Southwest
Abbott says Texas won't accept Biden's 'ham-fisted' Title IX changes
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced his state will not be implementing changes to Title IX protections propagated by President Biden’s administration.
Abbott, in a letter sent to the White House on Monday, rebuked the Biden administration’s expansion of Title IX protections to protect “gender identity.”
“Title IX was written by Congress to support the advancement of women academically and athletically,” the letter states. “The law was based on the fundamental premise that there are only two sexes — male and female. You have rewritten Title IX to force schools to treat boys as if they were girls and to accept every student’s self-declared gender identity.”
FLORIDA, OKLAHOMA INSTRUCT SCHOOLS TO IGNORE BIDEN’S TITLE IX CHANGES, PENDING LEGAL CHALLENGES
Texas Governor Greg Abbott makes an announcement on the future of the space industry in Texas, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
The letter continued, “This ham-handed effort to impose a leftist belief onto Title IX exceeds your authority as President. I am instructing the Texas Education Agency to ignore your illegal dictate.”
The Biden administration unveiled the new rules earlier this month to address concerns expressed by LGBTQ+ groups regarding gender identity protections.
“No one should face bullying or discrimination just because of who they are, who they love,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said. “Sadly, this happens all too often.”
GEORGIA AG FILES SUIT AGAINST BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR TITLE IX REVISION: ‘DESTROYING WOMEN’S SPORTS’
President Joe Biden speaks at the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The unveiled rule changes also rolled back regulations put in place by former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that ensured due process for those accused of misconduct.
Abbott’s letter declining to comply with the updated federal protections focused solely on the expansion to cover “gender identity,” which he claimed was an illegitimate overreach and would be challenged in court.
“Your rewrite of Title IX not only exceeds your constitutional authority, but it also tramples laws that I signed to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes,” Abbott wrote. “Texas will fight to protect those laws and to deny your abuse of authority.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr speaks at a Get Out The Vote rally at the Cobb County International Airport in Kennesaw, Georgia. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Texas is not alone in opposition to the Title IX updates — state officials from Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, and elsewhere have expressed intentions to legally challenge the federal government on implementing the protections.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has already filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, accusing the White House of “gutting commonsense provisions that protect female athletes.”
State attorney generals from Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida have joined Georgia in the suit.
Read the full article from Here
Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
-
Pennsylvania3 minutes agoFederal government sues Pennsylvania, others over SNAP data
-
Rhode Island6 minutes agoTarget 12: State of RI’s fire hoses
-
South-Carolina11 minutes agoMississippi State baseball lands Will Craddock, South Carolina transfer infielder
-
South Dakota18 minutes agoSouth Dakota Republicans reject censuring John Thune over stalled SAVE America Act
-
Tennessee21 minutes agoFlood watch in effect for Middle Tennessee: 2-3″ of rain expected Saturday
-
Texas26 minutes ago
Texas state school board approves mandated reading list including Bible passages
-
Utah33 minutes agoUtah, Salt Lake County awarded grants for community cleanup
-
Vermont36 minutes agoWest Rutland man dies in hit-and-run, police seek vehicle

