7 Days In 60 Seconds: Healthcare To Trans Troops

It can seem impossible to keep up with all the news these days, so here's what happened this week in a New York minute.

Earlier in the week, the Senate opened debate on healthcare legislation, but Republicans failed to pass a bill replacing Obamacare, one simply repealing much of it, and a "skinny repeal" bill. The GOP's inability to agree on reform has left it at a standstill for the time being.

Read the full story here, and get a refresher on the whole debate here.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine held their ground in opposing every healthcare measure the GOP proposed. Multiple other Republicans voted against at least one piece of legislation, but the women received all the criticism.

Wednesday morning, President Trump tweeted that transgender people would be banned from serving in the military in any capacity. However, the military's top general said on Thursday that trans service members will keep their jobs until new guidelines are issued.

Also on Wednesday, the Justice Department claimed in a federal lawsuit that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn't protect LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination. If the case goes to the Supreme Court, widespread protections for LGBTQ workers could be rolled back.

Department of Education documents released to Sen. Dick Durbin revealed that 15,000 people have applied to have their student loans forgiven, claiming they were defrauded, since President Trump took office. However, none have been approved.

Last Friday, Sean Spicer resigned as White House press secretary after President Trump appointed Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci as his new communications director. A call Scaramucci made to a reporter this week shows that he's just as scared of leaks as the president and believes he has enemies in the Trump administration.

President Trump's unexpected comments on transgender people serving in the military caused a lot of confusion. While it's still unclear what will come of it, one thing is clear: The president isn't protecting transgender folks; he's doing the opposite. If you want to show your support for the transgender community, consider donating to or volunteering with organizations such as The National Center for Transgender Equality, Trans Lifeline, and The Transgender Law Center.