
Connecticut town's schools are investigated for transgender athlete policies
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — A school system in Connecticut is under investigation by the Trump administration over its transgender athletic policy, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed Tuesday, adding a new flashpoint in the national debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports.
James Demetriades, the mayor of Cromwell, said the town's school system could lose nearly $1 million in federal funding if the department determines it's in violation of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal assistance.

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Winnipeg Free Press
8 minutes ago
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Trump says he's ‘disappointed' with Musk after he turned on the Republican tax bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he's 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk after the billionaire former backer and adviser turned on the Republican tax bill.

Globe and Mail
13 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Trump and Xi agree to further talks to settle trade disputes between U.S., China
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to further talks between the countries to hash out differences on tariffs that have roiled the global economy, according to U.S. and Chinese summaries of their phone call on Thursday. 'There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,' Trump wrote on social media. 'Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined.' Trump and a Chinese government summary of the meeting said the leaders had invited each other to their respective countries at a future date. 'The U.S. side should take a realistic view of the progress made and withdraw the negative measures imposed on China,' the Chinese government said in a statement published by the state-run Xinhua news agency. 'Xi Jinping welcomed Trump's visit to China again, and Trump expressed his sincere gratitude.' Beijing envoy urges Ottawa to end tariffs on Chinese EVs and warns against 'Cold War mentality' The highly anticipated call came amid accusations between Washington and Beijing in recent weeks over 'rare earths' minerals in a dispute that has threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war between the two biggest economies. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump's January inauguration. Though stocks rallied, the temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and U.S. complaints about China's state-dominated, export-driven economic model. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives, who say the uncertainty has made it difficult to forecast market conditions. How a Canadian suit maker got slammed by Trump's China tariffs China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets continues to disrupt supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world. Beijing sees mineral exports as a source of leverage – halting those exports could put domestic political pressure on the Republican U.S. president if economic growth sags because companies cannot produce mineral-powered products. The 90-day deal to roll back tariffs and trade restrictions is tenuous. Trump has accused China of violating the agreement and has ordered curbs on chip design software and other shipments to China, while also doubling steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%. Beijing rejected the claim and threatened countermeasures. In recent years, the United States has identified China as its top geopolitical rival and the only country in the world able to challenge the U.S. economically and militarily. Despite this and repeated trade threats and tariff announcements, Trump has spoken admiringly of Xi, including of the Chinese leader's toughness and ability to stay in power without the term limits imposed on U.S. presidents. Trump has long pushed for a call or a meeting with Xi, but China has rejected that as not in keeping with its traditional approach of working out agreement details before the leaders talk. The U.S. president and his aides see leader-to-leader talks as vital to sort through log-jams that have vexed lower-level officials in difficult negotiations. Thursday's call came at Trump's request, China said. It's not clear when the two men last spoke. Both sides said they spoke on Jan. 17, days before Trump's inauguration and Trump has repeatedly said that he had spoken to Xi since taking office on Jan. 20. He has declined to say when any call took place or to give details of their conversation. China had said that the two leaders had not had any recent phone calls. The talks are being closely watched by investors worried that a chaotic trade war could cut into corporate earnings and disrupt supply chains in the key months before the Christmas holiday shopping season. Trump's tariffs are also the subject of ongoing litigation in U.S. courts.


Winnipeg Free Press
21 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
North Carolina governor forms council to recommend cannabis regulations
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein says a panel he's tasked with recommending cannabis sale regulations — including potential legalization of adult use of marijuana — should aim to provide a structure in a state where products now from otherwise lawful hemp are unregulated and leave young people unprotected. The Democratic governor signed an executive order this week creating a State Advisory Council on Cannabis. North Carolina is among a small number of states whose laws prohibit marijuana for both medicinal use or adult recreational use. The General Assembly would have to enact any law legalizing marijuana. The council's findings could add pressure upon lawmakers to place regulations on products, many of which can be obtained at vape and convenience stores. The order directs the 24-member council also named this week to offer preliminary recommendations for a 'comprehensive cannabis policy' and any proposed legislation by next March 15, with final recommendations by the end of 2026. Council members include representatives of state agencies, law enforcement, legislators and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, whose dispensary on tribal land has sold since last year marijuana and cannabis products to any adult over 21. 'Let's work together on a thoughtful, comprehensive solution that allows sales to adults and that is grounded in public safety and health.' Stein said Wednesday in a news release. 'We can work together and get this right.' Hemp is actually a lawful form of cannabis in the state based on its low levels of THC, the chemical that in larger amounts makes people high. Consumable products made from hemp promote CBD, the non-psychoactive chemical within it. But Stein, the former attorney general, says some in the hemp product industry have found ways to extract enough THC from hemp so that their offerings also provide the high of marijuana. He said this has led to an unregulated 'Wild West' cannabis market in which anyone, including children, can purchase products with 'intoxicating THC.' In an interview with WRAL-TV on Tuesday, Stein said that he personally supports legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana and other intoxicating THC products, and believes a structure can be put in place that simultaneously keeps them away from children. 'I believe adults should be able to choose what they want to do, but they need to have information,' Stein said. 'They need to be protected.' Legislation that would authorize medical marijuana have cleared the Senate in the recent past occasions but have failed to pass the House. Council members include Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon and GOP Rep. John Bell. Rabon has championed medical marijuana legalization at the General Assembly, while Bell is an executive at a manufacturer of CBD and hemp-based products and who has called for stricter industry regulation. Stein said Wednesday the council should propose developing a regulatory system that 'allows adult sales, ensures public safety, promotes public health, supports North Carolina agriculture, expunges past convictions of simple THC possession, and invests the revenues in resources for addiction, mental health, and drugged driving detection.' The order says recommendations also should consider taxation. For now, Stein said, the General Assembly should pass laws prohibiting sales of products with intoxicating THC to anyone under 2021 and set packaging standards. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of cannabis products, while about half of the states and D.C. have legalized small amounts of cannabis for adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.