A D.C. Circuit ruling would have allowed the Trump admin’s anti-trans policy to go into effect, but a new district court injunction issued hours later blocked the policy yet again.
The Trump administration’s effort to end gender-affirming medical care for transgender people in federal prison is blocked again after a short lapse in protections on Wednesday.
About noon Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a 2-1 order that for two-and-a-half hours technically allowed the Trump administration to begin implementing the Federal Bureau of Prisons’s plan to “taper” — with a goal of ending — the provision of hormone therapy for transgender people in federal prison.
About 2:30 p.m., though, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted a request that had been pending from the plaintiffs challenging the BOP policy and issued a new preliminary injunction blocking the plan.
This was not the actions of a “rogue” judge or anything like that. The appeals court judges had even noted that the district court request was pending, but Judges Karen Henderson, a George W. Bush appointee, and Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, nonetheless issued the ruling on Wednesday — over the dissent of Judge Cornelia PIllard, an Obama appointee.
The D.C. Circuit move effectively forced Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, to act quickly if he wanted to keep the protections he had ordered in place.
He did so — continuing his role as the federal judge most clearly protecting the rights of trans people in prison.
The performers for the Obama Presidential Library opening on June 18 have been announced:Stevie WonderJohn LegendJennifer HudsonThe RootsBruce SpringsteenChristina AguileraMarsai MartinCommonU2’s Bono and The EdgeEddie VedderMarc AnthonyTems
“Records reveal $600M estimate for Trump’s ballroom project, with half from taxpayers: An internal cost estimate in March by the project’s contractor ran $200m more than Trump has said publicly and counters his claims that no taxpayer money will be spent.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio…
Good, and there needs to be more of this. Put people on notice that they will be held accountable because right now they think they can get away with anything. http://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/u… Democrats Warn Trump Officials Not to Pursue Arch Project Without Congress
January 6 defendants pursue millions in claims through obscure federal processFederal Tort Claims Act, over which DoJ has total discretion, provides workaround to Trump’s $1.8bn slush fundwww.theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
US President Donald Trump told a roomful of global leaders 'I'm the boss,' as he and other G7 leaders acknowledged Ukraine's improved battlefield fortunes with a unified pledge of support and fresh sanctions against Russia. Follow our live coverage here: reut.rs/4aAYG0C
G7 day two: Trump enters late, declares he is the boss, then tries to offer photographers to remain in the room during the session.My 2 cents: this is the exact behavior style that then ultimately made him the center of concerns at the G7 last year.. on day two. Let’s see if the agenda stays as is
Kash Patel ‘jumped the gun’ with announcement of UFC plot arrests, sources saySecret Service officials are angered by the FBI director's early morning social media post that was shared before some suspects were arrested. http://www.ms.now/news/kash-pa…
Jackson Lahmeyer, a Trump-endorsed pastor who has five kids and a wife, is accused of sexting a woman on his own campaign payroll.The screenshots are brutal.His white evangelical base probably won't care.His primary is today.www.friendlyatheist.com/p/trump-back…
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore has won the Republican primary runoff for an open Senate seat in Alabama. Moore defeated political newcomer Jared Hudson on Tuesday to advance to the November general election. bit.ly/4xxNhIH
NEWS: Trump suffers a major Republican primary defeat in Georgia.Trump-backed Burt Jones has LOST the Georgia GOP gubernatorial runoff to Rick Jackson, per Decision Desk HQ.Jackson will now face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.
NEW: A federal court dismissed a far-right group's lawsuit seeking to block Wisconsin from sharing voter data with ERIC, a data-sharing network helping states maintain accurate voter rolls.Red states began withdrawing from ERIC after far-right conspiracy theories about the program spread in 2022.
White Christian Nationalists apply only. A Muslim Texan sought to find his place in the party at the state GOP convention. He left in tears. http://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/15/t…
WOW! Stephen Miller and Trump considered suspending Habeas Corpus last year -that would mean they could arrest and hold you in jail for as long as they want–and you could not challenge it. This is how dangerous Trump is!! He MUST be REMOVED!! (Gift link below)www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/u…
Pete Hegesth, "Obama begged Iran for a deal, we bombed Iran"Journalist, "The JCPOA (Iran deal) did that too"Hegseth, "We devastated their military"Imagine celebrating achieving the thing a previous president achieved without killing the 3,000+ Iranians dead since the US/Israel attacks
The stories of rebellion by enslaved peoples has been largely erased or occluded from history, and when these stories are told, they usually center men. In Cuba, however, two women became legends because of the leadership roles they took in rebellion. Carlota and Fermina were decisive, brave, and brutal. Both women were kidnapped from the Yoruba Nation and given the last name ‘Lucumí’, a word which refers to Afro-Cubans of Yoruba descent.
The Triunvirato sugar plantation was a fucking hellscape. By the 1840s, one third of Cuba’s population consisted of enslaved persons, almost all of whom worked in the sugar trade in some capacity. The 1840s saw Cuba utilizing steam-powered mails and railroads and engaging in massive deforestation as the economy became reliant on sugar. The Triunvirato Plantation was one of many that subjected enslaved people to a starvation diet and horrific working and living conditions.
We know very little about Carlota and Fermina. We do know, however, that on November 6, 1843, Carlota and others launched the Triunvirato Rebellion, the last in a series of uprisings across Cuba. Carlota used talking drums to communicate with other plantations, bringing the neighboring Acaná plantation, where Fermina was enslaved, as well as several others into the plan.
Carlota Leading the People (after Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People by Lili Bernard, 2011
Fermina had recently escaped from Acaná and may have planned a June rebellion, but it didn’t happen. She was recaptured and shackled for months. Her tormentors released her from the shackles just a few days before the Triunvirato Rebellion, which she helped lead on the Acaná Plantation. In all, the enslaved people on five plantations rose up against their oppressors on or near November 6.
Here is a good overview of what we know about Carlota:
The series of rebellions that took place in 1843 (including uprisings in March and May, as well as a thwarted uprising in December) were collectively referred to as La Escalera. In response, slavers tortured and murdered so many people that 1844 became known as “The Year of the Lash”. Fermina was tortured and then killed by a firing squad. Carlota died at some point during the Trinuvirato Rebellion. Slavery in Cuba wasn’t abolished until 1886.
However, Carlota’s memory was preserved in oral legend. She became a famous symbol of resistance in Cuba. In 1975, when Cuba sent troops to support the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), they called the operation ‘Operation Carlota.’
Monument to Carlota’s Rebellion, located at Triumvirato, erected in 1991
Writing about history is a messy business. For one thing, many historical figures, especially women, and most especially women of color, have been so systematically erased that the stories we still have of them are murky. This is certainly true of Carlota and Fermina. We don’t even know their real names – only the names their slavers forced them to bear. We know for sure that they existed, and everything else is a matter of sifting various stories together and trying to figure out where they overlap.
In this column, there is also the matter of who to choose as ‘Kickass.’ Carlota and Fermina were both said to have done terrible, violent things.
CW/TW
Their story can be seen as one in which brutality begets brutality, and it can also be seen as a human being refusing to break or to become passive with despair in the face of massive crushing forces. Carlota and Fermina were clever, resourceful, determined leaders. I only wish I knew their real names.
Scottie's Playtime 