RACHEL LEVINE

Twitter's hateful conduct policy prohibits "targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals."

Levine's appointment also made her the nation's first female four-star admiral in history.

Levine's appointment also made her the nation's first female four-star admiral in history.

Levine leads the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

A top health appointee of President Joe Biden is slated to become the first transgender four-star admiral, the administration said Tuesday.

Now that Pride is over, transgender activists nationwide want the Biden administration to address discrimination, education, homelessness and more.

Jessica Stern will soon become the State Department's special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights.

Jessica Stern, soon to become the State Department's special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, sees a mix of promising news and worrisome developments almost everywhere she looks, both at home and abroad. In the United States, Stern’s admiration for President Joe Biden’s moves supporting LGBTQ rights is offset by her dismay at other developments. Stern, whose new post was announced by Biden last week, has served since 2012 as executive director of New York-based OutRight Action International, which works globally to prevent abuses of LGBTQ people and strengthen their civil rights.

Jessica Stern, soon to become the State Department's special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, sees a mix of promising news and worrisome developments almost everywhere she looks, both at home and abroad. In the United States, Stern’s admiration for President Joe Biden’s moves supporting LGBTQ rights is offset by her dismay at other developments. Stern, whose new post was announced by Biden last week, has served since 2012 as executive director of New York-based OutRight Action International, which works globally to prevent abuses of LGBTQ people and strengthen their civil rights.

Pride Month celebrations in the U.S. are taking place under unusual circumstances this year.

‘We reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQ+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice,’ Biden says

The U.S. government is easing requirements that made it difficult for doctors to treat opioid addiction using medication.

The Pentagon will reverse many of the military's Trump-era transgender policies, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby announced on Wednesday. The new regulations will allow transgender people to enlist in the military and serve in their preferred gender. Currently, only transgender troops covered by a 2016 Obama administration policy are allowed to serve openly. Biden's approach to transgender troops diverges from his predecessor's. That changed in 2019 when the Supreme Court permitted the Trump administration to enforce the ban on transgender troops while court battles continued.

The Senate confirmed Dr. Rachel Levine in a 52-48 vote to be assistant secretary of health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her confirmation makes her the first openly transgender individual to be approved by the Senate as well as the highest-ranking transgender federal official. As assistant health secretary, she will serve under Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed by the Senate last week, and likely play a key role in the federal government's handling of the coronavirus. The statement continued, "But, for the LGBTQ+ community, and most specifically the transgender community, Dr. Levine's confirmation is a special one. Upon her confirmation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials congratulated Levine on Twitter:Big congratulations are in order for ASTHO's former president Rachel Levine for being confirmed today by the U.S. Senate!

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday reversing former President Donald Trump's ban on transgender people enlisting in the U.S. military. The repeal, a Biden campaign promise, allows the Pentagon to revoke regulations that limit how transgender troops can serve in the military. Currently, transgender troops are allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military only if they were covered by the 2016 policy carried out by Obama Defense Secretary Ash Carter. In 2017, Trump tweeted that he would no longer allow "transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Trump's first Defense secretary, James Mattis, issued a compromise that grandfathered in some service members but required that new recruits serve in their original birth gender.

Now, just hours into his presidential term, Mr. Biden's White House website allows users to choose their pronouns, a change that drew swift praise from advocates. As part of the website revamp that occurs during presidential transitions, the White House changed its contact form. "Three hours into the new admin, you can choose they/them pronouns when contacting the White House. In December, the Mr. Biden nominated former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation. On Tuesday, Mr. Biden nominated Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as the assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Biden's "historic" nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine for assistant health secretary President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine to be assistant secretary of health. If confirmed by the Senate, she'll be the highest-ranking openly transgender federal official in the U.S. CBS Philly has details.

In this Jan. 15, 2021 file photo, President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. A transition spokesperson also said Tuesday that Dawn O’Connell will serve as senior counselor for coronavirus response to the health and human services secretary.

Philadelphia officials are allowing restaurants to resume indoor dining in the city after rolling back some COVID-19 restrictions. Farley said masks must be worn at all times, except when people are eating or drinking. The city will also allow theaters to reopen at 10% capacity and students will be allowed to return to in-person classes at colleges and universities. Dr. Farley said the city is working with colleges on preventing students from having gatherings of any size. "The vaccine, as much as it's great that it's here, will not help us get through our winter wave," he said.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf denounced the violet mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol earlier this week at the outset of of his Friday briefing on COVID-19 in the state. "The truth is that Pennsylvania and every state in this nation had fair and secure elections in November. Mr. Biden topped the president in Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, flipping the state Mr. Trump had won by more than 44,000 votes in 2016. Though the objection failed in both chambers and was denounced by Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, also a Republican, eight of the nine Republican representatives from Pennsylvania voted in favor. On Friday, Wolf also refused to call for the resignation of Republican state Senator Doug Mastriano, who was in Washington to attend the rally Wednesday.

With New Year's Eve just one day away, health officials are sounding the alarm about large gatherings to ring in 2021. But gatherings at home and other places could accelerate the spread of COVID-19. "It's very important to avoid large gatherings and small gatherings, and as we approach New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, we cannot let our guard down," Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine warned. And testing negative for COVID-19 doesn't make gatherings safe, LaPook said. Law enforcement is already tamping down on large gatherings.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine are holding a virtual press conference Thursday to provide an update on COVID-19 in the state and encourage residents to remain vigilant. They are speaking as new restrictions are expected, CBS Pittsburgh and CBS Philly report. How to watch Governor Wolf and Secretary of Health Levine give COVID-19 updateWhat: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine host a virtual press conference to give an update on COVID-19. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine host a virtual press conference to give an update on COVID-19. Wolf said Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 but was "feeling well" and didn't have any symptoms.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine provided an update on COVID-19 in the state Thursday, and announced new restrictions to help slow the spread. "It's become clear that we need to take further mitigation efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19." Wolf encouraged residents to order takeout to help the struggling restaurant industry, and also urged Congress to pass a relief bill to help businesses. More than 12,000 deaths in the state have been attributed to COVID-19, with about 1,000 of those occurring in the last week, she said. Wolf said Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19 but was "feeling well" and didn't have any symptoms.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday that a "number of" counties in the state have only a few ICU beds left — or none left at all — as the state continues to battle a surge in COVID-19 cases. More than 1,000 COVID-19 patients are in ICUs and about 5,000 are hospitalized with the virus. Right now, there are 362 patients with COVID-19 who are hospitalized in the county. Officials say the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has increased by 92 since last Tuesday. This comes one day after Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley voiced similar concerns about the city.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Thursday that a "number of" counties in the state have only a few ICU beds left — or none left at all — as the state continues to battle a surge in COVID-19 cases. More than 1,000 COVID-19 patients are in ICUs and about 5,000 are hospitalized with the virus. Right now, there are 362 patients with COVID-19 who are hospitalized in the county. Officials say the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has increased by 92 since last Tuesday. This comes one day after Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley voiced similar concerns about the city.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says a COVID-19 vaccine could be available within the next month, although when a vaccine does become available, it won't be "an immediate cure or end" to the pandemic. "We have heard very promising news about the safety and effectiveness trials for both the Pfizer and the Moderna," Levine said. "We anticipate — again this is all through the federal government — that the Pfizer vaccine will come out sometime in December. We anticipate the Moderna vaccine perhaps in late December or the beginning of January, and then there will be a phased rollout of the vaccine." The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses, she said, and the Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at -80 degrees Celsius.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine announced targeted efforts to stem the surge of new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. Anyone who visits from another state will soon be required to have a negative test within 72 hours before entering the state. If they can't or choose not to get a test, or they're still waiting on results, they have to quarantine for 14 days. They're required to get a test 72 hours prior to returning or they have to quarantine for 14 days. "We have no plans at this time to be checking for tests as people come off airplanes or drive into Pennsylvania," Levine said.

Many of the attacks against Pennsylvanias health secretary have little to do with the way she has handled the statewide response to the coronavirus pandemic. As a transgender woman, Dr. Rachel Levine has been subjected to a stream of mockery and abuse on social media and elsewhere. The dunk tank was part of a weekend carnival held on the fairgrounds to benefit the region's volunteer fire departments. The fair deleted the post from its Facebook page, but critics slammed the dunk tank impersonation and the fair associations comment as transphobic. A fellow dressed up in a dress to get people to throw balls at the dunk tank to raise money.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first probable human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in 2019 has been detected in a Philadelphia resident, according to the state Departments of Health and Environmental Protection. "With the first human case of West Nile Virus detected, we want people to protect themselves. "DEP monitors mosquito populations across Pennsylvania for the presence of disease." Simple steps to eliminate standing water around the home include:Remove tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, discarded tires or any object that could collect standing water. Treat standing water that cannot be eliminated with Bti products which are sold at outdoor supply, home improvement and other stores.