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WASHINGTON, June 30 : The U.S. Supreme Court is set on Tuesday to decide the legality of state laws in West Virginia and Idaho banning transgender student athletes from female sports teams at public schools including universities, a contentious issue enmeshed in the nation’s culture wars.

Lower courts sided with transgender students who challenged the bans as violating the U.S. Constitution and a federal anti-discrimination law.

Tuesday is the final day of rulings for the court’s current term, which began in October.

The Idaho and West Virginia laws designate sports teams at public schools including universities according to “biological sex” and bar “students of the male sex” from female teams. Twenty-five other states have similar laws on the books. 

Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, which has cracked down on transgender rights, has backed the states in the litigation. 

Idaho and West Virginia said the laws preserve fair and safe competition for women and girls, while critics see the measures as part of a broader assault on the rights of transgender Americans.

The students who challenged the measures said they discriminate based on a person’s sex or status as transgender in violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law, as well as the Title IX civil rights statute that bars discrimination in education “on the basis of sex.”

MAJOR 2025 RULING

In another major transgender rights ruling, the Supreme Court in a case from Tennessee last year let states ban medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for people under age 18 experiencing gender dysphoria. That term refers to the clinical diagnosis for significant distress that can result from an incongruence between a person’s gender identity and sex at birth.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has backed other restrictions on transgender people, letting Trump ban transgender people from the military and bar passport applicants from selecting the sex reflecting their gender identities for the document. 

The court in 2020 delivered a landmark ruling protecting transgender people from workplace discrimination under a federal law called Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that contains wording similar to Title IX. 

TRUMP’S POLICIES

The issue of transgender athletes playing on female sports teams has become part of the U.S. culture wars. 

Trump has taken a hard line on transgender rights since returning to office in January 2025. He has cast the gender identity of transgender people as a lie and issued multiple executive orders to limit their rights including one involving sports participation.

The challenge to West Virginia’s law was brought by Becky Pepper-Jackson and her mother Heather Jackson. Pepper-Jackson attends high school in Bridgeport, West Virginia and participates in shot put and discus. 

The Idaho challenge was brought by Lindsay Hecox, a transgender student who previously participated in soccer and running clubs at Boise State University, a public university. 

Hecox decided to quit playing sports and sought to dismiss the case in part due to a fear of harassment and growing intolerance toward transgender people. Hecox’s lawyers argued that the development rendered this challenge moot. 

The Supreme Court heard arguments in January. Its conservative justices raised concerns about imposing a uniform rule on the entire country amid disagreement and uncertainty over whether medications like puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones eliminate male physiological advantages in sports. 

LONDON, June 30 : Aston Martin boss Adrian Newey hopes a major car upgrade planned for next month’s Hungarian Grand Prix will keep Fernando Alonso racing for the Formula One team next season.

Alonso, a double world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, will be 45 next month and is already the oldest driver on the grid.

“Fernando is really looking forward to the upgrade and, if it performs, we hope he’ll be in the cockpit for another season,” Newey said in a Q&A posted on the team’s website.

“Given his experience, his feel for the car, his ability to guide development, he’s a tremendous asset. But he wants to see clear, tangible progress. If we can show that we’re moving decisively in the right direction, he’s absolutely committed to being behind the wheel.”

EXTREMELY CHALLENGING SEASON SO FAR

Aston have had what Newey called an “extremely challenging” season so far, scoring only one point in eight rounds and struggling even to finish races with an uncompetitive Honda engine and overweight car.

The sport’s most acclaimed designer took over as principal this season after joining from Red Bull last year.

The 67-year-old said both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll, son of team owner Lawrence, would get the upgrade for the July 26 race at the Hungaroring.

The main structural elements will stay the same but weight has been taken out of the gearbox and the chassis, which required a fresh crash test. More parts that were previously outsourced are now being made in-house.

“The front suspension is unchanged. The rear suspension is slightly revised,” said Newey.

“We’ve developed a new nose and substantially revised aerodynamic surfaces. So, while the core structure is similar, it’s a big aerodynamic package coupled with significant weight reduction. The target is to get very close to the weight limit.

“We’re predicting a large step, but I’m reluctant to put specific numbers out there because our simulation tools aren’t yet as sophisticated or well correlated as they need to be.”

Newey said Aston Martin was investing in engineering simulation tools but real gains would only be seen later in the year.

The Briton also touched on health issues that had distracted him.

“I’m OK now, but it’s been a difficult period,” he said. “In truth, I was not 100 per cent last year. I had to balance health and work much more carefully. The team handled it incredibly well. I kept a very good relationship with the engineers and I don’t feel it caused too much of a blip.”

June 30 : Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), English soccer’s professional refereeing body, has rebranded to Professional Game Referees, or Pro Ref, England’s Football Association said on Tuesday.

Backed by increased funding from the Premier League, the English Football League (EFL), the FA and Women’s Super League under a three-year agreement, Pro Ref will expand programmes to develop refereeing talent, it said in a statement.

As part of the changes, top-tier referees who primarily officiate Premier League matches and work as video assistant referee (VAR) and referees who officiate in the EFL Championship and other EFL competitions will be combined into a single group. This will oversee matches in both the Premier League and the EFL Championship.

Ismael Saibari converted the winning spot kick to send Morocco into the last 16, where they will face co-hosts Canada.

MONTERREY, Mexico: Morocco beat the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties on Monday (Jun 29) to reach the World Cup last 16 after their round of 32 tie ended 1-1 following extra time, setting up a meeting with co-hosts Canada.

Ismael Saibari converted the winning spot kick after Yassine Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville’s penalty, sending Morocco through after a dramatic contest in which they had forced extra time with a stoppage-time equaliser.

Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui and Dutch substitute Justin Kluivert missed their attempts before Bart Verbruggen appeared to save Soufiane Rahimi’s effort, only for the ball to squirm underneath him and trickle over the line.

Quinten Timber then put the ball wide with the Dutch side’s fourth kick, and Achraf Hakimi struck the post with the chance to seal victory before Saibari kept his nerve to send Morocco through.

The shootout capped a gripping encounter in Monterrey that swung repeatedly in both teams’ favour, with Cody Gakpo’s emotional second-half opener cancelled out by Issa Diop’s stoppage-time header before neither team could find a winner in extra time.

Morocco fashioned the better chances before the break, with goalkeeper Verbruggen producing a series of outstanding saves to deny Ayoub Bouaddi’s close-range header and Neil El Aynaoui’s powerful effort.

At the other end, Bounou was finally called into action to parry Micky van de Ven’s long-range strike.

Hakimi rattled the crossbar and forced another save from Verbruggen as the Dutch struggled to contain the full-back’s runs from deep before Ronald Koeman’s introduction of Wout Weghorst gave his side a much-needed focal point in attack.

Playing days after he and his partner lost their unborn son during pregnancy, Gakpo broke down in tears as teammates rushed to embrace him.

The Netherlands looked increasingly comfortable, with captain Virgil van Dijk producing a crucial intervention to deny Saibari as Morocco threw numbers forward in search of an equaliser.

But just as the Dutch appeared set to see out the victory, substitute Chemsdine Talbi delivered a pinpoint cross from the left and Diop rose above Van Dijk to power a stoppage-time header beyond Verbruggen, sending the match into extra time.

Momentum swung from end to end, with the Netherlands threatening on the counter as Morocco chased the game, but could not make their pressure count in open play.

Having weathered Gakpo’s emotional opener and survived Hakimi’s missed chance to settle the shootout, Morocco held their nerve when it mattered most to keep their World Cup dream alive and book a date with Canada in Houston on Saturday.

CHICAGO — The San Diego Padres activated Jake Cronenworth from the injured list Monday after the veteran infielder was sidelined by a concussion.

The Padres also placed right-hander David Morgan on the 15-day IL with left knee inflammation. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez was recalled from Double-A San Antonio, and infielder Will Wagner was optioned to Triple-A El Paso.

Cronenworth, 32, was in the starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs, batting ninth and playing second base. It was his first big league game since May 4.

“Great to have (Cronenworth) back,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “We missed him definitely. A guy that’s been a part of our team for a while and someone that’s just Steady Eddie, professional at-bat all the time and then great second baseman.”

Cronenworth was grazed on his jaw by a 96 mph fastball from Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on April 18. He went 4-for-31 over his next 12 games before going on the IL with delayed symptoms from the concussion.

He played in three rehab games with Triple-A El Paso, going 3-for-12 with a homer.

“Anytime you got a head injury and then you know you’re not able to see things the way you normally used to be able to see things, especially as a hitter at the plate, there’s probably times where he’s like, am I ever going to be able to be a major league hitter again?” Stammen said. “And just time heals a lot of things and luckily the time wasn’t too long, but it was long enough to where he could get back and feels pretty good about where he’s at right now.”

The 22-year-old Rodriguez is 1-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 31 games with San Diego this season. He was sent down on June 19 to help manage his workload during his rookie season.

“We gave him a week off,” Stammen said. “That’s pretty good, you know, overall in the scheme of things of a long season.”

BALTIMORE — — Colson Montgomery hit a go-ahead double in the eighth inning, Jacob Gonzalez drove in three runs and the Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Monday night in the opener of their series.

With the game tied at 2, Sam Antonacci was hit by a pitch before Montgomery doubled him home. Randal Grichuk followed with a single to center field that scored Montgomery and gave the White Sox a 4-2 lead.

Kyle Teel and Antonacci capped the scoring by reaching home on an error by Orioles third baseman Blaze Alexander in the ninth. Alexander, who had one error in his first 67 games of the season, has four in his last five games.

Gonzalez had a run-scoring double in the third and added a two-run single in the ninth. Teel hit an RBI single in the third, momentarily putting Chicago up 2-1.

Grant Taylor (4-1) pitched two hitless innings and struck out two. Sean Burke went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on four hits while striking out eight.

Adley Rutschman drove in both Baltimore runs with sacrifice flies, one in the first and one in the third. He finished the night 0 for 2 at the plate.

Grant Wolfram (1-2) gave up the winning run. Shane Baz threw seven innings of two-run ball, surrendering four hits and striking out six on a career-high 109 pitches. Baz has a 3.18 ERA since May 15 — second among Baltimore starters behind only Brandon Young’s 2.53 ERA.

Baltimore (39-47) matched its season worst by falling eight games under .500.

TORONTO — — George Springer capitalized on two miscues to circle the bases with a Little League homer, Trey Yesavage pitched into the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the bumbling New York Mets 2-1 on Monday night, snapping a six-game losing streak.

Francisco Lindor homered but the Mets lost for the ninth time in 10 games. They’ve dropped three of four since Andy Green took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired last Friday.

Former Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette played in Toronto as a visitor for the first time after signing with the Mets last winter. The sellout crowd of 41,634 gave Bichette a standing ovation before his first at-bat.

Bichette went 0 for 4 as New York (35-50) fell 15 games under .500 for the first time since 2018. The most games under .500 for a team that reached the postseason was 16 by the 1914 Boston Braves at 12-28, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Yesavage (4-3) allowed one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings to win for the first time in three starts. He walked none and struck out three.

Mason Fluharty got one out in the seventh, Tyler Rogers worked the eighth and Louis Varland finished for his 17th save in 17 chances.

Springer led off the bottom of the first with a line drive to left field that bounced past Juan Soto and rolled to the wall as Toronto’s designated hitter raced to third for a triple. Rookie center fielder A.J. Ewing came over to back up but bobbled the ball, allowing Springer to score without a play.

The Blue Jays added a second run in the fifth. Luis Urías hit a leadoff double, advanced on a groundout and scored on Myles Straw’s sacrifice fly.

Lindor cut the deficit in half with a leadoff homer in the seventh. It was his third home run of the season and first since coming off the injured list last Wednesday after missing two months with a calf strain.

Sean Manaea (1-3) permitted two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander is winless in four starts this season. He walked two and struck out four.

PHILADELPHIA — — Esmerlyn Valdez and Jared Triolo both hit home runs to help the Pittsburgh Pirates escape an early five-run deficit, and Endy Rodriguez closed the deal with a three-run homer in the ninth for an 11-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

The Pirates posted a six-run fifth inning against struggling starter Aaron Nola (3-5).

The Phillies fought back with two runs in the eighth to cut the lead to one run, but Rodriquez homered on a two-out pitch off reliever Chase Shugart in the ninth. Mason Montgomery closed for the Pirates.

The Phillies jumped on starter Braxton Ashcraft for five runs. Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh each homered in the first inning, and Bryce Harper hit his 20th of the season in the third inning.

But Nola gave up two home runs in 4 1/3 innings, moving into a tie for fifth-worst in the majors at 19 homers allowed. After easing through the first three innings, Bryan Reynolds hit a double off the top of the left field fence and Valdez bombed one to left to cut the Phillies’ lead to 5-2.

In the fifth, Nola allowed a leadoff home run to Triolo, his first of the season. Nola left with the game tied at 5.

Reliever Seth Johnson then gave up an RBI single to Tyler Callihan, and a Turner error helped boost the Pirates’ lead to 8-5. Ashcraft (8-3) settled down and went six innings for the win.

The Phillies scored twice in the eighth, as Marsh hit his second homer of the game and J.T. Realmuto singled home Bryson Stott. But with two on and two outs, Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez struck out Justin Crawford.

BOSTON — — Wilson Contreras hit a three-run homer, Caleb Durbin added a home run of his own, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 6-3 on Monday to extend their winning streak to a season-high five games.

Contreras opened the scoring for Boston with his 18th homer of the year to jump out to a 3-1 lead before Durbin followed with a solo shot to left two batters later. Contreras had his night cut early, however, after being ejected in the third inning for mocking the ABS challenge helmet tap on a checked swing strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu plated Tsung-Che Cheng with a sacrifice fly in the second, and Carlos Narváez added a sac-fly of his own in the third to complete the scoring.

Ranger Suarez (4-3) pitched six innings and struck out eight while giving up three runs on five hits. The team has had 12 consecutive quality starts, two shy of the franchise record of 14 set in 1988. Boston starters are 6-1 with a 1.75 ERA over the last 12 games.

James Wood hit his 21st homer of the year, a 441-foot solo shot to right in the first inning, and CJ Abrams tacked on a bases-loaded, two-run double in the sixth to break an 0-for-15 slump.

Miles Mikolas (2-7) surrendered six runs on nine hits in seven innings while striking out three for the Nationals.

The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 11.

NEW YORK — — Casey Mize matched a career high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings and the Detroit Tigers capitalized on shoddy defense by the slumping New York Yankees in a 7-3 victory Monday night.

The only baserunner Mize (3-5) allowed came on rookie Spencer Jones’ leadoff double in the third. He struck out 10 for the third time in his major league career and mowed through the Yankees after they tagged him for four runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings last Tuesday at Detroit.

Missing injured sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees lost their fifth straight and have been held to three hits or fewer in four consecutive games during a single season for the first time in franchise history.

New York’s .098 batting average is the club’s lowest in a four-game span.

In the longest start of his career, Mize threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of 22 batters and struck out five of his final six.

Tigers rookies Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle drove in two runs apiece after errors by third baseman José Caballero and left fielder Cody Bellinger.

Lee hit a two-run single off Ryan Weathers (3-6) during a four-run second inning four batters after Caballero committed a throwing error on a grounder by Matt Vierling that gave Detroit a 2-0 lead.

McGonigle lined a two-run single for a 7-0 lead one batter after Bellinger dropped a flyball by Dillon Dingler near the corner.

Dingler also doubled, scored on a single by Spencer Torkelson in the first and lofted a sacrifice fly in the second.

New York equaled a season high with its fifth straight loss and allowed five unearned runs for a total of 14 during its second five-game skid this year. The Yankees have permitted 20 unearned runs in their last 10 games after giving up 22 in their first 74 games.

Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. left in the fourth after colliding with right fielder Jasson Domínguez while chasing a popup. Chisholm was placed in concussion protocol.

New York starter Ryan Weathers allowed five runs — two earned — and seven hits in a season-low 1 2/3 innings.

Detroit rookie Drew Sommers allowed a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Amed Rosario in the eighth. Drew Anderson tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to finish the three-hitter.