New York Court Strikes Down Order Banning Transgender Athletes

A judge has struck down a New York county’s ban on transgender athletes from participating in female sports, saying the county executive exceeded his authority by issuing the directive.

The ruling by state Supreme Court Judge Francis Ricigliano overturns an executive order signed by Nassau County Chief Executive Bruce Blakeman in February that requires any sports team seeking to use a county facility to provide information on “the biological sex at birth of the team members/participants.”

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Commentary: Justice and Equity in Modern Education

A few days ago, in examining Harvard’s problems and the ghost of its deposed and disgraced former president Claudine Gay, this column wrote: “Education is supposed to be about reading, writing, and arithmetic—even at the college level. Once upon a time, and not that long ago, students at college read the classics to gain knowledge, learned to write stylish prose, and, for those scientifically minded, studied mathematics and became scientists.”

A critic wrote in—as readers are encouraged to do:

This is a window onto a big topic. It’s true that education is about the three Rs. But it is also true that there must be a purpose to learning those Rs. There’s actually nothing formally, and technically, wrong with “Educating students who will create . . . a more just and equitable world.” The real question is, What are justice & equity? They would like it to mean taking our stuff and giving it to other people, after keeping their share. But, to paraphrase the Grinch, Justice, perhaps, means a little bit more . . . . In any case, without a sense of purpose, or with a misdirected sense of purpose, the University will never right itself. And as this is the largest questing of Meaning, it is really a religious question that, having turned their backs on religion, they are utterly incapable of engaging, let alone answering.

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is Banned from Entering 20 Percent of Her Own State

Washington Times In a significant escalation of tensions between state leadership and tribal authorities, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been prohibited from entering territories belonging to several tribes, constituting nearly 20% of the state’s land area.  The recent prohibitions were enacted by the Yankton Sioux Tribe and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe,…

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Disbarred Michael Cohen’s Testimony Did Little to Help Bragg’s Case, Credibility Still a Problem

Michael Cohen’s opening day of testimony—much like other witnesses—appeared to do little to bolster Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Donald Trump, which at least one legal expert assesses is weak.

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Comic Books, Monuments, Historic Buildings Targeted by Pro-Palestinian Protesters

Portland State University library

A valuable comic book collection, statues of the founding fathers, and historic buildings where great minds like Albert Einstein have taught – all reportedly have been targets of anti-Israel protesters in recent weeks.

Some have caused massive damage. Images show graffiti and debris covering campuses like the University of California at Los Angeles, California State Polytechnic University at Humboldt, and Portland State University (pictured) – attracting national news attention and public shock.

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Terrorist Watch List Apprehensions at Northern Border Continue to Break Records

Illegal Immigrants Northern Border

The number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern border in the first six months of fiscal 2024 continue to outpace those apprehended at the southwest border.

There have been 143 KSTs apprehended at the northern border through the first six months of this fiscal year compared to 92 at the southwest border, according to the most recent CBP data.

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CNN Data Guru: Sun Belt Polling Is ‘Absolute Disaster’ for Joe Biden

Joe Biden

CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten on Monday said former President Donald Trump’s lead in sun belt states is disastrous for President Joe Biden’s reelection chances.

Trump is leading Biden by 13 percent among likely voters in Nevada, 9 percent in Georgia and 6 percent in Arizona, according to the latest New York Times/Siena College survey. Enten on “CNN News Central” said Trump winning all these sun belt states would be rare for a Republican and asserted the former president’s lead is due to his coalition changing to consist of more nonwhite voters.

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Renewables Provided 30 Percent of Energy in 2023, but Data Disputes Claims of an Overall Energy Transition

Solar Panels

A new report from Ember-climate.org, which describes itself as “an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy” touting that renewable energy provided 30% of electricity generation in 2023 is getting a lot of attention, with reports in The Guardian, Associated Press, and Reuters, and CNN.

“A permanent decline in fossil fuel use in the power sector at a global level is now inevitable,” the report by Ember declares.

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