EXCLUSIVE I transitioned from male to female when I was 12... here's why I SUPPORT Trump's ban on childhood sex changes
Cole, 20, began to transition at age 12 with drugs and then breast-removal surgery, which she later regretted and has tried to reverse. She says President Donald Trump 's directive should stand, as it would stop other minors suffering like her.
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The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Donald Trump must put himself at the forefront of peace-building
Nobody expects consistency from Donald Trump, nor the Trump administration, dominated as it is by capricious personalities, but America's latest diplomatic moves in Middle Eastern policy are especially bewildering. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has latterly become a target for US sanctions, for which it is hardly the most deserving of candidates. It is not Hamas, for example – far from it, in fact: the terrorist organisation is a bitter rival, having effectively ceded Gaza from PA control many years ago. In contrast to so many other entities in the region, it has renounced violence and has even recognised the state of Israel. And yet Marco Rubio, secretary of state, has imposed new visa restrictions on PA officials, such that they cannot visit the US, which would include, ironically, peace conferences such as the one currently organised by the United Nations and being held in New York. Can the Trump administration be so resentful about the unexpected success of the conference that it could be so spiteful? It seems so – but it is counterproductive and unhelpful to the peace process. The conference, boycotted by Israel and the United States, is the result of a joint French and Saudi Arabian initiative, and has enjoyed great success in further securing international recognition for the state of Palestine while demanding Hamas disarm and give up its grip on Gaza. Virtually the entire Arab world has endorsed that concept of Palestinian nationhood, without Hamas – as has, in effect, the UK. Yet despite President Trump giving the green light to the British and French to recognise Palestine, and never having raised any retrospective objections to some 140 other nations that have previously done so, including India and China, he has thrown a tantrum. The latest country to recognise Palestinian statehood is Canada. This has provoked an unusually harsh reaction from Mr Trump, who once again is threatening Canada with a trade war in retaliation, itself an attack on Canadian sovereignty. Then again, given that President Trump doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the state of Canada itself, that is not so surprising. By contrast, he has shown no such vengeance – yet – towards Britain or France, nor Saudi Arabia or the rest of the Arab League. Or Mexico, for that matter, which is also joining the diplomatic wave. The world has had to act now, not because it wishes to reward Hamas for the atrocities it committed on 7 October 2023, but to try to preserve life in Gaza and advance the cause of a two-state solution to the conflict. At its simplest, the act of recognising Palestine is a way of pressuring Israel into declaring a ceasefire, ending the military actions, and preventing the famine from worsening. It is not about putting Hamas back into power; any viable two-state solution by definition cannot allow Hamas, or any Hamas-like organisation, to have a role in the governance of any part of the state of Palestine. That is why it is in the interests of Israel and America to support the creation of such an entity. An independent Palestine, by its own actions and with international guarantees, cannot be allowed to exist as a threat to Israel; nor, however, can Israel follow policies that force the Palestinian people to suffer and drive them from their homeland, as defined as the occupied territories. 'From the river to the sea' cannot be the slogan of either side if peace, stability and prosperity are to prevail. With a sustainable Israeli ceasefire, the hostages are far more likely to be released. Not so very long ago, that was the avowed and consistent aim of US policy under successive administrations. It was also, from time to time, the policy of Israeli prime ministers. There were successes – international treaties, peace accords, smaller deals and, in President Trump's first term, the Abraham accords, which saw more regional players normalising full diplomatic relations with Israel. That process was interrupted by the murderous attacks and hostage taking of 7 October, but it must be resumed, as another part of the peace process. Like presidents before him, Mr Trump could and should be at the forefront of peace-building. Indeed, he can hardly avoid it, given the geopolitics, and he ran for office on a pledge that he would end the war in Gaza. He has sent another envoy, Steve Witkoff, to see the situation on the ground, and Mr Witkoff should confirm the dire humanitarian situation. That is but the first step in a process that takes in a permanent ceasefire, the establishment of Hamas-free governance in Gaza, a plan to rebuild Gaza – with American investment along the lines of Mr Trump's Mediterranean resort plan – and the aim of a Palestinian nation peacefully co-existing with its neighbour, with both peoples free from fear and secure in their respective homelands. The expulsion of the population of Gaza, a continuation of the war and a return to terrorism isn't good for anyone, and certainly not the people of Israel, who yearn for permanent safety and security for themselves and their families, and no future '7 Octobers'. That vision is surely something that President Trump could get behind – preferably with a dogged determination and consistency.
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Heartbroken mom wants answers after 2-year-old chokes to death on meatball at daycare: ‘I just know something's wrong'
A grieving mother has demanded answers after her two-year-old son choked to death on a meatball while at a Connecticut daycare, despite staff reassuring her that the child was fine. Shamyra Cooke says claims by the YWCA New Britain that they had followed the correct procedure during the tragic incident were 'a slap to my face' and that she had known immediately something was wrong. 'There is no way I can bury my son without answers. This is just too much for a person. My son barely got a chance to live,' she told reporters. Cooke said she had dropped her son, Saunti Reynolds, off at daycare at 8:55 a.m. Tuesday, but received a call from the center's director less than three hours later saying that he had choked on a meatball. The director had told Cooke that her son was fine but that she needed to come back to the daycare, she told a press conference. When she arrived, EMT staff were already on the scene and Saunti had already been intubated. First responders were performing CPR, but despite reassurance from the director of the center, who gave her a hug, she knew something was wrong. "When they're closing the door like that, I just know something's wrong. There's no way my son is breathing if they're closing the door and blinds are down," she said. Cooke told reporters that she lives only three minutes away from the daycare center and, as a hospital worker herself, could have done something to save her child if she had been alerted sooner. 'Even if they didn't know how to do the Heimlich, I work in a hospital, I could do it. I could get it out and no one called to even give me that chance,' Cooke said. 'No one gave me no chance to even get to my son.' The Independent has reached out to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, which is now investigating the incident, for comment, as well as YWCA New Britain. In a statement to News 8, Doreen Chudoba, the director of fundraising and communication with YWCA, said, 'There are no words to fully express the sorrow we feel, and we extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to the child's parents, family, and loved ones. We are holding them close in our hearts during this unimaginably painful time.' Chudoba said that staff had responded 'immediately and followed all emergency procedures, including administering age-appropriate first aid and calling 911,' adding that 'emergency services were contacted, and the child's family was immediately notified and involved throughout the process. 'The child was then taken via ambulance to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, we learned the devastating news that the child passed away.' However, Cooke disputes the YWCA's statement, arguing that if she had been contacted in time, her son may still be alive. 'For them to even have the audacity to say they talked to me the whole process through … is a slap to my face,' Cooke said.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Critics like me predicted Trump's trade war would tank the economy: Now, in a stunning mea culpa, DAN MCLAUGHLIN reveals why he was so wrong
One-hundred and twenty days out from President Donald Trump 's self-declared 'Liberation Day,' you can't blame the administration for wanting to crow, 'I told you so.' On April 2, Trump rolled out a vast slate of taxes on about sixty countries in the most expansive US tariffs policy in nearly a century, triggering a flood of apocalyptic predictions of everything from an uncontrollable trade war to US recession to global financial doom. In March, in anticipation of the tariff rollout, Goldman Sachs slashed its forecast for US GDP growth in 2025 from 2.4 percent to 1.7 percent. Two days after Trump's Rose Garden address, JP Morgan predicted a 60 percent chance of recession in 2025. And even I, your humble Daily Mail contributor, sounded the alarm in April: 'Donald Trump has made a complete hash of economic policy. His tariffs are a bad idea, badly implemented, and badly explained.' To be honest, I still believe that. But Trump has demonstrated an ability to adjust on the fly that many failed to appreciate. And now – while I won't dismiss the spectre of worldwide cataclysm just yet – things are looking pretty good. US GDP growth surged between April and June, increasing at an annual rate of three percent, beating estimates. The US stock markets have notched historic climbs. Consumer sentiment is rising, as is consumer spending, which grew at 1.4 percent between April and June – despite Trump's tariffs – up from 0.5 percent from January to March. Unemployment remains in check and recession fears have subsided. JP Morgan now puts the chances of a downturn in 2025 at 40 percent. A unified front of aggrieved US trading partners hasn't formed to force Trump to back down, nor have they hobbled American influence abroad. And while the president's position in the polls isn't great, it has stabilized, and more Americans are telling pollsters that they approve of his handling of the economy. Now, with the administration announcing new trade deals, notably with the European Union, nearly everything appears to be coming up Trump. On Sunday, EU negotiators agreed to a 15 percent tariff. That's less than Trump's punitive threats, but up significantly from around 5 percent tariffs before Trump took office, and more painful than the 10 percent deal that the United Kingdom inked in May. The European bloc had to make promises of nearly $2 trillion in new investments in the United States and new purchases of American energy and weapons. Selling American-built weapons is also a better way for the government to create jobs than trying to use tariffs to reinvigorate industries that will never return to the US soil. But all this doesn't mean the EU deal is flawless. Higher tariffs are still a cost on American consumers (the US inflation rate, which excludes the cost of tariffs, has been ticking up from 2.3 percent in June) and companies that have been hesitant to pass those added costs to their customers are likelier to do so now that the tariffs are permanent. Additionally, many of the promises of new EU purchases may not be enforceable, because the EU doesn't have the full powers of a sovereign government to guarantee compliance. Finally, if the point of Trump's tariffs was to break down import barriers to create greater access for American goods in the European market, Trump left a lot on the table, from digital and carbon levies to GMO restrictions on American agriculture. But it is clear that Trump got the better of the EU, which swallowed much higher tariffs just to avoid a harsher deal, while doing little to improve its position. There's an old poker saying: if you can't spot the sucker at the table, you're the sucker. Well, we've spotted the sucker: it's the EU with its cumbersome multi-national structure, unable to act decisively or resist Trump's overwhelming pressure campaign. So, are these developments proof that sky-high tariffs work? No. But it is a tribute to Trump's flexibility. He believes more strongly in tariffs than in any other idea in politics, but he's still willing to throw them overboard to get what he wants. When markets and opinion polls were hitting the panic button, Trump didn't dig in; he shifted course and climbed down from his most extreme tariffs. Trump doesn't plan. He negotiates by feel and gut instinct. And there are plenty of dangers ahead for Trump's trade strategy. The toughest trade deals, from China to Canada and Mexico, are yet to be inked. And the Federal Reserve again declined to lower interest rates – signaling persistent fears of a return to high inflation. However, the worst predictions of recessionary ruin were overstated. Trump is a master of hype, and he's driven his critics to a lot of overhype. At least, some of us have enough sense to take a step back – and reconsider.
