Trump threatens to fine California for allowing transgender athlete to compete

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, p. a11

Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has promised massive fines against the state of California for allowing a transgender teenager to compete in a local track and field tournament, where she won several medals.

A biological male competed in the California state women's finals, winning big, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so , Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

The president added that Governor Gavin Newsom fully understands that large-scale fines will be imposed .

Sixteen-year-old AB Hernandez earned two gold medals and one silver, sharing them with her rivals under new rules adopted to end the controversy surrounding her participation in the track and field championships on Saturday in the city of Clovis, just outside Fresno.

In the high jump, the young woman reached 1.70 meters on her first attempt and shared the top spot with two other athletes who achieved the same mark on their second attempt.

The three took the podium together in accordance with new rules announced last week by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which made the decision in response to criticism of its policy allowing transgender athletes to compete.

The IFC first amended the entry rules so that biological women would not be excluded from competition because of the participation of trans athletes.

The organization then issued another rule change—specifically targeting the events in which Hernández was scheduled to compete—stipulating that any athlete who fails to finish on the podium behind a transgender athlete will receive a medal.

Hernández competed in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump.

The last-minute rule changes came after days of controversy in which Hernandez was the target of Trump's criticism.

Without mentioning the trans athlete, the Republican president threatened to withdraw federal funding to California in the future if she was allowed to compete in the tournament.

The Justice Department also launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs receiving federal funding.

Some states, such as Maine and Minnesota, have taken legal action in an attempt to halt Trump's policies, which they accuse of violating the law.

For its part, the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch emphasized in a statement that such measures violate the fundamental rights of transgender people not to suffer discrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

▲ After finishing second in the Giro d'Italia, the tricolor cyclist will be participating in the Spanish tour for the second time. Photo AFP

From the editorial staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, p. a12

In the recent history of UAE Team Emirates, the Vuelta a España has become a launching pad for young cyclists. This was the case with Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who made his debut on the route in 2019, winning three stages and finishing on the podium in Madrid. From then on, he began to write a brilliant success story that now places him as one of the leading figures in international cycling.

Mexican Isaac del Toro will have the same opportunity. After his first participation in 2024, in which he placed 36th, and achieving a historic second place in the Giro d'Italia, the Ensenada native will compete again in the race with the aim of writing a new chapter of success for the discipline in our country.

Joxean Fernández Matxin , UAE's sports director, confirmed the Mexican's participation in the Vuelta, which starts on August 23.

Last year he competed in the Vuelta a España, but was injured and very ill. This time, he's approaching it with a different character and talent , he said.

Comparisons between Del Toro and Pogacar have been inevitable.

A passionate one

He's lean, explosive, with a natural knack for spotting his moment and an obvious passion for racing. Richard Carapaz found him hard to beat, as he marked his rivals' every move without missing a beat. Del Toro suffered the same fate as Pogacar at the 2022 Tour de France, when his efforts proved insufficient to win , wrote Flo Clifford for The Independent .

After making history in Rome, the 21-year-old athlete immediately returned to racing, winning the Cycling Stars Criterium, a competition held on a street circuit in Pieve di Soligo, Italy.

Del Toro prevailed over the experienced Giulio Pellizzari and Lorenzo Fortunato, who completed the podium. Despite the emotional toll of the Giro, the Mexican cyclist proved agile and strategic, once again demonstrating his talent and determination in the professional world.

With his participation in Spain, Del Toro will join other Mexican cyclists who have participated in the tour, such as Felipe Enríquez, Raúl Alcalá, Miguel Arroyo, and Julio Alberto Pérez Cuapio. The pioneer was Enríquez "El Tato ," who raced for a year in Europe with the Italian team Alba-Cucine-Benotto-Sidermec, and competed in the 1988 Vuelta, the only edition to begin in the Canary Islands.

The 2025 edition of the Vuelta a España also marks the 90th anniversary of the competition, with a journey that includes 21 stages and a total distance of 3,151 kilometers.

The cyclists will face demanding stages with two rest days. The competition will include four flat stages, six medium-mountain stages, five high-altitude stages, an individual time trial, and three hilly stages with a summit finish, offering a varied route that will test Del Toro's skills.

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, p. a12

Paris. Three-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek and world number one Aryna Sabalenka met for the semifinals, in a round where Carlos Alcaraz put on a masterclass against Tommy Paul in the final match of the day.

The Polish player is two steps away from winning her fifth Suzanne-Lenglen Cup and becoming the first woman to win the French tournament four times in a row.

The Warsaw tennis player, who has been on an upward trend since the start of her favorite tournament, played a great match against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, whom she defeated 6-1, 7-5.

Swiatek, who hasn't lifted a trophy since last year's Suzanne-Lenglen Cup in Paris, leads with eight wins to four in her head-to-head matches with Sabalenka, the current queen of the tour.

In their most recent clash, in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati in 2024, the 27-year-old Belarusian, a three-time Grand Slam champion (Australian Open 2023 and 2024, US Open 2024) defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-3.

Sabalenka is coming into the semifinals in a strong position. She hasn't dropped a single set and hours earlier she defeated reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, the world number seven, 7-6, 6-3.

▲ Iga Swiatek is the reigning three-time champion of the tournament. Photo by AFP

▲ Aryna Sabalenka is the current world number one. Photo AFP

She took revenge against the Chinese player after her defeat at the WTA 1000 in Rome in the previous match between the two.

The Belarusian asked that female players receive the same media coverage as men.

There have been many great duels, many superb matches that would have been great to see in the evening session , he claimed.

In the men's division, reigning Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals, after defeating Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4.

"I know you wanted to see more tennis. I have to apologize, but I had to do my job ," Alcaraz addressed the crowd. "Today was one of those days when you feel incredible, when it doesn't matter how you hit, because every shot is going to be a winner ," he celebrated in the mixed zone.

Musetti also advanced to his first semifinal at Roland Garros. The Italian is the only player on tour to reach at least that stage of the three Masters 1000 clay-court tournaments in 2025 (finalist in Monte Carlo, semifinalist in Madrid and Rome).

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, p. a31

Los Angeles. The Houston Astros blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 in a game where Mexican Isaac Paredes hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning.

The 26-year-old player thus broke out of a slump that has seen him get two hits in his last 26 at-bats.

However, the Hermosillo native remains on track for one of his best seasons in the majors with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs in his first 59 games of 2025.

Houston improved its record to 33 wins and 27 losses and is in second place in the American League West.

In other results, the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 thanks to a home run by Anthony Volpe.

The victory was led by Carlos Rodón, who pitched seven complete innings, allowing five hits and one run.

Dominican Ketel Marte hit a pair of home runs in the Arizona Diamondbacks' resounding 8-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.