Trans people face ‘horrifying’ rhetoric at statehouses
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A Little Rock pharmacist’s testimony before a legislative committee about gender affirming care for minors resulted in an Arkansas lawmaker asking about her genitalia. The exchange highlights the type of hostile rhetoric that transgender people say they’re facing at statehouses across the country. Advocates worry the tactics could have a chilling effect on those who want to speak out against a flood of new restrictions targeting trans people. The Human Rights Campaign says at least 150 bills targeting transgender people have been introduced this year. Bans on gender-affirming care for minors have been enacted this year in South Dakota and Utah, and Republican governors in Tennessee and Mississippi are expected to sign similar bans into law.
Supreme Court student loan case: The arguments explained
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week over President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan. It’s a plan that impacts millions of borrowers who could see their loans wiped away or reduced. Republican-appointed judges have kept the Democratic president’s plan from going into effect. It’s unclear how the court will respond. The court is dominated 6-3 by conservatives. The justices have scheduled two hours of arguments in the case Tuesday, though it’ll probably go longer. The public can listen in on the court’s website beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern. The court is hearing challenges by two students and by six Republican-led states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina.
India revives civil militia after Hindu killings in Kashmir
DHANGRI, India (AP) — Days after seven Hindus were killed in a village in disputed Kashmir, hundreds of residents staged protests across the region’s Hindu-dominated areas. In response, Indian authorities revived a government-sponsored militia and began rearming and training villagers. The militia, officially called the “Village Defense Group,” was initially formed in the 1990s as the first line of defense against anti-India insurgents in remote villages that government forces could not reach quickly. It was largely disbanded after the insurgency waned and some of its members gained notoriety for rights violations. But the January violence stirred unpleasant memories of past attacks in Rajouri district, which is near the militarized Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic
WASHINGTON (AP) — Did the coronavirus originate in animals or leak from a Chinese lab? Governments and health agencies around the world have been trying to answer that question since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy has assessed with “low confidence” that it began with a lab leak. That’s according to a person familiar with the report who was not authorized to discuss it and was granted anonymity by The Associated Press to confirm its contents. Others in the U.S. intelligence community, however, disagree with the DOE. While some scientists are open to the lab-leak theory, others continue to believe the virus mutated and jumped from animals.
White House: No more TikTok on gov’t devices within 30 days
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns. The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a “critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data.” Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days.
Murdoch says some Fox hosts ‘endorsed’ false election claims
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Court documents say Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged that some Fox News commentators endorsed false allegations of a stolen 2020 presidential election. Those allegations are at the heart of a defamation lawsuit against the cable news giant by Dominion Voting Systems. In court filings released Monday referencing Murdoch’s deposition, Dominion says he acknowledged that Fox commentators Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity endorsed the false notion of a stolen election. Attorneys for Fox Corp. note that Murdoch testified he never discussed Dominion or voter fraud with any of the accused hosts.
Winds shred Southern Plains; California set to get more snow
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Parts of the Southern Plains are surveying the damage and counting the injured after tornadoes and other powerful winds. Emergency officials say at least one person was killed in a tornado in western Oklahoma. On Monday, residents in Michigan faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm. In California, weather officials said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather. And parts of the Northeast that have seen little snow are under a winter storm warning.
Messi and Putellas voted best players at FIFA awards again
PARIS (AP) — World Cup winner Lionel Messi has won FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award for 2022. Spain’s Alexia Putellas won FIFA’s Best Women’s Player award for the second straight time. Messi won the voting over Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema. Putellas won the women’s voting over Alex Morgan of the United States and England’s Beth Mead. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has been voted FIFA men’s coach of the year after leading his team to the World Cup title in December. The women’s coach award went to Sarina Wiegman after she led England to the title at the Women’s European Championship.
DeSantis takes over Disney district, punishing company
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that gives him control of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district, punishing the company over its opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law. The bill requires the Republican DeSantis to appoint a five-member board to oversee the government services that the Disney district provides in its sprawling theme park properties in Florida. The governor signed the legislation on Monday. The move comes as DeSantis gears up for an expected presidential run and marks a high-profile legislative victory for a governor whose leveraging of cultural and political divides has pushed him to the fore of national Republican politics.
Rapid demise of ‘Dilbert’ is no surprise to those watching
NEW YORK (AP) — The comic strip “Dilbert” disappeared with lightning speed following racist remarks by creator Scott Adams, but it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who has followed them both. Adams, who is white, was an outspoken presence on social media long before describing Black people as a “hate group” on YouTube. To some observers, “Dilbert” had strayed from its roots as a chronicler of office culture. An expert said the strip had started to reflect Adams’ political ideas. Adams said his distributor had been given little choice but to cut ties with him. He said his book publisher and agent had “canceled” him.