SCOTUS orders judges to revisit decisions on transgender health plans, birth certificates in wake of blockbuster ruling
The Supreme Court on Monday tossed aside a handful of lower court rulings that sided with transgender Americans, requiring that judges in those cases revisit their decisions in the wake of a blockbuster ruling this month that upheld a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.
The justices upended rulings that blocked state policies excluding coverage for gender-affirming care in state-sponsored health insurance plans. In a loss for the transgender Americans who sued, those decisions will now be reviewed again. The high court also upended an appeals court ruling that went against Oklahoma in a challenge to the state's effort to ban transgender residents from changing the sex designation on their birth certificates.
Lower courts must now review the trio of cases again in light of the Supreme Court's major decision on June 18 that upheld Tennessee's ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans minors. The 6-3 ruling in US v. Skrmetti steered clear of discussion about other laws involving transgender Americans, but it also did little to protect them in other cases. The court ruled that Tennessee had not discriminated on the basis of sex, which gave the state far more room to regulate medical care.
The court also held that the law did not discriminate on the basis of transgender status.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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CNN
30 minutes ago
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Republicans introduce last-minute industry ‘killer' tax on solar and wind in spending bill
Source: CNN Business groups and clean-energy developers are apoplectic over a last-minute provision tucked into President Donald Trump's spending bill that will tax the solar and wind industry, making it much harder to get new, cheap electricity onto the grid. Senate Republicans revealed an entirely new tax for renewable energy this weekend, in the latest version of a bill that could be passed as early as Monday afternoon. The bill already stripped tax incentives for renewables by 2027 and gave developers stringent requirements to claim them. The new tax would come at the worst possible time for the American power grid, experts and trade groups say, as demand for more electricity spikes due to new data centers for artificial intelligence coming online. 'This new tax is just a killer to the wind and solar industry,' said Ed Mills, a Washington policy analyst at Raymond James. 'You went from taking away a positive for the industry to implementing a negative.' The tax could change, as the Senate embarks on a marathon day of amendment votes on Monday. As it's currently written, the Senate bill will threaten to upend a huge amount of power that was set to come online in the next decade. Wind, solar and long-term storage batteries make up the vast majority of new electricity added to the grid over the past three years. It also encompasses about 85% of what's currently in the development pipeline, according to Ben King, an analyst at the non-partisan think tank Rhodium Group. Keeping Biden-era tax credits for wind and solar would have led to between 400 and 1,100 gigawatts of new, clean power being added to the grid by 2035, Rhodium modeling shows. In comparison, the capacity of the largest fossil fuel power plant in the country is close to 4 gigawatts. 'Increasing the price of this stuff that's actually getting built right now — and just making it harder to build — results in higher prices,' King told CNN. 'And (there's) a greater amount of concern whether the grid can respond.' That hole in energy capacity these taxes will create will be filled by new natural gas power plants and leaving aging coal plants online longer, and both solutions are more expensive than building wind and solar. Those costs will all but assuredly be passed on to the people who pay electric bills. The new obstacles for clean energy come as the AI boom is already consuming vast amounts of energy. By 2030, data centers that power AI are projected to consume a whopping 612 terawatt-hours of energy per year – equivalent to what Canada consumes annually, according to research from Accenture. The new tax, along with killing the tax credits, could raise taxes on utility-scale solar projects by 18%, according to Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins. Jenkins wrote on X that raising taxes on America's 'most important new sources of electricity supply' is 'utter insanity.' Responding to a post about the new taxes on wind and solar, billionaire Elon Musk warned over the weekend the 'latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!' Pointing to the cost of the legislation, Musk added in a separate post that polls suggest the legislation will be 'political suicide for the Republican Party.' Even the US Chamber of Commerce, which is broadly supportive of the legislation, came out against the new renewable energy levies. 'Taxing energy production is never good policy, whether oil & gas or, in this case, renewables,' US Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Neil Bradley said in a post on X. 'Electricity demand is set to see enormous growth & this tax will increase prices. It should be removed.' The weekend changes to the bill were blasted by renewables trade groups, who had been pushing lawmakers for a more generous tax credit phaseout timeline for wind and solar projects. 'It is astounding that the Senate would intentionally raise prices on consumers rather than encouraging economic growth and addressing the affordability crisis facing American households,' American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said in a statement. Solar Energy Industries Association president Abigail Ross Hopper called the tax an 'unprecedented and punitive measure that would raise costs for American consumers' and a 'blanket penalty on solar,' in a statement. The renewable energy tax is part of a broader effort to wean critical US industry off components from China. 'The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans really dislike wind and solar, but apparently they hate China even more,' said Mills, the Raymond James analyst. 'We're trying to get China out of our supply chains.' 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Tips That Can Help Good Habits Stick
Breaking a habit or forming a new one can be challenging, but it's possible. Patience, realistic habits, involving loved ones, and consistency in the long term can help make any habit stick. Any behavior or action you engage in regularly counts as a habit. Some habits can promote physical and mental wellness (like washing your hands or positive self-talk), while others might have more of an unwanted impact on your everyday life (like biting your nails or interrupting others). But it's possible to change habits that no longer serve you and create new ones that do. Habits vs. routines Habits differ from routines because habits typically involve little to no conscious thought, while routines typically require some intention and discipline. For example, checking social media whenever you end up waiting in line somewhere would be a habit. Consciously deciding to do a warmup before each workout and a cooldown afterward would be more of a routine. How can habits benefit you? Doing something repeatedly may make you more likely to stick with it, since behaviors eventually become automatic. If a habit benefits your life, the reward can motivate you to stick with it. 'Creating a new habit can be a source of pride because you realize you have the power to improve your life, which can help bring you closer to being who you want to be,' explains Stephani Jahn, PhD, LMHC, NCC. Say, for instance, you're writing a novel. Making a habit of writing a few pages each day or designating a set time to write daily can make your final goal feel less overwhelming. As you continue to make progress, you'll likely feel more motivated to stick with your new habit and keep working toward your goal. 'Positive habits don't just boost your self-esteem, either. They can also reduce stress and anxiety by offering a degree of structure and predictability to your everyday life,' explains Elizabeth Barlow, PhD, LICSW. 'Our brains love stories and patterns,' Barlow says. 'When you engage in healthy habits, your brain has an expectation of what will happen and when it will happen. This can be useful for developing and managing a daily routine you feel in control of.' A few examples Some generally helpful habits to consider are: sleeping 7 to 9 hours per night going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week meal prepping every Sunday maintaining a budget for spending journaling or meditating daily drinking enough water every day Can you teach yourself new habits? You can absolutely teach yourself new habits. The key often lies in 'stacking' a new habit on top of an existing one. This helps you remember the new behavior until it becomes automatic. If you want to start a practice of daily positive affirmations, you might put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror to remind you to repeat them when you wash your face or brush your teeth. Eventually, you won't need the sticky note to remind you — simply going into the bathroom may become the cue that triggers your affirmations. A few more expert-backed tips for reinforcing new habits: Make it realistic: When a habit is more feasible for you, Paige Rechtman, LMHC, says you're more likely to engage in it regularly, and consistency can help make it stick. Make it as convenient as possible: 'The easier you can make your new habit, the greater the chances you'll stick with it,' says Harold Hong, MD. Practice your habit at the same time every day: 'You'll often find it much easier to get into a habit when you do it at the same time because certain external cues can serve as reminders,' says Barlow. Cheer yourself on: Taish Malone, PhD, LPC-S, advises coming up with ways to celebrate small wins to keep yourself motivated, like posting encouraging messages on your wall or fridge about how far you've come. Use the buddy system: 'Partnering up with someone who wants to incorporate the same habit, or even a different one, can help hold you accountable,' Rechtman says. You can check in with each other regularly to track progress and encourage each other if your motivation flags. Give yourself some grace As you try to establish a new habit, it always helps to be patient with yourself. An older study found that it takes about 66 days of daily practice for an action to become a habit. Try not to criticize yourself if you accidentally miss a day or two when trying to form a new habit, Malone says. 'Instead of thinking of this as a failure, view it as an opportunity to take note of the barrier in your way and improve your strategy,' Jahn recommends. What about breaking old habits? Try breaking undesired habits by replacing them with more helpful ones. Let's say you want to stop doomscrolling on your phone before bed. Instead, you can use that time to read a book, journal, or listen to music. 'It's better to have a positive replacement action when trying to stop something you're doing, so you can redirect yourself when the urge for that old habit comes up,' Jahn explains. It may also help to track your daily progress toward breaking a habit in a journal or regularly check in with a friend to share your efforts. A few other tips for replacing unhelpful habits: Be mindful: 'Pay attention to how you feel when engaging in unhelpful habits,' Rechtman encourages. Building this awareness can help you focus on why you want to make the change. Acknowledge the reason for change: Hong says identifying the factors motivating you to make a change can help you stay on track as you try to kick an unwanted habit. Identify your triggers: Recognizing specific triggers can help you create change more easily. For instance, if you know you have the urge to vape after dinner, you might plan to go for a walk instead. Tend to nibble your nails while reading a book? You might consider keeping your hands busy by using a fidget toy or stress ball. How long does it take to break a habit? Keep in mind, it can often take a considerable amount of time to break an unwanted habit. Exactly how much time, though, varies from person to person. How to get support If you're looking to build new, more helpful habits, consider getting support from a therapist. According to Malone, a therapist can help you uncover the root causes or reasons behind your old habits, which can provide important information to help change them. Rechtman notes that a therapist can also help you: come up with ways for making your desired habits more realistic, attainable, and easy to stick with stay accountable for creating change explore any parts of you that might resist the new habit stay motivated by providing encouragement and guidance brainstorm ideas for tweaking your habits when you have trouble making them stick Some unwanted habits can stem from mental health difficulties or trauma, according to Jahn. A therapist can help you unpack those concerns and come up with more productive coping and healing mechanisms. The takeaway Habits can play an important role in multiple aspects of your life, including mental and physical health, productivity, relationships, and self-esteem. It's always possible to build new, helpful habits and change habits that no longer align with your needs. Remember to be patient and compassionate during the process since forming new habits and making them stick takes time. A little extra help can often make a difference, too. A therapist can offer more personalized guidance and support.
