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Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on hot seat in NCAA gender policy battle

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on hot seat in NCAA gender policy battle


Charlie Baker continues to be on the hot seat as Republican senators and women’s advocacy organizations push the former Massachusetts governor to allow only “biological females” to compete in NCAA women’s sports.

Baker, who became NCAA president after leaving Beacon Hill last year, received a letter from 23 Republican senators on Tuesday, urging him to update the NCAA’s student-athlete participation policies as the Biden-Harris administration implements its Title IX rewrite.

“The science is clear,” states the letter led by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and signed by 22 Republican colleagues. “Males have inherent athletic advantages over females due to their anatomy and biology.”

New Title IX regulations went into place at the beginning of the month after the Biden-Harris administration, in the spring, rewrote the landmark 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in institutions that receive federal funding.

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The updated regulations include protections for LGBTQ+ students, an expanded definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges, and safeguards for victims.

In their letter, the Republican senators highlighted how they believe the NCAA has “still taken no steps to protect” female student-athletes. The Title IX rewrite has gone through in just 24 states, with Republican attorneys general fighting the regulations in 10 lawsuits to block them in the 26 other states.

“Consistently, when adult males’ athletic performance is contrasted with adult females’ athletic performance in sports relying on endurance, muscle strength, speed, and power, males dominate, outperforming females by 10 to 30%,” the letter states.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona emphasized on Aug. 1 how the regulations “clarify that Title IX’s prohibition of sex discrimination includes all forms of sex discrimination.”

“It’s unacceptable that any student has to give up on their dreams of a college degree because they’re pregnant,” he said, “and it’s unacceptable that any student face discrimination or bullying simply because of who they are.”

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Republican senators also in their letter stressed how the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Council of Presidents approved a policy in April that prohibits the participation of males in women’s sports.

That came before the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Lia Thomas, a swimmer who became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I national championship, lacked standing to challenge a World Aquatic policy, preventing Thomas from the Olympics.

“While men may have inherent athletic advantages, they have no advantage over women in their level of passion, drive, or desire to compete,” the Republican senators state.



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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran


Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.

The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.

Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.

“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”

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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.

“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”

Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.

At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.

“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.

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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.

“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.

The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.

“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.

Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.

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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”

With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.



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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks




Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks – CBS Boston

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Poya Sohrabi hasn’t heard from his family since they took shelter from attacks in Tehran. WBZ-TV’s Mike Sullivan reports.

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