The heat that has set records across Texas and Mexico will be spreading across the central and southern

A federal judge in Indiana has partially blocked a ban on affirming healthcare for trangender youth, continuing a streak of victories in legal challenges against state laws targeting gender-affirming care. The ruling on 16 June from US District Judge James Patrick Hanlon, who was appointed by Donald Trump, issues a preliminary injunction against a recently enacted law that His ruling is the fourth recent courtroom victory for LGBT+ advocates who have challenged similar laws across the US, including a recent federal court ruling in Florida that eviscerated the state’s anti-trans policies and condemned the bigotry that fuelled such legislation. Indiana’s law, which was set to go into effect on 1 July, prohibits healthcare providers from allowing trans youth under age 18 to access hormone therapies, puberty blockers and affirming surgeries, which are not even provided to minors in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana filed a lawsuit to block the law on behalf of four transgender youth and their families and Mosaic Health. “We warned lawmakers that if they passed laws attacking trans people that they would see us in court,” Chase Strangio, deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project, said in a statement. “This victory belongs to the families who have bravely participated in this case, as well as other trans youth in Indiana who spoke up about the harms created by this law. Our work in Indiana and around the country is far from over – including with this law,” he added. Judge Hanlon, who was appointed to the federal judiciary by Mr Trump in 2018, stated in his ruling that “medical harms, including to mental health, can constitute irreparable harm,” including harm from being denied treatment for gender dysphoria. “And –again– there’s evidence that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapy reduces distress for some minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria,” he added. “The risk of irreparable harm therefore supports a preliminary injunction.” By the end of May, state lawmakers across the country had introduced more than 500 bills impacting LGBT+ this year, including 220 bills specifically targeting trans and nonbinary Americans, according to an analysis from the Human Rights Campaign. More than 70 such bills have been signed into law. At least 19 states have enacted laws or policies banning affirming healthcare for young trans people, all against the guidance of health providers and major medical organisations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Read More Pioneering transgender lawmaker has advice for pushing back against transphobic bills NYC mayor Eric Adams signs bill protecting gender-affirming care Texas family moves so trans teen can escape anti-LGTBQ laws: ‘I’d rather be out than dead’

Stephen Rubin, a longtime publishing executive with an eye for bestsellers and a passion for music and public life, has died

Federal prosecutors have added more charges against former president Donald Trump for allegedly obstructing the investigation into whether he unlawfully retained national defence information at his Palm Beach, Florida property. In a superceding indictment filed late Thursday, prosecutors alleged that Mr Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta conspired with another Mar-a-Lago worker, Carlos De Oliveira, to attempt to have surveillance footage from the club deleted so it could not be provided to the grand jury investigating the presence of classified documents at his property. Mr Trump was also newly charged with specifically posessing the classified document which he is alleged to have shown to a group of people at his Bedminster, New Jersey club. In a statement, Mr Trump’s presidential campaign called the new charges “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him”. “Deranged Jack Smith knows that they have no case and is casting about for any way to salvage their illegal witch hunt and to get someone other than Donald Trump to run against Crooked Joe Biden,” the campaign said. In the superceding indictment, which was signed by Mr Smith personally, prosecutors allege that Mr Trump masterminded efforts to prevent the government from obtaining the footage it would later use to charge him with obstruction when he was first indicted on 8 June. According to the indictment, Mr Trump allegedly called Mr De Oliveira on 23 June of last year, one day after prosecutors emailed his company a draft grand jury subpoena calling for production of CCTV camera footage from the club, including locations where boxes containing classified documents were stored. It’s not known exactly what Mr Trump said to his new co-defendant during the 24 minute phone call, but prosecutors allege that at some point Mr Trump ordered the deletion of security camera footage so it could not be used to further the probe into his possession of documents with classification markings after the end of his presidency. The next day, prosecutors served the Trump Organisation with the final version of the subpoena, and Mr Trump is alleged to have met with Mr Nauta, who subsequently cancelled plans to travel with Mr Trump and instead arranged travel to Palm Beach. After the former US Navy Chief Petty Officer changed his plans, prosecutors allege that he lied to fellow employees and Secret Service agents about the purpose of his travel. At the same time, he contacted another Mar-a-Lago employee who served as director of information technology at the club, as well as another Mar-a-Lago worker, and disclosed to the latter that his purpose in visiting the club was to discuss how long CCTV footage was stored. Prosecutors also allege that Mr Nauta and Mr De Oliveira actually walked through the darkened club after Mr Nauta arrived there on 25 June, with flashlights to determine where different security cameras were located. Mr De Oliveira, who has also been charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice, subsequently the aforementioned Mar-a-Lago employee that “the boss” wanted the footage deleted before it could be provided to the grand jury investigating the presence of classified documents at the club. The longtime Mar-a-Lago worker is also charged with lying to FBI agents about his role in assisting in the moving of boxes containing classified documents at different points during the investigation. Additionally, Mr Nauta has now been charged with conspiring with Mr De Oliveira to obstruct justice by participating in the efforts to have the surveillance at issue deleted, and Mr Trump has been hit with another count of obstruction of justice for asking for the footage to be deleted. Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Nauta contacted another Mar-a-Lago worker following the 8 August 2022 search of the club by FBI agents to tell them that “someone just to make sure Carlos is good”. The employee replied that Mr De Oliveira was loyal and would not do anything to harm his relationship with his employer, the ex-president. Mr Nauta also caused the employee to tell an employee of Mr Trump’s political action committee that Mr De Oliveira was loyal, and Mr Trump later personally called Mr De Oliveira to assure him that he would get him legal representation. Mr De Oliveira has been summoned to make his first court appearance in the case on 31 July at the same Miami courthouse where Mr Trump and Mr Nauta were arraigned. The new charges against Mr Trump and Mr Nauta and the charges against their new co-defendant come as Mr Smith and his colleagues are weighing whether to ask a Washington, DC grand jury to indict Mr Trump for crimes allegedly committed as he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss and remain in office against the will of voters. Last week, Mr Trump revealed that prosecutors had given his defence team a letter informing them that he is a target in the Justice Department probe into hiss to effort overturn the election and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The letter is understood to lay out three crimes which Mr Trump could be charged for: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights under colour of law, and tampering with a witness. As grand jurors met at the Washington, DC federal courthouse on Thursday, Mr Trump’s legal team also met with prosecutors to try to dissuade them from seeking what would be the third indictment of Mr Trump since April. The ex-president later took to his bespoke social media platform in the early afternoon to confirm that his defence team had concluded what he described as a “productive meeting” with Department of Justice representatives, He also stated that his legal team spent the session “explaining in detail that [he] did nothing wrong, was advised by many lawyers, and that an Indictment of [him] would only further destroy our Country”. Grand jurors finished their work on Thursday without voting on any indictments, but they could be asked to return charges against Mr Trump when they reconvene on Tuesday. Read More Trump hit with new charges as aide is third person added to classified documents case Black lawmakers press Justice and Education Departments to investigate Florida's race curriculum Biden dispatches top adviser for talks with Saudi crown prince on normalizing relations with Israel Trump hit with new charges as aide is third person added to classified documents case Black lawmakers press Justice and Education Departments to investigate Florida's race curriculum Biden dispatches top adviser for talks with Saudi crown prince on normalizing relations with Israel

Taylor was shot in the head and wrapped up in a hammock, with her body left to rot on a farm

The Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate conference has offered a full-throated defense of his nation hosting the talks

LONDON & BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 10, 2023--

'I can barely get through a workout without being in pain now,' Joe Rogan revealed

Typhoon Koinu is sweeping southern Taiwan, injuring 190 people but causing no deaths as it brings intense winds and rainstorms to the island, leading to school and office closures

By Jason Lange WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden's public approval was at 40% in recent days, close to

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON President Joe Biden's support among Arab Americans, who are crucial voters in battleground election

Cardi B and Kulture looked happy as they went to a restaurant for dinner on Mother's Day