Europe's Far Right Blasts Trump Trade Deal as Support Wavers
The EU agreed to accept a 15% tariff on most of its exports, while the bloc's average tariff rate on American goods should drop below 1% once the deal goes into effect. The bloc's trade chief, Maros Sefcovic, conceded on Monday that it was 'the best deal we could get under very difficult circumstances.'
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New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Air Force denies early retirement pay to some transgender service members
The US Air Force announced Thursday that transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years will not be able to obtain early retirement benefits. Those transgender service members – forced out of the Air Force under President Trump's January executive order targeting 'gender radicalism' in the military – will instead have the option to take a lump-sum separation payment or be removed. The move follows President Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. AP The Air Force, however, approved early retirement for self-identifying transgender service members with 18-20 years of honorable service. 'Although service members with 15-18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved,' an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. 'Approximately a dozen service members between 15 and 18 years of service were prematurely notified that their [early retirement] applications under the gender dysphoria provision had been approved,' the spokesperson added, noting that a higher-level review was required. Voluntary separation pay at double the amount of involuntary separation pay will be offered to those with 15-18 years of service and 'remaining military service obligations, including service obligations incurred as a result of a bonus or transfer of post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to dependents will be waived.' Military officials indicated that it is rare for early retirement benefits to be granted to people with 15 to 18 years of service time, according to CBS News. Approximately 1,000 service members self-identify as being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to the Pentagon. There are roughly 1.3 million active duty troops. Transgender service members not granted early retirement will be eligible for a lump-sum payment if they leave voluntarily. SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock There are no current tallies of how many transgender service members are in the services, but a 2016 Defense Department survey estimated there were 8,980 active duty and 5,727 reserve troops who identified as transgender, according to a 2018 report by the Palm Center, a California-based think tank. That included '1,850 transgender men (who joined the military as women) and 7,129 transgender women (who joined the military as men),' the report said. The Pentagon moved forward with Trump's transgender troop ban after it was granted permission by the Supreme Court in May. 'TRANS is out at the DOD,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X at the time. 'This is the president's agenda,' Hegseth said in a separate video message. 'This is what the American people voted for, and we're going to continue to relentlessly pursue it.'
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Gerrymandering is driving US politics mad — Congress, step in
The principle of one person, one vote — a defining feature of American democracy — means that every citizen has equal representation and an equal voice in our government. As our nation has grown, redistricting protects equal representation: Congressional and other legislative districts must be revised following each decennial US Census to account for population changes. Unfortunately, both Democrats and Republicans have sought to inject partisan gerrymandering into the redistricting process. Advertisement This pernicious tactic has quietly eroded the foundations of our democracy, as both parties manipulate district boundaries for political advantage and thereby polarize the electorate. As gerrymandered Democrat and Republican-held districts become uncompetitive, elected officials lose their incentive to appeal to the middle and find common ground. Instead, elected officials on both sides are forced to gravitate toward the extremes to guard against the threat of party primaries — pushing both parties further from the center and deeper into the partisan trenches, fracturing Congress and alienating everyday voters. Advertisement Through the compounding effect of partisan gerrymandering, bipartisan compromise has become increasingly rare at virtually every level of government — making it nearly impossible to solve critical issues like affordability and health care reform. As recently as 2002, 125 districts in the US House of Representatives were considered 'competitive' — that is, decided by 5% or less in presidential or congressional elections. Two decades later, this number dropped by nearly 75% after successive rounds of gerrymandering in states like Illinois, judged by many to be the most egregious in America. Advertisement In 2024, fewer than 35 House seats were decided by 5% or less, highlighting how sharply competition has declined — and underscoring the urgent need for reform. In 2014, New York voters recognized the dangers of partisan gerrymandering. They overwhelmingly adopted an amendment to the state Constitution to remove party politics from the redistricting process. Specifically, the New York state Constitution now requires congressional and state legislative district lines to respect minority rights and maintain communities of interest, and it explicitly forbids drawing districts to benefit incumbents or political parties. Advertisement To further remove politics in Washington or Albany from the redistricting process, the voters also created a bipartisan independent redistricting commission to ensure fairness and transparency as new lines are drawn. Armed with the governor's mansion and supermajority control (or close to it) over each state legislative chamber, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Democrats attempted to bypass these safeguards after the last census, ramming through a partisan congressional redistricting plan designed to disenfranchise the state's Republican voters. But New York's highest court thwarted their nefarious scheme in 2022, resulting in the most competitive and fairly drawn congressional map in decades. The Court of Appeals' landmark decision demonstrated the importance of clearly defined constitutional standards coupled with independent judicial oversight. Outside New York, however, the US Supreme Court's 2019 ruling in Rucho v. Common Cause dealt a severe blow to those seeking to rein in partisan gerrymandering. The 5-4 decision found that federal courts lack the jurisdiction to challenge even the most outrageous cases. Advertisement While Chief Justice John Roberts' ruling recognized the harmful effects of gerrymandering, it left the issue to the states or Congress to resolve, effectively removing a crucial check on partisan abuses. Now, c Gov. Greg Abbott's expressly partisan attempt to redraw the state's congressional districts — and bolster my own party's ability to retain control of the House in the coming midterms — has ignited an unseemly tit-for-tat redistricting race between red and blue states. And despite my state's explicit ban on both partisan and mid-decade redistricting, Hochul has publicly pledged to remove these protections from the state Constitution — and dismantle New York's independent redistricting commission. As this political arms race takes aim at American democracy from all sides, Congress has a responsibility to respond to the Supreme Court's 2019 call. Advertisement We must adopt a national ban on partisan gerrymandering and strictly limit the redistricting process to a once-a-decade event following the US Census. This solution will strengthen our democracy by ensuring that competitive districts — whose representatives must appeal broadly to their constituents — exist. That will foster cooperation instead of partisanship and division in Congress. Advertisement Moreover, it will empower voters, restoring their ability to hold elected officials accountable through competitive elections. The stakes are high and the time to act is now. Let's restore competition to our elections. Our democracy deserves nothing less. Mike Lawler represents New York's Hudson Valley area in the US House of Representatives.
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
JPMorgan denied it debanked former Kansas governor Sam Brownback over conservative, religious views: report
JPMorgan Chase denied claims that it 'debanked' former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback over his conservative and religious views, according to a report Thursday. The bank said it did not receive information it had requested from Brownback before it closed the account, according to an October 2022 letter viewed by Reuters. Brownback, a Republican who chairs the National Committee for Religious Freedom, has accused JPMorgan of shuttering the account in 2022 on religious grounds. Advertisement 3 Sam Brownback at a National Day of Prayer event. Jason Alatidd/Topeka Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK He alleged the nation's largest bank refuses business to conservatives and religious groups. 'We don't discontinue client relationships because of a religious or political affiliation, and we didn't with your account,' Larry Thode, a managing director at JPMorgan, wrote in a previously unreported letter from October 2022. Advertisement 'The information your organization gave to us at account opening triggered our request for additional information. That had nothing to do with any religious affiliation.' He added that the bank did not obtain the necessary information before the account was closed because its employees were unable to connect with Brownback's staff. 'The most suspicious thing about our case is that even after their October 2022 letter Chase continued to change their rationale for closing our account,' Brownback told The Post in a statement. A spokesperson for Brownback said the bank still has not addressed why the account was closed just three weeks after opening, and that the group was not given 60 days to respond to the bank's inquiries. Advertisement JPMorgan and Thode did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. 3 JPMorgan Chase said it did not receive information it had requested before it closed the account, according to a letter. Christopher Sadowski Meanwhile, President Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will slap banks that discriminate against conservatives with fines and other penalties. It will also retroactively target financial institutions that have closed accounts on political or religious grounds in the past. Advertisement 'President Trump is addressing unfair banking practices and protecting the American people from being denied access to financial services due to their political party or religious beliefs,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told The Post. Earlier this week, Trump claimed that JPMorgan, Bank of America and other banks 'discriminated against me very badly' when they refused to accept more than $1 billion of his deposits. 3 President Trump is poised to crack down on debanking practices in an executive order Thursday. REUTERS For months, the president has railed against debanking practices. He blasted Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan earlier this year, who he said 'was kissing my ass when I was president' but wouldn't accept the deposits after his first term ended. Brownback alleged JPMorgan abruptly shuttered the religious committee's account in 2022. 'When I tried to deposit a donation at a local Chase branch, I was informed the bank had closed our account — without giving me any reason why,' Brownback wrote in an op-ed for The Post earlier this year. Advertisement 'Over the course of the next year, a stream of Chase employees offered up no fewer than four conflicting explanations for why it had canceled our account,' he added. Banks are required to carry out due diligence under anti-money laundering programs, including specific guidelines for charities and non-profit organizations, like the National Committee for Religious Freedom.
