Trans Navy Commander Says Trump's Ban Would Leave ‘Critical Holes' in America's Military
A day after interviewing Republican representative Dan Crenshaw, Kaitlan Collins invited another guest on 'The Source' to discuss Donald Trump's recent executive order banning transgender troops from serving openly in the military.
'I have been at the pinnacle of naval aviation. I'm proof standing here that we're qualified to serve,' Navy Commander Emily Shilling told Collins. Over her 19-and-a-half years of service, Shilling has completed two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a pilot and has seen 60 combat missions. She is also the president of SPARTA, an advocacy group for transgender troops.
Shilling was one of the first naval aviators to regain her flight clearance post-transition. She estimated that her transition kept her out of action for 'about a month,' a period of time she likened to a minor knee surgery. She also noted that some people who transition never even take down time. Shilling further noted that the organization was 'rightfully medically conservative.'
'I'm going to go fly a $100 million aircraft, the F-18, which you saw in 'Top Gun 2.' So they ran me through every psychological evaluation, every physical evaluation you can think of. And at the end of the day there was no reason to keep me out of the cockpit,' Shilling explained. 'We see this with all the troops that are deployed across the world today already embedded in combat units. We have lawyers, doctors, special forces, rangers, and they're all there today. If we yank them out, it leaves critical holes that are going to take decades to fill.'
Shilling also said that, based on the feedback she's received, her transition has made her a better leader. She now has an easier time connecting to her subordinates in 'a more authentic way because I can meet them wherever they are.' It's also work that she wants to continue doing.
'I have no desire to get out,' Shilling added.
The commander ended her interview by saying she would 'welcome' having a conversation with the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. She also remained respectful toward President Trump.
'The executive order actually just asked the SecDef to generate new policy. If you read his most recent memo to the troops, the last line says that he supports all members and all families of the armed forces,' Shilling said. 'I hope he stands by those words.'
The post Trans Navy Commander Says Trump's Ban Would Leave 'Critical Holes' in America's Military | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opelousas Museum launches Neighborhoods Project
OPELOUSAS, La. () — Historic preservation has always been a priority as Opelousas continues to evolve. Now, Patrice Melnick with the is continuing that mission with the Where We Live: Opelousas Neighborhoods Project. 'The main idea of the project is to highlight the neighborhoods, and they have names like the Brickyard and the Oil Mill and Garland, and they're commonly known, but they don't appear on maps. So, we want to raise the profiles of the neighborhoods especially the profiles of the people who lived there,' Melnick said in an interview with News 10. The way the museum plans to accomplish that goal is by having residents take pictures in their neighborhoods along with written stories about their memories. 'At the end of the project, which will be the end of the year, we're going to print some of those photographs and we're going to have an art show,' said Melnick. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Melnick is also asking for assistance in labeling these special areas on a map of the city. 'We have one map that has the neighborhoods,' Melnick explained. 'Some of them may be wrong. So, we encourage people to we have a blank map with an invitation for people to come and draw in where their neighborhoods are. And even what's cool in each neighborhood.' With so much history in the city, Melnick says the people who live in it will tell the story of the city in the most genuine way possible. 'People are very proud of where they come from,' Melnick said. 'They're proud of their neighborhoods. It's a part of their identity. They have memories and a lot of associations, a lot of time that has to do with family and community. And so, it's exciting to hear those stories and to share them. And maybe it'll create a stronger sense of community between us.' For more on the Opelousas Neighborhoods Project, visit the link. Senators itching for Trump green light to move on Russia sanctions Concerns grow over river diversion project in Atchafalaya Basin Opelousas Museum launches Neighborhoods Project A Quiet Week of Weather With Near Normal Temperatures… Trump team emphasizes immigration in Boulder response Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Student Loans: Ed Dept pauses plan to garnish Social Security checks
(NewsNation) — The Trump administration has paused a plan to garnish the Social Security checks of those who have defaulted on their student loans, an Education Department official told NewsNation on Monday. 'The Department has not offset any social security benefits since restarting collections on May 5, and has put a pause on any future social security offsets,' Ellen Keast, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement to NewsNation. The announcement will come as welcome news to hundreds of thousands of older Americans with defaulted student loans, after the Education Department warned in May that federal benefits would be subject to offset as soon as this month. Social Security plans to add AI to phone systems: Reports In May, the Education Department resumed involuntary collections on defaulted federal student loans for the first time since March 2020. As part of that process, hundreds of thousands of older borrowers were expected to be at risk of having their Social Security checks garnished. But on Monday, Keast said Social Security offsets have been paused, and that the Trump administration is 'committed to protecting social security recipients.' 'In the coming weeks, the Department will begin proactive outreach to recipients about affordable loan repayment options and help them back into good standing,' Keast said. This year, an estimated 452,000 people aged 62 and older had student loans in default and were likely to experience the renewed forced collections, according to a January report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Social Security increase missing? Here's what to do The Education Department did not say whether the garnishment pause applied only to Social Security benefits or also to other federal benefits. NewsNation has asked for clarification. The Social Security Administration (SSA) did not respond to NewsNation's request for comment. When the Education Department initially announced the restart of involuntary collections, it warned that the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) would begin administrative wage garnishment 'later this summer' after sending required notices. Last month, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration's plan to move the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration, keeping the Education Department in charge of managing those loans, CNBC reported. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Walmart and Target workers are sharing pics of price increases amid Trump's trade war
Workers at Walmart and Target have been sharing evidence of price hikes that they believe to be caused by Donald Trump's tariffs. Since announcing his "Liberation Day" import taxes at the start of April, Trump has repeatedly raged at companies not to raise their prices — including Walmart, Ford, and Mattel. "Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices," he posted last month. "Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, 'EAT THE TARIFFS,' and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I'll be watching, and so will your customers!" But on Reddit boards dedicated to the two U.S. retail giants, eagle-eyed workers have also been tracking the situation. "I work in Toys and we had about 600 price changes in the last couple days... EVERYTHING went up," one user posted last week. "Most things went up $4, but the bigger toys like RCs and hover boards jumped a whole $40-50. It's f***ing crazy." Another said: "I work apparel and we've had to start tearing off the parts on the price tags where they had the original price, 'cause majority went up $5-$10 more." One photo posted by a Walmart worker early May showed a toddler's ring-stacking toy increasing from $5.88 to $19.97 — a 240 percent increase. The toy is currently listed online for $8.23. Meanwhile, a Target worker uploaded a snap of them replacing the $9.99 tag on a six-foot phone charging cable with a new tag for $17.99, jacking up its price by 80 per cent. Other examples reported by Business Insider and Buzzfeed News, posted by both workers and customers, showed a dinosaur toy rising 38 percent from $39.92 to $55; a fishing reel jumping 45 percent from $57.37 to $83.26; a tablet computer climbing 23 percent from $79 to $97; and a roll of tape more than doubling from $4.24 to $9.94. Both Walmart and Target executives have warned that they might soon have to raise prices due to Trump's tariffs on imported goods, which make it more expensive for companies to source products or components from other countries. "We're wired for everyday low prices, but the magnitude of these increases is more than any retailer can absorb," Walmart's chief financial officer told CNBC last month. It's not clear whether either retailer is raising prices systematically across the board, and inflation figures for April showed little impact from Trump's tariffs. The Independent has asked Walmart and Target for comment. Retailers regularly change prices for all kinds of reasons, such as seasonal sales, temporary supply chain glitches, extreme weather due to global warming, or simple errors. Nevertheless, many store workers on Reddit said they were seeing unusual numbers of price changes in their departments — a labor-intensive process for stores that have not implemented electronic price displays, since every label must be replaced by hand. "Tons of price changes today," reported one Walmart worker in April. "It's been like that since the tariff stuff started," another replied. "Been doing price change everyday for the past four months or so, and seeing everything going up all at once is really making me sad," said a Target worker in late May. "I just feel terrible putting all these ridiculously high prices up." Some shared screenshots purportedly from their companies' internal apps, or photos of the giant stacks of tags they were sorting through, claiming there had been thousands or even tens of thousands of changes at their store. "What the actual F?" posted one Walmart worker in late April, alongside a screenshot showing 5,000 price changes that day alone. Another worker responded wryly: "Slow day?"
