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Minnesota attorney general sues Trump over order halting funding for gender-affirming care • Minnesota Reformer

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Minnesota attorney general sues Trump over order halting funding for gender-affirming care • Minnesota Reformer


Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and two other state attorneys general sued President Donald Trump in federal court Friday over his recent executive order aiming to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth younger than 19.

Trump on Jan. 28 signed a sweeping order to broadly limit access to gender-affirming care by halting funding via government-run insurance programs, including Medicaid and Medicare. The order also calls for federal agencies to cut off grants to hospitals and medical schools providing gender-affirming care to people under 19.

Ellison defended the health care in a statement: “Gender-affirming care is evidence based, provided by licensed and trained medical professionals, and provided with the consent of a young person’s parents or legal guardians,” Ellison said in a statement. “President Trump’s executive order is not only illegal, it’s mean-spirited and deeply hurtful.”

Major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support the use of gender-affirming care for the treatment of gender dysphoria.

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Ellison’s office said Trump’s executive order would also direct the Department of Justice to investigate states like Minnesota that have laws prohibiting the enforcement of another state’s law requiring a child to be taken from their parents for accessing gender-affirming care.

In 2023, the DFL-controlled Legislature passed a law making Minnesota a refuge for transgender people, protecting them from legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota for gender-affirming health care. Last year, lawmakers also passed legislation to ensure gender-affirming care is covered by health insurance plans.

Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, and the state’s first openly transgender lawmaker, in a statement said Minnesota will fight against attempts to discriminate against trans people.

“Transgender people do not deserve to be policed in our health care decisions or in our personal lives. Not by the president, the public or anyone else,” Finke said. “We do not need the president’s permission to live our authentic lives. In Minnesota, we will always fight for trans and nonbinary people, our health care access and all of our rights.”

Ellison, along with attorneys general from Washington and Oregon, argues in the federal suit that Trump’s executive order violates the Fifth Amendment’s equal-protection clause. The states are asking the court for an emergency order to block the executive order, as it will harm youth.

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On Wednesday, Trump signed another executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The president during his first days in office has signed a number of anti-trans executive orders, including one on his first day declaring that the federal government would only recognize two genders.



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Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives

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Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives


UNDATED (WJON News) — A new report says hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are caring for a loved one.

The AARP says its report indicates 840,000 Minnesotans are caregivers for adults, providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones.

They spend about 480 million hours of care each year, work that would be valued at $11.1 billion per year if it were paid in the marketplace, based on a value of about $23 per hour.

AARP says family caregivers are averaging about 27 hours each week.

More than half, 57 percent, are providing high-intensity care, meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections.

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AARP says these numbers are why it advocated to help secure Paid Family Leave and Medical Leave in Minnesota, giving family caregivers the ability to be there for their loved ones without sacrificing their jobs.

AARP also helps families navigate caregiving challenges by connecting them to resources.

Thanks For The Memories In MN Adam, SKOL Vikings

With the Minnesota Vikings waiving Detroit Lakes-native, former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick, Adam Thielen today, it’s only natural to go back and revisit his time with the hometown team. Here are some pictures of Adam in purple from his two stints with the Vikings, and his stats during his time with the Vikings. 

Gallery Credit: Getty Images





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Politics Friday: Mike Lindell ‘all in’ for Minnesota’s governor’s race with Trump backing or not

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Politics Friday: Mike Lindell ‘all in’ for Minnesota’s governor’s race with Trump backing or not


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‘No King’s’ Flagship Protest Features Star-Studded Lineup Of Performers

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‘No King’s’ Flagship Protest Features Star-Studded Lineup Of Performers


Millions of people around the country will take to the streets this Saturday in the latest round of “No Kings” protests that aim to denounce President Donald Trump’s subversion of the rule of law and attacks on democracy.

“Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink. Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people – not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies,” the NoKings website states.

The flagship event in St. Paul is expected to draw over 80,000 people to the Minnesota capital, including Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda, legendary folk singer Joan Baez, rock icon Bruce Springsteen, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

It is one of 3,000 events planned nationwide, according to organizers.

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“Our goal is to continue to build a peaceful and nonviolent movement that gets us to the place where we have a healthy, functioning democracy, and communities and state and country where we can all thrive,” Indivisible Twin Cities event organizer Rebecca Larson told Minnesota Public Radio.

Joan Baez (L) Bruce Springsteen (C) and Jane Fonda (R) are among the various celebrity performers and speakers expected to attend the “No Kings” rally in St. Paul, Minn., on March 28.

The rally comes in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, which drew widespread national attention and resulted in the deaths of Americans Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents.

Springsteen, who is scheduled to perform at Target Center in Minneapolis later this month, penned a protest song in honor of Good and Pretti titled “Streets of Minneapolis.” He also plans to perform at the rally on Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

“When you have the opportunity to sing something where the timing is essential and if you have something powerful to sing, it elevates the moment, it elevates your job to another level. And I’m always in search of that,” Springsteen told the publication.

Saturday’s gatherings are the third such mass protests under the “No Kings” banner, the first of which was held last June as a counter-event to Trump’s military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which also fell on the president’s 79th birthday. The second “No Kings” protest occurred in October of last year.

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Since then, a litany of events has captured the nation’s attention, including immigration crackdowns, government shutdowns, the fight over the release of the Epstein files and the ongoing war in Iran. “No Kings” organizers plan to hone in on Americans’ frustrations with these issues to increase turnout and attention for Saturday’s demonstrations.

“Now, President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most,” the organization states on its website. “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings – and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”



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