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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

President's Tweets Spark Outrage, Fear for Transgender Community

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Thursday, July 27, 2017   

LANSING, Mich. – He pledged to defend their rights, but President Trump now says transgender individuals can't defend their country, which activists say could set off a ripple effect of discrimination.

Stephanie White is executive director of the advocacy group Equality Michigan and also served five years in the U.S. Army as a commander in the Second Infantry Division. She says all military service is built on a foundation of trust, and when the commander-in-chief calls your trustworthiness into question, the results will be far-reaching, and not limited to the military.

"Whenever you have a leader setting a tone that says this kind of bigotry is OK, then we see an increase in harassment, and discrimination, and sometimes violence toward that targeted community," she explains.

White says any member of the LGBTQ community, military or otherwise, who feels threatened should contact Equality Michigan, where staff members can help connect people with medical, legal and other resources.

In his tweets, Trump cited medical costs and disruption as the rationale for the ban, but White believes this is simply part of a pattern of discrimination by the administration. She hopes Michiganders who oppose this ban will show that with words and actions.

"Push back against this message that some people are less equal, less trustworthy, to say actually in Michigan we think that everybody should be judged based on their work ethic and not based on who they love or how they dress," she says.

The ban, if enacted, would reverse an Obama administration decision last year that allowed transgender people to serve openly. During the campaign, Trump called himself a "real friend" of the LGBT community.


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Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

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Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

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