Latest news with #KeithEllison
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Minnesota softball player, parent speak out as trans pitcher dominates postseason
Minnesota's high school softball postseason has been overshadowed by the dominance of a transgender pitcher at Champlin Park High School. The pitcher led Champlin Park to the state tournament with a dominant shutout victory in the sectional final on Thursday. Meanwhile, a lawsuit by three anonymous female players has been filed against the state for allowing the player to compete. The law firm representing the plaintiffs, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), has provided statements from one of the female players about her experience facing the trans athlete. "Hitting against him is not only a physical challenge but a mental, too. It's a mental battle knowing that he has an advantage in the sport that I grew up playing, making it hard to even want to hit against him. His ability to get outs and spin the ball is a strong advantage, but like I said it's also incredibly mentally challenging knowing that you're competing against someone who has unfair advantages leaving you with little to no confidence," the player said. "This issue has affected me in ways that I never imagined. It's simply unfair and I hate that nothing is happening to change that. Boys should not be able to take girls spots on teams just because they are capable of doing so. I hope that more girls affected by this issue will stand up against this." The anonymous player also called out Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for aggressively defending trans inclusion in girls' sports in the state. Ellison has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice over Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. "It's really upsetting to know that [Ellison] isn't taking rights of girls and women seriously. He is allowing boys to compete with girls, and it is not safe and completely unfair. To know that AG Ellison is in complete support of letting boys and men take advantage of females in sports is absolutely disgusting and wrong," the player added. A local Minnesota parent of another player who had to face the athlete spoke out about the situation during an interview on OutKick's "The Ricky Cobb Show." "It really comes down to cowardice leadership at the local state and federal level," said Garret Gross, the father of a local player. "Softball is different man, I'm telling you, these girls are strong, these girls are tough, but they're different than boys. At the highest levels, that ball is coming in 70-plus miles an hour from the pitcher's circle, which is only 43 feet away, and it's coming off that bat 80–85 miles an hour, and it's not question of if or when there will be a catastrophic injury or death that occurs because of this imbalance. The only question really is, is how old will the girl be that's killed and what will her name be? "That's a strong statement, but that's where it's going to get to and that's going to be really the only thing that's going to make the public wake up here, and the question to all the apathetic people on the sidelines, why are you keeping quiet when we know this is going to happen?" Champlin Park's school district provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team. "Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete," a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated. "In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared." After Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports. Ellison then claimed at a press conference on April 22 that he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order, so the AG decided to sue first. The White House later responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion. "Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women's sports? This is creepy and anti-woman," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. Minnesota's state legislature failed to pass the "Preserving Girls' Sports Act" in early March, which would have stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Minnesota high school defends trans softball pitcher's playoff dominance amid lawsuit
A high school softball team in Minnesota is deep in the state playoffs and the political news cycle, both thanks to its dominant transgender pitcher. Champlin Park High School in Minnesota defeated the defending state champions, Rogers High School, in the sectional final on Thursday by a score of 1-0. The trans pitcher threw 14 shutout innings, bringing the athlete's season ERA down to 0.88. Three anonymous players who claim to have faced the pitcher filed a lawsuit against the state on May 20 for allowing the athlete to compete against female players. The situation has prompted national scrutiny amid the ongoing political divide over biological males in girls' and women's sports. Champlin Park's school district provided a statement to Fox News Digital defending the decision to allow the athlete to compete on the softball team. 'Throughout the entire season, and as the Rebels advance to the state tournament, it is important to note that all of the student athletes participating for the Champlin Park Softball team are eligible to compete in compliance with Minnesota State High School League rules and applicable state law. Due to data privacy laws, the District is not able to provide public comment regarding a specific student athlete,' a statement from the Anoka-Hennepin School District stated. 'In addition, the District is named in an active lawsuit which limits what information can be shared.' 3 Champlin Park High School in Champlin, Minnesota. Google Maps 3 The Champlin Park High School softball field. Google Maps The pitcher will now lead Champlin Park into the state tournament next week for the first time in program history. The lawsuit against Minnesota was filed by the religious law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The defendants are Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Minnesota State High School League Executive Director Erich Martens, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero and Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett. 'Minnesota is failing its female athletes. The state is putting the rights of males ahead of females, telling girls their hard work may never be enough to win and that they don't deserve fairness and safety,' Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Suzanne Beecher told Fox News Digital. 'By sacrificing protection for female athletes, Minnesota fails to offer girls equal treatment and opportunity, violating Title IX's provisions. Our client, Female Athletes United, is right to stand up for its members by challenging the state's discriminatory policy and advocate for true equality in sports.' Ellison's office has responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Fox News Digital. 'In addition to getting exercise and the fun of competition, playing sports comes with so many benefits for young people. You build friendships that can last a lifetime, you learn how to work as part of a team, and you get to feel like you belong,' the statement read. 'I believe it is wrong to single out one group of students, who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tell these kids they cannot be on the team because of who they are. I will continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.' Ellison is also suing President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice to ensure transgender athletes can continue participating in girls' sports in the state. After Trump signed the 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports. Ellison then claimed at a press conference on April 22 that he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order, so the AG decided to sue first. 3 The trans pitcher threw 14 shutout innings, bringing the athlete's season ERA down to 0.88. kowit1982 – The White House later responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion. 'Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women's sports? This is creepy and anti-woman,' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. Minnesota's state legislature failed to pass the 'Preserving Girls' Sports Act' in early March, which would have stated that 'only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls.'
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Keith Ellison on countering Trump: courage, imagination and lots of lawsuits
The person least surprised by the Justice Department's decision this week to drop the consent decree granting federal oversight of the Minneapolis police department might have been Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. I got Ellison on the phone last week to talk about our nation in the five years since the slow-motion murder of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Ellison told me then they were 'anticipating' that Trump would do away with the Minneapolis consent decree to address the police accountability issues unearthed by Floyd's killing. Five days later, that's exactly what happened. The agreement was just signed in January.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
George Floyd's murder, what's changed in five years?
On May 25th 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. The whole thing was caught on video and once it got out, it set America on fire. Protests spread across the country and then the world. Promises of sweeping changes to policing and greater commitment to racial justice and equity were made. Fast forward to now, five years later, and the outlook is very different. There are more Americans killed at the hands of police, DEI initiatives have been rolled back and President Donald Trump is taking actions to give police more power. We talk to Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, about calls to pardon Derek Chauvin, the current state of policing and racial justice and where America could be headed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
St. Cloud sees sudden spike in car thefts involving Kias and Hyundais
The wave of car thefts targeting certain Kia and Hyundai models that hit the Twin Cities a few years ago seems to have found its way to St. Cloud. St. Cloud PD reported on Thursday that it has seen an increase in thefts and attempted thefts reported around the city, many of which involve Kias and Hyundais manufactured between the early 2010s and early 2020s. Police say that until now, St. Cloud had mostly avoided the "trend" that saw these models targeted in other cities, which followed widespread exposure of an apparent security flaw that was shared widely on TikTok. In a press release, St. Cloud PD confirms the vehicles are being "specifically targeted due to a widely known security issues that allows thieves to start vehicles without a key." "The suspects in these cases are primarily juvenile males," the department continues, "and investigations indicate that the activity is widespread, affecting neighborhoods throughout the city." "The purpose of these thefts appears to be joy riding as there is no evidence that the vehicles are being stolen for monetary gain," the release says. Parents are being asked to keep an eye on their children and watch for signs that they may be involved. The security flaws on certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles sparked nationwide lawsuits, with a civil investigation also launched by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who accused the car companies of violating the state's consumer protection and public nuisance laws by failing to equip anti-theft technology.
