Trump v. California on women's sports, a risky mortgage retread, and other commentary
Olympics beat: Trump v. Cali on Women's Sports
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will become 'a slow-motion car crash' over the issue of transgender athletes in women's sports, Jennifer Sey warns at The Spectator, with President Trump facing off against California and the US Olympic Committee.
'For the first time in history,' the LA Games will see 'more women's events than men's' — but if biological men can fight for those medals, 'it's women who will lose. And some will get hurt.'
Gavin Newsom doesn't toe the line on his executive order 'aimed at protecting women's sports' — yet 'taxpayer dollars earmarked for Los Angeles 2028' are already flowing. 'Compelled participation against biological men isn't inclusion,' but 'institutionalized abuse.'
Eye on Wall St.: A Risky Mortgage Retread
'The American public doesn't need a sequel to 'The Big Short,' ' Veronique de Rugy snarks at Reason. The 2008 financial crisis traced in that film, was sparked by Washington, 'specifically through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,' government-sponsored lenders that (under pressure from Congress) backed 'risky home loans by effectively making taxpayers cosign the mortgages.' Those 'significantly loosened lending standards' wound up 'inflating the housing bubble.'
Now, President Trump is floating plans to 're-privatize' Fannie and Freddie without taking taxpayers off the hook for bad loans. Aargh! 'Financial entities — particularly those shielded by government guarantees — inevitably revert to risky behavior when market pressures and profit incentives align.' The only safe way to privatize Fannie and Freddie is 'without any implicit government guarantees.'
From the right: A Win Over Climate Hysteria
'The right to express an opinion contrary to the 'settled science' was vindicated last week in the District of Columbia Superior Court,' cheers The Washington Times' editorial board. Penn State University researcher Michael Mann's 'hockey stick' chart 'stoked climate panic around the world, then he sued critics who implied his 'findings were erroneous.'
A DC jury last year awarded Mann '$1 million in punitive damages,' but that 'victory was based in part on a chart containing numbers that couldn't be replicated' — so it seems he 'will now end up paying the individuals he sued a total of around $1.4 million.'
Conservative: Mamdani's Hateful Lies
Progressive mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, already 'a post-Oct. 7 vessel for the de-stigmatized tidal wave of anti-Semitism in the West,' this week 'crossed a line that was staggeringly militant even in our current age of say-anything shock-jock politics,' thunders Commentary's Seth Mandel.
In a campaign stop at a mosque, he denounced 'Israel's pager operation, likely the most carefully targeted such operation in the history of warfare, in which the pagers only of Hezbollah exploded, maiming thousands of terrorists after the group had waged months of war on Israeli civilians.' He claimed it killed 'scores of Lebanese civilians,' marvels Mandel, when 'not even Lebanese authorities claimed as much.
The only way that number is accurate is if Mamdani considers Hezbollah terrorists to be civilians, which is possible, because he does not mention Hezbollah at all in his remarks.'
Civil-rights watch: Whistleblowers vs. DEI
The Justice Department's 'Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, which will use the False Claims Act, encourages whistleblowers to come forward with evidence of illegal' discrimination, applauding Edward Blum & Adam Mortara at The Wall Street Journal.
'Universities, corporations, and nonprofit organizations have established 'diversity, equity and inclusion' policies that violate the plain language of civil-rights laws,' yet 'receive billions in federal funding by falsely certifying that they are in compliance with those laws.'
For instance, 'a university can't accept taxpayer dollars while condoning antisemitism on campus or treating applicants differently based on race.' The Justice initiative gives whistleblowers 'an incentive to come forward and expose unlawful discrimination' by letting them collect a share of potential multimillion-dollar damages.
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
12 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Paris' iconic cauldron from the Olympic Games returns to light up summer nights
PARIS (AP) — A year after it captivated crowds during the Paris Olympics, a centerpiece of the summer Games is making a comeback. The iconic helium-powered balloon that attracted myriads of tourists during the summer Games has shed its Olympic branding and is now just called the 'Paris Cauldron.' It is set to rise again into the air later Saturday, lifting off over the Tuileries Garden. Around 30,000 people are expected to attend the launch, which coincides with France's annual street music festival — the Fete de la Musique, the Paris police prefecture said. And it won't be a one-time event. After Saturday's flight, the balloon will lift off into the sky each summer evening from June 21 to Sept. 14, for the next three years. The cauldron's ascent may become a new rhythm of the Parisian summer, with special flights planned for Bastille Day on July 14 and the anniversary of the 2024 opening ceremony on July 26. Gone is the official 'Olympic' branding — forbidden under IOC reuse rules — but the spectacle remains. The 30-meter (98-foot) -tall floating ring, dreamed up by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and powered by French energy company EDF, simulates flame without fire: LED lights, mist jets and high-pressure fans create a luminous halo that hovers above the city at dusk, visible from rooftops across the capital. Though it stole the show in 2024, the cauldron was only meant to be temporary, not engineered for multi-year outdoor exposure. To transform it into a summer staple, engineers reinforced it. The aluminum ring and tether points were rebuilt with tougher components to handle rain, sun and temperature changes over several seasons. Though it's a hot-air-balloon-style, the lift comes solely from helium — no flame, no burner, just gas and engineering. The structure first dazzled during the Olympics. Over just 40 days, it drew more than 200,000 visitors, according to officials. Now anchored in the center of the drained Tuileries pond, the cauldron's return is part of French President Emmanuel Macron's effort to preserve the Games' spirit in the city, as Paris looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Frantically Tries to Stop MAGA Civil War Over Iran
Donald Trump is trying to stave off a MAGA civil war over America's involvement in the Middle East that threatens to tear apart his conservative base. After the president abruptly left the G7 in Canada to meet with his national security team in Washington, the White House went into overdrive to assuage 'America First' die-hards who are angered that the U.S. could be dragged into Israel's battle against Iran. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' he posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, calling for Iran's 'unconditional surrender." 'He is an easy target, but is safe there - we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.' As tensions simmered, Vice President J.D. Vance took to social media to talk up the 'remarkable restraint' the president had shown in trying to keep American troops and citizens safe. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox News to assure people there had been no change in the military's defense posture in the region. On social media, Trump's rapid response team posted video after video to demonstrate that he 'has always been consistent' on Iran. And at the White House, his communications team fired off a press release documenting 15 times that Trump stated Iran 'cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon'. The messaging efforts point to the dilemma Trump faces as he tries to balance his support for Israel with ongoing demands from within his base to avoid another war in the Middle East. Having come to office promising no more 'endless wars,' Trump must now decide whether to help Israel destroy a deeply buried Iranian nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow using a 30,000 pound U.S. bomb known as a 'bunker buster'. But such a move would risk any remaining chance of the nuclear disarmament deal Trump has been pursuing and further divide the very base that got him elected. 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,' Trump said on Tuesday. 'Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, but it doesn't compare to American made, conceived and manufactured 'stuff'. Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA.' Others in MAGA, however, are not convinced of America's ongoing role. Carlson, a former Fox News host, entered the fray last week, calling Trump complicit and suggesting that the administration 'drop Israel [and] let them fight their own wars.' This led to Trump suggesting on Monday that he was irrelevant now that he no longer had his own television show, which in turn, led to Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene siding with Carlson. 'Tucker Carlson is one of my favorite people. He fiercely loves his wife, children, and our country. Since being fired by the neocon network Fox News, he has more popularity and viewers than ever before,' she said. Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk had earlier warned the issue could cause 'a massive schism in MAGA and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.' MAGA activist Jack Posobiec agreed, saying that 'a direct strike on Iran right now would disastrously split the Trump coalition.' But Vance's lengthy post on X sought to de-escalate tensions. Noting the 'crazy stuff' that was being put out on social media, he said that Trump had been 'amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.' 'He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,' Vance added. 'That decision ultimately belongs to the president. And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.'
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
TACO Trump Punts Decision on Bombing Iran in Wild New Twist
President Donald Trump will decide whether to attack Iran within the next two weeks, and has issued a plea to stave off the backlash in his MAGA base: Trust in Trump. As a MAGA civil war over military intervention threatens to tear his party apart, the president has left the door open to a diplomatic off-ramp. 'Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,' he said, in a direct message issued through his White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. The unexpected twist is reminiscent of the two week window Trump regularly gives Russia to start negotiating a genuine ceasefire with Ukraine. It comes after the president left the nation on edge for days about the possibility that he would help Israel destroy a deeply buried nuclear enrichment facility at Fordow, in northeast Iran, using a 30,000 pound bomb known as a 'bunker buster'. Trump gave numerous mixed messages, insisting the strikes could be imminent and saying it was 'too late' to talk while also insisting that there was scope for negotiations. On Wednesday, he even boasted that 'nobody knows what I'm doing' when it comes to Iran. Tensions escalated this week when he abruptly departed the G7—despite having meetings locked with global allies including Australia and India—to rush to Washington to deal with the issue. For the next three days, he then huddled with his national security advisers to decide whether the U.S. military helps Israel's bombing campaign. But such a move would risk any remaining chance of the nuclear disarmament deal Trump has been pursuing and threatened to tear apart the very base that got him elected. The MAGA civil war over the Iran put conservatives such as pro-Israel war hawks Laura Loomer and Mark Levin on one side, and America First firebrands such as Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon and Jack Posobiec on the other. 'We can't have another Iraq,' Bannon warned at a breakfast with reporters hosted Wednesday by The Christian Science Monitor. Earlier today, he was spotted at the White House but Leavitt declined to say what he was doing there. The issue also spilled out onto screens this week, with conservative pundit Tucker Carlson—who accused the president of being 'complicit' in the Middle East conflict—skewering Texas Senator Ted Cruz over his support for regime change. Asked what the president would say to those who voted for his 'America First' doctrine and didn't want the nation involved in another foreign war, Leavitt replied: 'Trust in President Trump.' 'President Trump kept America and the world safe in his first term as president, implementing a 'peace through strength' foreign policy agenda,' she said. 'With respect to Iran, nobody should be surprised by the President's position that Iran absolutely cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. He's been absolutely unequivocal about this.' Trump's announcement was immediately mocked online. One critic on social media described it as 'beyond parody' while another joked: 'He's going to announce it during Infrastructure Week when the healthcare plan comes out.' Leavitt was also quizzed about the issue in the briefing room, with one reporter noting that Trump had regularly given Russia two week deadlines on Ukraine, with no outcome. However, she blamed the Biden administration, saying both were complicated global conflicts that the president had inherited.
