Ban on gender treatments for kids defended by Republican AGs ahead of Supreme Court oral arguments
FIRST ON FOX: Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is defending his state’s right to ban sex-change surgeries for children ahead of oral arguments in the Supreme Court this fall. The law, passed in 2023, prohibits medical providers from performing sex-change surgeries on minors as well as puberty blockers and other hormone-suppressing treatments. The American Civil Liberties Union is one of the plaintiffs in the case challenging Tennessee’s law. The Supreme Court reconvened for its October term last week. Skrmetti has filed an amicus brief alongside Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, doubling down on the Volunteer State’s ban. “The reason it’s getting attention now is because it’s fairly new,” Skrmetti told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We’ve seen a really dramatic increase in both the overall number of kids who are accessing these procedures, and especially the number of girls who are getting these procedures, that number has skyrocketed from where it was, and it was only a matter of time before this sort of elevated itself as an issue.” WHISTLEBLOWER AT TRANS CARE CENTER EXPOSES ‘APPALLING’ PRACTICES INSIDE GENDER-AFFIRMING HOSPITAL FOR KIDS He added, “There are a lot of lawsuits involving gender identity issues, and so, you know, it’s a consequence of this going from something that was not particularly prominent to something that is very prominent, with a lot, lot, lot more kids affected by it, and a lot more doctors engaged in the practice of providing these transition treatments.” “This is a case about kids,” Skrmetti said. “This is a law that differentiates on the basis of age. And if you look at the evidence, the evidence is most kids who have gender identity issues outgrow them.” Bailey told Fox News Digital in a statement that it is “imperative” that the Supreme Court know “what is happening to America’s children on the ground in these clinics.” “Radical activists are lying to parents and preying upon vulnerable children. When a credible whistleblower comes forward and swears under oath that children are being experimented on without parental knowledge, I take that seriously,” Bailey said. The 18-page brief, which was filed to the Supreme Court last week, includes affidavit testimony from a Missouri whistleblower – identified as Jamie Reed – claiming transgender medical centers have pressured parents into “consenting” to such transgender treatments “by falsely telling parents their children will kill themselves if they did not receive interventions,” the document states. OVER 5,700 CHILDREN IN 5-YEAR PERIOD HAD GENDER SURGERIES, MOST FROM 5 LIBERAL STATES: WATCHDOG “There is every reason to believe these problems affect more than just the largest transgender center in Missouri,” the briefing states. “The whistleblower testified she was aware of similar problems in other clinics; New York Times and other reporting have corroborated these problems occurring in other clinics.” In her affidavit, Reed, a former Washington University’s infectious diseases division employee and self-identified leftist, recounted, “Doctors at the Center routinely pressured parents into ‘consenting’ by pushing those parents, threatening them, and bullying them,” even stating to parents, “You can either have a living son or a dead daughter,” in front of their children. Reed first went public with her experience last year. Reed also alleges that the center has continued medical interventions even after parents have revoked consent. She describes a scenario in which an outside ethicist expressed shock at the center’s practices during a consultation. The affidavit also claims that the actual suicide rate among transgender youth is low, citing an analysis of over 15,000 patient records from a leading gender clinic that identified a maximum suicide rate of 0.03%, with no significant change in suicide rates before and after medical interventions. Despite this data, Reed claims that parents were misled about the risks of not consenting to treatment. ABUSIVE: PEDIATRICIAN GROUP’S SUPPORT FOR TRANS THERAPIES REBUKED BY STATE AGS Reed’s affidavit states that the center advertised comprehensive mental health assessments, but in practice, she was rarely allowed to schedule patients for these evaluations due to strict limitations imposed by the center. When mental health sessions did occur, they were often limited to just one to two hours before gender transition interventions began. This approach allegedly led to medical interventions for minors with unmanaged comorbidities, including autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, PTSD and eating disorders. Reed also alleges that clinicians from the center misled the Missouri legislature by denying that minors received gender transition surgeries, despite evidence that the center referred minors for such procedures. Washington University has since acknowledged performing surgeries on minors prior to new state laws, indicating ongoing referrals despite policy changes against them, the brief states. The center also did not collect custody agreements from patients, which led to non-guardian adults bringing children in for treatment without parental consent. “Because of this policy, children would present at the clinic with non-guardian adults after guardian adults refused consent,” the brief states. Transgender treatments for children have become a hot button issue as the 2024 general election is only weeks away. While more states have banned the practice, other liberal states have passed laws shielding medical providers from criminal lawsuits brought on by more restrictive states. Last week, medical advocacy group Do No Harm conservatively identified 5,747 minor patients who received sex-change surgery, and 13,994 received some sort of gender reassignment treatment between 2019 and 2023 across the country.
Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah to take oath as CM on THIS date
The oath-taking ceremony for the new government in Jammu and Kashmir is set for October 16 with Omar Abdullah invited to lead by LG Manoj Sinha.
What is Lawrence Bishnoi’s sheild? How his gang claims high-profile targets across India?
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Air Pollution: GRAP Stage-I imposed across Delhi NCR, here are do’s, don’ts to follow
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Columbus Day Flashback: Harris excoriated European explorers for ‘wave of devastation’ to Native peoples
Vice President Kamala Harris declared in 2021 that the U.S. “must not shy away” from its “shameful past” of European explorers who she said ushered “in a wave of devastation for tribal nations,” unearthed remarks show. “Since 1934, every October, the United States has recognized the voyage of the European explorers who first landed on the shores of the Americas,” Harris said during the National Congress of American Indians’ 78th Annual Convention on Oct. 12, 2021. Her comments came one day after the nation celebrated Columbus Day that year, and when President Biden became the first president to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same holiday. Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed a proclamation in 1934 making Columbus Day a national holiday following lobbying from the Italian American and Catholic communities. “But that is not the whole story. That has never been the whole story,” Harris continued in her 2021 speech. TRUMP CAMP RIPS HARRIS OVER UNEARTHED COMMENTS ON RENAMING COLUMBUS DAY: ‘STEREOTYPICAL LEFTIST’ “Those explorers ushered in a wave of devastation for Tribal nations – perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease,” she continued. “We must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the past on Native communities today.” Harris’ unearthed comments are spreading like wildfire on social media on Monday, as the country celebrates Columbus Day. DEFACED COLUMBUS STATUE THAT WAS THROWN INTO A VIRGINIA POND FINDS MORE WELCOMING HOME IN NYC SUBURB Harris’ comments in 2021 followed her saying in 2019 that she supports efforts to rename Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Fox News Digital reported on Sunday. “Count me in on support,” Harris told a voter when asked if she supports renaming Columbus Day “Indigenous People’s Day,” footage of the event shows. COLUMBUS REMAINS, VERIFIED AFTER 500 YEARS, SHOW HE WAS JEWISH: DOCUMENTARY Harris cited recent legislation she helped author that makes lynching a federal crime as she delivered her response to the New Hampshire voter. “People did not want to deal and accept and most importantly admit that we are the scene of a crime when it comes to what we did with slavery and Jim Crow and institutionalized racism in this country, and we have to be honest about that,” she said, the Washington Times reported in 2019. “If we are not honest, we are not going to deal with the vestiges of all of that harm, and we are not going to correct course, and we are not going to be true to our values and morals.” “Similarly, when it comes to indigenous Americans, the indigenous people, there is a lot of work that we still have to do, and I appreciate and applaud your point and your effort, and count me in on support,” she said, marking her support of renaming the holiday. The Trump campaign slammed Harris over her unearthed comments in 2019, in exclusive comment to Fox News Digital on Sunday. “Kamala Harris is your stereotypical leftist. Not only does she want to raise taxes and defund the police – she also wants to cancel American traditions like Columbus Day,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump will make sure Christopher Columbus’ great legacy is honored and protect this holiday from radical leftists who want to erase our nation’s history like Kamala Harris.” FOX NATION’S ‘UNCANCELLING COLUMBUS’ EXPLORES LEFT’S EFFORT TO WARP CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS’ LEGACY A review of Harris’ X account for her vice presidency shows she has exclusively celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day over Columbus Day each year she has been in office. Columbus Day is a federal holiday that officially celebrates and recognizes Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. Activists in recent years have worked to disassociate the day from Columbus, claiming it celebrates colonialism and genocide of indigenous people, in favor of celebrating Native Americans. Activists have also worked to remove Columbus statues from cities, including toppling such statues during the riots of 2020. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Top House committee launches probe into Biden admin ‘priorities’ on FEMA hurricane relief, migrant spending
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are investigating the Department of Homeland Security’s “priorities” for its request for funding from Congress, amid an ongoing controversy over spending on illegal migrants and disaster relief. “The Committee on Homeland Security…is investigating [DHS’] prioritization of its ability to adequately respond to natural disasters,” lawmakers on the committee said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The letter comes after Mayorkas, amid hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida, warned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not have stable funding for the hurricane season, although he stressed that they do have enough for immediate needs. The administration has urged Congress to pass a supplemental spending bill. MAYORKAS DOUBLES DOWN, HAMMERS ‘PERNICIOUS’ MISINFORMATION AMID FEMA CRITICISM “We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will,” he said earlier this month. “This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery. Amid those calls for more funding for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), conservatives have pointed to grants administered by FEMA for non-profits and local communities receiving illegal immigrants during the historic border crisis. The funding this year consists of $650 million, using funding moved over from Customs and Border Protection. DHS has noted repeatedly that that funding is congressionally appropriated and is a separate funding channel from the Disaster Relief Fund, which has not been affected by the funding for migrants. It has pushed back against some claims by conservatives that disaster money has been taken and used on migrants. SENATORS FEAR FEMA ‘ENTANGLEMENT’ WITH BORDER CRISIS COULD HURT DISASTER RESPONSE MISSION “These claims are completely false,” a DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. “As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.” The Republican lawmakers acknowledge that the funding streams are separate but note that Congress has met or exceeded budget requests for disaster relief with $61.2 billion for the DRF in FY 23 and FY 24. “The Committee, however, is troubled that the Department and FEMA may not have properly apprised Congress of its need for additional disaster relief funds while simultaneously requesting large sums of monies to fund FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a grant program to fund nonfederal entities for shelter and services provided to migrants encountered by the Department, including illegal aliens,” they say. The lawmakers say that FEMA has disbursed more than $1.4 billion through both the SSP and a previous Emergency Food and Shelter Program for humanitarian aid. (EFSP-H). CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “Meanwhile, $344 million, an only slightly greater amount, has been spent on federal assistance for the communities impacted by Hurricane Helene,” they say. “While the Committee understands that there is no intermingling of funds between the DRF and SSP, the Department’s priorities for limited resources provided by taxpayers to the Department should first and foremost serve Americans,” they add. The committee is seeking all documents and communications from FEMA and DHS on funding for SSP and EFSP-H, as well as the DRF, and anything identifying those entities that have received grants. It is the latest Republican grilling on the matter. A group of GOP senators last week wrote to the administration asking if a “continued entanglement in DHS’s efforts to respond to the border crisis could impact its readiness and emergency response mission.” They also say that budget requests to Congress asked it to continue funding FEMA’s border-related work. “FEMA’s efforts responding to the border crisis could have been much more limited if your Administration would have instead used your authorities to secure the border.”
Ohio GOP Senate challenger reacts to polls showing dead heat in critical Senate race: ‘Radical liberal’
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno spoke to Fox News Digital on the campaign trail about why he believes that recent polls are showing him essentially in a dead heat within the margin of error with incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown after months of trailing him. “It’s time for a change,” told Fox News Digital outside the Franklin County Board of Elections where Ohio Republicans encouraged voters to cast their votes early as part of former President Trump’s “Swamp the Vote” platform. “Give Republicans a chance to govern and we’re going to make your lives better. Look, Sherrod Brown has seen 200,000 manufacturing jobs leave this state in his 30 years in D.C. And I’ll end with this. And I hope it’s the lead story in every one of your reports. Go back to 1992. U.S. Sherrod Brown ran on two promises. He made two promises, think about this, guys, he made two promises to the American people, to the people of Ohio, term limits and restore manufacturing.” Moreno continued, “200,000 manufacturing jobs lost and he said that anybody who’s in Washington, D.C., for more than ten years is a crook. Take him for his word.” NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY IN OHIO: ‘VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT’ “We started advertising, that’s number one,” Moreno said about why he believes the polls have tightened in the Ohio senate race. “Sherrod Brown spent the fortune over the summer saying that he’d cure cancer. The other half said, I cause cancer. Of course. Neither one is true. We started advertising. We didn’t take personal shots because we won’t do that. Our campaign is simple. Look at his voting record.” Moreno pointed to Brown voting with Biden nearly 100% of the time and said he “stabbed Trump in the back” multiple times when voting for amendments. A Washington Post poll released this week conducted between October 3rd and 7th found that Brown leads Moreno 48-47 well within the margin of error of 3.5 points after Brown has led by a greater margin in most of the polling so far. “He’s somebody who’s completely different in Washington, D.C.,” Moreno said of Brown who has been running ads promising to work with presidents of any party and touting his record on illegal immigration in a state where Trump won by 8 points in 2020. FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF ‘RACISM’: ‘IT WORKS FOR THEM’ “I have senators like Senator Hagerty,” Moreno said while standing next to Sen. Bill Hagerty in front of the Moreno campaign bus. “Who has been with me since the beginning of this campaign during the primary, who look and go, ‘who’s this guy on TV? He looks a lot like Sherrod Brown, but it can’t be Sherrod Brown because the guy I know in Washington, D.C., is a radical liberal. The guy on TV is something completely different.’ But that’s what we see. And I think as people see that exposure. We’re now tied in the polls. But he’s at 46%. Look, we’re going to win.” Many experts believe the Ohio Senate race will play a critical role in determining which party controls the Senate next year and the Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “toss up.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
Ohio GOP Senate challenger flips script on Dem incumbent’s first campaign promises as poll numbers tighten
COLUMBUS – Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno took aim at his Democratic opponent during a recent campaign event by resurfacing a couple of Sen. Sherrod Brown’s campaign promises from over 30 years ago and highlighting how he has broken both promises. “It’s time for a change,” Moreno told Fox News Digital outside the Franklin County Board of Elections, where Ohio Republicans encouraged voters to cast their votes early as part of former President Donald Trump’s “Swamp the Vote” platform. “Give Republicans a chance to govern, and we’re going to make your lives better. Look, Sherrod Brown has seen 200,000 manufacturing jobs leave this state in his 30 years in D.C.,” Moreno said. “Go back to 1992. U.S. Sherrod Brown ran on two promises. He made two promises, think about this, guys, he made two promises to the American people, to the people of Ohio, term limits and restore manufacturing.” “200,000 manufacturing jobs lost, and he said that anybody who’s in Washington, D.C., for more than 10 years is a crook. Take him for his word,” he added. NRA TARGETS SEN SHERROD BROWN IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY IN OHIO: ‘VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT’ “We started advertising, that’s number one,” Moreno said, highlighting why he believes that recent polls are showing him essentially in a dead heat within the margin of error with Brown after trailing him for months. “Sherrod Brown spent the fortune over the summer saying that he’d cure cancer. The other half said, I cause cancer. Of course. Neither one is true. We started advertising. We didn’t take personal shots because we won’t do that. Our campaign is simple. Look at his voting record.” Moreno pointed to Brown supporting President Biden’s agenda nearly 100% of the time and said he “stabbed Trump in the back” multiple times when voting for amendments. A Washington Post poll released this week conducted between Oct. 3-7 found that Brown leads Moreno 48-47, well within the margin of error of 3.5 points after Brown has led by a greater margin in most of the polls so far. “He’s somebody who’s completely different in Washington, D.C.,” Moreno said of Brown, who has been running ads promising to work with presidents of any party and touting his record on illegal immigration in a state where Trump won by eight points in 2020. FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF ‘RACISM’: ‘IT WORKS FOR THEM’ “I have senators like Senator Hagerty,” Moreno said while standing next to Sen. Bill Hagerty in front of the Moreno campaign bus. “Who has been with me since the beginning of this campaign during the primary, who look and go, ‘who’s this guy on TV? He looks a lot like Sherrod Brown, but it can’t be Sherrod Brown because the guy I know in Washington, D.C., is a radical liberal. The guy on TV is something completely different.’ But that’s what we see. And I think as people see that exposure. We’re now tied in the polls. But he’s at 46%. Look, we’re going to win.” Many experts believe the Ohio Senate race will play a critical role in determining which party controls the Senate next year and the Cook Political Report ranks the race as a “toss up.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Brown campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
Harris, Trump battle for the biggest of the battlegrounds: ‘It’s clearly ground zero’
With a margin-of-error race and just three weeks to go until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump on Monday each campaigned in the biggest of the battleground states. But the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees will be on the opposite ends of Pennsylvania, with Harris holding events in Erie, in the northwest corner of the state, and Trump in suburban Philadelphia, in the southeastern portion of the commonwealth. It’s the vice president’s 10th visit to Pennsylvania since replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in mid-July. Trump’s also been a frequent visitor, with rallies in Scranton and Reading less than a week ago. POLLS: TRUMP CLOSING GAP WITH HARRIS WITH THREE WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada, had razor-thin margins that decided Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump. And the seven states will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the 2024 presidential election. But with 19 electoral votes at stake, Pennsylvania’s the biggest of the key battlegrounds. And while the campaigns and their allied super PACs are pouring resources into all seven states, more money has been spent to run spots in Pennsylvania than any of the other battlegrounds, according to figures from AdImpact, a top national ad tracking firm. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW Harris starts her latest stop in the Keystone State with a conversation with Erie area Black men at a locally owned small business, as part of her efforts to court a group of voters traditionally loyal to the Democratic Party. The vice president will then headline a rally at the Erie Insurance Arena. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman is also scheduled to speak. “At the rally, the Vice President will highlight her vision for a New Way Forward, while encouraging Pennsylvanians to vote early or return their mail ballot,” the Harris campaign said. Erie is a Democratic-dominated city of roughly 94,000 people that’s surrounded by suburban and rural areas with significant numbers of Republican voters. Erie County has long been considered one of the state’s handful of bellwether counties. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION Trump, who was last in Erie on Sept. 29, is scheduled to hold a town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in Oaks, in suburban Philadelphia. Pennsylvania, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, are the three Rust Belt states that make up the Democrats’ so-called “Blue Wall.” The party reliably won all three states for a quarter-century before Trump narrowly captured them in the 2016 election to win the White House. Four years later, in 2020, Biden carried all three states by razor-thin margins to put them back in the Democrats’ column and defeated Trump. Mark Harris, a Pittsburgh-based longtime Republican national strategist and ad maker, told Fox News that Pennsylvania is “the one state that it’s hard to see someone losing and then still winning the presidential race.” Harris, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, emphasized that “it’s clearly ground zero.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Trio of new polls agree on where Trump and Harris stand with 3 weeks to go until Election Day
With just over three weeks to go until Election Day, a trio of new national polls in the White House race suggest former President Donald Trump is erasing gains made by Vice President Kamala Harris the last couple of months after replacing President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket. The surveys indicate a margin of error race between the two major party presidential nominees, with Trump enjoying some momentum in the final stretch. Harris edged Trump 50%-48% among likely voters questioned in an ABC News/Ipsos poll, down from a six-point lead for the vice president last month. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLS IN THE 2024 ELECTION SHOW According to an NBC News poll of registered voters nationwide, the vice president and former president were deadlocked at 48%. That is a major switch from a month ago, when Harris enjoyed a five-point advantage. Additionally, a CBS News/YouGov survey of likely voters indicated Harris with a three-point edge over Trump, slightly down from a four-point advantage a month ago. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION After President Biden’s disastrous late June debate performance against Trump, the former president started to open up a single-digit lead over the White House incumbent. However, Biden’s departure from the presidential election and the Democrats’ quick consolidation around the vice president upended the dynamics of the race. Harris, boosted by a wave of energy and excitement, experienced a surge in fundraising and in her favorable ratings, which pushed her past Trump in presidential polling. The trend continued through the Democrats’ late August convention and the first and likely only debate between the two standard-bearers, in early September. However, as summer transitioned into autumn, Harris’ favorable ratings appear to have waned, Republicans are coming home to Trump, and an already large gender gap over support for the two nominees has widened further. HARRIS MAKES NEW PITCH FOR BLACK MALES AMID POLLING GAINS BY TRUMP “The Harris campaign seems to have stalled, as her image has slipped and the perception of her as being ‘a second Biden Administration’ persists,” longtime Republican pollster Neil Newhouse told Fox News. Newhouse, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, argued that Harris is “on the verge of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” While national polling is useful in depicting the state of the race, the presidential election is not based on the popular national vote and instead is a battle for the states and their electoral votes. The latest polling in the seven key battlegrounds whose razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump and will likely determine who wins the 2024 election also points to a margin of error race. A leading non-partisan pollster said the jury’s still out on whether Trump’s gaining momentum. “We need more data points before we can depict poll movements as momentum,” Suffolk University Political Research Center Director David Paleologos told Fox News. Paleologos, who conducts USA Today/Suffolk University polling, said “it could be momentum, or it could be the natural closing of the gap in a very polarized country.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.