Raw Story

A pair of extreme new Trump administration rules aimed at functionally banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth could force even more hospitals to close down.

NPR reported Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) drafted a proposed rule that would prohibit federal Medicaid reimbursement for medical care provided to transgender patients younger than 18 and prohibit the same from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for patients under 19.

Another proposed rule goes even further, blocking all Medicaid and Medicare funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to youth.

As Erin Reed, an independent journalist who reports on LGBTQ+ rights, explained, this “would effectively eliminate access to such care nationwide, except at the few private clinics able to forgo Medicaid entirely, a rarity in transgender youth medicine.”

The policies are of a piece with the Trump administration and the broader Republican Party’s efforts to eliminate transgender healthcare for youth across the country.

Bans on gender-affirming care for those under 18 have already been passed in 27 states, despite evidence that early access to treatments like puberty blockers and hormones can save lives.

As Reed pointed out, a Cornell University review of more than 51 studies shows that access to such care dramatically reduces the risk of suicide and the rates of anxiety and depression among transgender adolescents.

The new HHS rules are being prepared for public release in November and would not be finalized for several more months.

But if passed, the ramifications could extend far beyond transgender people, impacting the entire healthcare system, for which federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid is a load-bearing piece. According to a report last year from the American Hospital Association, 96% of hospitals in the US have more than half their inpatient days paid for by Medicare and Medicaid.

It is already becoming apparent what happens when even some of that funding is taken away. As a result of the massive GOP budget law passed in July, an estimated $1 trillion is expected to be cut from Medicaid over the next decade. According to an analysis released Thursday by Protect Our Care, which maintains a Hospital Crisis Watch database, more than 500 healthcare providers across the country are already at risk of shutting down due to the budget cuts.

Tyler Hack, the executive director of the Christopher Street Project, a transgender rights organization, said that the newly proposed HHS rule would be “forcing hospitals to choose between providing lifesaving care for trans people or maintaining the ability to serve patients through Medicare and Medicaid.”

“Today’s news marks a dangerous overreach by the executive branch, pitting trans people, low-income families, disabled people, and seniors against each other and making hospitals choose which vulnerable populations to serve,” Hack said. “If these rules become law, it will kill people.”

President Donald Trump's federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., refused to answer questions from reporters on why the Justice Department whitewashed a sentencing memo for a violent Jan. 6 rioter who was charged for an incident in which he livestreamed himself near former President Barack Obama's house with a stash of illegal guns and ammunition.

Tyler Taranto, during his heavily armed stream in 2023, also made a fake bomb threat against a government building. He separately received a pardon for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

"US Atty Jeanine Pirro was just asked about the scrubbing of sentencing memo (of Jan 6 references) in Taylor Taranto case. Why did it happen? She wouldn't answer directly... and said the 'papers speak for themselves,'" stated CBS News' Scott MacFarlane on Thursday.

Additionally, Pirro, a former far-right Fox News personality who has pushed election conspiracy theories, would not comment on why a pair of prosecutors who worked on the memo were placed on leave.

The redoing of the sentencing memo, which argued Taranto receive 27 months in prison, raised alarm bells among legal experts, as not only did the new version remove all references to him being a January 6 rioter, it also removed references to the fact that Trump posted the location of Obama's home on Truth Social shortly before Taranto's threatening stunt.

On Thursday, a judge sentenced Taranto to 21 months, which works out to "time served," as well as three years' supervised release.

President Donald Trump is returning to the White House after a trip to Asia — and he's facing ridicule over the "kids' menu" choices his hosts offered him while visiting.

The president's culinary preferences – fast food, well-done steaks and spaghetti – are well known, and his Asian hosts attempted to strike a balance between regional specialties and his Americanized tastes, according to the New York Times.

"The lunch he shared with President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea and business leaders on Wednesday was summed up by Mr. Lee’s office as 'fusion Korean cuisine featuring regional specialties from across the nation and tailored to President Trump’s preferences,'" the Times reported.

"The White House picked up on the gesture, calling the Thousand Island dressing, tossed with South Korean shrimps, scallops and abalone, 'a nod to Trump’s New York roots,'" the report added. "It appeared to be his preferred dressing. He also had the condiment, which hails from near the border between New York and Ontario, the night before in Tokyo at the U.S. Ambassador’s residence."

The South Koreans also served braised short ribs made with U.S. beef, along with kimchi and other traditional sides, but also served beef patties with ketchup and brownies decorated with what Lee's office described as "the color of gold that President Trump favors.”

The president's tastes drew mockery online.

"Alito writes for the 6-3 majority, ruling that there’s nothing in the Constitution that says a 79-year-old can’t order off the kids’ menu," joked Seth Michaels, of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"The ketchup banchan is destroying me," said Sarah Jeong, editor of The Verge.

"When 'Can we have a trade deal?' pivots on 'Do you have a kids menu?'" posted freelance writer Tabatha Southey.

"I am married to a Korean-American," added attorney Bradley Moss. "My kids have been raised eating standard American fare, Jewish deli food, and Korean delicacies. The absurdity of this menu to handhold Trump is something else."

"South Korea gave Trump a literal crown and mini beef patties with ketchup hahahaha," said freelance journalist Laura Bassett.

"How embarrassing for all involved," sighed journalist Sarah Posner.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested that "forgotten" Americans should "overthrow" the government.

During a Wednesday interview with a podcaster named Shipwreck, Greene said the American people "have forgotten their power."

"I call them the forgotten American man and woman," she explained. "That is the largest group of Americans. And I think, in my opinion, that is the most powerful group of Americans."

"They could rein in their government like that. Not only could they rein it in, they could overthrow it," she remarked. "That's about 100 million Americans, right?"

"Let's say 100 million Americans that say, f-- you to the government and refuse to pay their taxes. This is how to do it."

Greene insisted that "the federal government has [screwed] you over."

"It rapes you every single day," she insisted. "Social Security, you pay in and your Social Security check, and your employer matches it for all these years, and you retire and you get like a diddly $1,500 a month. I mean, that is such a pathetic joke."

"So when I tell you, look, I am dead serious about the American people," the lawmaker added. "If they really wanted to, everybody I work with, all of my colleagues, everybody in the government, they would be terrified to talk to a lobbyist or talk to a foreign government or they would be terrified to, to step out of line if the American people got serious about forcing Congress and the Senate and the administration, no matter who's serving, to serve them, serve the people."

Rather than belabor you today with the latest Trump outrages, I want to share with you conclusions I’ve drawn from my conversation yesterday with Zohran Mamdani (you can find it here and at the bottom of this piece) about why he has a very good chance of being elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday.

He has five qualities that I believe are likely to succeed in almost any political race across America today. If a 34-year-old state assemblyman representing Astoria, Queens, who was born in Uganda and calls himself a democratic socialist, can get this far and likely win, others can as well — but they have to understand and be capable of utilizing his secret sauce.

Here are the five ingredients:

1. Authenticity. Mamdani is the real thing. He’s not trying to be someone other than who he is, and the person he is comes through clear as a bell. I’ve been around politicians for most of my life (even ran once for governor of Massachusetts) and have seen some who are slick, some who are clever, some who are witty, some who are stiff, but rarely have I come across someone with as much authenticity as Mamdani. Authenticity is the single most important quality voters are looking for now: someone who is genuine. Who’s trustworthy because they project credibility and solidity. Whose passion feels grounded in reality.
2. Concern for average working people. Mamdani isn’t a policy wonk who spouts 10-point plans that cause people’s eyes to glaze over. Nor is he indifferent to policy. Listen to his answers to my questions and you’ll hear a lot about the needs of average working people. That’s his entire focus. Many politicians say they’re on the side of average working people, but Mamdani has specific ideas for making New York City more affordable. I’m not sure they’ll all work, but I’m sure voters are responding to him in part because his focus is indisputable and his ideas are clear and understandable.
3. Willingness to take on the powerful and the wealthy. He doesn’t hesitate to say he’ll raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for what average working people need. You might think this would be standard fare for Democrats, but it’s not. These days, many are scared to propose anything like this for fear they’ll lose campaign funding from big corporations and the rich. But Mamdani’s campaign isn’t being financed by big corporations or the rich. Because of New York City’s nearly four-decade-old clean elections system that matches small-dollar donations with public money, Mamdani has had nearly $13 million of government funds to run a campaign against tens of millions of dollars that corporate and Wall Street Democrats — and plenty of Republicans — have spent to boost Democratic former governor Andrew Cuomo. We need such public financing across the nation.
4. Inspiration. Many people are inspired by Mamdani. Over 90,000 New Yorkers are now going door-to-door canvassing for him (including my 17-year-old granddaughter). Why is he so inspiring? Again, watch our conversation. It’s not only his authenticity but also his energy, his good-heartedness, and his optimism. At a time when so many of us are drenched in the daily darkness of Trump, Mamdani’s positivity feels like sunshine. It lifts one up. It makes politics almost joyful. He gives it a purpose and meaning that causes people to want to be involved.
5. Cheerfulness. Which brings me to the fifth quality that has made this improbable candidate into a front-runner: his remarkable cheerfulness. Watch his face during our discussion. He smiled or laughed much of the time. This wasn’t empty-headed euphoria or “morning in America” campaign rubbish. It’s directly connected to a thoughtfulness that’s rare in a politician, especially one nearing the end of a campaign — who’s had to answer the same questions hundreds if not thousands of times. He exudes a buoyancy and hope that’s infectious. It’s the opposite of the scowling Trump. It is what Americans want and need, especially now.

There’s obviously much more to it, but I think these five qualities — authenticity, a focus on the needs of average working families, a willingness to take on the rich and powerful in order to pay for what average working families need, the capacity to inspire, and a cheerfulness and buoyancy — will win elections, not only in New York City but across America.

Mamdani hasn’t won yet, and New York’s Democratic establishment is doing whatever it can to stop him (Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s billionaire former mayor, just put $1.5 million into a super PAC supporting Cuomo’s bid and urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo).

If Mamdani wins, his success should be a lesson for all progressives and all Democrats across America.

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• Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/.
• Robert Reich's new memoir, Coming Up Short, can be found wherever you buy books. You can also support local bookstores nationally by ordering the book at bookshop.org.

The Department of Justice has charged U.S. House Democratic candidate Kat Abughazaleh for allegedly impeding law enforcement following a September protest at the Broadview ICE facility in Chicago.

In addition to Abughazaleh, the DOJ also charged Michael Rabbitt, Andre Martin, Catherine Sharp, Brian Straw, and Joselyn Walsh. Authorities alleged that the group surrounded an ICE agent's vehicle and damaged it.

Abughazaleh, a former journalist, was accused of bracing her body against the vehicle. The indictment also claimed that someone scratched the word "PIG" on the car.

In a video posted to X, Abughazaleh said she was exercising her First Amendment rights.

"This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment," she explained. "This case is a major push by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish anyone who speaks out against them."

A video shared by DHS in September showed Abughazaleh being thrown to the ground by an officer outside the Broadview facility.

"Individuals and groups impeding ICE operations are siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals," the post claimed. "You will not stop @ICEgov and DHS law enforcement from enforcing our immigration laws."

"I love watching communists get body slammed by ICE," Trump insider Laura Loomer responded, according to MSNBC.

"Good work," Fox News host Laura Ingraham agreed.