Sep 15, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Active transgender troops' status will change in February

"Equality flags" are flown during an event in support of transgender members of the military at the Capitol. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Transgender troops currently serving in the military won't face any changes to their status until at least February when the Pentagon must decide the parameters of President Trump's ban, according to The Daily Beast.

  • Enlisted transgender troops can continue to receive medical care as prescribed and will be able to re-enlist as normal should their service terms expire before February.
  • Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will decide how to implement recommendations regarding the transgender troop ban from a military panel by February 21, 2018 — all while a legal challenge to the ban by the ACLU winds its way through federal court.

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Axios
Updated 50 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Senate Democrats block vote on McConnell's targeted COVID relief bill — McConnell urges White House not to strike stimulus deal before election.
  2. Economy: Why the stimulus delay isn't a crisis (yet).
  3. Health: New York reports most COVID cases since May — Studies show drop in coronavirus death rate — The next wave is gaining steam.
  4. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots — San Francisco public schools likely won't reopen before the end of the year.
  5. World: Spain becomes first nation in Western Europe to exceed 1 million cases.
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Axios
2 hours ago - Podcasts

House antitrust chair talks USA vs. Google

The Justice Department filed a 63-page antitrust lawsuit against Google related to the tech giant's search and advertising business. This comes just weeks after the House subcommittee on antitrust issued its own scathing report on Google and other Big Tech companies, arguing they've become digital monopolies.

Axios Re:Cap talks with Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), chair of the subcommittee on antitrust, about Google, the DOJ's lawsuit and Congress' next move.

Joann Muller, author of Navigate
2 hours ago - Economy & Business

Boeing research shows disinfectants kill virus on airplanes

Electrostatic spraying of disinfectant. Photo: Delta Air Lines

Boeing and researchers at the University of Arizona say their experiment with a live virus on an unoccupied airplane proves that the cleaning methods currently used by airlines are effective in destroying the virus that causes COVID-19.

Why it matters: Deep cleaning aircraft between flights is one of many tactics the airline industry is using to try to restore public confidence in flying during the pandemic. The researchers say their study proves there is virtually no risk of transmission from touching objects including armrests, tray tables, overhead bins or lavatory handles on a plane.

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