Jul 27, 2017

Joint Chiefs Chairman: no change on transgender troops without Trump order

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

The U.S. will permit transgender people to serve openly in the military until President Trump gives "direction" to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to change the policy and determines how it will be implemented, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, wrote in a memo sent to all military service chiefs, commanders, and enlisted military leaders.

The confusion: After Trump's announcement on Twitter Wednesday that transgender troops would not longer be allowed to serve "in any capacity" in the military, it became clear that he took the Pentagon, and currently serving transgender troops, by surprise. The White House later said they didn't know if the announcement would apply to transgender troops currently serving overseas.

Mattis is on vacation, and has been publicly silent on the announcement.

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Axios

Updated 55 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 12,794,395 — Total deaths: 566,210 — Total recoveries — 7,033,187 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 3,278,946 — Total deaths: 135,066 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000 — Miami-Dade mayor says "it won't be long" until county's hospitals reach capacity.
Public health: Ex-FDA chief projects "apex" of South's coronavirus curve in 2-3 weeks — Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"
Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds — Pelosi accuses Trump of "messing with the health of our children."

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Fadel Allassan

3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Lindsey Graham says he will ask Mueller to testify before Senate

Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted Sunday that he will grant Democrats' request to call former special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before his committee.

The big picture: The announcement comes on the heels of Mueller publishing an op-ed in the Washington Post that defended the Russia investigation and conviction of Roger Stone, whose sentence was commuted by President Trump on Friday.

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Fadel Allassan

4 hours ago - Health

Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases

Data: Covid Tracking Project; Chart: Axios Visuals

Florida reported 15,299 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday — a new single-day record for any state, according to its health department.

The big picture: The figure shatters both Florida's previous record of 11,458 new cases and the single-state record of 11,694 set by California last week, according to AP. It also surpasses New York's daily peak of 11,571 new cases in April, and comes just a day after Disney World reopened in Orlando.