The MAGA Fight Over Iran, and a Critical Ruling on Transgender Youth Care
Hosted by Michael Simon Johnson
Produced and edited by Will JarvisMichael Simon Johnson and Jessica Metzger
Featuring Jess Bidgood and Abbie VanSickle
Israel Says Iranian Missile Strikes Hospital and Vows to Intensify Attacks, by Adam Rasgon, Ephrat Livni and David E. Sanger
Trump's Base in Uproar Over His Openness to Joining Iran Fight, by Jess Bidgood
The Court Upheld a State Ban on Transgender Care for Minors. Here's What We Know, by Abbie VanSickle
What Has Medical Research Found on Gender Treatments for Trans Youth?, by Azeen Ghorayshi
Trump Administration Will End L.G.B.T.Q. Suicide Prevention Service, by Maggie Astor
Justice Dept. to Cut Two-Thirds of Inspectors Monitoring Gun Sales, by Glenn Thrush
Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting, by Christopher F. Schuetze
David Lynch's Director's Chair Sells for $70,000 at Los Angeles Auction, by Derrick Bryson Taylor and Pamela Chelin
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Miami Herald
8 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Why Iran War Hurts China More Than America
China's energy supply from the Middle East could face severe disruptions as the Israel-Iran conflict threatens to spill over into a wider regional war. The industrial superpower's $19 trillion economy relies heavily on coal, natural gas and crude oil for manufacturing. China was the world's largest consumer of energy in 2024 and the second-largest consumer of oil behind the United States, according to the London-based Energy Institute. Israel has launched a week of airstrikes targeting sites in Iran, including facilities central to Tehran's nuclear program, but its energy export infrastructure has so far been spared. That could change as the war intensifies, and fears are growing that Iranian political leaders could respond to any U.S. military intervention by blockading the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Officially, China imported no oil from Iran last year. However, energy researchers say Iranian oil delivered via unofficial channels, such as transshipment, largely end up in the country's smaller independent refineries. The U.S. has sanctioned Chinese entities that allegedly assist in Iran's secret oil trade in defiance of Western restrictions. Over 90 percent of Iran's sanctioned-and therefore cheaper-crude oil exports go to China, including via transshipment points such as Malaysia, said commodities analysts at Kpler. But Chinese energy imports are further exposed in or near the Persian Gulf, where six of its top 10 oil suppliers are found in official government statistics. While Beijing's top oil supplier in 2024 was neighboring Russia, shipments from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar together accounted for over half of China's oil imports, according to Newsweek's analysis of available customs data. The U.S. bought the bulk of its crude oil from Canada. Saudi Arabia and Iraq were among its top 10 suppliers but only accounted for around 8 percent of its imports. Energy markets are jittery. U.S. President Donald Trump's call for Iran's "unconditioned surrender" sent up oil prices this week, but global costs would spike if Tehran follows through on its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean region. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that up to 20 million barrels of crude oil each day flow through the waterway, which is just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. Oil prices are still on the rise as the Israel-Iran missile war enters its seventh day. West Texas Intermediate crude, a U.S. price measurement, topped $76 per barrel, a five-month high. The international standard Brent crude reached $77 per barrel, a four-month high. A major conflict that cuts off supply lines from the region could result in a global economic shock that sends oil above $100 per barrel. Prices last reached that point in March 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Officials in Beijing appear to be planning for the worst. China has been building up crude oil stockpiles by refining less than it buys and produces itself, according to Reuters. What's more, disruptions in the Middle East could directly benefit Russia, among the world's top energy exporters. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment after hours. Howard J. Shatz, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, said in analysis published by the think tank this week: "Oil prices jumped with the start of Israel's action against Iran, suggesting that oil markets see increased risk, but it is too soon to reach a concrete judgment on global economic consequences. "There will be two specific factors to watch to make a better judgment as to global economic consequences: first, whether Iran attacks Gulf Arab oil infrastructure, and second, whether passage through the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. If either or both happen, energy prices are likely to rise much further, raising the risk of a global recession. If neither happens, there will be heightened risk, but more modest energy price increases to which the world can probably adjust, although with a modest drag on growth." World leaders have moved to inject calm in the Middle East, the latest being Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who in a call on Thursday condemned Israel for escalating tensions by striking Iran. "If the conflict escalates further, not only will the conflicting parties suffer greater losses, but regional countries will also suffer greatly," Xi said, according to China's official Xinhua news agency. "The parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease fire as soon as possible to prevent the situation from escalating in turn and resolutely avoid the spillover of war," he added. Related Articles Video of Theo Von Sounding Alarm on Possible War With Iran Takes Off OnlineSatellite Images Show Iran's Buried Nuclear Sites That Trump Could StrikeRussia's Alliance With Iran Explained Following Nuclear WarningPutin is Close to Losing His Grip on the Middle East 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House Fumes at ‘Ugly' Sculpture Mocking ‘Dictator' Trump's Birthday Parade
The White House has issued a scathing response to a statue erected on the National Mall to protest President Donald Trump's military birthday parade. Titled 'Dictator Approved,' the 8-foot-tall sculpture features a gold-painted hand giving a thumbs up while crushing the Statue of Liberty's verdigris crown. Its base is decorated with four plaques highlighting quotes from authoritarian leaders praising Trump. According to a permit for the installation issued by the National Park Service, the piece was meant as a rebuke to Trump's June 14 parade celebrating the Army's 250th anniversary—which coincided with Trump's 79th birthday, The Washington Post reported. The parade 'feature[ed] imagery similar to autocratic, oppressive regimes' like North Korea, Russia, and China, the statue's creators—who so far haven't been identified—wrote in the application. 'If these Democrat activists were living in a dictatorship, their eye-sore of a sculpture wouldn't be sitting on the National Mall right now,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, wrote to the Post an emailed statement. 'In the United States of America you have the freedom to display your so-called 'art,' no matter how ugly it is,' she added. The plaques on the base quote Russian President Vladimir Putin saying, 'President Trump is a very bright and talented man,' and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying, 'The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump.' A glowing quote from former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro says, 'We do have a great deal of shared values. I admire President Trump.' And North Korea's Kim Jong Un is quoted as saying the phrases, 'Your excellency,' 'A 'special relationship' and, 'The extraordinary courage of President Trump.' The statue can stay up through Sunday, according to the National Parks Service permit. The style and materials used are similar to protest artworks put up around Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Oregon, and New York last fall. One of those pieces depicted a pile of poop left on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)'s desk in mock 'tribute' to the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed and defiled the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat. Trump's $45 million military parade drew thin crowds and was poorly attended even by Republicans, though the president declared it a 'tremendous success.' Critics accused the president—who insisted on having tanks rolling through the streets of D.C.—of staging a Soviet-style event and using the troops as political pawns. The event coincided with millions of Americans protesting his administration at 'No Kings' rallies nationwide.
USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
Potential 2028 Dems quiet after Supreme Court upholds ban on care for some transgender minors
Potential 2028 Dems quiet after Supreme Court upholds ban on care for some transgender minors Show Caption Hide Caption Activists react to SCOTUS ruling gender-affirming care ban for minors Transgender activists are reacting to a new SCOTUS ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The Supreme Court's conservative-leaning justices this week upheld a Tennessee ban on some gender-affirming care for youths, prompting immediate criticism from their liberal-leaning colleagues. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that 'the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.' But one group on the left has been quiet since the ruling sent shockwaves: Democratic leaders across the country eyed as potential 2028 White House picks. The lack of response to the 6-3 ruling underscores what some political observers have called the party's continued nervousness over how to address an issue that became pivotal in the 2024 election. It also shows how fraught the topic may remain heading into the 2026 midterms that will decide control of Congress. President Donald Trump campaigned heavily on a promise to ban gender-affirming care for youth and prevent transgender athletes from competing – and he's taken several executive actions impacting transgender Americans since the start of his second term. Here's what to know about how prominent Democrats responded to the Supreme Court's ruling. What happened? The decision, in which the court said preventing minors from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy does not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, was immediately criticized by liberal and progressive groups, like Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. The court's ruling comes after Trump and Republicans made transgender rights a key part of the final weeks of the 2024 campaign. "Kamala supports tax-payer funded sex changes for prisoners," one of Trump's campaign ads alleged about then-Vice President Kamala Harris. "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you." Some Democrats called the ads among the most effective of the campaign, according to multiple reports last year. And in recent months some Democrats have worked to separate their party from elements of transgender rights efforts. For example, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines in March when he suggested transgender athletes' participation in women's sports was 'deeply unfair' and acknowledged the campaign ad was "devastating." Since taking office in January, Trump has signed executive orders to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports, end federal support for gender-affirming care and prevent transgender people from serving openly in the military. Trump also signed on his first day back in office an order declaring that the government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. Governors quiet Newsom of California, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, the three governors considered leading contenders to run for president in 2028, all kept quiet after the Supreme Court's decision this week. Most forthcoming of the party's potential 2028 contenders was Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, who has a transgender cousin, and who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Illinois has protections to "meet this very moment.' 'In a time of increasing overreach and hateful rhetoric, it's more important than ever to reaffirm our commitment to the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community,' he added. 'You have a home here always.' Rank and file Reaction among Democrats on Capitol Hill was largely quiet as well, though several members of Congress did make statements. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York denounced the decision on the Senate floor as part of a 'cruel crusade against trans Americans.' On social media he called it a distraction from issues impacting all people, regardless of gender identity. His counterpart in the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York did not mention it in a news release or on social media. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, pointed out in a statement that 24 other states have similar laws blocking some gender-affirming care for transgender youths. "Today, hate won," he said, alleging the Supreme Court's conservative-leaning justices "endorsed hate and discrimination by delivering a win for Republicans who have relentlessly and cruelly attacked transgender Americans for years." 'Once again, politicians and judges are inserting themselves in exam rooms,' Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Delaware, the nation's first openly transgender member of Congress, said Wednesday on X, formerly called Twitter. 'This ruling undermines doctors in delivering care to some of the most vulnerable patients in our country.'
