Comment on White House: US can defend against nuclear strike

By JOHN RABY (Associated Press) CHARLESTON, W. Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a West Virginia transgender sports ban, finding that the law violates Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The ruling Tuesday from the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocks a West Virginia law banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. The court said the law cannot lawfully be applied to a 13-year-old girl who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade. In February 2023, the court had blocked the state’s bid to kick Becky Pepper Jackson off her middle school track and field team if the law were enforced. Judge Toby Heytens wrote that offering her a “choice” between not participating in sports and participating only on boys teams “is no real choice at all.” “The defendants cannot expect that B.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of potential global economic damage from rising tensions in the Middle East and pledged that the U. S. and its allies won’t hesitate to use their sanctions powers to address Iran’s “malign and destabilizing activity” in the region. She made her remarks ahead of this week’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, saying Iran’s weekend missile attack on Israel “underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity.” She added: “From this weekend’s attack to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Iran’s actions threaten the region’s stability and could cause economic spillovers.” Iran’s missile attack on Israel early Sunday came in response to what it says was an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Syria earlier this month.

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday is taking up the first of two cases that could affect the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn his election loss in 2020. Hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot also are at stake. Related Articles National News | Supreme Court gives some military veterans more generous educational benefits National News | Biden’s latest plan for student loan cancellation moves forward as a proposed regulation National News | Justices to hear obstruction case that could bar charges against Trump National News | Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom? National News | Only 1 in 3 US adults think Trump acted illegally in New York hush money case, poll shows The justices are hearing arguments over the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.

It’s showtime for a trio of South Florida artists who’ve dedicated their long careers to “The Daily Act of Art Making.” Under that marquee, concurrent solo exhibitions at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale showcase the works of Fort Lauderdale’s Matthew Carone, Miami’s Jaime Grant and Elizabeth Thompson, who passed away last year.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with a decorated veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in a protracted fight with the government over 12 months of G. I. Bill educational benefits. The court ruled 7-2 that the Department of Veterans Affairs improperly calculated the educational benefits for James Rudisill, a retired Army captain who lives in northern Virginia. Rudisill, who’s now an FBI agent, is in a category of veterans who earned credit under two versions of the G.