complaint

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is facing a new legal complaint from a group of government employees affected by a policy that went into effect Thursday that eliminates coverage for gender-affirming care in federal health insurance programs.

The complaint, filed Thursday on the employees’ behalf by the Human Rights Campaign, is in response to an August announcement from the Office of Personnel Management that it would no longer cover “chemical and surgical modification of an individual’s sex traits through medical interventions” in health insurance programs for federal employees and U.S. Postal Service workers.

The complaint argues that denying coverage of gender-affirming care is sex-based discrimination and asks the personnel office to rescind the policy.

“This policy is not about cost or care — it is about driving transgender people and people with transgender spouses, children, and dependents out of the federal workforce,” Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.

The complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, includes testimonies from four current federal workers at the State Department, Health and Human Services and the Postal Service who would be directly affected by the elimination of coverage.

For instance, the Postal Service employee has a daughter whose doctors recommended that she get puberty blockers and potentially hormone replacement therapy for her diagnosed gender dysphoria, which would not be covered under the new policy, according to the complaint.

The complaint notes that the workers are making the claim on behalf of themselves and a “class of similarly situated federal employees.”

The Trump administration has taken other steps to restrict care for transgender Americans, particularly minors. In December, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released proposals that would block gender-affirming care to minors, including a policy that would bar Medicare and Medicaid dollars to hospitals that provide such care to children.

Senior Trump officials, such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., call gender-affirming care “malpractice” for minors. But such restrictions go against recommendations from major medical groups such as the American Medical Assn. and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The second series of ITVs Red Eye aired on Thursday night and it failed to impress some viewers.

ITV viewers said the same thing as series two of Red Eye returned to screens on New Year’s Day. Jing Lusi has reprised her role as DS Hana Li for a new investigation alongside guest star Martin Compston.

Joining Jing and Martin in the new series are Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore, who also return as Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and journalist Jess Li.

Eighteen months after Russia is blamed for shooting down a new cargo plane over the Atlantic, DS Hana Li (Jing Lusi) is summoned to investigate the murder of an American diplomatic courier at Heathrow.

The investigation leads her to London’s US Embassy, where the new American Ambassador, Ronald Tillman, is hosting a party.

Realising the killer has infiltrated the building, Hana and US Embassy security chief Clay Brody hunt them down. Meanwhile, a Russian threat is received on board a UK Government jet.

However, just minutes into the new series, one viewer wrote, “The biggest pile of s*** I’ve ever seen.”

Another complained, “Loved Red Eye s1. Now on Red Eye s2 ep 3 & not enjoying it quite so much. Barely believable characters who can’t see/understand the bleeding obvious.”

Pointing out a blunder from the episode, one fan said, “Hmm, Ryanair at Heathrow?”

“Glad I’m not the only one who spotted that,” another viewer replied.

Someone else chimed in, “Did anyone else just spot Ryanair on #redeye at Heathrow? That’s not accurate, they don’t operate there!”

Others defended the ITV drama, with one writing, “First episode of new series wasn’t bad. Run of the mill so far.”

Another agreed, “Definitely one worth watching.” Someone else commented, “Love the addition of Martin Compston.”

In a surprising turn of events, ITV has also announced that Richard Armitage will make a surprise appearance in series two as Dr Matthew Nolan.

When speaking about his shock return to series two of Red Eye, Richard shared, “I loved the idea of Jess’ instinctual gravitation to Nolan’s door.

“In season one, he’d been through the mill and also later learned what had happened to her with Sir George Chapman, his boss, so of course, he was going to help her, albeit under the radar. We decided that the surprise might add to the adrenaline of the ‘who’s next’ scenario.”

When asked where fans will find Dr Nolan, the actor added, “We find him at home, and like season one, forced to perform outside of the box. He was just about to open a bottle of red when the doorbell rang, and he was interrupted to deal with a near-fatal bullet wound and perform an emergency blood transfusion on his dining table, cobbling together equipment.

“He’s basically able to improvise major trauma surgery, with a bag of saline from his fridge and a leftover suturing kit from his bag. It says a lot about him!”

The synopsis for episode two of the new series, which airs tomorrow night and is available to watch on ITVX, teases, “When Fox threatens to blow up the jet if anyone leaves the US Embassy, it becomes clear that Delaney and Hana are looking for the same Russian assassin.

“Compelled to lock down the embassy but refusing to worry about his important guests, Ambassador Tillman secretly traps them inside with a killer. As a Russian laptop is located onboard the jet and leaves Delaney and Peterson to carefully determine if it’s the actual bomb, Fox kills his first unsuspecting victim from a hit list.”

Red Eye is available to watch on ITVX.

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The complaint targets a policy that would nix coverage under federal health insurance for gender-affirming healthcare.

A group of federal government employees in the United States has filed a class action complaint against President Donald Trump’s administration over a new policy that will eliminate coverage for gender-affirming care in federal health insurance programmes.

The policy took effect with the start of the new year, and on Thursday, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation issued the complaint, acting on behalf of the federal employees.

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was named as a defendant.

In an August letter, the OPM stated that, as of 2026, “chemical and surgical modification of an individual’s sex traits through medical interventions” would no longer be covered under health insurance programmes for federal employees and US postal workers.

OPM officials could not be reached for immediate comment.

The complaint argues that the policy is discriminatory on the basis of sex. It asks that the policy be rescinded and seeks payment for economic damages and other relief.

If the issue is not resolved with the OPM, the foundation said that plaintiffs will pursue class claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and potentially continue with a class action lawsuit in federal court.

Separately, a group of Democratic state attorneys general last month sued the Trump administration to block proposed rules that would cut children’s access to gender-affirming care, the latest court battle over Trump’s efforts to eliminate legal protections for transgender people.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr has proposed rules that would bar hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children from Medicaid and Medicare and prohibit the Children’s Health Insurance Program from paying for it.

The Big Night of Musicals Christmas special aired on BBC One on Saturday night (December 27) with viewers spotting a vital detail

Big Night of Musicals viewers were left scratching their heads after spotting a glaring detail during the festive BBC programme.

On Saturday night (December 27), Jason Manford presented what was billed as the Christmas compilation of this year’s finest stage musicals.

The show featured performances from the casts of Matilda, Mary Poppins, and Wicked, alongside numbers from cherished films such as Back to the Future, and tributes to music legends like Tina Turner.

However, within minutes of the broadcast beginning, sharp-eyed fans noticed a dead giveaway that this wasn’t actually a fresh compilation but rather a repeat.

Flocking to X – previously Twitter – numerous viewers highlighted that several audience members could be seen wearing face masks throughout the performances, reports the Express.

It wasn’t long before astute watchers realised this television round-up contained footage filmed during the coronavirus pandemic.

One viewer wrote: “When was the Tina Turner bit filmed if people are in masks?” whilst another questioned: “Erm… I’ve seen this exact performance before? ? ? Is this a repeat?”

A third viewer confirmed their suspicions, stating: “YUP… This entire this was a repeat.”

Nevertheless, despite the programme being a rerun from a previous year, many fans still relished the musical spectacular and flocked to social media to heap praise upon it.

One enthusiastic viewer wrote: “Loving Big Night of Musicals with @JasonManford, great that the schools and colleges have been shown too, not just established productions. I’m looking forward to next month even more now [musical notes emoji].”

Another fan concurred: “Really enjoying watching #BigNightOfMusicals on @BBCOne with @JasonManford,” while a third chimed in: “That was brilliant @JasonManford [green heart emoji]. Only problem is now I want to book to see Wicked, Matilda, and Mary Poppins again [crying emoji, laughing emoji].”

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals is gearing up for its fifth dazzling instalment next month, featuring showstopping performances from West End smashes including Wicked, Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar and many more.

The show will once again be hosted by Jason Manford and will take place at Manchester’s AO Arena on 26 January 2026. Speaking about the upcoming extravaganza, Manford enthused: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals for the fifth year running.

“The 2026 line-up is phenomenal; some of the biggest shows in the world are coming together for one night only, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it. This event is also a huge thank you to National Lottery players whose support keeps theatre alive and accessible.

“Without their contributions, so many productions, training programmes, and venue restorations simply wouldn’t be possible.”

For those unable to attend the event, the fifth instalment will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in Spring 2026.

Big Night of Musicals is available on BBC iPlayer