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Welcome back. In the news today: A judge questions the Pentagon’s testosterone policy; Amish Shah wins a Democratic congressional primary in Arizona in a blow to the party establishment; and a behind-the-scenes look at the AP’s investigative reporting on former USAID workers in Nepal. Also, a story for cinema lovers. An iconic Hollywood cultural landmark, shut down during the COVID pandemic, is set to reopen. |
The Pentagon, July 15, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Judge questions Hegseth’s testosterone policy |
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new initiative to test and treat troops for low testosterone has prompted a federal judge to question the differences between that kind of testosterone replacement therapy and hormone treatment for transgender men in the military. Read more. |
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U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington raised the question Wednesday in an ongoing lawsuit against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops. Reyes ordered both parties in the lawsuit to address “the similarities and differences” in administering testosterone replacement therapy “for trans men compared to other service members, including cis individuals.” Reyes’ order comes a week after Hegseth announced the new screening program, calling it necessary to allow troops to operate at their “absolute best.”
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Amish Shah wins Arizona Democratic congressional primary in a blow to the party establishment |
Shah, an emergency physician, won the primary Wednesday in a hotly contested district, delivering another defeat to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which backed a rival, as more voters reject the preferences of party leaders in Washington. Read more. |
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“I wasn’t exactly my party’s pick,” Shah told supporters Tuesday night. “And I was willing to stand up to that establishment. And that’s what the voters of this district want.” Antiestablishment fervor has spooked congressional leaders, who fear that swing voters will see some insurgent candidates as too extreme and squander Democrats’ opportunity to take advantage of Trump’s unpopularity.
Shah will face Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL player who was endorsed by Trump in the fall. Before becoming political opponents, Feely and Shah were part of the same team: the New York Jets. Shah was a doctor on the sidelines, while Feely was the kicker.
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| Nepal aid workers left jobless by USAID cuts turn to sex work to survive |
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After the United States slashed its foreign aid funding last year, more than 280,000 aid workers worldwide lost their jobs. AP global investigative reporter Kristen Gelineau found that in Nepal, LGBTQ+ aid workers left jobless have turned to sex work to survive. Read the full story here. Gelineau sat down for a Q&A to take us behind the scenes of telling such a difficult story. Here is an excerpt:
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Why did you decide to focus on these aid workers?
The few stories that have been done have largely focused on American USAID staffers, even though they make up less than 10% of those left jobless by the cuts. Most of the workers who lost their jobs live overseas, often in conflict zones or impoverished countries where other job options are scarce to nonexistent. I wanted to know what had happened to those people, who are particularly vulnerable and face very different challenges to Americans.
How did you find the workers and get them to talk?
It took months to find and earn the trust of these workers, who are highly traumatized. This required working through layers of contacts within Nepal’s LGBTQ+ community, sharing examples of my previous work to demonstrate that I have a history of reporting ethically on marginalized communities, and then initially making contact over text messages before working our way up to in-person interviews.
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