Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Minnesota male-born pitcher powers girls’ softball team to state crown
Champlin Park High School won the Minnesota girls' state softball championship behind a dominant transgender pitcher, fueling more frustration over male-born athletes in female sports. Published June 7, 2025
California sports group pressured to reinstate track title of girl punished over celebration
The California Interscholastic Federation may be fine with biological boys competing in girls' sports based on gender identity, but not with girls who celebrate their wins with a bit too much vigor. Published June 6, 2025
Olympics under pressure to strip Khelif of boxing gold medal after leaked lab report
Calls for the International Olympic Committee to rescind Imane Khelif's women's boxing title have reignited after a leaked lab record reportedly found that the Algerian athlete has male chromosomes. Published June 5, 2025
Nebraska governor signs bill barring biological males from female sports
Nebraska joined the ranks of states that prohibit male-born athletes in female sports as Gov. Jim Pillen signed legislation Wednesday requiring students to compete based on biological sex. Published June 4, 2025
Columbia faces threat to accreditation after probe finds university violated federal law
The Trump administration said Wednesday that Columbia University has fallen short of accreditation standards by violating federal law, raising the stakes in the onslaught against elite universities over their handling of campus antisemitism. Published June 4, 2025
Student behind DOGE-style probe tells Congress that Brown U. is ‘empire of administrative bloat’
The Brown University student who faced discipline for asking thousands of administrators how they spend their workday took his fight against bureaucratic excess in education Thursday to Congress. Published June 4, 2025
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary promises review of abortion pill’s safety
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said he plans to undertake a review of mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill. Published June 3, 2025
Trump threatens ‘large scale fines’ on California after transgender athlete wins track events
President Trump threatened Tuesday to impose heavy fines on California after a transgender athlete took home the gold in a girls track and field meet. Published June 3, 2025
DOJ gives California schools a deadline to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports
The Trump administration isn't resting in its quest to ban male-born athletes from girls' scholastic sports. Published June 2, 2025
Education Secretary Linda McMahon: June is now ‘Title IX Month’
Pride Month is getting some competition from the Trump administration. Published June 2, 2025
High school girls speak out as transgender track competitors take state honors
The days of female competitors keeping quiet as biological males beat them at their own game are apparently over. Published June 2, 2025
MIT class president barred from graduation after giving anti-Israel speech
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology banned the senior class president from attending commencement after she delivered an anti-Israel screed at a pre-graduation ceremony. Published June 2, 2025
Male-born A.B. Hernandez wins two golds, silver at California girls’ track championship
Male-born A.B. Hernandez won two gold medals and one silver at the California state girls' track-and-field championships. Published June 1, 2025
Male-born athlete reaches California girls’ track finals; LGBTQ activist arrested outside event
An LGBTQ activist was arrested for allegedly striking a car with a pink-and-blue flag outside the California track and field championships, where a transgender athlete advanced to the girls' finals amid tight security and protests. Published May 31, 2025
Pardoned Todd Chrisley vows to ‘expose injustices’ in new reality TV show
Reality TV star Todd Chrisley said he and his wife, Julie, have a new mission after being pardoned by President Trump: exposing corruption in the justice system. Published May 30, 2025
Trump administration finds New York’s ban on Indian mascots violates federal law
A federal investigation found that the New York Board of Regents violated federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos, a decision that threatens to upend the decades-long movement to eradicate American Indian imagery in school sports. Published May 30, 2025
California to award medals to girls bumped from podium by transgender athlete at state finals
The California Interscholastic Federation has announced more concessions to female competitors ahead of the state track championships, seeking to contain a transgender-athlete uproar as the Trump administration turns up the heat. Published May 29, 2025
California hit with Justice Department probe of transgender athlete policy
The Justice Department has joined the federal investigation into whether California violated federal law by allowing male-born athletes to compete in girls' scholastic sports, raising the stakes ahead of this weekend's high school track championships. Published May 28, 2025
Trump administration turns up heat on hospitals with financial oversight of gender-affirming care
The Trump administration hit the "gender-affirming care" industry Wednesday with a one-two punch, launching financial oversight into pediatric gender clinics and pressuring them to stop treating minors with drugs and surgeries. Published May 28, 2025
Study refutes Planned Parenthood’s claim that abortion pill is ‘safer than Tylenol’
Pro-choice advocates often say the abortion pill is "safer than Tylenol," but a newly released study disputes the claim, arguing that no such research exists and that comparing the two drugs is scientifically pointless. Published May 28, 2025
