Apr 23, 2019

Some state National Guards refuse to enforce transgender military ban

Khorri Atkinson

Photo: Caitlin O'Hara/AFP/Getty Images

The National Guards in Nevada, Washington State and Oregon have joined California and New Mexico in defying the Trump administration's new policy, banning transgender military personnel, reports The Daily Beast.

Details: Helen Kalla, communications director for Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), told the outlet that the state "does not discriminate against anyone, including and especially servicemembers, based on gender identity or expression" and that "Governor Sisolak believes the only criteria to serve in the Nevada National Guard is one’s readiness to serve." Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and a spokesperson for Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee echoed similar sentiments.

The National Guard units in all states primarily fall under gubernatorial control. But it is not immediately clear how these states can circumvent the administration's policy.

  • The U.S. Army did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast's request for comment after being referred to the agency by a Department of Defense spokesperson.

Go deeper: Everything you need to know about the transgender military ban

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: America's "very painful two weeks"

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 4,000 people in the U.S. — with over 1,500 deaths reported in New York City, per Johns Hopkins.

The state of play: In a major pivot in tone, President Trump said Tuesday it's "going to be a very painful two weeks," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans — even with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 15 mins ago - Health
Kendall Baker

Why StubHub halted refunds

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

With sports on pause and large gatherings banned across the globe, the live events industry has effectively ground to a halt.

The state of play: In the U.S. alone, more than 23,000 events have been canceled, postponed or rescheduled in the past three weeks.

Go deeperArrow48 mins ago - Sports
Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 877,422 — Total deaths: 43,537 — Total recoveries: 185,241 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 189,633 — Total deaths: 4,081 — Total recoveries: 7,136 — Map.
  3. Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: It's "a tale of two Americas" as the rich are more likely to work from home and the poor are more likely to report to work.
  4. Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
  5. State updates: Washington and California appear to have slowed their surges of new cases.
  6. 2020 updates: Joe Biden said it's "hard to envision" the Democratic National Convention going ahead as planned in July.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 52 mins ago - Politics & Policy