By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military services scrambled Friday to nail down details and put together new guidance to start removing transgender troops from the force.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a memo released late Thursday, reinstated orders issued earlier this year that said “expressing a false gender identity divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”

His new order gives active duty troops until June 6 to identify themselves as transgender and voluntarily begin to leave the service. National Guard and Reserve troops have until July 7.

Army Maj. Alivia Stehlik, who served in the infantry and is now a physical therapist, will be eligible to retire in three years but doesn’t want to be forced out for being a transgender service member.

“I still have a job to do,” she said. “My command expects me to show up and be an officer and do my job because I’m the only person at my unit who can do what I do.”

The military services were rushing to put out new guidance to help commanders work through the process, including what to do in more complex situations, such as if any of the troops are deployed, at sea or may require special orders or funding to meet the deadlines.

Here’s a look at the issue and what happens next:

What is going on with banning transgender troops?

In 2015, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter broached the idea of lifting the ban on transgender troops and allowing them to serve openly, which raised concerns among military leaders. He set up a study, and in June 2016 announced the ban was over.

Reinstating that ban has long been a goal for President Donald Trump.

Six months into his first term, Trump announced he was not going to allow transgender people to serve in the military “in any capacity.” That set off a roughly two-year struggle to hammer out the complex details of how that would work, even as legal challenges poured in.

The Pentagon eventually laid out a policy that allowed those currently serving to stay and continue with plans for hormone treatments and gender transition if they had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. But it barred new enlistments of anyone with gender dysphoria who was taking hormones or had transitioned to another gender.

Gender dysphoria occurs when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.

That ban was overturned by then-President Joe Biden. When Trump took office again this year, he directed Hegseth to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In late February, Pentagon leaders ordered the services to set up procedures to identify troops diagnosed with or being treated for gender dysphoria by March 26. And it gave them 30 days to begin removing those troops from service.

A flurry of lawsuits stalled the ban. But on Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the administration could enforce the ban, while other legal challenges proceed.

How many transgender troops are there?

There are about 2.1 million active duty, Guard and Reserve troops.

According to the Defense Department, about 1,000 service members have voluntarily identified themselves as transgender and will now begin the process of leaving the military.

Defense officials say troops began to self-identify after the February order, going to their commanders and filing out forms. That process stopped in late March due to the lawsuits, but officials said Friday they were dusting off those files and figuring out how to proceed.

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Still, exactly how many troops may be affected is complicated, and the military services are grappling with how to identify and remove them all.

Defense officials have said that 4,240 troops currently serving in active duty, the National Guard and Reserve have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria And they contend that, as of late last year, about 3,200 service members had received gender-affirming hormone therapy from 2015 to 2024, and about 1,000 received gender-affirming surgery.

Previously, however, estimates of transgender troops have hovered between 9,000 and 12,000. And they could range from people who haven’t been officially diagnosed or aren’t taking medication to those who are taking medication, have undergone surgery or are in the process of transitioning to their preferred gender.

In March 2018, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis released a memo with unprecedented details on the data. It said, at that time, there were 8,980 service members who identified themselves as transgender and 937 had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Is military separation voluntary or not?

Hegseth’s latest memo sets up two distinct processes, but the details remained a bit uncertain.

Service members who voluntarily identify themselves to commanders would likely be able to receive some type of separation pay, which could include cashing out leave time that hasn’t been used or bonuses that haven’t yet been paid.

After June 6, the department will go through medical records to find any other troops who have been diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria and force them to leave the service. Those troops may not qualify for some of that additional pay.

The Pentagon policy, as written earlier this year, would allow for limited exemptions.

That includes transgender personnel seeking to enlist who can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member diagnosed with gender dysphoria can prove they support a specific warfighting need, never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex “without clinically significant distress.”

If a waiver is issued, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called “Sir” or “Ma’am.”

What will it mean?

Over the years, transgender troops have been serving effectively in all of the services, according to military leaders, who told Congress they were not seeing any problems. They have ranged from rank-and-file enlisted members to elite special operations forces.

The troops and activist groups argue that removing transgender service members also hurts their units and military readiness more broadly.

Stehlik, who has been in the military since she went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2004, transitioned in 2017, while serving in the Army. She said that for her and others who haven’t hit their 20-year retirement milestone, being kicked out would mean a major loss of benefits, including a pension and health insurance.

Sarah Klimm, a transgender Marine who served for 23 years, retired just as the end of the ban was announced in 2016, so was never able to serve openly.

Now a policy analyst for Minority Veterans of America, she said that in the past nine years, there haven’t been any of the unit cohesion problems that some feared.

Klimm said ousting members is going to hurt military readiness. “Senior enlisted side and senior officer ranks — that’s a lot of time and money put into them,” she said. “You don’t just backfill it.”

Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

“As spiritual advisors and community leaders, we are called to speak to the holistic well-being of those we serve. The city’s future depends on continued investment in healthcare facilities that have faithfully served New Yorkers for generations.”

(Photo by Adi Talwar)

Faith leaders and community advocates in New York City witness countless moments of joy, sorrow, healing and hope within our communities. Many of us spend innumerable hours in hospital waiting rooms, at bedsides and in consultation with healthcare providers who have become not just partners in care but extensions of our community families.

In recent months, discussions about healthcare infrastructure in New York City have intensified. We have watched with growing concern as vital healthcare institutions like Mount Sinai Beth Israel in Lower Manhattan close down. At the same time, SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn hangs in the balance.

These closures represent more than the loss of buildings. They would sever sacred bonds between patients and the healthcare providers who have known them for years.

Consider the young mother who welcomes her first child and receives compassionate care from the same nurses who cared for her mother. These relationships span generations at Lenox Hill Hospital, which has been a pillar for communities across Manhattan, including countless families from Harlem and East Harlem. They’ve created a continuity of care that transcends the clinical to become deeply personal. These are not merely professional interactions; they are sacred bonds of trust formed during life’s most vulnerable moments.

Similarly, our older neighbors find comfort in receiving care from physicians who have known them for decades, doctors who understand not just their medical histories but their personal stories. For our aging population throughout the city, these relationships provide more than medical benefits; they offer dignity, respect and the comfort of familiarity during uncertain times.

As spiritual advisors and community leaders, we are called to speak to the holistic well-being of those we serve. The city’s future depends on continued investment in healthcare facilities that have faithfully served New Yorkers for generations. The institutions that anchor our neighborhoods, many over a century old, cannot serve 21st-century needs with facilities built for earlier eras, but the answer cannot be their elimination. Modernization is not merely advisable—it is essential.

Research shows that hospital closures devastate neighborhoods, disrupt critical provider-patient relationships and overwhelm nearby facilities. When hospitals reinvest in their facilities, they are reinvesting in the fabric of our communities. They are a covenant with future generations of New Yorkers, promising that the exceptional care we’ve come to rely upon will remain accessible for decades to come.

As our city’s population continues to age, projections suggest that nearly 20 percent of New Yorkers will be over 65 by 2030, so we must ensure our healthcare infrastructure meets their specialized needs. Simultaneously, young families establishing roots in our city deserve the best maternal and pediatric care. Both ends of life’s spectrum demand our attention and resources.

For institutions like Lenox Hill that have faithfully served communities across Manhattan and New York City for generations, modernization represents not expansion but continuation—a commitment to remain steadfast in their historic mission while adapting to contemporary healthcare challenges. We have seen the consequences when hospitals close their doors: disrupting care for expectant mothers and leaving  our seniors and neighborhoods left without accessible emergency care.

Faith traditions teach that how we care for the vulnerable reflects our deepest values. New York’s healthcare workers embody this principle daily through their dedication. Our responsibility is to ensure they have the facilities, technology and resources to fulfill their calling.

Our decisions today about healthcare infrastructure will shape our city for generations. Let us approach these choices with wisdom, foresight and an unwavering commitment to preserving the exceptional care and deep community connections that have distinguished New York’s healthcare system.

Our sacred duty extends beyond the walls of houses of worship to encompass the well-being of all New Yorkers. Supporting healthcare infrastructure investment honors this obligation and secures the promise of compassionate, community-centered care for generations to come.

Rev. Dr. Malcom Byrd is senior pastor for Mother AME Zion Church, the oldest African American church in the state of New York. Rev. Dr. Philip Craig, M. Div., MBA is senior pastor of The Greater Springfield Community Church. Rev. Patrick H. Young is senior pastor for the First Baptist Church of East Elmhurst.

The post Opinion: Investing in New York’s Healthcare Future is a Sacred Duty appeared first on City Limits.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liam and Olivia dominate. Still.

The two names have, for a sixth year together, topped the list of names for babies born in the U.S. in 2024.

The Social Security Administration annually tracks the names given to girls and boys in each state, with names dating back to 1880. In time for Mother’s Day, the agency on Friday released the most popular names from applications for Social Security cards.

Liam has reigned for eight years in a row for boys, while Olivia has topped the girls’ list for six. Also, for the sixth consecutive year, Emma took the second slot for girls, and Noah for boys.

The girls’ name Luna slipped out of the Top 10 and was replaced by Sofia, which enters at number 10 for the first time.

After Liam, the most common names for boys are, in order: Noah, Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas and William.

After Olivia, the most common names for girls are Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia, Isabella, Evelyn, Ava and Sofia.

Olivia and Liam retained the top spots on the list of most popular U.S. baby names in 2024. (AP Digital Embed)

Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of nameberry, a baby naming website, said the latest data showcases how American parents are increasingly choosing names that have cross-cultural appeal. Kihm’s first name shows up in two variations on the annual list.

“A trend we’re tracking is that Americans are more likely to choose heritage choices,” Kihm said, including names that work “no matter where you are in the world.”

”More families in the U.S. come from mixed cultural backgrounds and I hear parents commonly request that they want their child to travel and have a relatively easy to understand name.”

The Social Security Administration’s latest data show that 3.61 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2024. That’s a slight increase from last year’s 3.59 million babies, representing an overall increase in the American birthrate.

Elizabeth Mahon, owner of the baby store Three Littles, prepared to install a new car seat for a customer who made the purchase ahead of tarriff-driven price increases, at the Union Market location in Washington, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

Social media stars and popular television shows are having some impact on the rising popularity of certain names, Social Security says.

Among those rising in popularity for girls: Ailany, a Hawaiian name that means “chief,” topped the list. The boys’ name Truce, an Old English name meaning “peace,” rose 11,118 spots from last year’s position to rank 991.

The complete, searchable list of baby names is on the Social Security website.

By CHRISTINA LARSON

Chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks, a new study shows.

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Chimpanzees and humans last shared a common ancestor around 6 million years ago. Scientists suspect this ancient ancestor must have been a drummer — using beats to communicate.

“Our ability to produce rhythm — and to use it in our social worlds — that seems to be something that predates humans being human,” said study co-author Cat Hobaiter, a University of St Andrews primatologist.

Previous research has shown that chimps have their own signature drumming style. A new analysis of 371 bouts of chimpanzee drumming demonstrates that the chimps “clearly play their instruments — the tree trunks — with regular rhythms,” said University of Amsterdam music cognition researcher Henkjan Honing, who was not involved in the study.

When bounding through the jungle, chimps will often grab hold of the tall buttress roots of rainforest trees. Sometimes they pound them several times to create low-frequency sounds that can be heard for a kilometer or more through the forest.

Scientists believe that the drumming is a form of long-distance communication, perhaps to alert other chimps where one chimp is waiting or the direction it is traveling.

“It’s a way of socially checking in,” said Hobaiter, adding that each chimp has its own “individual signature — a pattern of beats that allows you to recognize who’s producing that drumming.”

The new work showed that chimps from different regions of Africa drum with distinctly different rhythms, with western chimps preferring a more even beat while eastern chimps used varied short and long intervals between beats. The research was published Friday in the journal Current Biology.

It’s well-known that chimps use tools such as rocks to crack open nuts and sticks to “fish” termites from their mounds. Tree roots can also be tools, the researchers say.

Chimps are selective about which roots they pound, said co-author Catherine Crockford, a primatologist at the CNRS Institute for Cognitive Sciences in France. Certain shapes and wood varieties create sounds that travel well through dense jungle.

The drummings are likely “a very important way to make contact,” she said.

At closer distances, chimps use a repertoire of vocal calls more complex than scientists once thought, according to a separate study in Science Advances.

Researchers analyzed how chimps combined sounds — such as a call associated with resting and one used to invite play — to create new meanings. In this example, the combined call was an invitation to nest together nearby at night.

“We have probably underestimated the flexibility and complexity of animal communication,” said Crockford, who was part of both research teams.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.