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WeightWatchers said Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and focus on its transition into a telehealth services provider.Parent WW International Inc. said it has the support of nearly three-quarters of its debt holders. It expects to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days, if not sooner.WeightWatchers, which was founded more than 60 years ago, has struggled recently. In 2023, the company moved into the prescription drug weight loss businessparticularly with the $106 million acquisition of Sequence, now WeightWatchers Clinic, a telehealth service that helps users get prescriptions for drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Trulicity.Its latest earnings report Tuesday showed that first-quarter revenue declined 10% while its loss on an adjusted basis totaled 47 cents per share. However, clinical subscription revenueor weight-loss medicationsjumped 57% year over year to $29.5 million.In September, WW International CEO Sima Sistani resigned, and the New York company named Tara Comonte, a WeightWatchers board member and former Shake Shack executive, interim chief executive.Comonte, now CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that, “As the conversation around weight shifts toward long-term health, our commitment to delivering the most trusted, science-backed, and holistic solutionsgrounded in community support and lasting resultshas never been stronger, or more important.”Shares of the company have traded at under $1 since early February. In after-hours trading, the stock plunged by half to 39 cents.The bankruptcy filing was made in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Associated Press
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers.The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.Just after beginning his second term in January, Trump moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy in February that gave the military services 30 days to figure out how they would seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. Those actions had been stalled by the lawsuits.“No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X following Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s-.”The Defense Department said Tuesday that officials are currently determining the next steps, but officials were not aware of any actions being taken right away.Three federal judges had ruled against the ban.In the case the justices acted on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, had ruled for seven long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations. A prospective service member also sued.The individual service members who challenged the ban together have amassed more than 70 medals in 115 years of service, their lawyers wrote. The lead plaintiff is Emily Shilling, a Navy commander with nearly 20 years of service, including as a combat pilot who flew 60 missions in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.The Trump administration offered no explanation as to why transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly over the past four years with no evidence of problems, should suddenly be banned, Settle wrote. The judge is an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush and is a former captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea. The Justice Department then turned to the Supreme Court.The policy also has been blocked by a federal judge in the nation’s capital, but that ruling has been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court, which heard arguments last month. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared to be in favor of the administration’s position.In a more limited ruling, a judge in New Jersey also has barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair.The LGBTQ rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called the high court order a devastating blow to dedicated and highly qualified service members.“By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down,” the groups said in a statement.The federal appeals court in San Francisco will hear the administration’s appeal in a process that will play out over several months at least. All the while, though, the transgender ban will remain in place under the Supreme Court order.In 2016, during Barack Obama’s presidency, a Defense Department policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military. During Trump’s first term in the White House, the Republican issued a directive to ban transgender service members, with an exception for some of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during Obama’s Democratic administration.The Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, scrapped it when he took office.The rules the Defense Department wants to enforce contain no exceptions.The policy during Trump’s first term and the new one are “materially indistinguishable,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the justices, though lawyers for the service members who sued disagreed.Thousands of transgender people serve in the military, but they represent less than 1% of the 2.1 million troops serving.A senior defense official said in February that they believe there are about 4,200 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria currently serving in the active duty, National Guard and Reserves.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said that between 2015 and 2024, the total cost for psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery and other treatment for service members is about $52 million. Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report. Mark Sherman, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
The Real ID requirement goes into effect today (Wednesday May 7, 2025). The deadline has been 20 years in the making, and its implementation today could cause some headachesor at least some confusionfor those trying to fly domestically. Heres what you need to know about todays Real ID deadline and what it means for you. What is Real ID? A Real ID is the name given to an updated form of drivers licenses and state IDs that have enhanced security measures. The federal government sets these standards, even though Real IDs are issued by individual states. From May 7, a Real ID will be required in most circumstances to board a domestic flight in America, enter certain federal facilities in the country, or enter nuclear power plants. However, while the Real ID requirements are going into effect today, the federal legislation mandating Real IDs was actually passed 20 years ago in 2005. The Real ID Act of 2005 was passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and aimed to strengthen the requirements needed to enter facilities or vehicles that terrorists were likely to target. However, over the past 20 years, the Real ID requirement has been delayed multiple times. But those delays are now a thing of the past, and the Real ID requirement is now in effect. How do I get a Real ID? Though Real ID is a federal requirement, it is issued by individual states. A Real ID can take a few different forms, the most common one being a state drivers license. However, it may also be another form of state identity card. The usual way to get a Real ID is to go to your states drivers license agency and apply for a new drivers license. This new license will now be Real ID-compliant. And yes, though the Real ID deadline is today, you can still apply for one at any time in the future if you dont already have one. How do I know if I have a Real ID? Some states have been issuing Real IDs for years. The easiest way to tell if you have a Real ID or not is to look at your identity document. “REAL ID-compliant cards will have a star marking on the upper top portion of the card, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security FAQ. You can view examples of Real ID stars here. What is an Enhanced ID? To make this situation more confusing, some states offer “enhanced IDs,” which are identified with a flag instead of a star. Both are considered Real ID compliant, according to DHS. What if still I dont have my Real ID? Though the Real ID requirement was 20 years in the making and finally goes into effect today, the fact of the matter is that the federal government knows that many Americans still do not have a Real ID. In April, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told CBS News that about 19% of travelers showing up at airports still did not have the new identification. Most Americans who fly domestically are used to boarding the plane with nothing more than their drivers license. But while technically the Real ID requirement goes into effect today, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, says people with non-Real ID drivers licenses will still be able to use them to board a domestic flight. Noem confirmed to a congressional committee that people without Real ID-compliant identification will still be able to flyfor now, reports the Associated Press. Noem said that those without a Real ID may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but added, But people will be allowed to fly. We will make sure its as seamless as possible, Noem told lawmakers. However, while non-Real ID holders will still be able to board flights with additional checks, its not clear how long this grace period will last. That means that if you dont have another acceptable form of identification that will get you on a domestic flight, its best not to delay getting your Read ID-compliant identification. Are other forms of identity still valid for air travel in the United States? While the Real ID requirement is now in effect to board a domestic flight, you dont need a Real ID document to get through security as long as you have a valid passport. Even if the flight is domestic only, you can still simply show a passport to board the plane in the United States. No other form of document is requiredprovided you have a passportnot even a Real ID. According to the AP, Noem also told lawmakers that tribal identification will be accepted at security checkpoints. Can I use a Real ID to travel internationally? One important thing to note is that while you can board domestic flights with your passport, things dont work the other way around. That is, you cannot use your Real ID to board an international flight. While a Real ID will allow you to get around via plane within America’s borders, other nations will still require a passport to enter their country. Finally, its worth pointing out that the Department of Homeland Security has a lengthy FAQ answering dozens of questions about the transition to Real ID, which is worth checking out.
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