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Prisoners have no 'constitutional right' to sex changes, red-state AG tells court in brief backing Trump

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Prisoners have no 'constitutional right' to sex changes, red-state AG tells court in brief backing Trump

Federal and state authorities are operating within the bounds of the U.S. Constitution when they deny federal prisoners access to taxpayer-funded sex change procedures for transgender inmates, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told a U.S. district court this week.

Rokita filed a 24-state amicus brief in support of President Donald Trump’s legal effort to uphold his executive order, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for transgender procedures for inmates.

“If we’re to lose this case, the floodgates will open, and you will see an unending amount of these cases being filed. Costs are going to go up for the state of Indiana to accommodate these unneeded, unnecessary and dangerous surgeries,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday.

TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is leading an amicus brief in support of Trump’s executive order that bans federal resources from paying for trans prisoners’ medical procedures. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

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Rokita is also helping his state fight a two-year legal battle brought on by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a transgender inmate — convicted of killing his 11-month-old baby — to receive a sex-change surgery.

The federal judge in the case, Clinton appointee Richard Young, repeatedly ruled that the inmate must be given gender surgery at the “earliest opportunity,” despite Indiana’s law barring the state Department of Corrections from using taxpayer funds to cover sex reassignment surgeries for inmates. Rokita has filed an appeal of that decision.

“It’s absolutely imperative that not only President Trump’s executive orders stand, but that Indiana wins this case,” Rokita said. 

ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Indiana Department of Corrections on behalf of a transgender inmate, Jonathan C. Richardson, also known as Autumn Cordellionè, who was convicted of strangling his 11-month-old stepdaughter to death in 2001. (Indiana Department of Corrections/Getty Images)

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Both Rokita and the Trump administration’s cases deal with the accusation that prohibiting so called “gender-affirming care” for inmates violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.”

In the Trump case, an inmate anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says.

Several inmates who signed onto the lawsuit as plaintiffs were also transferred to men’s facilities to match their biological sex, but are now being sent back to women’s facilities after U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the executive order last week.

TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB

President Trump’s ‘two-sexes’ executive order has faced opposition in courts.  (Getty Images/AP Images)

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“The politics of some of these courts these days, and playing into this is really a head scratcher,” Rokita said. “But the chaos that would ensue in the prison system, with all these jailhouse lawyers, all of a sudden… the expense of the taxpayer would be astronomical.”

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Detroit, MI

Lions place Kerby Joseph on IR, make 2 OL moves for Steelers game

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Lions place Kerby Joseph on IR, make 2 OL moves for Steelers game


The Detroit Lions have finally placed safety Kerby Joseph on injured reserve, effectively ending the All-Pro defender’s season.

Joseph has been dealing with a knee injury for essentially the entire season, but there was some brief hope he’d be able to return to the field. After suffering a setback during a recent practice, Joseph has been sidelined, and Detroit finally decided to end his season after he had missed the past eight games. Technically, Joseph would be eligible to return to the field if Detroit advances to the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, but that seems unlikely. Joseph’s season ends with 18 tackles in six games and three interceptions.

Additionally, the Lions have made several offensive moves to address current injuries. Notably, they have activated guard Christian Mahogany, who has been on injured reserve for six weeks after suffering a leg fracture against the Vikings. It’s quite possible he’ll return to his starting position at left guard, although coach Dan Campbell offered some caution on Friday.

“Yesterday, I thought he looked pretty good. Wasn’t perfect, but I thought he looked pretty good,” Campbell said. “And some of it’s going to be, I know he’s a little sore today, and how he feels in today’s practice. That’s what a lot of it’s going to come down to.”

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The Lions have also elevated offensive lineman Kingsley Eguakun from the practice squad. That could be a bad sign for the availability of starting center Graham Glasgow. He’s been dealing with a knee injury that caused him to miss two practices this week and landed him with a questionable designation. The Lions now have several options at center, including Eguakun, Trystan Colon (who is dealing with a wrist injury of his own), and Michael Niese. Campbell said the team has been exploring all options in practice this week.

“We’ve obviously worked Colon because he’s been there. I know he’s got the wrist, but he was out there working with it yesterday,” Campbell said. “Just trying to get Graham off his feet. But I mean, we’ve worked Niese, we’ve worked Kingsley. We’ve kind of just hit all around, and we’re rolling the guards, too. So, it’s really been a little bit of a revolving door trying to get a number of guys ready because there’s a lot of flex going into this game right now.”

Lastly, the Lions also elevated tight end Giovanni Ricci from the practice squad for the second straight week as the Lions continue to be short-handed at tight end in the wake of injuries to Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright.



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Milwaukee, WI

Behind Milwaukee’s recent restaurant closures

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Behind Milwaukee’s recent restaurant closures


Milwaukee’s dining community is grappling with a recent string of restaurant closures that includes longtime neighborhood fixtures and newer concepts. The losses have sparked disappointment among diners and raised broader questions about why even popular locations and prime riverfront spots are struggling to survive.

On Milwaukee’s Lori Fredrich told WTMJ’s Adam Roberts that restaurant owners are increasingly speaking candidly about the realities of running a business, using social media to share financial pressures and warn customers when closure may be imminent. The shift marks a departure from past practices, when restaurants often closed quietly without explanation.

With January and February historically among the toughest months for restaurants, local leaders are urging residents to buy local. Programs like Visit Milwaukee’s Buy Local Bonus aim to provide short-term relief, but many in the industry worry about what the year ahead may bring.

Hear more about this story on WTMJ’s Reporter’s Notebook, on Sundays at 10 am or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Minneapolis, MN

Gather your pack for the Polar Bear Pub Crawl in downtown Minneapolis

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Gather your pack for the Polar Bear Pub Crawl in downtown Minneapolis


It’s time to sip, stroll and make merry memories as you bring cheer to Minneapolis with the Polar Bear Pub Crawl. 

Twelve downtown Minneapolis bars are taking part in the cool adventure with each serving up festive libations to warm your holiday spirit.

The Local on Nicollet Mall is one stop along the pub crawl ready to help you celebrate winter.

“This year we have what we’re calling The Bear Hug. Essentially we are saying it’s a warm embrace in a glass,” said general manager Brad Johnson. 

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The Bear Hug is bourbon, pomegranate, raspberry with Chambord, maple syrup and a little bit of lemon juice.

Participants ride the Holly Trolley to the stops, said Kitty Fahey with the Minneapolis Downtown Council.

“Kind of on or near Nicollet Mall is the primary pubs, then we also have two other spots in North Loop,” Fahey said. “We have early check-in over at Fulton and then we have an afterparty at Graves.”

The Minnesota Lottery will be on hand to give away prizes at certain locations.

“We’re also doing this really fun new thing this year, a scavenger hunt. It’s an app called Goose Chase,” she said. “So you download that and we have activities in each of these locations that you have to find.”

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Participants can win theater tickets, and retail is open as pop-up shops along the pub crawl route.

Barrio is another pub using libations to warm those who take part.

“Just seeing people have fun during Christmas and the holiday season, everyone’s coming around, they’re smiling, they’re having a good time and we get to fuel some of their fire, with alcohol [laughs]!” said assistant general manager Steffani Vestal. “We are making Coco Festivo. So it is a fun twist on the piña colada with tequilla instead of rum. We use reposado tequila. It’s going to have notes of vanilla, that’s why it plays so well with the sweetness and the fun. And Coco Lopez, which is our coconut cream, and fresh-squeezed pineapple juice, a little bit of fresh-squeezed lime.”

The Polar Bear Pub Crawl is just one part of Winterapolis, according to R.T. Rybak, former Minneapolis mayor and current CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation. He says it’s all about celebrating the creativity, culture and community that makes Minneapolis shine all winter long.    

“This year in Winterapolis it’s really about taking that same spirit of the ‘Bold North’ and tying together things like the light-up we had of the holiday trees, with this pub crawl, with all of the things in the Dayton’s Market, with Nordic Soundscapes down at the Orchestra, and put it all together with the kite festival and the loppet, and just tell people, ‘Hey, it’s cold. Yeah! Good! Get out there and do stuff!’”

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Tickets are still available. They’re only $30 dollars per person or $100 for a group of four.



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