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REUTERS/Hannah BeierJuly 3 (Reuters) - In state after state, conservative lawmakers this year have banned medical procedures for transgender youth. Now, a growing number of federal judges are blocking those laws from taking effect. The court rulings offer temporary relief from the recent rush of bills banning transgender youth from receiving treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. Democrats, LGBTQ advocacy groups and health providers say the bans unjustly target a vulnerable community for whom gender-affirming care can be life-saving. The judges also have said laws banning such care violate a parent's right to make healthcare decisions for their children.

Persons: Hannah Beier, Tobias Wolff, Kevin Jennings, Donald Trump, Cynthia Cheng, Wun Weaver, Matt Sharp, Sharp, Jay Richards, " Richards, Barack Obama, Daniel Trotta, Brendan Pierson, Colleen Jenkins, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, University of Pennsylvania, Lambda, Republican, Human Rights, Alliance Defending, Foundation's, for Religion, Civil Society, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Democratic, American Civil Liberties Union, Thomson Locations: Doylestown , Pennsylvania, U.S, Alabama , Arkansas, Florida , Indiana , Kentucky, Tennessee, Montana, Georgia, Oklahoma, United States, Arkansas

June 30 (Reuters) - Four Georgia families sued the state in federal court on Friday to stop a law that bans transgender youth from receiving hormone therapy, joining a wave of challenges to similar laws across the United States. A host of Georgia state health officials and agencies are named as defendants. Unlike other states, Georgia does not also ban puberty blockers, typically the first medical intervention for transgender youth, who normally would next receive hormone therapy. Republican-led legislatures in 20 states have passed some type of ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Decisions on whether to block such bans in Montana and now Georgia are pending.

Persons: Carden Summers, Daniel Trotta, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Georgia, Human Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Republican, Georgia Senate, Federal, Thomson Locations: United States, Georgia, Montana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas , Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Oklahoma

☆ Train derailment on Montana bridge sends multiple rail cars into the Yellowstone River
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A train derailment in Montana caused a bridge across the Yellowstone River to collapse and sent multiple cars into the water below, officials in Stillwater County said Saturday. Multiple tanker cars were damaged and are leaking “petroleum products,” according to Yellowstone County Disaster and Emergency Services. The derailed Montana Rail Link train cars included “several hazmat cars,” the regional rail company said in a statement. “The state is standing by to support as Montana Rail Link and county officials assess their needs,” he said. Montana Rail Link is a Class II regional railroad that operates over 900 route miles of tracks across Montana and Idaho, according to the company’s website.

Persons: ” Mullikin, ”, Greg Gianforte Organizations: CNN, Emergency Services, Montana Rail, Montana Rail Link, Services, “, Command, ” Montana Gov Locations: Montana, Stillwater County, Yellowstone County, Yellowstone, “, Stillwater, ” Montana, Montana and Idaho

☆ A lawsuit brought by kids in Montana could determine if the state has a constitutional duty to protect its residents from climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A lawsuit brought against the state of Montana by a group of kids heads to trial on Monday. The outcome has the potential to set an important precedent in the fight against climate change. "We've seen repeatedly over the last few years what the Montana state Legislature is choosing," Gibson-Snyder said. He argued climate change could ultimately benefit Montana with longer growing seasons and the potential to produce more valuable crops. A ruling in favor of the Montana plaintiffs could have ripple effects, according to Philip Gregory, Our Children's Trust attorney.

Persons: Grace Gibson, Snyder, she's, We've, Gibson, Austin Knudsen, Kathy Seeley, Seeley, Jim Huffman, Huffman, Terry Anderson, Anderson, Philip Gregory, Gregory said, John Roberts, Julia Olson, Jonathan Adler, Adler, I've Organizations: Service, Republican, Gibson, Montana's Constitution, Montana Attorney, Lewis & Clark Law School, Trust, U.S, Supreme, Lawmakers, Case Western Reserve University, Yale University Locations: Montana, U.S, Missoula, Montana's, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Portland , Oregon, Helena, Hawaii, Oregon, Montana and Oregon, Cleveland, New Haven , Connecticut

CNN —Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-trained math professor who unleashed a deadly bombing campaign from a shack in rural Montana and became known as the “Unabomber,” has died, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In 2021, Kaczynski was moved to the federal medical center in North Carolina, according to the bureau. Elaine Thompson/APPortrayed by prosecutors as a vengeful loner, Kaczynski published 30,000-word treatise that became known as the Unabomber Manifesto. “Justice has been done, and Theodore Kaczynski will never threaten anyone again,” Attorney General Janet Reno said in a statement at the time. Its similarity to letters he sent to his family alerted his brother, who made the decision to turn Kaczynski in.

Persons: Theodore “ Ted ” Kaczynski, ”, Kaczynski, “, ” Kaczynski, Ted Kaczynski's, Elaine Thompson, David, Michael Macor, Sally Johnson, Johnson, Judge Garland Burrell Jr, Theodore Kaczynski, ” Burrell, Susan Mosser, Burrell, he’ll, Thomas, Kelly, Hugh Scrutton, Gilbert Murray, Charles Epstein, David Gelernter, Janet Reno, ” David Kaczynski, ” Ted Kaczynski Organizations: CNN, Harvard, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Medical Center, “ Staff, FMC Butner, San Francisco Chronicle, Getty, Prosecutors, University of California, Time Locations: Montana, Butner , North Carolina, North Carolina, Supermax, Florence , Colorado, Lincoln , Montana, Helena , Montana, New Jersey, Berkeley

☆ 24 Works of Fiction to Read This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kate Dwyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Sun House, by David James DuncanThis novel of ideas, which took Duncan 16 years to complete, follows all manner of people who are staring down crises of faith. These lost souls — from cowboys to urban refugees — make their way to Montana and build new communities for themselves. “I’m really trying to portray something that might give something hope,” Duncan said of the book in an interview with The Idaho Mountain Express. “When I shatter a heart, I try as best as I can to at least partially mend it as well.”Little, Brown, Aug. 8

Persons: David James Duncan, Duncan, “ I’m, ” Duncan, Brown Organizations: Sun, —, Idaho Mountain Express Locations: Montana

☆ New Yorkers are getting a taste of what it's like to live in the pollution of Delhi, Doha, and Shanghai
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US didn't always have the clean air many of us are used to. This week I didn't expect my texts to be about air quality. New Yorkers and others are getting a taste of what it can be like to live in Doha, Qatar, and Shanghai, where at least air pollution appears to be improving. When the first Earth Day took place in April 1970, air pollution was a major problem in most US cities. Those actions have since made such a difference that many of us are now shocked by what poor air quality looks like.

Persons: —, I'm, he'd, Spriha Srivastava, Eric Adams, Julia LeMense, wasn't, Nixon, Robert Kremens, Rachel Carson's, Kremens, I've Organizations: Service, Yorkers, . New York, Wednesday, World Health Organization, Chester, Carlson Center, Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Act Locations: York, New York, New York City, Manhattan, Detroit, Washington, Lahore, Pakistan, Hotan, China, Bhiwadi, India, Delhi, , New York City, . New, it's, Doha, Qatar, Shanghai, Donora , Pennsylvania, Cleveland, LA, Rochester , New York, Montana, Utah

☆ From bears to sharks to orcas, here's what to do if you find yourself up against these apex predators
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Here's what to do if you run into a bear, a shark, an orca, or other potentially dangerous mammals. Here's what you should do if you encounter any of these apex predators and how you can avoid an attack. REUTERS/Jim UrquhartThere are two kinds of bears you're likely to run into while outdoors in North America, depending on where you are: grizzly bears and black bears. The park service says you should try to find a safe place like a car or building. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone, one of the country's most visited national parks, than any other animal, according to the National Park Service.

CNN —Residents of the central United States experienced poor air quality and smoke over the weekend. The effects of the fires extend far beyond Canada, with poor air quality emerging in states as far away as Missouri and New York. Several states, including Nebraska, Washington, Montana and Wisconsin, announced air quality alerts early Friday. The service in Tacoma reported the smoke would be “pushed eastward in time for the weekend.”As of Sunday afternoon, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index reported “unhealthy” levels of air quality in parts of Montana and North and South Dakota. Poor air quality caused by the smoke would mostly affect those “that are particularly sensitive to particle pollution,” they said.

☆ TikTok and Free Speech Groups Appear Poised for Legal Fight Over Montana Ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Oberwetter also pointed to statements from civil and digital groups raising similar concerns. To justify a ban, Ms. Krishnan said, Montana would have to show that its privacy and security concerns were real and that they could not be addressed in narrower ways. “I don’t think TikTok has yet committed to suing, but I think it’s likely that it will,” Ms. Krishnan said. Montana’s law came after the federal government and more than two dozen states banned TikTok on government devices in recent months. TikTok says that it has never been asked to provide, nor has it provided, any U.S. user data to the Chinese government.

☆ Joe Manchin blasts Mitch McConnell's push to go 'all out' to defeat him next year: 'This is what's wrong with this place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Joe Manchin blasted Mitch McConnell over the GOP leader's plans to defeat him next year. "If you want to know what's wrong with the process, go talk to McConnell," he told CNN's Manu Raju. "This is what's wrong with this place, okay, and I have said this," Manchin said. "And if you want to know what's wrong with the process, go talk to McConnell," he continued. Still, despite the heavy Republican lean of the state, Manchin has managed to thrive where other Democrats have not been able to find success.

May 8 (Reuters) - A group of abortion providers on Monday filed a lawsuit aiming to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone as anti-abortion opponents aim to ban it in a separate case. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Charlottesville, Virginia, is similar to one filed in Spokane, Washington by the Democratic attorneys general of 17 states and the District of Columbia in February. GenBioPro Inc, which sells a generic version of mifepristone, is also suing to block the FDA from restricting the drug. All three lawsuits come in response to a lawsuit last year by anti-abortion groups in Amarillo, Texas federal court challenging the FDA's approval of the drug in 2000. They said the dueling district court orders had created "day-to-day, week-to-week uncertainty" about using the drug.

☆ ACLU sues Montana House Speaker for silencing transgender legislator
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 1 (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Montana and its Republican House Speaker on Monday, accusing them of violating a Democratic transgender legislator's First Amendment rights by barring her from the House floor after she protested a bill banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Montana House Speaker Matt Regier did not immediately respond to requests for comment. After the Republican supermajority in the legislature silenced Zephyr within the chamber until she apologized for her April 18 comments, her supporters protested at the statehouse on April 24. A Republican supermajority in the Tennessee statehouse earlier this month expelled two Democratic lawmakers who had protested in support of gun control, drawing national attention. Reporting by Julia Harte; editing by Donna Bryson and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SummarySummary Companies Anthony Johnstone is Biden's seventh appointee to the courtConfirmation comes as Senate Democrats struggle to advance some judges(Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Monday voted 49-45 to confirm law professor Anthony Johnstone to the 9th U.S. Historically, judicial nominees have needed so-called "blue slips" representing approval from their home state senators to be considered for confirmation. However, the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee under the Trump administration ended that practice for appeals court nominees. Health issues have kept Senate Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein out of Washington since March, creating ongoing difficulties for Senate Democrats seeking to advance Biden's judicial nominees. Schumer on Monday said that the Senate will take up several other judicial nominees this week.

☆ Transgender Lawmaker Sues Over Removal From Montana House Floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsA state representative in Montana asked a court on Monday to allow her to return to the House floor for the rest of the state’s legislative session, arguing that her First Amendment rights had been violated after an escalating standoff over her remarks on transgender issues. Representative Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat from Missoula, was barred last week from participating in deliberations in the House chamber after she made impassioned comments in opposition to a ban on hormone treatments and surgical care for transgender minors. The bill, which passed, has since been signed by Gov. “I’m determined to defend the right of the people to have their voices heard,” Ms. Zephyr, who is transgender, tweeted on Monday when announcing her lawsuit, adding that the rights of her 11,000 constituents had also been violated. Four of them were also named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana and other lawyers.

CNN —From statehouses to the presidential campaign trail, Republicans are escalating their political attacks on transgender people – a reflection of what they see as a cultural fight their base is eager to wage. And in recent days, those attacks have turned into new forms of mockery and political retribution, as Republicans seek to turn transgender rights into a flashpoint by seizing on social media controversies and exercising their rule-making power in statehouses where they hold large majorities. “A lot of young trans people are worried that their medication is going to get pulled,” she said of legislation targeting health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. Transgender rights activists protest outside the House chamber at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City on February 6, 2023. That is not a transgender person,” Haley said of Mulvaney as the crowd nodded.

☆ Cannabis stocks light up after a group of lawmakers again seeks to protect banks that work with legal marijuana businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cannabis stocks jumped Thursday as lawmakers sought again to pass a bill to protect banks that work with legal pot firms. The SAFE Banking Act of 2023 was refiled by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. The Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act was refiled late Wednesday by House and Senate lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. They say the proposal is aimed at dealing with safety concerns stemming from legal cannabis businesses being locked out of banking services. Merkley said there's now a path for the first time for the SAFE Banking Act to move through the Senate Banking Committee and to a Senate floor vote.

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - West Virginia Governor Jim Justice launched his campaign on Thursday for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate who has been a constant thorn in his party's side. Justice, 72, has repeatedly changed parties, most recently in 2017 when he switched his registration to Republican after being elected as a Democrat in 2016. Manchin has been a key vote on every major piece of legislation of Biden's tenure, as a moderate representing an increasingly conservative state. Justice, a coal-mining billionaire, would first need to win a Republican primary against U.S. Representative Alex Mooney to become his party's nominee to challenge Manchin in 2024.

☆ West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is running for Joe Manchin's pivotal Senate seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) and US Senator Joe Manchin (L), Democrat of West Virginia, attend a roundtable discussion on the opioid epidemic with local and state officials at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department in Huntington, West Virginia, July 8, 2019. West Virginia's Republican governor, Jim Justice, filed official paperwork to kick off a 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. If Manchin decides not to run for a third term, Democrats are widely expected to lose the seat to whichever Republican nominee emerges from West Virginia's Senate primary. A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. With his seat under threat, Manchin has appeared increasingly critical of President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats.

☆ A T. rex skeleton sold at auction for more than $5 million. It's been named Trinity and will reside in Europe's oldest skyscraper.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nearly 300 T. rex bones dug up from three US sites were assembled into a single skeleton dubbed "Trinity." It was the first time such a T. rex skeleton was put up for auction in Europe. Including the "buyer's premium" and fees, the sale came to 5.5 million Swiss francs (about $6.1 million), Koller said. The Koller auction house in Zurich identified the new owner as The Phoebus Foundation, which is backed by the engineering and logistics conglomerate Katoen Natie-Indaver. The auction house said the skull was particularly rare and also remarkably well-preserved.

☆ T-Rex skeleton sells for more than $6 mln at Swiss auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Cecile Mantovani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] View of the mouth of a 67-million-year-old T-Rex skeleton named "TRX-293 TRINITY Tyrannosaurus" is seen during a preview at Koller auction house in Zurich, Switzerland March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseZURICH, April 18 (Reuters) - The skeleton of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex, a creature that roamed the Earth 67 million years ago, sold for 5.5 million Swiss francs ($6.13 million), less than expected, in Zurich on Tuesday. An undisclosed buyer offered the winning bid of 4.8 million Swiss francs, less than the 5 million to 8 million Swiss francs estimate, but the total price was higher with the buyer's premium and fees at Koller Auctions. It was the first time in Europe and the third time worldwide that an entire T-Rex skeleton of exceptional quality was offered at auction, Koller, Switzerland's largest auction house, said in a statement. Two other T-Rex models discovered in North America, called Sue and Stan, were sold for $8.4 million and $31 million respectively in 1998 and 2020.

☆ Florida's fight over Safe Haven 'baby boxes' are part of a larger culture war over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Safe Haven Baby Boxes let distressed moms safely and anonymously surrender unwanted newborns instead of dumping them in trash cans or worse. About 145 Safe Haven baby boxes were installed throughout nine states since 2016, and similar bills were recently approved or signed in four other states. About 145 boxes have been installed since the first in 2016, with 25 newborns surrendered through one, Safe Haven Baby Boxes says. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says the average response time is two minutes. A Safe Haven trains fire departments and hospitals on how to implement the current law.

☆ Oklahoma eyes first US religious charter school after Supreme Court rulings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 6 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to consider next week whether to approve the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States in a move that follows recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings expanding religious rights. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. They estimated that it would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years in operation as a charter school. In 2020, the Supreme Court endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend religious schools. Secular opponents have said religious charter schools would violate legal limits on government involvement in religion.

☆ The most and least deadly big US cities for bicyclists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Eliza Relman | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tucson, Arizona; Detroit, Michigan; and Jacksonville, Florida, were the deadliest big cities for cyclists in 2020. Florida, Louisiana, and Arizona were the deadliest states when it came to cyclist crashes with motor-vehicles. Tucson, Arizona, was the deadliest big city for cyclists with 1.26 deaths per 100,000 people, according to NHTSA data on US cities with more than 500,000 people. Beata Zawrzel/Getty ImagesThe vast majority of cyclist deaths — 79% — happen in urban areas, according to a fact sheet from NHTSA. The League ranks Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington as the best states for cyclists, and Wyoming, Nebraska, and Mississippi as the worst.

☆ Senate votes to roll back Biden administration clean water rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Senate has approved a resolution to overturn a Biden administration rule that would expand federal protections for the country's waterways, a measure Republicans have criticized as overbearing and burdensome to business. The vote comes after the Biden administration last year issued a rule that more broadly defined which types of waterways in the U.S. are eligible for federal water quality protections under the 1972 Clean Water Act. The White House said the revised rule is based on definitions that were in place before 2015, when the Obama administration sought to expand federal protections. The Biden administration argued that rolling back the rule would make federal regulations unclear for businesses and farmers and that increased uncertainty would threaten economic growth for agriculture, and local economies. However, a federal judge this month paused the Biden administration's waterway protections in Texas and Idaho, marking a victory for Republican challengers.

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