AFP USA

World leaders will meet for a second day of climate talks in the Brazilian Amazon on Friday after fiery speeches and renewed criticism of Big Oil marked the opening session.Dozens of ministers and several heads of state and government, including those of Spain, Germany and Namibia, will meet in Belem just before the United Nations’ (UN) annual two-week conference, COP30, which starts on Monday.Evidence of the climate crisis, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, has never been clearer: the past 11 years have been the hottest on record and marked by intensifying hurricanes, heat waves and wildfires.UN chief Antonio Guterres and a series of national leaders said on Thursday that the world will fail to keep global warming below 1.5C, the Paris Agreement’s primary target set a decade ago, but said they have not yet given up on its fallback goal of 2C.The absence of leaders from the world’s biggest polluters, including the United States, where President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a “con job,” cast a shadow over talks, but also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization.Countries made an unprecedented pledge to “transition away” from oil, gas and coal at COP28 in Dubai two years ago.However, the issue has since slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes and wars, and the Trump administration aggressively pushing for more fossil fuels.- ‘Roadmap’ calls praised -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s call in his opening address for a “roadmap” to halt deforestation, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and mobilize the financial resources needed to achieve those goals was met with applause.The coalition backing Lula’s call includes European nations and numerous small island states whose very survival is threatened by stronger cyclones and rising sea levels.Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, railed against the “large polluters (who) continue to deliberately destroy our marine and terrestrial environments with their poisonous fossil fuel gases.”The idea of phasing out hydrocarbons is also gaining traction in Europe. Despite their divisions, EU countries noted that they have reduced greenhouse gas emissions for more than three decades and are aiming for a 90 percent cut by 2040.”COP30 must send a clear message that the green transition is here to stay, and that fossil fuels have no future,” said Finnish President Alexander Stubb.Marta Salomon of the Brazilian think tank Politicas Climaticas do Instituto Talanoa told AFP: “When the president talks about a roadmap to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, we understand it as a favorable sign for this discussion to take place during COP.”Lula had already hinted at his plan in an interview this week with AFP and other outlets, though he cautioned “it’s not easy” to reduce fossil fuels.Indeed, Brazil has just authorized its state oil company to begin offshore exploration in the Amazon.A formal anti-fossil fuel decision in Belem is seen as highly unlikely, given the requirement for consensus among nearly 200 countries attending the conference.Still, COP30 will put a spotlight on countries’ voluntary pledges and their implementation, which could lead to fresh announcements on methane — a “super pollutant” and the main component of natural gas, prone to leaking from pipelines and installations.”The world must pull the methane brake,” said Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados and a highly respected voice in global climate diplomacy.

Travelers faced mounting uncertainty over air travel in the United States after a directive to decrease flights at dozens of major airports went into effect on Friday.The reduction has been touted as a solution to overcome air traffic safety concerns related to staff shortages linked to the record-length government shutdown that has dragged on for six-weeks.The Trump administration ordered airlines to decrease flights at 40 airports, including several major hubs, beginning Friday morning with a four percent reduction that is set to gradually increase to 10 percent next week.Flight reductions are set to hit some of the country’s busiest airports, including in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.”This isn’t about politics, it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system,” said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, pushing back against criticism that the order aims to increase pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown.The government shutdown, which began on October 1 and is now the longest in history, has left tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, airport security staff and others without pay.More than 800 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled, according to tracking website FlightAware, while major carrier American Airlines said in a statement that its scheduled reduction amounts to 220 flight cancellations each day.Delta Airlines said it was axing about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines nixed around 100 flights set for that day.More than 6,800 US flights were delayed on Thursday with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, with passengers facing long lines at security checkpoints.Travelers at Boston and Newark airports also faced average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.Authorities said they wanted to act before an accident occurred.”We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself, when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.- Peak travel season -The reduction measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.Millions of Americans are likely to face travel chaos amid a shortage of air traffic control personnel, although President Donald Trump’s administration sought to reassure people that flying remains safe.”It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said on social media late Thursday.Implementing the order on short notice will be a challenge for airlines.United Airlines and Delta, two of the country’s largest carriers, said they are complying with the order adding that it would not affect their international routes.United added earlier in the week that “hub-to-hub” flying would also not be affected, indicating cancellations might hit more local routes.Federal agencies across the United States have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, with some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to national park rangers, still on enforced leave or working without pay.Many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs in order to pay their bills, Duffy said Wednesday.FAA Administrator Bedford said the situation was unprecedented.”I am not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” he said Wednesday.Bedford added: “Then again, we’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

Leading Eswatini human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi likens the shadowy US expulsions of 15 men to his country, a tiny kingdom in southern Africa, to kidnappings.Since the first five deportees were flown from the United States on a military plane in July, authorities have blocked the lawyer from visiting them at the high-security prison where they are held.Another 10 arrived in October and had also reached out, via their relatives, for assistance, the lawyer told AFP in an interview.The expulsions are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants which has seen scores removed to countries in Africa and Central America. “Eswatini finds itself participating in what I can call human trafficking or kidnapping because you cannot have these third-party state deportees being housed (here) while denying them access to lawyers,” Nhlabatsi said.”They are far from their families, so their relatives cannot come here, yet they are being denied a basic right,” he said.Authorities have released few details about the deportees in Eswatini, who are from diverse countries including Vietnam, Laos and Cuba. One — a Jamaican — was repatriated in September.After being refused access by prison authorities, Nhlabatsi turned to the High Court which in early October agreed that local lawyers should be allowed to visit the detainees. But the government appealed the ruling and “that access has not yet been facilitated,” said Nhlabatsi, who is in his mid-40s.Lawyers have also asked the courts to oblige the government to make public the details of its deal with Washington. A text revealed by Human Rights Watch and some media, and seen by AFP, says Eswatini agreed to take 160 deportees in exchange for $5.1 million to “build its border and migration management capacity”.”I believe the country concentrated on financial gain and overlooked every aspect of international law,” Nhlabatsi said. – ‘Weaponisation’ -Poverty and unemployment are high among Eswatini’s 1.2 million population, with 58 percent of the youth without jobs, according to the International Monetary Fund.The autocratic ruler, King Mswati III, has held power for 39 years, openly flaunting his wealth with a lavish lifestyle.Political parties have been banned since 1973 and calling for democratic reforms risks terrorism or sedition charges.An example of the “weaponisation of the judiciary” in the deteriorating human rights environment was the jailing in 2021 of two opposition MPs accused of inciting unrest during pro-democracy protests, the lawyer said.One of them — Mthandeni Dube, sentenced to 18 years in prison — was freed on Tuesday after apologising to the king and agreeing not to make public speeches or join protests. “Even though one of them has since apologised, that does not change the fact that they should not have been convicted in the first place,” Nhlabatsi said.Since the 2021 protests, when at least 37 people were killed, “civic space has shrunk, the independence of the judiciary is questionable, and the rule of law remains under threat,” Nhlabatsi said.- Ticking time bomb -In 2023, human rights lawyer and fierce critic of the authorities Thulani Maseko was gunned down in a killing that shocked many beyond the borders of Eswatini. There have still been no arrests for the murder. “I began to truly fear for my safety after the assassination of Thulani Maseko because I had worked closely with him,” Nhlabatsi said.”What shocked and terrified me was that he was a man of peace. And I know for a fact that the state also knew that he never advocated violence in any form,” said the formal but friendly lawyer.  Eswatini needs change, including a move away from its system of royal favouritism and patronage that is eating into government finances, he said. “It is not sustainable,” Nhlabatsi said, describing the desperation for jobs in particular as a “cry for help, a ticking time bomb.”

US forces on Thursday struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from Washington’s controversial anti-narcotics campaign to at least 70.The United States began carrying out such strikes — which experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers — in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.The US strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far — 17 boats and a semi-submersible — but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.Hegseth released aerial footage on X of the latest strike, which he said took place in international waters like the previous strikes and targeted “a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.”The video showed a boat traveling through the water before exploding into flames.”Three male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed,” Hegseth said, without any further identifying information.”To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs — we will kill you,” he wrote.Like some previous videos released by the US government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons.President Donald Trump’s administration has built up significant forces in Latin America, in what it says is its campaign to stamp out drug trafficking.So far it has deployed six Navy ships in the Caribbean, sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region.The governments and families of those killed in the US strikes have said many of the dead were civilians — primarily fishermen. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused Trump of seeking to oust him.US bombers have also conducted shows of force near Venezuela, flying over the Caribbean Sea off the country’s coast on at least four occasions since mid-October.Maduro — who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States — insists there is no drug cultivation in his country, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will.The Trump administration has said in a notice to Congress that the United States is engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist groups as part of its justification for the strikes.The United Nations has asked the United States to cease its campaign, with rights chief Volker Turk saying the killings have taken place “in circumstances that find no justification in international law.”

US President Donald Trump hosted all five Central Asian leaders on Thursday for the first time, a few months after they held separate summits with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. The West has upped its interest with the resource-rich region, where Moscow’s traditional influence has been questioned since the Kremlin’s Ukraine invasion and where China is also a major player.- ‘Incredible importance’ of rare earths -“We’re strengthening our economic partnerships, improving our security cooperation, and expanding our overall bonds,” Trump said before a dinner with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.”One of the key items on our agenda is critical minerals,” Trump said at the so-called “C5+1” meeting.He hailed the countries’ “incredible importance and unbelievable potential.”On social media afterward, Trump announced “an incredible Trade and Economic Deal” with Uzbekistan, which he said included Tashkent investing nearly $35 billion over three years — and more than $100 billion in a decade — in key US sectors such as aviation, critical minerals, agriculture and IT.The United States and European Union are drawn by the region’s huge — but still mostly unexploited — natural resources as they try to diversify their rare earths supplies and reduce dependence on Beijing. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer, Uzbekistan has giant gold reserves and Turkmenistan is rich in gas. Mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are also opening up new mineral deposits.  But exploiting these giant reserves remains complicated in the impoverished states with harsh and remote terrains. Almost as large as the EU, but home to only about 75 million people, Central Asia is landlocked and covered by deserts and mountains.It is sandwiched between countries that have strained ties with the West: Russia to the north, China to the east and Iran and Afghanistan to the south.- ‘Sent by heaven’ -Trump’s counterparts did not hesitate in offering praise to their host.”You are the great leader, statesman, sent by heaven to bring (back) common sense and traditions that we all share and value,” gushed Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was no less effusive.”Before that, none of the presidents of the United States of America ever treated Central Asia as you do,” he said.”In Uzbekistan, we call you the president of the world.”The five landlocked countries, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, have put on a united front for diplomacy.China — which shares borders with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — has presented itself as a main commercial partner for the region, investing in huge infrastructure projects.The ex-Soviet republics still see Moscow as a strategic partner but have been spooked by its invasion of Ukraine. – Abraham Accords -The biggest announcement of the day was that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in a largely symbolic move aimed at boosting Trump’s push for Middle East peace.Kazakhstan will be the first country to join since the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan signed up to normalize ties with Israel in 2020.The central Asian republic has already had diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, but US Vice President JD Vance said Kazakhstan’s decision would nevertheless boost the initiative’s “momentum.”Several states in the Middle East have refused to join the accords so far, most notably Saudi Arabia.- Muffled human rights -For Trump, who has expressed admiration for hardline regimes, economic cooperation with Central Asia has taken precedence over promoting democratic values. While the region has opened up to tourism and foreign investment, rights groups have sounded the alarm over the further deterioration of civil freedoms. “The summit is taking place while all participating governments have increased efforts to stifle dissent, silence the media, and retaliate against critics at home and abroad,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement ahead of the talks. 

US right-wing influencers falsely linked New York’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the Islamic State group, amplifying a fabricated statement that garnered millions of views on social media, researchers said Thursday.Mamdani — the first Muslim and South Asian elected to lead America’s largest city — secured a decisive victory this week in the face of fierce attacks on his policy proposals and religious background.A slew of anti-Mamdani accounts on the Elon Musk-owned platform X have circulated a statement purportedly from IS titled “Operation Manhattan Project,” which alluded to an attack in New York City on Election Day against what it called “American aggression.”Among the influencers who linked the fake communique to Mamdani was Laura Loomer, a conservative influencer who has Trump’s ear.”The Muslims can’t think of a better way for the Muslims to celebrate the victory of a Muslim mayoral candidate today than by committing an ISIS (Islamic State) attack in NYC,” Loomer wrote in a post on X that racked up more than 200,000 views.Other conservative accounts cited the purported statement to falsely claim that the extremist group had endorsed Mamdani as mayor.The posts collectively amassed millions of views across the platform.The purported letter, which displayed the logo of the jihadists’ Amaq News Agency, was fabricated, according to multiple researchers including the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard.Meili Criezis, an American University academic, told the watchdog that the supposed communique did not bear the hallmarks of other statements that emanated from Amaq.”Amaq is used [by the Islamic State] to share news and claim responsibility for attacks,” Criezis said.”It doesn’t make threats like what is stated in the screenshot.”The Information Epidemiology Lab, another research group, also said the circulated communique “sharply” diverged from established IS “media practices in language, style, formatting, and distribution.”The fabricated statement appeared to first surface on the far-right message board 4chan, a known haven for conspiracy theories.In recent months, Mamdani, a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause, has vocally denounced antisemitism as well as the Islamophobia he himself suffered following the September 11, 2001 attacks.The 34-year-old state lawmaker — who appealed to voters by pledging to tackle the soaring cost of living — has repeatedly been targeted by racist tropes and misinformation.In the weeks leading up to the highly anticipated election, AFP’s fact-checkers debunked several false internet claims targeting Mamdani, including that a noncitizen illegally voted for him and that one of his campaign staffers posed beside graffiti of Nazi swastika.

Travelers across the United States were left scrambling to rebook flights as the government shutdown heaps pressure on the country’s air traffic control system, prompting hundreds of Friday flight cancellations at major American airports.Airlines starting Friday will begin implementing up to a 10-percent reduction in flights for 40 high-traffic areas of the country, complying with a Federal Aviation Administration order made on safety grounds.More than 750 US flights scheduled for Friday have been preemptively canceled Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware.American Airlines said in a statement it was reducing its flight schedules “amounting to 220 flights cancelled each day.”Delta Airlines was axing about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, the carrier said, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines nixed around 100 flights set for that day.The shutdown has left tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, airport security staff and others without pay, causing personnel shortages.On Thursday, more than 6,400 US flights were delayed, with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, as passengers faced long lines at security checkpoints.Major airports were impacted, with travelers at Boston and Newark airports facing average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.Authorities said they wanted to act before an accident occurred.”We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself, when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.- Peak travel season -The reduction measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.As millions of Americans face likely travel chaos amid a shortage of air traffic control personnel, President Donald Trump’s administration sought to reassure people that flying remained safe.”It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said late Thursday on X.The new cancellations could affect thousands of flights every day. Flight reductions will begin at four percent on Friday and rise to 10 percent, media outlets reported.Flight reductions are set to hit some of the country’s busiest airports, including in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.Implementing the order on short notice will be a challenge for airlines, which operate complex networks that rely on many moving parts and personnel.United Airlines and Delta, two of the country’s largest carriers, have said they are complying with the order but that it would not affect their international routes.United added that “hub-to-hub” flying would also not be affected, indicating cancellations might hit more local routes.Federal agencies across the United States have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, with some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to national park rangers, still on enforced leave or working without pay.Many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs in order to pay their bills, Duffy said Wednesday.FAA Administrator Bedford said the situation was unprecedented.”I am not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” he said Wednesday.”Then again, we’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

US lawmakers wrote to Britain’s disgraced former prince Andrew on Thursday requesting he sit for an interview about his friendship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The letter was disclosed as King Charles III formally stripped his younger brother of his titles after last week’s announcement that Andrew was being banished from the monarchy.Sixteen Democratic Party members of Congress signed a letter asking Andrew to participate in a “transcribed interview” with the House of Representatives oversight committee investigating Epstein, who took his own life in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges.”The committee is seeking to uncover the identities of Mr Epstein’s co-conspirators and enablers and to understand the full extent of his criminal operations,” the letter read.”Well-documented allegations against you, along with your long-standing friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities relevant to our investigation.”The letter asked Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, to respond by November 20.It was signed by Democrats who are in a minority in the House. US Congress also has no power to compel testimony from foreigners, making it unlikely that Andrew will give evidence.A spokesperson for the former prince did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.Emails recently released by the committee as well as a posthumous memoir written by Andrew’s sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre reignited UK anger over Andrew’s ties to Epstein.It culminated in Charles deciding to remove all of Andrew’s royal titles and honours and announcing that he would be ousted from his 30-room mansion on the royal estate at Windsor, west of London.Charles has formally made the changes with an announcement published Wednesday in The Gazette, the UK’s official public record.Andrew has always denied that he sexually abused Giuffre, who alleged that she was trafficked to have sex with him on three occasions, twice when she was just 17.After she launched a lawsuit against him, he paid her a multi-million-pound settlement in 2022 without making any admission of guilt.Giuffre, a US and Australian citizen, died by suicide at her home in Australia in April.

A US man charged with using a sandwich to assault a law enforcement officer was acquitted Thursday after a jury decided that charges brought by President Donald Trump’s prosecutors were baloney.The prosecution made a surprise local hero of 37-year-old Sean Dunn, who was protesting Trump’s shock takeover of law enforcement in the capital Washington.He was accused of flinging a “sub-style sandwich” at an armed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent on August 10 in a busy nightlife district after shouting expletives at the officer.The officer was part of a huge crackdown ordered by Trump, with multiple agencies and troops deploying in Washington and several other Democratic-run cities, ostensibly to fight what the Republican president says are crime waves and anarchy.Prosecutors wanted serious felony charges, but a grand jury refused to indict Dunn — a rare occurrence. A misdemeanor charge was filed and Dunn faced a maximum of one year in prison if convicted.While prosecutors ultimately proved ham-fisted, Dunn had appeared to be in a serious pickle.Right after hurling his sandwich he was chased down, then released, only to be arrested in a raid on his home that was publicized by the White House.As video of the initial altercation went viral, Dunn was quickly dubbed “DC sandwich guy,” becoming a symbol of resistance to Trump. Stylized images of him in mid-sandwich-attack appeared on posters, graffiti, T-shirts and even a popular Halloween costume.  Trump’s much-touted crime crackdown has seen an increase in arrests and indictments, but US media analysis of the data shows much of that has come from pursuing minor offenses in court.The top Trump-appointed prosecutor for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, has pursued maximum penalties for all arrests since taking office, including in the Dunn case.Dunn was a paralegal at the Justice Department at the time of the altercation and was fired from his position.On Monday, as proceedings opened, Judge Carl J. Nichols noted that he expected the trial to be a short one as “this is the simplest case in the world.”Dunn’s defense did not dispute that he threw the sandwich at the officer, instead arguing that his action did not constitute an offense, and that the charges against him were a “blatant abuse of power.”Much of the case centered on the definition of key terms, including whether the throwing of a soft object constitutes an act that is “forcible,” and whether Dunn’s action impeded the officer in the conduct of their duties.On the first day of court proceedings, the defendant, dressed in a black-and-white patterned sweater, appeared subdued as his defense team engaged in feverish consultation.Dunn’s defense has contended that he was being selectively prosecuted due to his political views, having called the federal officers “fascists” before he threw the sandwich.

The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration on Thursday to require passport applicants to be identified on the document by their biological sex at birth rather than their gender identity.The move is the latest blow to the rights of transgender and nonbinary Americans from the conservative-majority court, which includes three justices appointed by Republican President Donald Trump.Trump, after taking office in January, issued an executive order declaring that only two genders would now be recognized — male and female — ending recognition of a third gender, denoted by an “X” on US passports.In line with the order, passports issued by the State Department are now required to state the biological sex — “M” or “F” — of their holder at birth.The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged the move and a district court judge ordered the State Department to resume issuing “X” passports to transgender and nonbinary people affected by the policy change.An appeals court denied a Trump administration bid to overturn the district judge’s order, and the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to issue an emergency stay.In a brief unsigned order, the top court said the Trump administration’s passport policy could remain in place for now while the case proceeds in the lower courts. “Displaying passport holders’ sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth — in both cases, the Government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment,” the court said.The three liberal justices on the nine-member court dissented.The State Department first issued “X” passports in October 2021 under president Joe Biden, with the “X” gender marker reserved for nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming individuals.Senior ACLU counsel Jon Davidson condemned the Supreme Court order and said the legal fight would continue.”This is a heartbreaking setback for the freedom of all people to be themselves, and fuel on the fire the Trump administration is stoking against transgender people and their constitutional rights,” Davidson said in a statement.”We will continue to fight this policy and work for a future where no one is denied self-determination over their identity,” Davidson added.Trump also issued an executive order in January banning transgender Americans from military service, and the Supreme Court ruled in June that the ban could take effect while litigation challenging it plays out.