US Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

While legal arguments continue against the restriction, the US Supreme Court has allowed a ban on transgender military personnel to be implemented.

A lower court’s injunction that had halted the ban from effect was lifted on Tuesday by the court’s conservative majority, which was unsigned.

The Supreme Court’s three left-leaning judges, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, also sought to deny the urgent request for the injunction to be lifted.

President Donald Trump has attempted to restrict transgender people’s access to the US, including through restrictions on military service, since taking office for a second term on January 20.

Trump signed an executive order declaring that only “male and female” would be recognized by his administration on his first day in office. He also revoked a military order that was issued by his predecessor, Democratic candidate Joe Biden, on the same day.

Then, on January 27, he published a new directive titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.” It made a comparison between adopting a “false” gender identity and being transgender.

According to the order, such a person’s identity was incompatible with “rigorous standards required for military service.”

The executive order stated that “a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life, conflicts with the adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex.”

The deed of a man that demands that others honor his falsehood is inconsistent with the service member’s duty to be humble and selfless.

The Supreme Court’s order on Tuesday sparked a string of legal disputes, including the one that sparked that executive order.

Seven active-duty service members in that case argued that a transgender identity ban was unconstitutional and discriminatory.

The group’s supporters point out that the seven members of the group have collectively won more than 70 medals for their contributions. Commander Emily Shilling, the lead plaintiff, had flown 60 missions as a combat pilot for the Navy for nearly 20 years. According to her attorneys, nearly $ 20 million was spent on her training during that time.

However, the Trump administration has argued that the military is liable for the presence of transgender soldiers.

“A new MASSIVE victory for the Supreme Court”! Following Tuesday’s order, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a follow-up to the order on social media.

A military that is focused on readiness and lethality is back, according to “President Trump and] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.”

Hegseth also shared a brief message announcing “No More Trans@DoD” as an acronym for the Department of Defense.

The transgender troops’ ban was approved by the Supreme Court in an unsigned order.

Trump has attempted to outlaw transgender members of the military for the first time. Trump made a similar policy announcement on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X, in July 2017.

Please be informed that the United States Government won’t accept or permit transgender people serving in any capacity in the U.S. Military after consultation with my generals and military experts, Trump wrote in ellipses-spaced posts in succession.

The Supreme Court also approved that ban in 2019. Then, in 2021, Biden’s executive order made it invalid.

In its urgent appeal to overturn the lower court’s injunction that temporarily lifted its most recent ban on transgender troops, the Trump administration cited its previous success at the Supreme Court.

A judge from the US district court in Tacoma, Washington, named as Benjamin Settle, pronounced that temporary injunction. Settle, a Republican under former President George W. Bush, was appointed to his position as a former army captain.

Settle objected to the transgender service ban in March, claiming that while the government’s arguments made reference to “military judgment” in its filings, there was no “absence of any evidence” that the restriction had to do with military matters.

He wrote, “The government’s arguments are not persuasive, and this question is not particularly close to the record.”

District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, DC, one of the other judges to have issued injunctions. The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment, which enshrined the right to equal protection under the law, was challenged by 14 transgender service members in a case where she ruled.

Reyes wrote in her decision, which came shortly before Settle’s in March, that “the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed – some risking their lives” to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them.

Less than 1% of the US military’s over 2.1 million soldiers are reportedly transgender, according to estimates.

According to a senior official, there are only about 4,200 transgender service members on active duty right now, but advocates claim that figure is undercounting the risk of violence and discrimination brought on by being openly transgender.

Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, both of which support transgender service members in their campaign against Trump’s ban, have been prominent supporters. On Tuesday, the two organizations released a joint statement denouncing the high court’s ruling.

The court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice, they wrote, “by allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues.”

Inter defeat Barcelona by equalling Champions League semifinal record

After Francesco Acerbi had saved Inter Milan from the brink of elimination with a stunning equalizer deep in added time, Francesco Acerbi scored a stunning equalizer with a stunning equalizer in extra time to send his side to the Champions League final.

Inter won a rip-roaring and record-equalling 7-6 aggregate victory in the ages semifinal with the Italian side reaching the Munich final thanks to Frattesi’s goal and a string of stunning saves by goalkeeper Yann Sommer. They will face either Paris St.Germain or Arsenal on Wednesday in a game later this month.

In the first 45 minutes, Inter dominated and took the lead with a goal scored by Lautaro Martinez on the counter in the 21st minute before Hakan Calhanoglu doubled the lead with a penalty just before the break.

In the second half, Barca responded with Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo scoring within six minutes to equalize the lead. Despite Sommer working his magic to keep the hosts alive, the Catalans believed they had won the game thanks to Raphinha, who struck from close range in the 87th minute.

However, as Inter made a desperate run for an equalizer, Denzel Dumfries found 37-year-old Acerbi inside the box and fired a first-time effort into the net to add a second-half equalizer to his 20th-year European record.

Marcus Thuram’s brilliant run from the right led to Frattesi’s excellent delivery into the bottom corner, which he skillfully guided into the corner.

Eric Garcia, a defensive player for Barcelona, scored the team’s first goal with the night’s top seven goals [Piero Cruciatti/AFP]

Lamine Yamal’s teenager Lamine Yamal saved two world-class saves for Inter, who will now seek to win their fourth Champions League title and their first in 15 years, after losing to Manchester City in the final two years.

“I’m pleased that I finished the game. Frattesi told Sky Sport, “I screamed so loudly that I could see everything gone.”

I dedicate my victory to the physiotherapists because I have been struggling lately. I have no words to describe how incredible it is. The incredible occurred tonight.

After winning the Copa del Rey by defeating Real Madrid in extra-time, Barcelona will now have to concentrate on LaLiga, where they will face their old foes, who are currently four points clear of them.

Eric Garcia, a Barca defender, told Movistar Plus, “Football has been very cruel to us.” The character this team displayed was outstanding even after we were down 2-0 once more.

This has been a fantastic year for our team, which is made up of young players. The Spanish league is still open for play.

Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

NewsFeed

An Indian military strike occurred in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, at the time, according to video. According to the Indian Ministry of Defense, “Operation Sindoor” targeted a number of locations. According to Pakistan’s military, the strikes claimed the lives of at least 2 people. Pakistan is to blame for the Pahalgam attack that last month left 26 people dead, according to India.

How will Trump plan for tariffs on movies affect the global film industry?

Trump imposes 100% tariffs on US-produced movies and those that are produced abroad.

California, the birthplace of the film industry in America, has fallen behind in recent years to become the sixth-most preferred location for film production and production.

Hollywood producers are drawn to the city centers in Canada, the UK, Central Europe, and New Zealand as a result of a variety of financial advantages.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, claims he wants to “make movies in America, again” to reverse this trend.

And he’s doing it with the stick.

Trump has imposed 100 percent tariffs on American films and those imported from abroad.

Hollywood and the European film industry have been tense by the decision.

How will the tariffs be put into effect, then? Will a movie that was made outside the US be punished?

What about streaming-based content like movies? And how will the global movie industry be impacted by the tariffs?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Jurist and journalist Jonathan Handel in the field of entertainment

International Chamber of Commerce, United Kingdom Secretary-General Chris Southworth

Hollywood director, screenwriter, and author Kamran Pasha

India launches attacks on several sites in Pakistan

According to New Delhi, India has launched missiles at various locations in Pakistan and the region’s Pakistani-administered Kashmir, and Pakistan has pledged to respond to the attacks.

Following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, which denied any involvement, the nuclear-armed neighbors are at an all-time high.

The Indian government said in a statement early on Wednesday that the country’s military attacked “terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, from which terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.

Our actions were measured, focused, and non-escalatory in nature. No military installations in Pakistan have been targeted. India’s choice of targets and method of execution “has shown a lot of restraint,” it said.

Near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents examine a building that is believed to have been the target of an Indian missile attack.

In India’s attacks, Pakistan’s military reported 12 injuries and at least two fatalities.

The missiles targeted areas in eastern Punjab province and in Kashmir, which are under the control of Pakistan.

The cities of Muzaffarabad and Kotli, both of which are in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, were among the targets of Indian strikes, according to Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, who was reporting from Islamabad.

At least five locations, including two mosques, were hit, according to a Pakistani military spokesman. Without providing specifics, he claimed Pakistan’s response was in progress.

A child was killed and two civilians were hurt when missiles struck a mosque in Bahawalpur, Punjab, according to the military.

According to police and witnesses, the two sides’ armies exchanged fierce shelling and heavy gunfire across their border in disputed Kashmir after the attacks, and in at least three locations, according to the Reuters news agency.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, demanded the most deference from both sides.

The Secretary-General is concerned about Indian military operations along the border and along the international border. According to the spokesperson, he demands the use of the most military restraint in both nations.

A military conflict between India and Pakistan cannot be tolerated by the world.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, described the incidents as “a shame.”

Trump said at the White House, “I just hope it ends very quickly.

Following last month’s attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, the violence erupted as a result of a growing upheaval between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

India gave India a promise to respond after the violence, which resulted in the deaths of 26 men. Pakistan denied involvement in the killings.

The strikes are “very concerning,” according to Nitasha Kaul, the Center for the Study of Democracy director.

The Kashmiris, who are caught between India and Pakistan’s competing and proprietorial and rival postures and attitudes, are “once more going to be the worst affected,” Kaul said.

Despite the fact that there is a particularly hyper-nationalist government in place, she said, the escalation is “not that surprising” because of domestic pressure mounting for a more militarist response.