state to enact an outright ban on transgender student athletes. The law was challenged by Hecox, a transgender woman attending Boise State University, who filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Idaho.In August 2020, the District Court granted Hecoxs motion for a preliminary injunction, finding that she was likely to succeed in proving the law unconstitutional. In August 2023, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the injunction. Idaho subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, which the Court granted in July 2025. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today However, according to her attorneys, Hecox has experienced negative public scrutiny because of the litigation and believes that such continued and likely intensified attention in the coming school year will distract her from her schoolwork and prevent her from meeting her academic and personal goals. Her lawyers also told the Supreme Court that she has faced significant challenges that have affected her both personally and academically, since the start of the lawsuit, including the loss of her father in 2022.The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether it will grant Hecoxs request. However, regardless of that outcome, the justices are expected to consider a separate case from West Virginia this term, which also centers on whether states can bar trans students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity. The Supreme Courts decision in that case could have far-reaching effects, potentially impacting similar restrictions in 27 states.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Out former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has criticized his successor, former MTV Real World contestant Sean Duffy, for reversing a Biden-era practice of compensating airline passengers for disruptions.The old practice required airlines to give customers between $200 and $775 in compensation, as well as lodging and meals, if a flight delay occurred due to a system outage or mechanical issue.Duffy announced on Thursday that his department plans to rescind the rule, saying it overstepped the Department of Transportations authority and unfairly burdened businesses, The Hill reported. Related Pete Buttigiegs replacement wants NASA to create nuclear power on the moon In a Thursday morning message on X criticizing the move, Buttigieg wrote, Our billionaire President put an airline lobbyist in charge of the Department of Transportation. So no, this is not a surprise.Before becoming Secretary of Transportation, Duffy was registered to lobby for thePartnership for Fair and Open Skies,a coalition of U.S. airline management and labor unions including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, along with various pilot and flight attendant associations which opposes policies which, they claim, make the U.S. airline industry less able to complete against other airlines, travel organizations, and airline reform proponents.Duffy is a former Fox News host and former contestant on MTVsReal Worldreality series and the spinoffReal World: Road Rules.Our billionaire President put an airline lobbyist in charge of the Department of Transportation. So no, this is not a surprise. https://t.co/6VIwwJO4v1 Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 5, 2025

John Reid, the gay Republican candidate for Lt. Governor of Virginia, towered over his petite running mate outside a recent campaign event to deliver a cringeworthy line equal to the unlikely alliance that inspired it.Its going to be hard to fill your shoes, or high heels as the case may be, Reid said painfully. Related Gay Republican says GOP trying to end his campaign in shadowy plot involving drag queens & nude pics The awkward moment summed up the bizarre drama surrounding the Republican slate for Virginias statewide elections this year, featuring the current Lt. Governor openly homophobic Christian nationalist Winsome Earle-Sears, running for the states top job and Reid, the gay, right-wing MAGA talk radio host who wants to succeed her.New revelations, however, have kicked up the awkwardness even more. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today A recently surfaced candidate questionnaire from 2004, when Earle-Sears made an unsuccessful run for Congress, puts her anti-LGBTQ+ views on the record from the beginning of her political career.She responded yes to questions about whether she would vote to block same-sex couples from adopting children and oppose workplace protections for gay people, and agreed when asked if homosexuality is an immoral lifestyle choice,the Richmond Free Press reports. Reid hasnt responded to questions about the survey.Earle-Sears answers follow another revelation from May, when it was reported she added a handwritten note to her required signature on a bill to codify marriage equality in Virginia in 2024. As the Lt. Governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to the procedures laid out in the Constitution of Virginia, she wrote. However, I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly. This years race has been fraught for Republicans since the beginning, as they face a strong Democratic ticket led by popular former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and headwinds in one of the first statewide tests of the presidents popularity since his return to the White House.Current Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears, the heir-apparent to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, had a lock on the job early, as the Black, female, and evangelical answer to what Republicans characterize as Democrats obsession with DEI.Reid lucked into his spot on the ticket when the far more popular candidate dropped out of his race in April over a health issue. But Reids ascension spooked Virginias GOP power brokers, who feared a gay GOP candidate for statewide office would drag the rest of the ticket down, despite the MAGA loyalists far-right bona fides.Im not a diversity hire, Reid said when he announced his bid in January. Im the most conservative and proven candidate running, and Ive boldly stood up for our beliefs in a way that should make my personal life a total nonissue.John is uniquely positioned to take the fight to the radical progressives head-on, his website details, as he continues his fight against boys in girls sports and the extreme trans-agenda being forced upon our children. Apparently, none of that mattered, and the GOP knives came out.First, Reid was subject to a smear campaign involving salacious pictures of two other men supposedly posted to Tumblr back when it allowed adult content by someone using Reids Instagram screenname,The Richmonder reportedon April 25.Gov. Youngkin took that opportunity to ask Reid to drop out, according to the candidate, who posted multiple videos documenting the effort to oust him from the race. Reid accused a representative of Youngkins Spirit of Virginia PAC of assuring him the attacks would continue until Reid dropped out, while offering to purchase the opposition research if he quit.A member of Youngkins LGBTQ+ Advisory Board resigned over the accusation, saying he was deeply shocked that the governor would involve himself in a diabolical attack of this nature.Reid recounted another extortion effort by a local religious activist who claimed he had photos that would destroy my life. They were pictures of Reid attending a drag show in Richmond. Its been nonstop harassment and vulgar threats calling my life an abomination, saying Im a vile degenerate and attacking and insulting my partner of 8 years and attacking my family, Reid said in one post to X. Ive been attacked online and harassed in-person on-and-off for 30 years by the radicals in my own party simply for being gay and by angry leftists who call me a traitor.The latest revelations about Earle-Sears views on Reids immoral lifestyle are going to test the gay MAGA candidate again.Winsome is not a conservative, Casey Flores, who founded the Log Cabin Republicans of Richmond, told theVirginia Scope. Shes kind of a theocratic totalitarian. She actually does care what people do in their bedrooms. And, you know, I think the Republican Party is largely past that.That question will be answered in November.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Out Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who recently resigned from his leadership role at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to the current administrations mismanagement of public health, accused his former boss, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., of lying to Congress in an interview yesterday with CNN. Kennedy has faced widespread criticism for his combative appearance at a Senate Finance hearing yesterday.The head of the health agency for the United States is actively standing before Congress and making things up, Daskalakis said. He did not tell the truth. Related GOP senator rages at outgoing gay CDC vaccine leader for talking about his lifestyle Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today So, youre saying he lied to Congress? CNN host Kaitlan Collins asked.Yes, he lied to Congress, Daskalaskis said.Wow, she responded. Among the lies that he said Kennedy told was a strange moment when Kennedy said he asked former CDC director Susan Monarez if she was trustworthy, and she told him, No. The president appointed Monarez in March of this year, and Kennedy had previously defended her work. I told her she had to resign because I asked her, Are you a trustworthy person? and she said No, Kennedy said at the Senate Finance hearing.Monarezs lawyers say that Kennedy lied there and that she was actually fired because she refused to go along with Kennedys plans to overhaul vaccination policy in the United States. @nbcwashington Asked by Sen. Elizabeth Warren if RFK. Jr. fired Susan Monarez as CDC director because she refused to sign off on his vaccine policies, and Kennedy said: I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, Are you a trustworthy person? And she said no. #washingtondc #districtofcolumbia #dmvtiktok #dctiktok #CDC #rfkjr #elizabethwarren #health original sound NBC4 Washington NBC4 Washington Daskalakis said that Monarez told him that she had been banned from participating in vaccine strategies at the agency prior to her being fired.I believe Susan, I do not believe the secretary, Daskalakis said, adding that he doesnt believe that she would just plain say that she is not trustworthy. It would be very strange for someone to say no.'Daskalakis then brought up Kennedys claim that he is regularly briefed by people at the CDC on vaccines.He is not briefed by anyone at the Immunization Center, Daskalakis said. The person that he mentioned does not work at the Immunization Center. It is not possible that that person briefed him on measles or on flu or on polio or on vaccines since that individual does not work anywhere in that environment.That was not true.Collins asked Daskalakis if hes talking with his former colleagues about the Senate Finance hearing, and he said that he is and that we were just stunned at the number of mistruths that we heard. He then listed even more alleged lies Kennedy told. Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

To some, the transition from summer to fall feels like a loss. Gone are the days of sandals, beach reads, and endless sun; now we're moving on to chillier temps and overcast skies. But this is the season when queer women thrive. The air gets crisp, the flannels come out, and suddenly every outing feels like the setup to a queer indie rom-com. From huddling under blankets with your crush to eating the (un)official gay food of fall, here's why autumn is one for the sapphics.1. Flannel & LayeringIt's well known that autumn is flannel season, and just as well known that flannel is for the lesbians. Do gaydars go a little haywire as the two mix during this brief time as year? For some, perhaps. But mostly, it's just an opportunity for sapphics to embrace our natural aestheticflannels layered above a simple t-shirt or below an earthy jacket, if not both.2. BeaniesHonestly, we could devote an entire list just to the sapphic clothing choices of fall. The entire season's wardrobe screams girl kisser, and we all know it. But in an effort to streamline, we can't neglect to mention beanies. Sure, some of us wear them year round, but at last, the time has come where they actually make sense! (Bonus accessory: fingerless gloves.)3. Age Gap Autumn (@) People have been trying to make Age Gap Autumn happen for a minute now. And as much as straight men want to make that their thing by pursuing much younger women, the legions of young sapphics thirsting for older women across social media will always have our vote.4. September is Bi Visibility Month (@) As the joke goes, September is the only month in which bi people are finally visible to the rest of the world. (Just kidding, bisexuals, we see you!) Adding to that, Bi Visibility Day is September 23 and October is LGBTQ+ History Month. While none of this may apply specifically to sapphics only, women are the most likely to identify as bisexual.5. Chilly GirlsIt's so important for sapphics to stay bundled up in sweater weather. Not just for your own comfort, but because it's the perfect time of year to wait for your crush to shiver and mention how cold she is so that you can shrug off your own jacket and suffer through the chill while she smiles gratefully. The braver sapphics amongst us might even opt for huddling for warmth instead. Either way, keep a jacket or shareable blanket on hand at all times!6. SoupWe're not sure why soup is a gay thing, but it totally is.7. HalloweenSee on InstagramGay men may think they've got the corner on Halloween, but sapphics are claiming a part of it, too. Sure, we may not be throwing the glitziest ragers, but anything related to the spooky realm of magic and mystery is all ours. Plus, we come up with incredible couples costumes. 8. Candle seasonSee the above note about magic and mystery. 9. 'Wicked: For Good' Press Tour (@) Nobody brought as much chaotic queer energy to a press tour as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for their 2024 Wicked press tour. This next one already kicked off in August and should run through the fall season, and sapphics are beyond ready for whatever these two are going to throw at us this year.

Picture this: You meet someone, you like them. You go out and have a great time. You have chemistry and you think to yourself, This really could be something. Maybe you even hook up. Then, happily, you keep communicating. Its really beginning to feel like this could go somewhere real when suddenlypoofthey disappear. Naturally, as frustrating as that is, you know a classic ghosting when you see one. You move on, and just when youre well and truly over it, suddenly you get that notification on your phone that the ghost is back and wants to reconnect.This twisted little game has a name, and it may not sound as scary as ghosting, but its actually even spookier in reality. Were talking about submarining, and it can seriously mess with your head.From banskying, and pocketing to micro-cheating and floodlighting it seems like there are an endless number of toxic dating trends these days. But to get to the bottom of this one, PRIDE spoke with dating experts Dylan Thomas Cotterauthor, trans activist, former adult entertainer, and Scruff dating app ambassadorand Sofie Roos, a bisexual licensed sexologist, relationship therapist, and author at the relationship magazine Passionerad, about what submarining is, why people do it, what you can do when its happening to you, and why queer folks in particular may experience it in the dating world. Heres what they had to say.What is 'submarining,' and where did the term originate?Playing mind games in dating is nothing new, but the term submarining is relatively recent, Cotter tells PRIDE. This term came about in the 2010s in many areas where dating discourse would take place, for example, magazines like Cosmopolitan, social media platforms, blogs, etc., he explains. While it cant be traced back to one person, submarining seems to have popped up when terms like breadcrumbing, benching, and ghosting became more widely known as well.As Cotter describes it, Submarining is when youre seeing someone and then they just dip out, leaving you hurt and perplexed as to why. Then one day, that same person then attempts to pop back into your life as if nothing happened and like theres nothing wrong, adding that this behavior should be considered a major red flag.How is it different than ghosting?Ghosting and submarining are related, but Cotter says the difference is simple: ghosts never come back. Submarining is like diving away without acknowledging that you ghosted that person and then coming back, he says.This back-and-forth can actually hurt more than ghosting. Think about it, lets say youve been intimate emotionally, mentally, and physically with someone, you think everythings going well, and one day they just vanish and stop communicating. Thats super traumatizing enough, but to then have the audacity to come back around and act as if that never happened and everythings peachy thats diabolically harmful.Why would someone do this?When youve been submarinedespecially by someone you felt connected toits natural to ask why? Cotter says there can be many reasons. Some people have intimacy issues and are attempting to avoid vulnerability, but lack the skills to communicate that honestly. Others may simply enjoy the toxic cycle. Their brain is hung up on emotional reward cycles, and they live in a constant cycle of highs and lows. They are strategically attempting to stay non-committed but still wish to obtain a narcissistic supply of attention, emotion, etc. from the person they are submarining.Either way, it doesnt bode well for a healthy relationship.What can you do when youve been submarined?Being submarined can leave you feeling powerlessthis person decides when to disappear and when to return. But Cotter says you can take your power back by remembering your worth. Everyone is worth being respectfully communicated with about the status of where their respective partner is and feels about the future of the relationship.If they reappear and youre weighing reconciliationor just closureCotter advises, consider your own emotional needs and the overall nature of how the relationship has gone. Thats where youll arrive at your own unique way to process whether or not that last final conversation will be necessary closure for your healing or not.Are LGBTQ+ people more likely to engage in or experience submarining?Queer dating often comes with added complications. Many LGBTQ+ people push against social norms and outside judgment, or may still be closeted. Roos explains that these factors can make submarining more common.For example, its common that someone whos secretly queer and starts to date within the LGBTQ+ community suddenly gets scared, feels awkward or ashamed, and pulls back out of nowhere, to later come back when they have thought about it and feel more ready, its not uncommon to go back to the person they had contact with when backing off, and the result becomes submarining, she tells PRIDE. Put simply, its because its more difficult to date as a queer person in a world thats very straight.While Roos is correct that queer dating has its own complications, which are deserving of empathy, its also not okay to treat others with disrespect, which ultimately is what Cotter says dating behaviors like submarining communicate. If this is happening to you, he says, block them and move on. You deserve respectful communication. There are many loving people out in this world who understand that.Experts cited:Dylan Thomas Cotter, author, trans activist, former adult entertainer, Scruff dating app ambassador, and author of Transgender & Triggering: The Life of Dylan Thomas CotterSofie Roos, bisexual licensed sexologist, relationship therapist, and author at relationship magazine Passionerad

Jinkx Monsoon has never been shy about shaking up history, and now shes using Mary Todd Lincoln to do it. The two-time RuPauls Drag Race winner and star of Oh, Mary! sat down with writer and media personality Evan Ross Katz for Thems latest digital cover, opening up about her evolving career, her sobriety, and the state of LGBTQ+ rights in America.Channeling Mary Todd LincolnMonsoon said stepping into Marys shoes has given her a new level of candor.Well, Im a cunt, she quipped. When I started taking in Mary, I started feeling freer to say what was on my mind, whether I thought it was going to be a comfortable thing to say or not.Her performance isnt just about 19th-century drama, its about reflecting the present. We are living in the aftermath of a centuries-long facade, she told Katz. And now there is a war on objective truth because we kept it hidden for too long.Rising, Falling, and Finding PurposeLooking back, Monsoon doesnt sugarcoat her journey. My fame did all the things: It rose, it plateaued, it fell, she said. Rather than a single breakout moment, her career was a slow, long climb built on persistence.That persistence also meant reevaluating her relationship to success. When I started worrying about the hype and the notoriety and the popularity, I really lost sight of why I started doing this, she admitted. Sobriety, she added, has sharpened her instincts and allowed her to focus on the art itself.Serving Through the SpotlightFor Monsoon, visibility is a tool. I have so much more ability to help the more notoriety I get, she said. If I show up and do my best work, thats how I serve my community. And in turn, my work has purpose.That sense of responsibility fuels her fire when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. Speaking just a day after the Supreme Court was asked to revisit marriage equality, she pointed out the contradictions in the opposition. Citing former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who blocked same-sex marriage licenses despite multiple divorces of her own, Monsoon didnt hold back: Thats hypocrisy! Feelings arent facts!Broadway and BeyondThe first lady of drag also had praise for her Broadway successor, Jane Krakowski, who will take on Mary Todd Lincoln next. Jane is one of those special performers who gets it all, she knows how to relate to audiences through outlandish circumstances, Monsoon said. She is one of us.As for her own future, Monsoon isnt tied to any single medium. I love creating characters. I love performing with other performers. I love being part of a cast. I love storytelling, she said. Whether on stage, on screen, or beyond, the mission stays the same: Ive really just been following my gut lately And now, I can trust my instincts.Source

Nearly a decade after closing its doors, one of Chelseas most iconic nightlife venues has returned. g Lounge, once a cornerstone of queer culture in New York City, is back at its original location with a fresh look, new ownership team, and a slate of programming designed to honor its legacy while building something new.A Revival of a Chelsea LandmarkOriginally opened in 1996, g Lounge (also known as GBar) quickly became a cultural hub for the LGBTQ+ community. Known for its sleek design and wraparound bar, the venue drew celebrities including Anderson Cooper, RuPaul and Lance Bass, and even inspired scenes in Queer as Folk and Sex and the City.The bar closed in 2016 and operated for several years as Rebar before shutting down again. In October 2024, longtime co-founder Michael McGrail, his husband Michael John Kay, and nightlife producer Juan Boria stepped in to bring g Lounge back to life.We wanted to restore the feeling that g Lounge always had, a place where people felt at home, McGrail said.Upgrades with Community in MindThe new ownership team invested in significant renovations. The DJ booth, once tucked in a corner, now anchors a reimagined dancefloor. Lighting and sound have been upgraded, while new lounge furniture emphasizes comfort over minimalism.g Lounge isnt just about parties, Boria said. Its about connection, creativity, and celebrating who we are together.Programming for Every CrowdThe bars calendar blends nightlife with cultural and community-focused events. Weekly drag shows like Polish the Queen and Unleashed share the spotlight with international parties such as Brazils Treta Festa. Beyond the dancefloor, programming includes Draw and Drink, sober-friendly jazz nights, political panels and dedicated evenings for trans and nonbinary patrons.Happy hour runs Sunday through Tuesday until 2 a.m. and Wednesday through Saturday until 9 p.m. Cocktails like the gPaloma and gTini sit alongside craft mocktails, beer, wine and light bites.Honoring the Past, Looking AheadDuring Chelseas golden era, g Lounge stood out as a polished, stylish alternative to the grittier gay bars of the time. McGrail said that same vision drives the relaunch: a venue designed by and for the LGBTQ+ community.Back then, it was about bringing dignity and visibility to queer nightlife, Kay said. Now, its about doing that again, while making sure safety and inclusivity remain the heart of every decision.g Lounge is now open seven nights a week at 225 West 19th Street. A full schedule of events is available on Instagram, TikTok and at gLoungeChelsea.com.Source