Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has found that the California Department of Education and the state’s high school sports federation violated civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.The federal Education Department announced the finding Wednesday and proposed a resolution that would require California to bar transgender women from women’s sports and strip transgender athletes of records, titles and awards. It’s the latest escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports teams nationwide.If California rejects the proposal, the Education Department could move to terminate the state’s federal education funding.“The…

NEW YORK (AP) — Cooper Flagg lived up to every expectation during one season at Duke and has the potential for NBA superstardom.That’s why Mavericks fans can’t wait to get him to Dallas.The Mavericks are expected to take Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the draft on Wednesday night, quickly adding another franchise-altering player after trading one away last season.The Mavericks fell into the lottery after dealing Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, though they had only a 1.8% chance of winning it. When they did, it gave them the opportunity to add an 18-year-old who…

By Chad TerhuneLOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Nearly two-thirds of patients who started on weight-loss drugs Wegovy or Zepbound last year were still taking them a year later, according to an analysis of U.S. pharmacy claims.That level of persistence is higher than what prior analyses have shown, suggesting that more patients might be staying on the popular GLP-1 drugs for obesity as product shortages ease, insurance coverage expands and doctors manage side effects better, health experts say.Sixty-three percent of patients starting on Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s Zepbound during the first quarter of 2024 were still taking them 12 months later.…

Businessman Mark Walter’s acquisition of the majority ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers, in a deal that puts the franchise valuation at $10 billion, is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year.In a statement Wednesday, the sides confirmed that Jeanie Buss — whose family has had control of the Lakers for 46 years — will remain governor of the team and “continue to oversee all team operations on a day-to-day basis for the foreseeable future.”Walter has been a minority owner of the Lakers since 2021. Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss’ father, bought the team in…

AI agents grading papers, monitoring student performance, learning their interests, and making suggestions to the teacher.That’s what the classroom of the future could look like, according to Khan Academy CEO Sal Khan, a learning environment where AI will act as a powerful aide for teachers, not their replacement.”Imagine if your child’s school district just discovered a billion dollars and they decided to hire some amazing graduate students to hang out in the classroom,” Khan said in an interview with BBC. “And so, every classroom is going to get four or five of these graduate students. These graduate students are going…

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court handed a victory to the Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday in a power struggle with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.The court, in a unanimous ruling where the four liberal justices joined with three conservatives, struck down Evers’ partial veto of a Republican bill in a case that tested both the limits of his broad veto powers and the Legislature’s ability to exert influence by controlling funding.The court also ruled that the Legislature can put money for certain state programs into an emergency fund under the control of its budget committee. Evers had argued such…

By Hritam Mukherjee and Dhwani PandyaBENGALURU (Reuters) -Retired Air Force officer Dinesh K. has seen a surge in demand for his $500 therapy course to help people overcome their fear of flying since Air India flight 171 crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad two weeks ago.Dinesh uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling at his Cockpit Vista centre for “fear of flying solutions” in Bengaluru, the only one in India. The centre has received more than 100 enquiries since the disaster, compared to a previous average of about ten a month.”Fear of flying is typically to do with things…

A fan who heckled Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Tuesday night has been banned indefinitely from all major league stadiums, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.Marte was seen in tears on the field after the spectator yelled a derogatory comment about Marte’s late mother during a seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona’s 4-1 win over Chicago.According to a White Sox spokesperson, the security staff at the ballpark relayed that the 22-year-old fan was “very apologetic and remorseful after the fact, and admitted to…

I watched over two hours of footage of Tesla’s highly anticipated robotaxi service: I saw an Uber-like app experience, the in-vehicle interface, human supervisors, and miles of Austin streets. While the rides were mostly without incident, I noted a few hiccups from the newly launched autonomous vehicle — and at least one really smart move.After years of delays, Tesla’s robotaxis were rolled out in Austin on June 22 to about a dozen invited users. The selected riders agreed to certain terms and are mostly Tesla influencers and shareholders.These early access riders have been livestreaming and posting about their experiences since…

NEW YORK (AP) — Anxiety, grief, anger, fear, helplessness. The emotional toll of climate change is broad-ranging, especially for young people.Many worry about what the future holds, and a daily grind of climate anxiety and distress can lead to sleeplessness, an inability to focus and worse. Some young people wonder whether it’s moral to bring children into the world. Many people grieve for the natural world.Activists, climate psychologists and others in the fight against climate change have a range of ways to build resilience and help manage emotions. Some ideas:Get active in your communityFeeling isolated? Find ways to connect with…