Privacy concerns, discrimination, doctor pushback: the compliance traps looming behind sex-separated sports
Amid the headlines about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports and whether athletics should be separated by biological gender, there is a hidden battle brewing behind the scenes that could interrupt efforts to maintain biological differences in sports. School districts and athletic institutions have already faced hurdles regarding how to verify biological sex. While much of the focus has been on overturning the Biden administration’s Title IX definition of sex interpretation, once that happens, liberal school districts or leaders hoping to keep athletic eligibility by gender identity can dig their heels in with legal arguments about privacy, questions about verification mechanics, claims of discrimination, and, in some cases, doctors have refused to verify gender for the sake of athletic eligibility arguing the scope of the duties went beyond their purview. “I anticipate we are going to see this more in the future,” Title IX attorney and expert Sarah Perry told Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, John Bursch, from the Christian legal foundation Alliance Defending Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the looming concern over sex-verification for sports is “overblown.” TRUMP CALLS OUT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AFTER TRANS ATHLETE HEARING: ‘SHOULD LOSE A LOT OF CREDIBILITY’ “Trans activists continually bring up made-up concerns like this so that they can continue justifying allowing males in girls’ and women’s sports,” Bursch said. As Bursch noted, the conundrum has reared its head recently in a handful of the 27 states that have imposed sex-separated athletics mandates. In Idaho, one of the earliest states to adopt a sex-separation sports mandate, the courts struck down a law requiring athletes to verify their gender if questioned by someone else, arguing it targets women for invasive and intrusive medical procedures that males would not be subject to. A similar issue in Florida played out in 2024 after a parent was investigated by county officials for allegedly sneaking their transgender child onto a female sports team. Even though the state’s law does not have a sex dispute provision for individuals, school district enforcement investigations still can. In that case, the courts argued that Florida’s law requiring verification was not discriminatory, however. The case was eventually dismissed. Meanwhile, pressure on the Sunshine State’s high school athletic association has also led to it removing questions from its physical evaluation forms that had been there for decades, according to local reporting. TRUMP DECLARES ‘WE GOT MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS’ AS SUPREME COURT DELIBERATES LANDMARK CASES In Arizona, a dispute over the legitimacy of a birth certificate has led a school to suggest expensive chromosome testing to verify their gender. The mother told a local Arizona news outlet that it was a misprint they didn’t notice until registering their son for school, noting that for a busy mom, it was not her top priority. Her son was physically removed from the middle of his high school basketball tryouts. The family ultimately got an amended birth certificate and a doctor’s sign-off clarifying the legal change and the boy’s eligibility to play on the boy’s basketball team. But school officials stood firm and ruled he was still ineligible to play. The family was told they could undergo chromosomal testing that would cost thousands of dollars. Doctors were less willing to be helpful in Nevada, where the state’s interscholastic athletics association began requiring physicians to identify and sign-off on an athlete’s gender. A group of doctors subsequently argued that the information they were being asked to provide went beyond “the purpose of a sports medical clearance” and should come from “the students or families directly.” “Additionally, it is imperative that patients are able to consult with their physicians confidentially to address all aspects of their physical, emotional, sexual, and mental health,” a letter the group of 18 doctors sent to the Nevada state high school athletic association added. “This confidentiality is crucial to ensure that students feel safe and supported in discussing sensitive health issues without concern that this information will be s hared with non-medical institutions or individuals. Breaching this confidentiality could undermine the trust between patients and their healthcare providers ultimately impacting the quality of care they receive.” But, despite the potential tripwires, both Perry and Bursch pointed to the Constitution’s supremacy clause barring any change in the Biden-era Title IX interpretation which still remains amid various ongoing legal battles. Perry also noted that there is no requirement forcing school districts or education institutions to take federal dollars, but said that once they do “it is very clear that representations of contrary legal obligation are not sufficient to violate federal civil rights law.” The Supreme Court heard oral arguments earlier this month that analysts have suggested show that the court is open to upholding state-level mandates requiring athletic eligibility be determined by biological sex. “We are going to see these questions ultimately, I believe, in the end, reach the Supreme Court before the Trump administration’s last day,” Perry said. “These are questions about preemption, about the Supremacy Clause, about the operation of states’ rights versus federal civil rights obligations, and they’re going to take a while to litigate.” Perry pointed to deadlocks in Maine and California where trans-rights advocates are standing behind state law in order to defend allowing sports to remain separated by gender identity and not biological sex.
Trump warns Minneapolis mayor he’s ‘playing with fire’ after immigration enforcement conversation
President Donald Trump asserted that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “is PLAYING WITH FIRE,” issuing the warning in a Truth Social post on Wednesday morning. “Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.’ This is after having had a very good conversation with him,” the president said in the post. “Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!” Trump warned. ‘MOB MENTALITY’ ENDANGERS OFFICERS AMID ANTI-ICE UNREST AND CHAOS IN MINNEAPOLIS, RETIRED COPS WARN Frey responded to the president’s comments. “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911,” the mayor asserted in a post on X, making an apparent reference to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The president issued the warning on Wednesday after Frey, who met with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday, declared in a Tuesday post on X that the city will not enforce federal immigration law. “Today, Chief O’Hara and I met with Border Czar Homan and had a productive conversation. I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible. Public safety works best when it’s built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division,” Frey noted in a Tuesday post on X. BORDER CZAR HOMAN MEETS WITH MINNESOTA OFFICIALS FOLLOWING IMMIGRATION OPERATION TENSIONS “I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers,” Frey added in another post. “I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe. City leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team,” he noted in another post. TRUMP HAS ‘VERY GOOD’ CALL WITH MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR FREY, ANNOUNCES BORDER CZAR HOMAN MEETING U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal authorities in Minneapolis this month amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ protest organizers target Minneapolis-St Paul for next flagship demonstration
A group that organized two nationwide “No Kings” protests last year is planning its next large-scale national demonstration on March 28, with a particular focus on Minnesota, which has emerged as ground zero for anti-immigration enforcement demonstrations over the last few months. The anti-Trump protest is being organized by Indivisible, a liberal grassroots group, that said demonstrations are expected across the country that day. The group said the upcoming event — referred to as “No Kings 3” — will include coordinated protests nationwide, with a flagship march planned in the Twin Cities. ANTI-ICE AGITATORS ARRESTED OUTSIDE MINNESOTA HOTEL AS POLICE DECLARE UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY: ‘NO LONGER PEACEFUL’ “We expect this to be the largest protest in American history,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible, told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s announcement. He predicted that as many as 9 million people could turn out. “This is in large part a response to a combination of the heinous attacks on our democracy and communities coming from the regime, and a sense that nobody’s coming to save us,” Levin said. Minnesota has emerged as a flash point in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown following the deployment of roughly 3,000 federal agents to the state, which organizers described as the largest single immigration enforcement operation of the president’s second term. Organizers said plans for the spring demonstrations were already underway before recent immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, but the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good during encounters with federal agents in recent weeks reshaped the event’s focus. MINNESOTA SHAKEUP SHIFTS LEADERSHIP NOT STRATEGY, WHITE HOUSE SAYS, PUSHING BACK ON ‘RETREAT’ CLAIM The protests have been a focal point for outrage over what organizers describe as President Donald Trump’s attempts to consolidate and expand his power. Last year’s protests unfolded in two nationwide rounds. Organizers said more than 7 million people demonstrated during a second round on Oct. 18, with protests held in about 2,700 cities and towns across all 50 states. The first major “No Kings” protests took place on June 14, 2025, with demonstrations organized in nearly 2,000 locations nationwide, following unrest tied to federal immigration raids and the deployment of National Guard and Marine units to Los Angeles. Levin said Indivisible and allied groups plan to continue organizing beyond major protest days, including nationwide training sessions aimed at monitoring immigration enforcement activity. “This isn’t about Democrats versus Republicans,” Levin said. “This is about whether we have a democracy at all.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump pressures Iran to ‘come to the table’ as ‘massive’ US armada draws near
President Donald Trump urged Iran to “come to the table” as the U.S. deploys a “massive armada” to the region on Wednesday. Trump confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are deploying as a direct threat to the Iranian regime. The president said a major attack may be necessary of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime does not make a deal with the U.S. “A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again,” he added. SECRET SERVICE AWARE AFTER IRANIAN STATE TV AIRS TRUMP THREAT FEATURING PHOTO OF BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Iran’s mission to the United Nations responded to Trump’s post within hours, vowing to defend itself. “Last time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives. Iran stands ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests—BUT IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE!” the statement read. Trump said earlier this week that Tehran appears willing to negotiate amid the U.S. military buildup. In a Monday interview with Axios, Trump suggested that Tehran had reached out on “numerous occasions” and “want[s] to make a deal.” “They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,” the president told the outlet. ISRAELI UN AMBASSADOR SENDS STARK WARNING TO IRAN AMID GROWING UNREST According to U.S. officials, also cited by Axios, any potential agreement would need Tehran to remove all enriched uranium, cap its long-range missile stockpile, a change in support for regional proxy forces, and cease independent uranium enrichment, terms Iranian leaders have not agreed to. The Abraham Lincoln entered CENTCOM waters on Monday The U.S. military buildup comes amid widespread unrest inside Iran following protests that began Dec. 28. According to a recent report from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the confirmed death toll from the protests has reached 5,848, with an additional 17,091 deaths under investigation. Khamenei has been sheltering in a fortified underground facility, according to Iran International. This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
At least three people killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine
Russia used an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 146 drones in its attacks, according to Ukraine’s air force. By News Agencies Published On 28 Jan 202628 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A Russian air attack has killed two people in Kyiv region’s Bilohorodska community, and a drone attack killed another person in central Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, according to local authorities. The deadly attacks came overnight on Wednesday, just hours after a deadly drone attack on a commuter train in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv – an incident denounced as “terrorism” by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Also on Wednesday, three people were injured in a Russian drone attack on port infrastructure in the southern region of Odesa, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. In the capital, Kyiv, a 17-storey residential building was hit, causing minor damage to the roof and damaging windows on the upper floors, emergency services said. Several residential buildings in Kyiv remain without power due to earlier Russian attacks on the country’s energy grid. Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 146 drones – 103 of them neutralised by air defences, Ukraine’s air force said. On Tuesday night, five people were confirmed dead and several others injured after a Russian drone hit a passenger train near Kharkiv city, Al Jazeera’s Audrey Macalpine said, reporting from Kyiv. “This attack has struck fears among Ukrainians,” Macalpine said, noting that the train was carrying about 100 passengers. “With the country’s airspace closed, people rely heavily on trains as a means of moving around the country,” she said. “And this is a culmination of weeks of threats on the security of the train system.” Advertisement In a statement, Zelenskyy said the attack in Kharkiv undermined peace efforts and urged allies to step up pressure on Moscow to end the war. “In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be viewed the same way – exclusively as terrorism,” Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel. “The Russians have significantly increased their ability to kill, their ability to terrorise,” he said, while rallying the international community to put more “pressure” on Moscow to halt its deadly offensive amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire. “Russia must be held responsible for what it is doing,” Zelenskyy said. The attacks that have left many Ukrainians without power in freezing winter temperatures come after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in the United Arab Emirates last week for United States-brokered talks aimed at ending the conflict. The next round is expected to take place on February 1, according to Zelenskyy. Ukraine is asking partners, particularly the US, for strong security guarantees in the event of a peace deal that would prevent Russia from attacking again. A source familiar with internal discussions told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday that Washington has told Ukraine it must sign a peace deal with Russia to get US security guarantees. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s attacks on Gaza fertility clinics shatter dreams of parenthood
Israel’s war has devastated the enclave’s reproductive health system; advocates call it a genocidal measure. Gaza City – Maysera al-Kafarna, a Palestinian woman in Gaza, sorts through blue baby overalls brought for the child she was supposed to have. But her dreams of motherhood have been dashed by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which ravaged the enclave’s healthcare system that saves lives, as well as the fertility centres that plan them. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list After years of trying, al-Kafarna and her husband turned to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). Their embryos were frozen in a fertility centre, waiting for the war to end, but the clinic was attacked by Israel. “We had four viable embryos stored there in the first months of the war. We were shocked to learn they had been destroyed when the clinic was attacked,” al-Kafarna told Al Jazeera. “It was deeply painful. We felt like we had lost a part of ourselves. We were waiting for a chance to have our baby.” Medical officials in Gaza say Israel has destroyed nine out of 10 fertility clinics in the territory. In addition, embryos that remain are still in danger, despite the ceasefire, due to fuel shortages and a lack of liquid nitrogen to keep them at the required temperature. Rights advocates say Israel’s attacks on reproductive health in Gaza are a textbook implementation of genocidal policies, as defined by the United Nations. Last year, UN investigators concluded that Israeli attacks on fertility clinics and maternity wards were part of Israel’s push to destroy the Palestinian people. The 1948 UN Convention lists “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” as one of five acts it classified as genocidal. Advertisement In September 2024, a UN Commission of Inquiry found that Israel had engaged in four of the five acts during its war on Gaza, including efforts to prevent births. “Attacks on healthcare facilities, including those offering sexual and reproductive healthcare and services, have affected about 545,000 women and girls who are of reproductive age in Gaza,” the UN investigators wrote in their report. They specifically reviewed an Israeli attack on Al-Basma IVF clinic in Gaza City in December 2023 that destroyed thousands of embryos, sperm samples and other reproductive material. “The commission found that the Israeli authorities knew that the medical centre was a fertility clinic and that they intended to destroy it,” the UN inquiry said. “Therefore, the Commission concluded that the destruction of the Al-Basma IVF clinic was a measure intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza.” The Gaza Ministry of Health reported a 41 percent decrease in births in Gaza in the first half of 2025 compared with the previous three years. Beyond the direct attacks on reproductive healthcare facilities, Israel’s blockade on medical supplies and food has further harmed newborns and birth rates. “Inability to access medical care and proper nutrition harmed reproductive capacity by causing infertility, miscarriage, complications, and maternal death for women, as well as poor health outcomes for newborns,” a study by Physicians for Human Rights said. Despite the dire conditions that persist, fertility doctor Abdel Nasser al-Kalhout said he hopes to resume his work as soon as conditions allow it. “We hope that after the war ends, we can start again, restoring hope for people who lost their embryos and for the couples whose treatment began but couldn’t continue because of the war,” al-Kalhout told Al Jazeera. Adblock test (Why?)
Tech giant ASML announces record orders in boost for AI boom
Dutch firm says it expects strong growth in 2026, countering fears of an investment bubble. Tech giant ASML has reported a quarterly record in orders of its chip-making equipment, boosting hopes for the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom and countering fears of an investment bubble. The Dutch firm said on Wednesday that it booked orders worth 13.2 billion euros ($15.8bn) in the final quarter of 2025, more than half of which were for its most advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list ASML logged orders worth 7 million euros during the same period the previous year. Net sales came to 9.7 billion euros in the October-December period, ASML said, taking sales for all of 2025 to 32.7 billion euros. Net profit for the year was 9.6 billion euros, up from 7.6 billion euros in 2024. The Veldhoven-based company forecast net sales of between 34 billion euros and 39 billion euros in 2026. ASML Chief Executive Officer Christophe Fouquet said the company’s chip-making customers had conveyed a “notably more positive assessment” of the market situation in the medium term based on expectations of strong AI-related demand. “This is reflected in a marked step-up in their medium-term capacity plans and in our record order intake,” Fouquet said in a statement. “Therefore, we expect 2026 to be another growth year for ASML’s business, largely driven by a significant increase in EUV sales and growth in our installed base business sales.” Fouquet also said the company would cut about 1,700 jobs, most of them at the leadership level, amid concerns work processes had become “less agile”. Advertisement “Engineers in particular have expressed their desire to focus their time on engineering, without being hampered by slow process flows, and restore the fast-moving culture that has made us so successful,” Fouquet said. The proposed cuts, which would affect positions in the Netherlands and the United States, represent about 4 percent of ASML’s 44,000-strong global workforce. ASML holds an effective monopoly on the production of machinery used by TSMC, Samsung Electronics, and Intel to make the most advanced AI chips. The company sells only about 50 of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines each year, with each unit costing about 250 million euros. ASML’s share price surged on Wednesday, with its stock up nearly 6 percent as of 9.30am local time. “ASML’s latest results suggest the AI boom is still in full swing, with strong orders and a bullish outlook,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. “However, job cuts in the business would suggest it is not getting carried away with the strength of current trading.” ASML’s restructuring “looks like a sharper focus on efficiencies and different ways of working, rather than saying there isn’t enough work for existing staff to do,” Mould added. “Nonetheless, it’s a sign that the AI craze might be trying to catch its breath.” Tech giants such as Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia and Oracle have poured billions of dollars into AI in the expectation that the technology will deliver dramatic changes to how people work and live. Global AI-related spending is forecast to hit $2.53 trillion in 2026 and $3.33 trillion in 2027, according to projections by technology insights firm Gartner. The investment boom has propelled the US stock market to record highs, stoking concerns about the sustainability of huge spending on a technology whose promise remains largely unrealised. Adblock test (Why?)
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar dies: How did aircraft crashed, here’s what we know so far
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, four others dies after the aircraft crashed in the Pune district on January 28. Here’s what we know so far
Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash: PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and others condole death
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other leaders condoled his tragic demise.
Who is Sunetra Pawar? Know about Maharashtra’s deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s politician wife
Ajit Pawar’s untimely demise has sent shockwaves across the state, with tributes pouring in from across party lines. As news of his passing spread, attention also turned to his family, particularly to his wife Sunetra Pawar, who is also a well-known politician.