January 1, Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Trans Youth

Good morning Americans,

In a victory for transgender rights groups, the Supreme Court rejected a Virginia school board’s appeal to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban. The high court agreed with lower court rulings that found the ban to be unconstitutional. Gavin Grimm, who was a 15-year-old student at Gloucester High School when he was banned from using the boy’s bathroom, said “Trans youth deserve to use the bathroom in peace without being humiliated and stigmatized by their own school boards and elected officials.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently dismissed concerns over the rising crime rates as ‘hysteria.’ The shooting incidents in NYC have risen 53% this year, and murders have risen by 13%. Some took exception to her comments, namely journalist Glenn Greenwald. “AOC is mocking ordinary people as “hysterical” who are afraid of violent crime in their neighborhood: people who, unlike her, don’t have reams of private security. Yet she just acted to ensure $2 billion more in spending on the police that protects her,” Greenwald said via Twitter.

The heatwave continues, this time in the pacific northwest. Over the weekend, Seattle, Portland, and other cities broke all-time heat records, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees. “This event will likely be one of the most extreme and prolonged heatwaves in the recorded history of the Inland Northwest,” said the National Weather Service. “Heat will not only threaten the health of residents in the Inland Northwest but will make our region increasingly vulnerable to wildfires and intensify the impacts to our ongoing drought.”

In an update to the ongoing situation with the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers building in Surfside, FL, the confirmed death toll raised to 10 on Monday. As of this reporting, 151 people are still missing. “We’re going to continue and work to exhaust every possible option in our search,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Rescue crews are working around the clock in order to sift through the rubble.

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to cease the operation of its opioid business. The company agreed to a $230 million settlement with New York State that prevents them from promoting opioids, and it has ended the distribution of such products within the US. “The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on countless communities across New York state and the rest of the nation, leaving millions still addicted to dangerous and deadly opioids,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

Finally, Facebook could be held liable if sex traffickers use the platform to prey on children. The Texas Supreme Court made its ruling following three lawsuits that involved teenage victims of human trafficking. “Holding internet platforms accountable for words or actions of their users is one thing, and the federal precedent uniformly dictates that section 230 does not allow it,” the court found. “Holding internet platforms accountable for their own misdeeds is quite another thing. This is particularly the case for human trafficking.”

Be well,

Fraser Dixon

Sources

• Supreme Court won’t revive school’s transgender bathroom ban
• AOC dismisses concern over crime spikes in major cities as ‘hysteria’
• ‘Heat dome’ in Pacific north-west breaks records as Portland braces for 115F
• Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 10, authorities confirm
• Johnson & Johnson confirms opioid business has ended in $230 million settlement with New York
• Facebook could be held liable for sex trafficking on its platform, court rules