New top story from Time: Dr. Rachel Levine Is First Openly Trans Federal Official Confirmed by U.S. Senate

https://ift.tt/2P4CPbp

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary for health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. The final vote was 52-48.

Levine had been serving as Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017, and emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. She is expected to oversee Health and Human Services offices and programs across the U.S.

President Joe Biden cited Levine’s experience when he nominated her in January.

Levine “will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic—no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,” Biden said.

Transgender-rights activists have hailed Levine’s appointment as a historic breakthrough. Few trans people have ever held high-level offices at the federal or state level. However, the confirmation vote came at a challenging moment for the transgender-rights movement as legislatures across the U.S.—primarily those under Republican control—are considering an unprecedented wave of bills targeting trans young people.

One type of bill, introduced in at least 25 states, seeks to ban trans girls and young women from participating in female scholastic sports. Another, introduced in at least 17 states, seeks to outlaw or restrict certain types of medical care for transgender youths. None of these measures has yet won final approval.

Sen. Rand Paul confronted Levine about medical treatments for transgender young people—include hormone treatment and puberty blockers—during her confirmation hearing Feb. 25. Levine replied that transgender medicine “is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care” and said she would welcome discussing the issues with him.

In the past, Levine has asserted that hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs can be valuable medical tools in sparing some transgender youth from mental distress and possible suicide risk.

Read more: Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment

A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed as Pennsylvania’s health secretary by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.

However, Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, voted against Levine’s confirmation Wednesday.

“In Pennsylvania, the pandemic struck seniors in nursing homes disproportionately hard compared to other states,” Toomey said. “This was due in part to poor decisions and oversight by Dr. Levine and the Wolf administration.” He also said an extended lockdown advocated by Levine “was excessive, arbitrary in nature, and has led to a slower recovery.”

A graduate of Harvard and of Tulane Medical School, Levine is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She’s written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine.

Comments

New top story from Time: Hongkongers Line Up to Buy Last Edition of Pro-Democracy Apple Daily Newspaper

https://ift.tt/3vYZQfu (HONG KONG) — Across Hong Kong, people lined up early Thursday to buy the last print edition of the last remaining pro-democracy newspaper. By 8:30 a.m., Apple Daily’s final edition of 1 million copies was sold out across most of the city’s newsstands. The newspaper said it would cease operations after police froze $2.3 million in assets, searched its office and arrested five top editors and executives last week, accusing them of foreign collusion to endanger national security — another sign Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city. In recent years, the newspaper has become increasingly outspoken, criticizing Chinese and Hong Kong authorities for limiting the city’s freedoms not found in mainland China and accusing them of reneging on a promise to protect them for 50 years after the 1997 handover from Britain. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The pressure on the paper — and Hong Kong’s civil liberties — increased after authorities r...

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume

Creating a Better Market Street: Car-free Enforcement to Resume By Mariana Maguire It’s been over a year since Market Street went “car-free” on January 29, 2020 , but shortly afterwards, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our city and changed how people move through San Francisco. As the city begins to reopen and vehicle traffic is increasing, we are by stepping up compliance and enforcement efforts to keep Market Street car-free starting March 29, with the help of SFMTA’s Parking Control Officers (PCOs) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). Under the year-old car-free rules established as a part of Better Market Street , no private vehicles are allowed to travel along Market Street eastbound from 10th to Main streets or westbound from Steuart Street to Van Ness Avenue. Traffic is still allowed to cross Market Street, but there are no turns allowed onto the street in the car-free area. These restrictions apply to all private vehicles, including Uber, ...

New top story from Time: Simone Biles Is Already the Best Gymnast Ever. She’ll Be Even Better for Tokyo

https://ift.tt/3qlhBnM When you’ve won seven national championships, 19 world titles, five Olympic medals ( four of them gold ), and your leotards are already decorated with a rhinestone goat (a nod to Greatest of All Time status), is there anything left to prove? For most people, the answer is no. But Simone Biles is not like most people, or even most Olympians. The 4 ft. 8 in. 24-year-old from Spring, Texas, is not only the most dominant gymnast of her time—she is likely the greatest in history. With an unmatched blend of skill, power and daring—and more than a splash of charisma—Biles has won every all-around national, world and Olympic competition she has entered since 2013. Her record haul of 25 World Championship medals is five more than that of her closest rival—who retired in 2004. Biles has four gymnastics skills named after her, an honor reserved for the first competitor to execute a new move in a major international competition. And she has a fifth that she is lik...

FOX NEWS: Horse photobombs maternity shoot with hilarious smile: 'Always into mischief' When Amanda Eckstein and Phillip Werner posed together for their maternity shoot, they didn’t think a horse would steal the show.

Horse photobombs maternity shoot with hilarious smile: 'Always into mischief' When Amanda Eckstein and Phillip Werner posed together for their maternity shoot, they didn’t think a horse would steal the show. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/2UEG8Zv

New top story from Time: The Pandemic Caused the Biggest Decline in U.S. Life Expectancy since World War 2. Black and Hispanic Americans Have Suffered the Most

https://ift.tt/3j8iYEM Although James Toussaint has never had COVID-19, the pandemic is taking a profound toll on his health. First, the 57-year-old lost his job delivering parts for a New Orleans auto dealership in spring 2020, when the local economy shut down. Then, he fell behind on his rent. Last month, Toussaint was forced out of his apartment when his landlord—who refused to accept federally funded rental assistance —found a loophole in the federal ban on evictions. Toussaint has recently had trouble controlling his blood pressure. Arthritis in his back and knees prevents him from lifting more than 20 pounds, a huge obstacle for a manual laborer. He worries about what will happen when his unemployment benefits from the federal government run out, which could come as early as July 31 . “I’ve been homeless before,” says Toussaint, who found a room to rent nearby after his eviction. “I don’t want to be homeless again.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] With coronavirus ...

FOX NEWS: Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire.

Firefighter helps veteran suffering from PTSD episode on airplane Firefighters don’t just fight fire. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3ddRzO9

FOX NEWS: Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies.

Rattlesnake bites 5-year-old girl multiple times in dad's backyard, revealing previously unknown allergy Education is the best way to prepare for emergencies. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3vOQO4j

Delhi's air quality hits 'very poor' level first time this season https://ift.tt/2IqcAsn

The national capital's air quality was in the “very poor” category on Tuesday morning, the first time this season, with calm winds and low temperatures allowing the accumulation of pollutants. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, an increase in farm fires in Punjab, Haryana and neighbouring regions of Pakistan is also going to impact the air quality in Delhi-NCR.

FOX NEWS: Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage.

Texas nurse loses 109 pounds while she cared for coronavirus patients Megan Hill, 35, from Fort Worth, Texas, lost 109 pounds despite the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the end of her marriage. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/35SQG9s

New top story from Time: What’s the Song of the Summer for 2021? Here Are Our Predictions

https://ift.tt/3xM71ZI It’s officially summer—and a weird one at that. While many Americans are enjoying a return to big group gatherings (weddings! Block parties! Live music!), others are still hesitant to jump back in with the specter of COVID-19 not fully in the rearview. Through this uneasy reentry weaves our summer soundscape: the teen angst of Olivia Rodrigo , the lazy sweetness of Justin Bieber and “Peaches,” the disco and soul vibes of Dua Lipa and Silk Sonic. Here’s how we think the annual song of the summer debate could—and should—play out as these hot months unfold. What do the charts say? [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Raisa Bruner: It depends what chart you look at, of course, but Olivia Rodrigo’s pop-punk hit “Good 4 U” was sitting pretty on both Spotify’s global charts and and Billboard’s Hot 100 as the respective number one and number two in mid-June, making that anthemic send-off song a bona fide summer hit. After that, it gets a little more complicated...

My precise view

Search This Blog