Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump To Revamp Military Standards, Targeting Trans Troops And 'Mental And Physical Health Conditions'
The Washington Post: Trump Order Targets Transgender Troops And ‘Radical Gender Ideology’
President Donald Trump on Monday night issued an executive order targeting transgender service members and an array of other people, saying that the U.S. military has been “afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists” and that “many mental and physical health conditions are incompatible with active duty.” The list of conditions identified could affect tens of thousands of people depending on how it is interpreted. It cites diagnoses “that require substantial medication or medical treatment to bipolar and related disorders, eating disorders, suicidality, and prior psychiatric hospitalization.” (Lamothe, Ryan and Horton, 1/28)
NBC News: When Is A Person's Sex Determined? Trump Has No Conception, Experts Say
On his first day back in power, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on gender that essentially states that males become males and females become female “at conception.” But that, medical experts say, is wrong. All fertilized eggs or embryos are filled with both male Y and female X chromosomes, and the gender doesn’t reveal itself until weeks later, they said. And even then, it’s sometimes hard to tell whether it’s a girl, a boy, or a baby with the sexual characteristics of both. (Siemaszko, 1/27)
In other LGBTQ+ news from the Trump administration —
Los Angeles Blade: Senate Confirms Gay Treasury Secretary Nominee Scott Bessent
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary, openly gay hedge fund manager Scott Bessent. The nominee was confirmed by vote of 68-29. He will be the second openly gay man to serve in the Cabinet, after Biden-Harris administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and in a Cabinet-level office, after Obama-Biden administration Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Trump-Pence administration Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell. (Kane, 1/28)
On covid —
The Hill: Donald Trump To Reinstate Service Members Dismissed For COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal
Service members dismissed from the military for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will be reinstated with full back pay and benefits under an executive order President Trump is expected to sign Monday. ... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also vowed to reinstate military members dismissed over the COVID-19 shot, saying during his confirmation hearing that those service members “will be apologized to. They will be reinstated, reinstituted with pay and rank.” (Weixel, 1/27)
The Hill: China Dismisses CIA's Lab Leak Assessment For COVID-19 Origin
China on Monday dismissed the possibility that the virus that caused COVID-19 leaked from a lab, after the CIA said it now favors the so-called lab leak theory over natural transmission. “It is extremely unlikely the pandemic was caused by a lab leak,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters. “This has been widely recognized by the international community, including the scientific community,” she said. (Weixel and Beitsch, 1/27)
On the immigration crackdown —
NBC News: Public Schools Try To Protect Undocumented Students From Trump Immigration Raids
At least eight large public school districts across the United States have vowed in recent days to try to protect undocumented immigrant students and their families from President Donald Trump's mass deportation push. The Trump administration has removed restrictions that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting raids at so-called sensitive locations, including schools (as well as houses of worship and hospitals). (Edelman and Silva, 1/28)
Newsweek: Dr. Phil Joins ICE Raids In Chicago
TV host Dr. Phil shared footage of himself embedded with immigration enforcement officers as they conducted an operation in Chicago on Sunday. Newsweek reached out to the White House, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Dr. Phil's Merit Media for comment via email on Monday. The presence of a celebrity at an ICE operation is highly unusual and could signal the Trump administration's attempt to generate positive PR for its aggressive immigration crackdown. (Shoaib, 1/27)
