A federal judge has reportedly thrown out a lawsuit challenging Maryland’s statewide ban on gay conversion therapy for minors.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow on Friday dismissed a claim from Christopher Doyle — a mental health therapist at Patrick Henry College in Virginia and the executive director of the Institute for Healthy Families — who argued that the ban violates his First Amendment rights, NBC News reports.

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Chasanow, appointed by former President Clinton, argued that banning gay conversion therapy doesn’t bar therapists from being able to express their own views with their clients, and that the ban is justified due to ample research and evidence proving conversion therapy’s harmful effects on young people.

“These sources indicate that conducting conversion therapy on minors could potentially harm their emotional and physical well-being and, thus, prohibiting the practice of conversion therapy on minors would abate the harmful outcomes caused by conversion therapy,” she said.

Doyle filed the lawsuit in January, naming Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and State Attorney Brian Frosh as defendants.

One of his attorneys, from a Christian legal advocacy group based on Florida, said Monday they will appeal the ruling.

Hogan in May 2018 signed into law the statewide ban on gay conversion therapy for minors, making Maryland the 11th state to institute such a ban.

The law took effect in October.

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Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter with this LINK.

Welcome! Follow the cyber team, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and the tech team, Harper Neidig (@hneidig) and Emily Birnbaum (@birnbaum_e).

 

A NEW EFFORT AGAINST EXTREMIST CONTENT: A consortium of social media giants including Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft and YouTube on Monday announced it will be formalizing its counterterrorism efforts, forming an independent group with a dedicated staff to coordinate the takedown of extremist content across the world’s top platforms.

The companies said they will announce their revamp of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) during a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.

The companies are set to meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel MacronEmmanuel Jean-Michel MacronHillicon Valley: Social media giants overhaul counterterrorism efforts | Warner calls for cyber strategy against China | Court strikes down FCC media ownership proposal | Twitter takes action against financial scams Social media giants restructure counterterrorism effort into independent group with staff Trump is digging a deeper hole by adding more Iran sanctions MORE to discuss what they are doing about the extremist content that proliferates across their networks.

“At this important convening, GIFCT is announcing it will become an independent organization led by an Executive Director and supported by dedicated technology, counterterrorism and operations teams,” the companies said in a statement early Monday evening.

Background: The GIFCT was formed by Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube in 2017, just as the companies were facing intensifying criticism over discoveries that al Qaeda and ISIS were using their platforms to recruit and radicalize mostly young, disenfranchised men. Videos of violent beheadings went viral, prompting regulators and lawmakers to turn up the heat.

But so far, the GIFCT has mainly consisted of a database that allows the companies to share digital footprints of terrorist content they identify. It has not been a brick-and-mortar building or an official organization.

But now: The companies on Monday announced that is going to change. And a trio of top companies will join them in their efforts — Amazon, LinkedIn and WhatsApp will join the GIFCT’s new independent organization. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, and WhatsApp is owned by Facebook. 

The new GIFCT will be led by an independent executive director, who will engage with an operational board and advisory committee, according to the announcement.

More on what the changes will mean here.

 

 

CHINESE THREATS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Sen. Mark WarnerMark Robert WarnerHillicon Valley: Social media giants overhaul counterterrorism efforts | Warner calls for cyber strategy against China | Court strikes down FCC media ownership proposal | Twitter takes action against financial scams Top Democrat calls for new strategy to address China threats The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by National Association of Manufacturers – Trump defends Ukraine motives while attacking Biden MORE (D-Va.) on Monday called for a “comprehensive strategy” in dealing with China, saying the Trump administration should be less “erratic and incoherent” in its approach to Chinese threats in cyberspace and other areas.

“The president’s insistence on framing this as a conflict between our two countries has resulted in little tangible gain,” Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said at the U.S. Institute of Peace. “We cannot afford to frame this strategic challenge in simplistic, Cold War terms — dividing the world in two and fighting for a bigger half.”

Warner argued that the administration needs to step up and “defend against China’s bad behavior.”

“We need a comprehensive strategy to defend against China’s bad behavior; to compete with China in the 21st century; and to strengthen the international order it seeks to upend,” he added.

Warner said confronting Chinese efforts to dominate fields such as telecommunications, science and technology and the military was the “great foreign policy challenge of our time.”

Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property has been a focal point of Trump’s year-plus trade war with China. The issue also found its way into the Democratic presidential primary, with candidates raising their concerns during the debate in Houston earlier this month.

Read more here.

 

COURT SAYS NO TO FCC MEDIA RULES: A federal appeals court struck down an effort by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to relax media ownership rules. 

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the FCC move to end a decades-long ban against one entity owning both a newspaper and TV station in a major market, citing a lack of consideration into the impacts on ownership by women and racial minorities.

The FCC is also trying to loosen rules preventing owners from purchasing additional TV stations in the same market, local outlets from selling advertising time collectively and owners from buying radio stations in some markets, Reuters reported.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement that the commission intends to challenge the ruling, saying the 3rd Circuit court has disrupted updates to the rules for 15 years. 

“It’s become quite clear that there is no evidence or reasoning — newspapers going out of business, broadcast radio struggling, broadcast TV facing stiffer competition than ever — that will persuade them to change their minds,” Pai said in his statement.

The FCC voted 3-2 in 2017 to cut back on the regulations with a Republican-led commission, which Democratic lawmakers said would allow the Sinclair Broadcast Group to access 72 percent of the nation’s TV viewers. 

House Dems react: “The Trump FCC has consistently placed industry’s interests over consumers,” House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and tech subcommittee chairman Mike DoyleMichael (Mike) F. DoyleHillicon Valley: Social media giants overhaul counterterrorism efforts | Warner calls for cyber strategy against China | Court strikes down FCC media ownership proposal | Twitter takes action against financial scams Here are the 95 Democrats who voted to support impeachment House panel advances anti-robocall bill MORE (D-Pa.) said in a statement. “In his fervor to deregulate, Chairman Pai stripped protections away from American consumers, undermining media diversity and isolating communities whose voices make our country stronger.”

“The Third Circuit’s decision validates our concerns that the FCC ignored the order’s effect on women and minority ownership,” they said. “Rather than doubling down on its misguided approach, we urge the FCC to start anew and review its media ownership rules to ensure they reflect the great diversity of our nation.”

Read more on the court ruling here. 

 

PLEASE STOP SCAMMING: Twitter on Monday announced new rules aimed at prohibiting financial scams.

The use of the platform “to deceive others into sending you money or personal financial information via scam tactics, phishing, or otherwise fraudulent or deceptive methods” is prohibited under the new rules, which specifically cite relationship or trust-building scams, money-flipping schemes, fraudulent discounts and phishing scams.

Punishments for financial scams include URLs being blacklisted, tweet deletion, account locks and permanent suspension for the most severe cases of fraud.

The new rule adds onto Twitter’s platform manipulation and spam policy from March.

That policy did not specifically define or outline consequences for financial fraud.

Claims related to the sale of goods, disputed refunds or complaints about goods will not fall under the scam umbrella, Twitter said.

Read more on the policy change here.

 

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TRADE WIN FOR APPLE: Apple is set to build its new Mac Pro in Austin, Texas, after U.S. trade officials agreed to exempt nearly a dozen computer parts from the Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs.

Before the tariff exemptions, announced last Friday, reports indicated Apple might have been forced to move the production of its Mac Pro to China. But in an announcement on Monday, Apple said it will continue to manufacture the Mac Pro in the same Texas location where the computer has been made since 2013.

“The Mac Pro is Apple’s most powerful computer ever and we’re proud to be building it in Austin,” CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “We thank the administration for their support enabling this opportunity.”

Late last week, U.S. trade regulators approved 10 of 15 requests that Apple had filed for relief from tariffs, including requests for partially completed circuit boards and graphics cards.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpNYT publisher: US didn’t step in to protect reporter from arrest in Egypt so paper turned to Ireland Trump instructed administration to withhold military aid for Ukraine days before call with president: report More Democrats threaten impeachment over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine MORE has sought to put pressure on Apple and other companies to manufacture their products in the U.S. Over the summer, he rejected Apple’s request to exempt Mac Pro parts from import tariffs.

“Apple will not be given Tariff waivers, or relief, for Mac Pro parts that are made in China,” Trump tweeted in July. “Make them in the USA, no Tariffs!”

In filings over the summer, Apple asked the U.S. trade representative to exclude components of the new Mac Pro from the list of products that could be hit by tariffs of 25 percent amid Trump’s ongoing trade war with Beijing.

The new $6,000 Mac Pro will include “components designed, developed and manufactured by more than a dozen American companies for distribution to U.S. customers,” Apple said in its announcement on Monday.

Read more here.

 

SPEAKING EASY: Google outlined measures to protect user voice data in an effort at transparency after the company faced blowback over privacy concerns associated with its “Assistant” product. 

“We believe you should be able to easily understand how your data is used and why, so you can make choices that are right for you,” Google said in a statement. 

“When we learned about these concerns, we immediately paused this process of human transcription globally to investigate and conducted a full review of our systems and controls,” Google added. 

Google said it will update its settings to highlight when its audio recording setting is turned on. 

The recording feature was never set up by default and remains an option for users to opt-in to use. 

Only users that turn the Voice & Audio Activity on have their recordings used in the human review process, Google said. The “audio snippets” reviewed by users who use the setting are not associated with any user, according to the tech company. 

Google also said it will also be focusing on identifying ways to better understand unintentional sounds that activate the Assistant. The product deletes audio when it realized it was unintentionally activated.

Read more on Google’s decision here. 

 

ICYMI SUSPENDED: Facebook said Friday that it has suspended tens of thousands of applications during an investigation it launched into app developers following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. 

“To date, this investigation has addressed millions of apps. Of those, tens of thousands have been suspended for a variety of reasons while we continue to investigate,” said a statement from Vice President of Product Partnerships Ime Archibong. 

Archibong added that the suspended apps were not necessarily a threat and that in many cases they were suspended because developers did not respond to the company’s requests for information. 

The suspended apps were linked to about 400 developers.  

The social media giant has also banned apps completely in “a few cases” during its ongoing probe. 

Read more here.

 

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LIGHTER CLICK: Thanks so much, editors.

 

AN OP-ED TO CHEW ON: 2024 moon landing deadline is definitely political and aspirational-but that’s not all bad 

 

NOTABLE LINKS FROM AROUND THE WEB: 

Miners push for U.S. Congress to vote on electric vehicle supply chain bills. (Reuters) 

To fight ‘evil’ ICE, an engineer pulled his code off GitHub. (The Verge) 

Snap detailed Facebook’s aggressive tactics in “Project Voldemort” dossier. (The Wall Street Journal) 

The United States joined 26 other countries in signing a joint resolution on Monday aimed at advancing responsible state behavior in cyberspace as part of the United National General Assembly.  

The countries, which mostly included Euorpean states, affirmed their commitment to the “international rules-based order” in cyberspace, including the protection of human rights both online and offline.

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“As responsible states that uphold the international rules-based order, we recognize our role in safeguarding the benefits of a free, open, and secure cyberspace for future generations,” the countries wrote in the resolution. “When necessary, we will work together on a voluntary basis to hold states accountable when they act contrary to this framework, including by taking measures that are transparent and consistent with international law. There must be consequences for bad behavior in cyberspace.”

The other signatories were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

Countries traditionally cited as those carrying out “bad behavior” in cyberspace, such as Russia and China, did not sign on to the agreement. 

Former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerFox News legal analyst says Trump call with Ukraine leader could be ‘more serious’ than what Mueller ‘dragged up’ Lewandowski says Mueller report was ‘very clear’ in proving ‘there was no obstruction,’ despite having ‘never’ read it Fox’s Cavuto roasts Trump over criticism of network MORE found that Russia carried out a campaign to interfere in the U.S. 2016 presidential election through both hacking and disinformation operations, while China has been found to steal U.S. intellectual property. 

The joint resolution was signed the same day the U.S. co-hosted the second Ministerial Meeting on Advancing Responsible State Behavior in Cyberspace as part of U.N. General Assembly, alongside the Netherlands and Australia. 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan said during the meeting that “fostering responsible state behavior in cyberspace is now integral to safeguarding international peace and security.”

“We as an international community must come together to mainstream and make universal well-established standards for state behavior in cyberspace and hold accountable those who transgress them,” Sullivan said. 

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpAmash responds to Trump: ‘It’s not about the transcript of a call’  Warren announces expansion of presidential campaign Colbert on Ukraine controversy: ‘It might be the thing’ that gets Trump MORE on Tuesday accused China of engaging in unfair trade practices and offered up a robust defense of his trade war with Beijing during an address at the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump argued that China’s admittance to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 had backfired and that the country has chosen not to adopt reforms while engaging in currency manipulation and intellectual property theft at the expense of the United States and other countries.

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“Not only has China declined to adopt promised reforms, it has embraced an economic model dependent on massive market barriers, heavy state subsidies, currency manipulation, product dumping, forced technology transfers and the theft of intellectual property — and also trade secrets — on a grand scale,” Trump said.

Trump said the WTO needs “massive change” and accused past leaders of ignoring China’s behavior as a result of “globalism” — echoing a theme of his overall remarks in which he promoted the benefits of patriotism and isolationism. 

“For years, these abuses were tolerated, ignored or even encouraged. Globalism exerted a religious pull over past leaders, causing them to ignore their own national interests,” the president said. “As far as America is concerned, those days are over.”

Trump defended his trade war with China, which has rattled global markets and contributed to fears of the prospect of a U.S. recession heading into the 2020 elections.

Trump said that as a result of his administration’s imposition of tariffs on China, “supply chains are relocating back to America and other nations and billions of dollars are being paid to our Treasury.”

Trump’s remarks come as his administration approaches a new round of high-level trade negotiations with China.

The president has expressed varying degrees of hope for a trade deal — which has eluded his administration for more than a year since he first announced tariffs on Chinese — while taking a hard line on the need to rein in Beijing.

Both sides have ratcheted up tariffs on one another, though tensions seem to have eased in recent weeks ahead of the next round of negotiations in October. 

Trump said last week that he would not agree to a deal on the margins with China and that he didn’t believe he needs an agreement before the 2020 presidential election, arguing the dispute wasn’t having a substantial impact on the U.S. economy.

On Tuesday, Trump expressed hope at reaching an agreement with China on trade, while underscoring he would not make a “bad deal.” 

“The American people are absolutely committed to restoring balance to our relationship with China,” Trump said. “Hopefully we can reach an agreement that can be beneficial to both countries, but as I have made very clear, I will not accept a bad deal for the American people.”

Trump also briefly mentioned that his administration is “closely watching” China’s actions in Hong Kong, where pro-Democracy demonstrators have been protesting against the Chinese government for several weeks. Trump urged China to abide by the 1984 declaration signed with Britain that secured Hong Kong’s limited autonomy.

“How China chooses to handle the situation will say a great deal about its role in the world in the future. We are all counting on President Xi [Jinping] as a great leader,” Trump said. 

“The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation. We desire peace, cooperation and mutual gain with all. But I will never fail to defend America’s interests.”

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President TrumpDonald John TrumpAmash responds to Trump: ‘It’s not about the transcript of a call’  Warren announces expansion of presidential campaign Colbert on Ukraine controversy: ‘It might be the thing’ that gets Trump MORE on Tuesday expressed defiance at the news that Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiAmash responds to Trump: ‘It’s not about the transcript of a call’  Colbert on Ukraine controversy: ‘It might be the thing’ that gets Trump Centrist Democrats urge caution over impeachment inquiry MORE (D-Calif.) intends to announce a formal impeachment inquiry into him, suggesting it could benefit him politically.

“The country’s doing the best it’s ever done, and I just heard she’d like to impeach,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with the Iraqi president at the United Nations, calling the move a “continuation of the witch hunt.”

“If [Pelosi] does that, they all say that’s a positive for me in the election,” he said. “You could also say who needs it. It’s bad for the country.”

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Trump questioned how Pelosi could move forward on impeachment before the release of a transcript of his call with the Ukrainian president in which Trump reportedly pressed for an investigation into former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenAmash responds to Trump: ‘It’s not about the transcript of a call’  Warren announces expansion of presidential campaign Colbert on Ukraine controversy: ‘It might be the thing’ that gets Trump MORE or his son Hunter Biden.

“By the way, she hasn’t even seen the phone call. The phone call was perfect,” Trump said.

Later Tuesday, Pelosi is set to announce plans to launch a formal impeachment inquiry into the president after months of resisting calls from her caucus to do so.

More than 150 Democrats support launching an impeachment inquiry or filing articles of impeachment against Trump as of Tuesday afternoon. Dozens of those lawmakers have come forward in the last 48 hours alone, citing Trump’s interactions with Ukraine.

The president has admitted that he brought up Biden, the Democratic presidential front-runner, and corruption during a July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has separately acknowledged that he held up military funding for Ukraine but argued he did so in an effort to secure higher contributions from France and Germany.

Trump has denied an explicit quid pro quo tying the funds to an investigation into Biden, but Democrats, including Pelosi, have said the president’s efforts to solicit help from a foreign power to damage a political rival is sufficient proof of wrongdoing even in the absence of a bribe.

A transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky is expected to be released on Wednesday, though Democrats have said that is insufficient, calling for the release of a full intelligence community whistleblower complaint on the issue.

Support for impeachment has generally been well under 50 percent in polls throughout Trump’s presidency. However, his disapproval ratings have hovered at or above 50 percent in many of those same surveys.

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Sen. Ed MarkeyEdward (Ed) John MarkeyMassachusetts Democrats call for 100 percent fentanyl screening of international mail from ‘high-risk’ nations The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by National Association of Manufacturers – Pelosi feels heat as Dems pursue whistleblower complaint Democrats dread Kennedy-Markey showdown in 2020 MORE (D-Mass.) and Rep. Katherine ClarkKatherine Marlea ClarkMassachusetts Democrats call for 100 percent fentanyl screening of international mail from ‘high-risk’ nations Ten notable Democrats who do not favor impeachment The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump searches for backstops amid recession worries MORE (D-Mass.), the sixth-ranking Democrat in the House, on Tuesday introduced legislation requiring 100 percent screening of international mail and cargo from “high-risk countries” for fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

The Massachusetts Democrats’ legislation would screen for the synthetic drug using automated, nonintrusive technology, according to a statement from Markey’s office.

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Federal officials are currently only able to screen a “tiny fraction” of inbound international mail and express cargo for the drug, which is shipped primarily from China.

“After 9/11, when we lost 3,000 lives, Congress passed my law to require 100 percent cargo screening, in order to prevent another tragedy. But now we’re seeing ten times that number die from fentanyl each year,” Markey said in a statement.

“The technology that will allow us to automatically and non-intrusively detect fentanyl in the mail is on the horizon. We need to complete research and development and then deploy it. Far too many lives are at stake for a less ambitious response,” he added.

“If we are going to stop the suffering, we need to prevent fentanyl from entering the country by targeting the most common distribution channel, the U.S. Postal Service,” Clark said, noting the drug is present in nearly 90 percent of Bay State overdose deaths.

“This bill will provide the USPS the support and technology they need to screen packages and hopefully end the flow of foreign fentanyl that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year,” she added.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is under pressure to ease restrictions on veterans’ access to medical marijuana to help treat pain and other ailments.

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Veterans advocacy groups want to know if marijuana can treat chronic pain, as well as help address widespread suicides among veteran communities.

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While 33 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes, veterans are finding themselves fighting stigma and roadblocks from the federal government’s drug laws. 

Under official federal policy, VA health care providers may not recommend marijuana or assist veterans in obtaining it. The VA also won’t reimburse veterans who pay for marijuana out-of-pocket. 

Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, meaning it is in the same category as drugs like heroin and LSD. According to the federal government, it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value. Until that classification changes, the VA has said its hands are tied.

“[The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee] can make strong proposals for us to move forward with recommendations of filling out forms and such but, in the end, we need to go back to the [Drug Enforcement Agency] DEA and [Justice Department] for their opinion,” Larry Mole, chief consultant for population health at the VA, said during a House hearing in the spring.

That opposition is frustrating members of Congress and some leading advocacy groups, and there is a growing bipartisan push to ease the prescribing ban, as well as force the agency to conduct research into the drug’s efficacy. 

Both the American Legion, the country’s largest veterans organization, and Veterans of Foreign Wars support research into the medicinal uses of cannabis. They have made the issue a top legislative priority.

“If there’s a viable medical treatment available to civilians, it’s not just inappropriate, it’s patently unjust that veterans don’t have access to it,” said Lindsay Rodman, an executive vice president at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which represents the country’s youngest veterans. 

Despite an existing VA directive, veterans risk having a negative mark in their permanent records if they are flagged using legal medical marijuana. 

Former VA Secretary David ShulkinDavid Jonathon ShulkinPress: Acosta, latest to walk the plank Senior Trump administration official to leave post next week Trump sent policy pitch from Mar-a-Lago member to VA secretary: report MORE said it would be safe for veterans to talk about marijuana with their providers. But veterans groups argue there’s still a stigma, and some vets are reluctant to bring up the issue.

Pending legislation in the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee could help. 

One bill, sponsored by Reps. Lou CorreaJose (Lou) Luis CorreaBlue Dog Democrats urge action on election security House Democrats unveil bill to ensure citizenship for children of service members Members to have little time to question Mueller MORE (D-Calif.) and Clay HigginsGlen (Clay) Clay Higgins58 GOP lawmakers vote against disaster aid bill GOP lawmaker vows to catch those responsible for string of arsons at black churches in Louisiana GOP lawmaker says border situation threatens US ‘integrity’ MORE (R-La.), would require the VA to conduct research on the effects of medicinal cannabis on veterans diagnosed with chronic pain and PTSD.

Another bill from Rep. Greg SteubeWilliam (Greg) Gregory SteubeGun epidemic is personal for lawmakers touched by violence GOP lawmakers call for provisions barring DOD funds for border wall to be dropped Conservatives call on Pelosi to cancel August recess MORE (R-Fla.) would ensure that the VA secretary won’t deny a veteran benefits because the veteran participates in a state-approved marijuana program.

Steube said veterans are getting caught between the states and the federal government, and he wants to change that.

“Veterans who were taking advantage of this state-approved program were having challenges with the VA and their benefits with the VA. There was a lot of confusion,” including cases where veterans were being told they would lose benefits, Steube told The Hill.

“If we have veterans who have gone through the process … they shouldn’t be denied that health care they’ve earned just because they were taking advantage of state-approved medicinal marijuana programs,” he said. 

Another bipartisan bill from Rep. Earl BlumenauerEarl BlumenauerCoalition of farmers and ranchers endorses Green New Deal Marijuana industry donations to lawmakers surge in 2019: analysis Overnight Energy: Democrats call for Ross to resign over report he threatened NOAA officials | Commerce denies report | Documents detail plan to decentralize BLM | Lawmakers demand answers on bee-killing pesticide MORE (D-Ore.) would allow VA doctors to give recommendations and opinions to veterans regarding participation in state marijuana programs.

Blumenauer withdrew a similar amendment from the annual House spending bill in June, but his legislation remains active in the committee. 

VA leadership strongly opposes all the bills, and advocates admit that even if the legislation passes the House, Senate Republicans will be reluctant to buck the administration.

“We are realistic it will be a much more difficult problem to pass it in the Senate than the House,” Rodman said. 

Other marijuana legislation that’s not specific to veterans could still help veterans gain access. For example, Steube also introduced a bill to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III controlled substance, to make it easier to research.

VA officials have said that the department supports medical marijuana research, and the agency is conducting some trials.

But the studies are small-scale, and lawmakers want the agency to go further. They argue the VA has the authority to allow rigorous clinical trials but is using bureaucratic red tape as an excuse. 

“We authorized VA last year to do the studies. They didn’t do it,” Rep. Phil RoeDavid (Phil) Phillip RoeHouse panel delays vote on surprise medical bills legislation If Trump wants to stay popular among veterans he has to do more Want to solve surprise medical bills? Listen to patients MORE (R-Tenn.) said during a recent hearing. “We need to make sure that they have to study [medical marijuana]. I just don’t think we as politicians should be telling scientists how to design the studies.”

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The federal government has put significant restrictions on cannabis research. Scientists need permission from a host of federal agencies to start the research, including the Food and Drug Administration, the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Even then, there is only one facility in the country that is allowed to grow marijuana and distribute it for research purposes, and there have been concerns raised that the marijuana grown at the facility is poor quality.

The VA has also in the past declined to participate in FDA-approved private sector research on medical marijuana and veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder, and has blocked researchers from having access to VA hospitals and veterans who might benefit from the research.

But advocates insist they’ll keep up pressure on the VA.

Veterans groups say it doesn’t matter what the research concludes. They say they just want the VA to be able to conduct it, and they want veterans to be able to talk to their providers about whether they should be using marijuana.

Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyTrump mocks Romney with video contrasting their presidential bids GOP senator: Releasing transcript of Trump-Ukraine call would set ‘dangerous precedent’ Romney: Administration should hand over Ukraine transcript MORE (R-Utah) said on Monday that he wants the Trump administration to give Congress the transcript of a highly controversial call between President TrumpDonald John TrumpNYT publisher: US didn’t step in to protect reporter from arrest in Egypt so paper turned to Ireland Trump instructed administration to withhold military aid for Ukraine days before call with president: report More Democrats threaten impeachment over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine MORE and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

 

“I think it would be very helpful to get the transcript. … Absolutely, let’s see the transcript,” Romney told reporters when asked if the transcript should be given to Congress.

 

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The call between Trump and Zelensky is reportedly tied to an intelligence community whistleblower complaint that has dominated headlines since late last week amid reports that Trump and his attorney Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiTrump mocks Romney with video contrasting their presidential bids Murphy blasts GOP on whistleblower response: ‘We’re watching this country turn into a banana republic’ GOP senator: Releasing transcript of Trump-Ukraine call would set ‘dangerous precedent’ MORE attempted to persuade Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump instructed administration to withhold military aid for Ukraine days before call with president: report More Democrats threaten impeachment over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine Seven Freshman Democrats pen op-ed urging Congress to impeach Trump if new allegations are true MORE or his son Hunter Biden, who had business dealings in the country.

 

Trump appeared to acknowledge on Sunday that he had discussed Biden on the call with Zelensky. But he said on Monday that he did not threaten to withhold aid to Ukraine unless they investigated the Biden family.

 

“I did not make a statement that you have to do this or I’m not going to give you aid,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

The White House has so far refused to hand over the whistleblower complaint to Congress. Trump has signaled that he’s open to releasing the transcript of the call with Zelensky. 

  

Republicans have been careful not to directly criticize Trump even as Democrats have used the whistleblower complaint to fuel new demands that the House move on impeachment. 

 

Romney, who has emerged as a critic of Trump on issues such as foreign policy, said that whether the conversation between Trump and Zelensky was inappropriate would depend on what they talked about. 

“What has been alleged by some news sources is that the president asked for an investigation into Mr. Biden. That would be in my view very inappropriate and a very serious allegation itself, so let’s find out what exactly what was said,” Romney added on Monday. 

 

Romney was one of the first Senate Republicans to raise concerns about the whistleblower complaint. He said in a tweet over the weekend that it would be “troubling in the extreme” if Trump pressured a foreign leader to investigate a political opponent. 

 

“If the President asked or pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival, either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme. Critical for the facts to come out,” he tweeted. 

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Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMORE and his political rival Benny Gantz may rotate as Israeli prime minister, Reuters reported Monday.

The proposal was reportedly considered during negotiations between the two politicians and President Reuven Rivlin, who is tasked with picking a candidate best-placed to try to form the next governing coalition.

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Last week, Netanyahu was unable to secure a clear victory in Israel’s second national election in six months.

Neither he nor Gantz, a former general, have enough support from respective allies to form a majority in the 120-member parliament. 

Gantz, head of the centrist Blue and White Party, has been resistant to allying with Netanyahu’s Likud Party.

Concluding their meeting with Rivlin, Netanyahu and Gantz issued a joint statement saying they had discussed “moving forward with unity,” according to Reuters.

Making the prime minister role rotating has precedent in the 1984-88 unity government of left-leaning Shimon Peres and right-winger Yitzhak Shamir, who took turns as prime minister.

Veterans are benefiting from the record-breaking stretch of prosperity that began after the 2008 recession, federal data shows.

While U.S. military personnel often face a slew of challenges when returning to civilian life, veterans have enjoyed lower levels of unemployment and poverty relative to their nonmilitary counterparts throughout the economic recovery.

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Those changes are also partly the result of a renewed effort in Washington to help returning veterans transfer their skills to the private sector.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpNYT publisher: US didn’t step in to protect reporter from arrest in Egypt so paper turned to Ireland Trump instructed administration to withhold military aid for Ukraine days before call with president: report More Democrats threaten impeachment over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine MORE in 2017 signed a bipartisan expansion of GI Bill benefits for veterans and issued an executive order in August exempting roughly 50,000 disabled veterans from federal student loan payments.

As firms across the country struggle to find workers with adequate technical or skills-based training, veterans have drawn on skills honed throughout their service to navigate a tight labor market.

Major corporations, encouraged by policymakers, have also ramped up programs to recruit veterans for jobs and link employers to qualified candidates returning from military service.

Google last year launched a platform where veterans can find jobs catered to their unique skill sets by conducting a search based on their military occupational specialty code.  

While some veterans still struggle with debilitating medical issues that could keep them from holding down a job, a strong and stable economy has helped a significant majority find their footing after deployment.

“I think it’s important to note that most veterans come back, reacclimate, go back to work and do quite well in the civilian life,” said Barbara Banaszynski, a senior vice president of Volunteers of America (VOA) who oversees the faith-based nonprofit’s programs for veterans.

The U.S. unemployment rate sunk to near-record lows in 2018 as the country capped off a decade of uninterrupted economic growth. 

While the unemployment rate for the U.S. as a whole sunk as low as 3.7 percent last year, the country’s 19.2 million veterans enjoyed a jobless rate of 3.5 percent, according to data released in March by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Female veterans also boasted an unemployment rate of just 3 percent, while the jobless rate for non-veteran women bounced between 3.6 percent to 4 percent throughout 2018.

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The labor force participation rate for veterans and non-veterans were roughly even.

Though wide swaths of the country have struggled to reap the benefits of the post-recession recovery, returning service members have benefited from high demand for high-skilled workers. 

U.S. corporations have leaned on veterans to fill gaps left in the workforce by an aging population, a shortage of skilled-trade workers and inadequate training opportunities in struggling areas.

Banaszynski said VOA has had the most success steering veterans toward jobs in the transportation, logistics and construction sectors, adding that they’ve received “exceedingly wonderful outreach” from building-trades unions. She also cited efforts by Home Depot and Bank of America focused on recruiting veterans. 

The edge for female veterans over male veterans in employment is due in part to the younger average age of female veterans. Even so, male veterans enjoyed higher median earnings and average incomes than female veterans, reflecting broader pay disparities between genders.

Despite those systemic disparities, male and female veterans both experience higher average earnings and lower rates of poverty than non-veterans, according to federal data.

Male veterans who worked full-time year-round in 2017 had median earnings of $50,986, while the median earnings for non-veteran men were roughly $40,000. Female veterans had median earnings of $40,939, while non-veteran women earned a median $29,900 in 2017, according to BLS data.

Higher levels of earnings for veterans, coupled with federal benefits and aid programs for returning military personnel, helped keep the veteran poverty rate at 6.4 percent, below the national non-veteran rate of 10.9 percent in 2017.

Still, there are a number of persistent issues for veterans making the adjustment to post-military life.

While veterans fare better economically than the rest of the civilian population as a whole, thousands of service members return home to precarious financial situations or face fraud targeting former military personnel.

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Veterans are 9 percent more likely to carry a credit card balance and face late payment fees and are 40 percent more likely to owe more on their homes than what the home is worth, according to a 2017 study conducted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the financial services sector’s private-sector watchdog.

Veterans have also faced challenges dealing with debt collectors and loan servicers while attempting to pay down medical and student debts. 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received a gradually rising number of complaints from veterans and current service members, spiking by 47 percent from 2016 to 2017.

The complaints are primarily over issues with inaccurate credit reports, credit cards and debt payments, some of which could have devastating impacts for veterans and service members.

“We regularly hear from servicemembers who are worried that incorrect information on their credit reports will put their security clearance, duty status, potential promotion, or even military career in jeopardy,” wrote the CFPB’s Office of Servicemember Affairs in its 2018 annual report.

“The military lifecycle can be physically and emotionally strenuous at times for servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Adding financial stresses to that life of service can be a burden too heavy to bear,” the agency added.

Advocates for veterans say that while more can be done to protect veterans financially, the low unemployment rate is reason to cheer.

“The majority of those veterans, with a little bit of concentrated help, are able to resume lives in the community, hold jobs and stand and move forward,” said Banaszynski.