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After HERO Defeat in Houston, Dallas Lawmakers Strengthen Transgender Protections

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Council Votes Unanimously To Amend Nondiscrimination Ordinance

Take that, Houston.   

Just one week after voters overwhelmingly repealed the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, the Dallas City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to strengthen their city’s nondiscrimination law. 

HERO was defeated largely due to opponents’ false claims that transgender protections in public accommodations would allow men to enter women’s restrooms and prey on victims. But in Dallas, the council actually voted to clarify transgender protections that have been in place since 2002. 

When the Dallas ordinance was approved, “gender identity” was erroneously included under the definition of “sexual orientation.” The ordinance prohibits discrimination citywide in employment, housing and public accommodations. On Tuesday, the council voted to list “gender identity and expression” separately alongside sexual orientation, and more clearly define the terms.

“This is very near and dear to us,” Rafael McDonnell, a spokesman for the city’s LGBT community center, told the council prior to the vote. “Words have meaning, and your vote today will give life to those words, and be seen not only in Dallas but around the country as support for the LGBT community.” 

The 15-member council approved the changes with little discussion. 

Councilman Adam Medrano, who heads the city’s LGBT Task Force, which proposed the changes, thanked members for their work. Mayor Mike Rawlings thanked Medrano. 

“We’re a very diverse city,” Rawlings said. “We want to make sure everyone’s protected.”

Oliver Blumer, a transgender man who serves on the city’s LGBT Task Force, told the council the amendments will help local employers recruit and retain talented workers. 

“It’s good business,” he said. 

Omar Narvaez, another member of the Task Force, which proposed the new language, noted that in 2014, 77 percent of Dallas voters approved an amendment to the city’s charter protecting LGBT city employees against discrimination. The amended citywide nondiscrimination ordinance mirrors the language in the charter. 

“We’ve always been a leader when it comes to LGBT rights, not just in the state of Texas but across the nation,” Narvaez said. “Let’s keep Dallas a state leader on equality.”

Patti Fink, another member of the Task Force, said although the 2002 ordinance legally protected transgender people, the language wasn’t clear. 

“The transgender community believes they’re not included, because the definition of gender identity is stuffed into the definition of sexual orientation,” she said.  

Minutes prior to Tuesday’s vote, the anti-LGBT hate group Texas Values notified its followers on Facebook. Texas Values was among the groups that helped defeat HERO in Houston. 

“Breaking: City of Dallas is trying to fast track a bathroom bill similar to the one defeated last week in Houston,” Texas Values wrote. “Spread the word.” 

Phillip Jones, CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau, said last week he feared the repeal of HERO in Houston could hurt the entire state when it comes to booking national conventions. But Jones also said HERO’s defeat could allow Dallas — which recently launched an LGBT tourism campaign called “All Love is Big Love” — to lure conventions away from Houston. Jones even joked that the city’s new slogan should be, “Dallas: Aren’t You Glad We’re Not Houston.” 

Under Dallas’ amended ordinance, gender identity and expression are defined as “an individual’s real or perceived gender identity as male, female, both, or neither.” Sexual orientation is defined as “the actual or perceived status of an individual with respect to the individual’s sexuality,” including heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual.”

In addition, the council added a declaration saying the city of Dallas encourages all entities to recognize the rights of all individuals, regardless of whether they’re exempt from the nondiscrimination ordinance. For example, the ordinance exempts religious organizations and companies with fewer than 15 employees, as well as state and federal government agencies.

Violations of the Dallas ordinance are a class-C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, but the city strives to resolve complaints through mediation. In 2014, officials reported that none of the 61 complaints received since the ordinance took effect 13 years ago led to a prosecution.

Read the changes to Dallas’ amended citywide nondiscrimination ordinance below. 

Image by City of Dallas/Twitter

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DOT Chief Warns Against ‘Fear Mongering’ as Second Aircraft Crash Turns Fatal

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April 10, 2025

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As U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy took to X to criticize a Democratic congressman for raising concerns about cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), following a minor collision between two planes on Thursday, news broke of a second, far more serious aircraft accident—a fatal helicopter crash with reportedly no survivors.

“Six people died when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River Thursday afternoon, a person familiar with the situation told CBS News,” the media outlet’s local New York affiliate reported. “The incident happened at roughly 3:15 p.m. Thursday near Jersey City, not far from River Drive South and Newport Parkway, near the Water’s Soul sculpture.”

READ MORE: ‘MAGA Cruelty’: Johnson Blasted for Blaming ‘Young Men’ to Justify GOP’s Medicaid Cuts

“Three adults and at least two children were on board, according to the NYPD. All of the bodies have been recovered, a person familiar with the situation told CBS News. City Hall sources identify the victims as a family from Spain. The pilot was also killed.”

At 3:37 PM, the NYPD announced the helicopter crash.

At 3:40 PM, Secretary Duffy posted a response on X to U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), who had been a passenger in the earlier, non-fatal plane incident. At least five other members of Congress were aboard the plane whose wing was clipped, NBC News reported.

At the time, no mention had yet been made on Duffy’s social media account regarding the helicopter crash. By 4:40 PM.—nearly 90 minutes after the deadly incident occurred—he had shared additional posts, including praise for President Donald Trump, but no mention of the deadly accident.

“While waiting to take off on the runway at DCA just now, another plane struck our wing,” Congressman Gottheimer wrote earlier Thursday afternoon. “Thankfully, everyone is safe. Just a reminder: Recent cuts to the FAA weaken our skies and public safety.”

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Secretary Duffy responded to Congressman Gottheimer: “Glad to hear everyone on board is safe. But stop the fear mongering and let’s stick to the facts. No safety-critical positions at the FAA have been cut. I look forward to your support for @POTUS’ plan to build an all new, state of the art air traffic control system.”

Hours earlier, according to Secretary Duffy’s social media account, he was in the Trump Cabinet meeting decrying the “radical left requirements” he was removing from Biden era infrastructure projects.

During his Cabinet meeting remarks, Duffy mentioned he had recently attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, which he described as “dilapidated.”

In video posted to his social media account (below), Secretary Duffy praised the “incredible men and women there who will be our marine force of the future.”

“We are going to fight to get them what they need,” Duffy vowed.

“But,” he insisted, “first let’s move Jesus out of the basement.”

Watch the video above or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Pump and Dump’: Market Manipulation Questions Swirl Over Trump Tariff Pause

 

Image via Reuters

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‘MAGA Cruelty’: Johnson Blasted for Blaming ‘Young Men’ to Justify GOP’s Medicaid Cuts

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April 10, 2025

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is blaming what he calls “young men” playing video games instead of working, as he defends Republicans’ plan to gut Medicaid—slashing what Democrats say is $880 billion from the vital health program that provides medical care to one in five Americans.

“No one has talked about cutting one benefit in Medicaid to anyone who’s duly owed — what we’ve talked about is returning work requirements, so, for example, you don’t have able-bodied young men on a program that’s designed for single mothers and the elderly and disabled,” said the Speaker. Johnson’s own Louisiana district has a disproportionately high rate of Americans on the life-saving program: CBS News this week reported Medicaid is a “lifeline” for people in his district.

Johnson blamed what he suggested is a large number of male gamers on Medicaid for “draining resources.”

“So if you clean that up and shore it up, you save a lot of money, and you return the dignity of work to young men who need to be out working instead of playing video games all day,” he again declared.

READ MORE: ‘Giant Grift’: Calls for Trump Insider Trading Probe Surge Over ‘Corruption’ Questions

“We have a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid. Just one tiny example. The estimate is $51 billion a year, in Medicaid is lost to fraud. That’s unconscionable,” the Louisiana GOP lawmaker claimed.

But rather than target professionals who may be bilking the system, or other factors including paperwork errors, Johnson has chosen to repeatedly target what he claims are “29-year-old males sitting on their couches playing video games.”

The nonpartisan health policy organization KFF (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation) reported in February that “data show most Medicaid adults are working or face barriers to work. Many Medicaid adults who are working low-wage jobs are employed by small firms and in industries that have low employer-sponsored insurance offer rates.”

KFF also reports that the vast majority of adult Medicaid recipients under the age of retirement (65) are already working, with no work requirement.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that adding a work requirement would only serve as a barrier to Medicaid participation, and therefore spending, but would not increase the employment levels for otherwise eligible recipients.

“In Arkansas,” KFF reports, “implementing Medicaid work requirements resulted in more than 18,000 people losing coverage.”

Adding work requirements also increases monitoring and implementation costs at the state level.

Critics blasted Johnson.

READ MORE: ‘Pump and Dump’: Market Manipulation Questions Swirl Over Trump Tariff Pause

“Of course, nothing says ‘dignity’ like ripping healthcare away from poor people based on outdated, classist stereotypes,” wrote Wall Street investment banker Evaristus Odinikaeze. “Young men on Medicaid aren’t ‘playing video games all day,’ they’re often underpaid, overworked, or struggling in a rigged economy. This is just MAGA cruelty dressed up as moral judgment.”

Annie Shoup of the nonprofit Protect Our Care wrote: “We know that people on Medicaid who are able to work already do. This will only hurt people and prevent them from getting the health care they deserve, including caregivers who are staying at home caring for family members.”

The organization Social Security Works added, “Medicaid pays for two-thirds of nursing home care in America. That’s what Mike Johnson wants to rip away from seniors and people with disabilities.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘No Plan’: Trump Ripped for ‘Lurching’ Strategy After Surprise Tariff Reversal

 

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‘Giant Grift’: Calls for Trump Insider Trading Probe Surge Over ‘Corruption’ Questions

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16 hours ago

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April 10, 2025

By

President Donald Trump’s 9:37 AM call for supporters to buy stocks—followed just hours later by his announcement of a so-called “pause” on his market-crushing tariffs—generated billions in new wealth for those positioned to profit. A few of Trump’s billionaire allies were conveniently at the White House celebrating with him as the markets soared, posting single-day gains not seen in decades. To some, the timing of Trump’s statements—and trading activity that some suggest may indicate insider knowledge—has intensified calls to investigate whether the president used his public office to orchestrate a profitable insider scheme. While no definitive proof of market manipulation or insider trading has been published, questions abound.

“Fun fact,” noted Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “Trump’s backing down on tariffs generated roughly $5 trillion in stock wealth yesterday. If Trump friends got 10% of that through advance knowledge, that’s $500 billion.”

An official White House account posted video of President Trump celebrating—and bragging—with some of his billionaire friends on Wednesday.

RELATED: ‘Pump and Dump’: Market Manipulation Questions Swirl Over Trump Tariff Pause

Adding to the controversy, the former president openly urged his supporters to buy stocks—some even allege he may have tried to promote shares of his own social media company. Heightening concerns further, Trump’s Treasury Secretary later told the press that the tariff “pause” had always been the plan—directly contradicting Trump and multiple senior officials who had previously insisted it was never under consideration.

“This was his strategy all along,” Secretary Scott Bessent said of Trump’s tariff walk back.

“So,” asked attorney and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers on Wednesday, “who in the Trump administration shorted the market and profited off the pain of the American people?”

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) shared some thoughts on what he calls Trump’s “brewing” insider trading scandal.

“This entire White House is one giant grift,” declared Senator Murphy, one of the most outspoken Democrats challenging Trump’s policies and actions. “Donald Trump and his friends are in power in order to use their access to government to make money. It stinks, and we should get to the bottom of it.”

Miami Herald award-winning investigative journalist Julie K. Brown observed that the “problem is there is no one to investigate this. DOJ? FBI? SEC? The very agencies that we entrusted with enforcing our laws no longer investigate anything other than what Trump wants them to investigate.”

Others are also asking.

READ MORE: ‘No Plan’: Trump Ripped for ‘Lurching’ Strategy After Surprise Tariff Reversal

Reuters’ White House correspondent Nandita Bose proffered: “Serious question: What are the chances SEC will look into who benefitted from insider info that the pause was about to happen and market manipulation by the admin?”

Attorney Tristan Snell, a former New York State prosecutor who helped lead the investigation and subsequent successful $25 million prosecution of Trump University, says New York Attorney General Letitia James has the authority to investigate and urges her to do so.

“The NY AG has jurisdiction over ANY insider trading that occurs on any NY-based stock exchange,” Snell wrote Thursday morning. “Letitia James should open an IMMEDIATE investigation into whether Trump insiders and Republican members of Congress used advance notice of Trump’s 90-day tariff pause to buy stocks.”

Attorney Richard Painter, the well-known George W. Bush White House chief ethics officer, weighed in.

“If you don’t want to be accused of market manipulation don’t make posts on social media that will make people think you may be involved in market manipulation,” Painter wrote. “Telling people to buy or sell stocks is not illegal. But if you intend to move stock prices and investors trade thinking you have nonpublic information belonging to the government, you could be charged with market manipulation. If you don’t want to be investigated, don’t do it.”

Others, too, are demanding an investigation.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a former professor of law who has spent decades focused on protecting consumers, asks, “Was that market manipulation? Was it corruption in plain sight?”

“We need an independent investigation into market manipulation,” Senator Warren said on Wednesday, from the floor of the U.S. Senate, “because Americans need to know whether President Trump or anyone in his administration manipulated the market to benefit their donors all while they are working for the American people and while small businesses and those working families are paying a price.”

CNN anchor and chief White House correspondent Jim Sciutto offered his thoughts on whether Trump’s “great time to buy” message telegraphed his own DJT stock.

“Hours before issuing his stunning reversal of his reciprocal tariffs, Trump urged investors to buy, posting on Truth Social, ‘THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!’,” Sciutto wrote. “He concluded the post with ‘DJT.’ Although those are the president’s initials, it was also potentially a nod to Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, which trades under the ticker ‘DJT.’ At the time, the parent of Truth Social, DJT shares were down nearly 13% this month. After the announcement, shares were up over 20% for Wednesday alone.”

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) is asking the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the White House for answers “about whether anyone in the Trump family or administration profited off of this tariff chaos through insider trading.”

Watch the videos above or at this link.

READ MORE: Noem Slammed for Pointing Assault Rifle at Law Enforcement Officer

 

Image via Reuters 

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