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During his campaign, President Trump made a lot of promises about what he would do during a second term. One of those promises was to roll back the civil and social rights of transgender people. And in his first 100 days in office, Trump has been delivering on expelling transgender rights from the U.S., unlike with other promises like improving the economy. Starting from his first day in office, Trump has attacked the trans community from all anglesin rhetoric and in policy. He has removed workplace protections for trans people and disallowed gender-affirming medical care. In just a few months, here’s what Trump has done to turn back the clock for the trans community and transgender rights. An executive order to recognize only two genders On Trump’s first day, he signed a flurry of executive orders. Among them was an order declaring that the U.S. government will now only recognize a persons gender assigned at birth. It also set forth that the U.S. would recognize only two genders, male and female. The order states: Gender ideology replaces the biological category of sex with an ever-shifting concept of self-assessed gender identity, permitting the false claim that males can identify as and thus become women and vice versa, and requiring all institutions of society to regard this false claim as true.” The executive order meant that the U.S. would not recognize transgender, nonbinary, or intersex people, or even the idea that gender can be fluid. With the order, the State Department has ceased to issue passports with an “X” in the gender category, forcing trans individuals to return to using a gender category that doesn’t align with their identity. Banning trans Americans from military service Trump banned transgender Americans from serving openly in the military, rolling back Biden-era protections. The move didn’t come as a surprise, given that Trump had spoken frequently about the plan during his campaign. “If you want to have a sex change or a social justice seminar, then you can do it somewhere else, but you’re not going to do it in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force, or the United States Marinessorry,” Trump said at a preelection rally. An estimated 15,000 transgender individuals are currently serving in the U.S. military. Lawsuits against Trump’s order have already been filed by transgender active-duty members of the military, as well as those attempting to join. Last week, Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow the enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military as those legal challenges continue. Gutting DEI and allowing for workplace discrimination The Trump administration quickly gutted DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies from federal organizations. The move is likely to hit the transgender community hard, as hiring discrimination is rampant for the group. But the administration also made specific moves to target trans individuals in the workplace. On January 29, the Office of Personnel Management sent a memo to federal organizations explaining that agency heads should place any workers whose jobs entail promoting gender ideology on leave. It called for the closing of all programs that support the concept that gender exists on a spectrum. It also banned all workers from using pronouns in email signatures, and media that may “inculcate or promote gender ideology.” Banning gender-affirming medical care In a January 28 executive order, Trump banned gender-affirming medical care for individuals under the age of 19. It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called transition of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures, the order says. Not only did the order attack trans children, but it also targeted care providers, asserting that federal funds would be restricted from doctors who provide gender-affirming care. A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the order aiming to shut down access to gender-affirming care. Banning trans individuals from using their preferred bathrooms Trump’s January 29 order also attacked transgender individuals using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. It directed agencies to designate bathrooms “by biological sex and not gender identity. In an interview with Time magazine, which named Trump 2024’s Person of the Year, the then-president-elect said, I dont want to get into the bathroom issue. Because its a very small number of people were talking about, and its ripped apart our country, so theyll have to settle whatever the law finally agrees.
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E-Commerce
Around the world, farmers are retooling their land to harvest the hottest new commodity: sunlight. As the price of renewable energy technology has plummeted and water has gotten more scarce, growers are fallowing acreage and installing solar panels. Some are even growing crops beneath them, which is great for plants stressed by too many rays. Still others are letting that shaded land go wild, providing habitat for pollinators and fodder for grazing livestock. According to a new study, this practice of agrisolar has been quite lucrative for farmers in Californias Central Valley over the last 25 yearsand for the environment. Researchers looked at producers who had idled land and installed solar, using the electricity to run equipment like water pumps and selling the excess power to utilities. On average, that energy savings and revenue added up to $124,000 per hectare (about 2.5 acres) each year, 25 times the value of using the land to grow crops. Collectively, the juice generated in the Central Valley could power around 500,000 households while saving enough water to hydrate 27 million people annually. If a farmer owns 10 acres of land, and they choose to convert 1 or 2 acres to a solar array, that could produce enough income for them to feel security for their whole operation, said Jake Stid, a renewable energy landscape scientist at Michigan State University and lead author of the paper, published in the journal Nature Sustainability. The Central Valley is among the most productive agricultural regions in the world: It makes up just 1% of all farmland acreage in the United States, yet generates a third of the nations fruits and vegetables. But its also extremely water-stressed as California whiplashes between years of significant rainfall and drought. To irrigate all those crops, farmers have drawn so much groundwater that aquifers collapse like empty water bottles, making the earth itself sink by many feet. Farmers cant make their crops less thirsty, so many have been converting some of their acreage to solar. The Central Valley is ideal for this, being mostly flat and very sunny, hence the agricultural productivity. At the same time, farmers have been getting good rates for the electricity that they offset and send back to the grid. A large array of solar panels near crop fields along Highway 41 in Californias Central Valley [Photo: George Rose/Getty Images] Now, though, California has adopted standards that reduce those rates by 75% on average. For a farmer investing in panels, the investment looks less enticing. The algebra or calculusor whatever math discipline you want to referenceit just doesnt work out the same way, said Karen Norene Mills, vice president of legal advocacy at the California Farm Bureau, which promotes the states agricultural community. Also, the study found that by fallowing land for solar panels, food production in the Central Valley dropped by enough calories to feed 86,000 people a year. But, Stid said, markets can adjust, as crops are grown elsewhere to make up the deficit. By tapping the sun instead, Stid added, growers can simultaneously help California reach its goals of deploying renewable and reducing groundwater usage. The tension, though, is meeting those objectives while still producing incredible quantities of food. That is always our concern about some of these pressures, Mills said. But this isnt an either-or proposition: Many farmers are finding ways to grow some crops, like leafy greens and berries, under the panels. The shade reduces evaporation from the soil, allowing growers to water less often. In turn, a wetted landscape cools the panels, which improves their efficiency. This is the compromise thats going to allow for both energy independence and food security, said horticulturalist Jennifer Bousselot, who studies agrisolar at Colorado State University but wasnt involved in the new study. Farmers are also turning livestock loose to graze under their panels. Their droppings fertilize the soil, leading to more plant growth and more flowers that support native pollinators. The grass, its so much more lush under the panels, its amazing, said Ryan Romack, founder of Virginia-based AgriSolar Ranch, which provides grazing services. Especially when the sheep have been on site long-term, you can really see the added benefits of the manure load. Then, if a farmer decides not to replace the solar panels at the end of their lifespanusually around 25 or 30 yearsthe soil will be refreshed with nutrients and ready to grow more crops. Even if a grower simply lets them sit for decades without any management, the fallowing can restore the soils health. We really see solar as a collective landscape, Stid said, that can be sited, managed, and designed in a way to benefit both people and the planet and ecosystems as well. By Matt Simon, Grist This article originally appeared in Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
Over the years, Ive likely wasted thousands of dollars on forgotten subscriptionsand Im not alone. A 2022 survey by research firm C+R found that 42% of Americans had paid for subscriptions theyd forgotten about. Its easy to lose track, especially when payments are scattered across credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and app store accounts. Heres how to track down and cancel those forgotten charges. Subscription management apps: Rocket Money, Hiatus, Trim Dedicated services are among the most effective tools for finding and canceling forgotten subscriptionsand potentially switching to cheaper or free alternatives. But they come with a trade-off: To work, these tools require access to your personal financial data, which can be used for marketing and may compromise your privacy. The more companies that hold your data, the greater your risk in the event of a breach. If thats a concern, dont worrywell explore lower-risk options farther down. I tested three services: Rocket Money, Hiatus, and OneMain Trim. All three can identify old subscriptions for free. Rocket Money and Hiatus also offer to cancel them for youfor a fee. These services connect to your financial accounts using Plaid. While Plaid doesnt share your login credentials, it does access other types of data. In 2022, the company settled a $58 million class-action lawsuit related to its data practices and agreed to limit what it stores and delete certain user dataa process it said was already in progress. Rocket Money identified seven of my nine active subscriptions, including an Apple bundle. It offered to cancel five of themif I subscribed to its pay-what-you-want plan, offering me a range from $6 to $12 per month after a seven-day free trial. The plan also includes budgeting and expense-minimizing tools. Some services, like Apple, require manual cancellation, it said, as Rocket Money cant act on a users behalf in all cases. However, Rocket Moneys privacy policy allows it to use a broad range of personal data for marketing its sister companies, including Rocket Mortgage. The company says it doesnt share financial data like transaction history or account balances with affiliates, but it does share other personal details for advertising purposes. (Rocket does have an opt-out for residents of states that require it: California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.) Hiatus uncovered five subscriptions, including those from Apple. It could cancel two if I signed up for its Premium plan: I was offered the choice of from $10 to $21 per month (or $48 per year). This plan includes access to other financial tools. The company says it doesnt sell personal data to third parties without consent, but it didnt respond to multiple requests for clarification. Trim, which focuses specifically on subscription tracking, stood out for its clarity and privacy stance. It found all nine subscriptions and had the cleanest, most intuitive interface. While it doesnt cancel subscriptions on your behalf, it provides clear instructions and links to do so. Trims privacy policy states it doesnt share data with third parties, though it does share some information with its parent company, OneMain. Users can opt out of advertising. Despite lacking automated features, Trim offered the best overall balance of accuracy, privacy, and affordability. Manual Methods to Find Subscriptions If youd rather not link your financial accounts, you can manually weed through charges to them. Even if you use a management service, a manual check can catch what it may miss. Listings on mobile devices To find subscriptions on Android devices, go to the Google Play app home screen, tap your avatar at the top right, then tap Payments & Subscriptions > Subscriptions. On iPhones and iPads, go to Settings, click your name, and click Subscriptions. Stored browser logins and password managers Check saved website login data for more clues. In Google Chrome on a computer, click the three-dot menu icon in the upper right, then Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager. In Apple’s Safari, click Safari > Settings > Passwords. If you use a password manager like 1Password or Dashlane, check them, too. Emails from subscription services You will often get emails from services you subscribe to, such as welcome messages or updates to privacy policies. Search for text like free trial, terms, welcome, privacy policy, your account, or update for clues. How to cancel subscriptions yourself If you’re not using a subscription management app (or if it can’t cancel all accounts for you), try searching the web for something like “cancel subscription new york times” (which worked). Or ask a chatbot. I prompted ChatGPT with: How do I cancel a [name of service] subscription? Provide links to the relevant account pages where possible. It found the right links for Apple, ChatGPT, Evernote, Flickr, Google, Hulu, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and missed only MIT Technology Review. The step-by-step instructions were right or close to right in most cases. Canceling all your unwanted subscriptions could take half a daybut the savings will likely be worth the time.
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E-Commerce
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