By SOPHIE AUSTIN, Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration sued the California Department of Education on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law.

The move escalates a battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes.

The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department says California’s transgender athlete policies violate Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. The department says California’s rules “are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow trans girls to compete in female athletics that they could also face challenges by the federal government.

“If you do not comply, you’re next,” she said in a video posted on social media. “We will protect girls in girls sports.”

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The state Education Department and the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports that was also named a defendant, said they would not comment on pending litigation.

California has a more than decade-old law on the books that allows students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including on sports teams, and use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.

Trump criticized the participation of a transgender high school student-athlete who won titles in the California track-and-field championships last month. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter after the meet that the California Interscholastic Federation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution by allowing trans girls to compete against other female athletes.

The federal Education Department earlier this year launched an investigation into California’s policies allowing athletes to compete on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The agency said last month that the policies violate Title IX, and it gave the state 10 days to agree to change them. But the state this week refused.

Trump also sparred with Maine’s Democratic governor over that state’s transgender-athlete policies. Gov. Janet Mills told the president in February, “We’ll see you in court,” over his threats to pull funding to the state over the issue. His administration filed a lawsuit in April alleging Maine violated Title IX by allowing trans girls and women to compete against other female athletes.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit against California says its policies “ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous ’gender identity.’”

“The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition,” the suit says.

Meanwhile, on his podcast in March, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom angered some party allies when he questioned the fairness of trans girls competing in girls sports. GOP critics have called on the governor to back a ban, saying his remarks do not square with his actions.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, R-Calif., speaks to a crowd gathered at an event space during a two-day swing through South Carolina on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Bennettsville, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

The issue is part of a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. More than two dozen states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court.

Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at barring trans girls and women from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

Proponents of a ban, including the conservative California Family Council, say it would restore fairness in athletic competitions. But opponents, including the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality California, say bans are an attack on transgender youth.

In Oregon, three high school track-and-field athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the state this week seeking to remove records set by transgender students and prevent them from participating in girls sports. They say allowing trans girls to compete against other female athletes is unfair and violates Title IX.

The U.S. Education Department launched investigations earlier this year into Portland Public Schools and the state’s governing body for high school sports to over alleged violations of Title IX in girls high school sports.

Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed.

Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna

By KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court early Thursday approved the new arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December, accepting a special prosecutor’s claim that he poses a risk of destroying evidence.

The arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court sent Yoon back to a detention center near the capital, four months after his release in March, when the same court overturned his January arrest and allowed him to stand trial for rebellion without being held in custody.

His criminal case is being handled by a team of investigators under special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk who are pursuing additional charges over Yoon’s authoritarian push, including obstructing official duties, abuse of power and falsifying official documents.

Cho’s team questioned him twice before submitting a request for his arrest warrant to the court on Sunday.

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Yoon’s lawyers had described the arrest request as excessive and unsubstantiated. They didn’t immediately react to the court’s decision to approve the arrest of Yoon , who was formally removed from office in April after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment.

Yoon didn’t respond to questions by reporters after arriving at the court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing to review the special prosecutor’s request. After the hearing lasting about seven hours, Yoon was taken to the detention center to await the court’s decision.

Yoon’s new arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody, potentially lasting months or longer. Yoon can be initially detained at the center for up to 20 days, while the special prosecutor will aim to indict him on additional charges.

If Yoon is indicted on new charges, that could keep him under arrest for up to six months until an initial court ruling. If that court convicts him and issues a prison term, Yoon would serve that sentence as the case possibly moves up to higher courts.

The former conservative leader described his martial law imposition on Dec. 3 as a necessary step to quash his “anti-state” liberal opponents, accusing them of using their legislative majority to obstruct his agenda. But Yoon’s decree lasted only hours, after a quorum of lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers at the National Assembly and voted to lift the measure.

Yoon was impeached by lawmakers Dec. 14 and indicted Jan. 26 by public prosecutors who accused him of masterminding an attempted rebellion, describing his power grab as an illegal attempt to seize the legislature and election offices and detain political opponents.

The charges are punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Yoon also faces accusations of enforcing martial law without following required legal procedure, such as deliberation by a formal Cabinet meeting, and of unlawfully deploying the presidential security forces like a private army to block an initial attempt by law enforcement to detain him at his residence in early January.

His liberal rival and current President Lee Jae Myung, who won the June snap election to replace him, last month approved legislation to launch sweeping special investigations into Yoon’s martial law debacle and other criminal allegations involving his wife and administration.

By Roberta Burkhart, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Many people don’t know it, but men under age 40 are the most likely age group to develop testicular cancer.

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Just ask Jay Riepenhoff of Upper Arlington, Ohio, who was 29 and still adjusting to life as a new father when he discovered a suspicious lump.

He wasn’t thinking cancer. In fact, Riepenhoff got up for work the next morning and forgot all about it.

He felt the lump again that night, and thought he’d maybe set an alarm to remind himself to call the doctor the next day.

Riepenhoff didn’t feel the first twinge of worry until his doctor told him to come in immediately. And then sent him the same day for an ultrasound.

“Still, I even thought in my head, ‘I’ll go check it out. It’s not like it’s cancer,’” he said.

Soon, Riepenhoff discovered what many don’t realize: Of the approximately 10,000 cases of testicular cancer diagnosed annually, 51% are diagnosed in young men between the ages of 20 to 34, according to the National Cancer Institute, part of the NIH.

Yet a recent survey from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center shows that few Americans — just 13% — associate the disease with young men.

“When you’re young, in your 20s or your 30s, you certainly do think your health is just something you might take for granted,” said Shawn Dason, a urologic oncologist at OSU’s cancer center and an associate clinical professor of urology at The Ohio State College of Medicine. “You’re more focused on other parts of life: your career, your family, your education.”

While 6% of testicular cancer cases are diagnosed in children and teens and another 8% affect those older than age 55, the vast majority of cases affect men aged 20 to 50. The average age of diagnosis is 33, according to the American Cancer Society.

It is the most common form of cancer among men 20 to 40 and the second most common cancer (trailing leukemia) in ages 15 to 19, but it can happen at any time, according to John Hopkins Medicine.

The Ohio State survey questioned 1,008 respondents about their knowledge of testicular cancer and found general awareness lacking in many areas.

While most — 63% — knew that testicular cancer is often curable if caught early, just over half correctly said that self-checks should be conducted every month. Additionally, two-thirds of respondents thought that medical evaluations should be conducted during annual exams after age 40.

But waiting until 40 would miss the men most at risk — young men like Riepenhoff.

Self-exams are most relevant between the ages of 20 and 40 and are especially important for anyone with a family history of testicular cancer or who has had an undescended testicle at any time during their life, Dason said.

A painless lump is the most common first sign that testicular cancer may be present, Dason said. Often, that lump will continue to grow and possibly harden.

Few men report that pain is associated with lumps, he said, adding that many incorrectly assume that the absence of pain means the lumps are harmless.

If the cancer has spread — becoming metastatic — other symptoms could develop, like abdominal and back pain, or a cough and shortness of breath if it has spread to the lungs.

Still, testicular cancer is among the rarer cancers compared to, for instance, prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men after skin cancer. There are approximately 313,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed annually and nearly 36,000 deaths from it every year, according to the American Cancer Society.

While not as prevalent as other cancers, testicular cancer is a fast-growing one, Dason said, and one that will spread to other parts of the body if left untreated.

The majority of testicular cancer cases are curable, however, especially when they’re caught early.

“Now that might beg the question, ‘Well, if it’s mostly curable, what would be the harm in just finding it later?’ And the harm is really that he might need more treatment to ultimately cure it. And these treatments, they can be pretty serious.”

When testicular cancer metastasizes, it often requires a far more invasive surgery — one with a longer, more challenging recovery, Dason said.

Chemotherapy, too, is generally necessary when the cancer spreads. It is a life-saving measure and “a critical instrument in achieving a cure in many patients,” but it can have a variety of both short- and long-term side effects, many of them unpleasant.

“We really do have evidence that some men will pass away from testicular cancer. And so could those men, if they had presented earlier, have been saved? Very, very possibly,” Dason said.

In Riepenhoff’s case, testing following his radical orchiectomy — the surgery to remove his cancerous testicle — revealed that the cancer had begun to spread, and he underwent three weeks of chemotherapy. All of his treatment took place at the OSU cancer center, although he was not treated by Dason.

Fertility especially becomes a concern when chemotherapy is necessary, Dason said.

Riepenhoff and his wife, Rana, had welcomed their first child, John Patrick Riepenhoff V, just five months before he discovered the cancerous lump. They had long hoped for three children, so before surgery, Riepenhoff chose to freeze sperm in case treatment affected his ability to have more children.

His fertility was not affected, and they expect to welcome their second son in August.

While testicular cancer is highly curable — the 5-year survival rate is 95%, per the National Cancer Institute — dismissing the early symptoms such as a newly discovered lump can make it much more challenging to treat.

Dason pointed out that younger men — and, often, men in general — have acquired a reputation for putting off medical care until absolutely necessary.

In his experience as a physician, Dason said, younger men tend to eschew annual physicals. “When you’re in your 20s and your 30s, there aren’t a lot of chronic health conditions that these young men have, and a lot of them are not regularly visiting their primary care provider.”

Plenty of patients put off seeking care “because they were embarrassed about it, or they were busy or they were hoping it would go away.” Often, a partner is the one who insists they finally see a doctor, he said.

“It’s normal to have a male sexual health complaint. It’s normal to feel something abnormal and go get it checked out. And that’s what our medical practitioners are there for: to help out with all of these concerns, not just a flu or an ankle injury.”

And like Riepenhoff once did, many young men see cancer as a far-off threat. And it’s just not discussed much, Riepenhoff said.

Riepenhoff pointed out that breast cancer awareness is everywhere. “You hear it from parents, schools and physicians,” he said. “But with testicular cancer, I don’t really recall. I’m sure in school we talked about it one time or something, but I don’t ever recall that being hammered into your brain the way that breast cancer is.”

He understands well the reasons men might wait to reach out to a physician.

“I’m sure there are a lot of men out there that got testicular cancer that waited to go to the doctor because they just thought it was an abscess or something. Nothing to be worried about. Had they known that this could be testicular cancer, they may have gone to the doctor earlier, and that can change your diagnosis pretty dramatically.”

Riepenhoff said he asked his doctor what would have happened if he had waited to come in or if he skipped the chemotherapy.

“He said within a year or two, I would have been dead.”

© 2025 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Visit www.post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Bernadette Joy, Bankrate.com

“Renting is throwing money away.” Has anyone ever told you this? Well, I’m here to say: It’s bad financial advice.

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My husband and I have owned four different homes in three cities since 2010. If I wanted to, I could buy a house in cash today. But for the last three years, I’ve chosen to rent instead — and my net worth has grown by leaps and bounds because of that choice, not in spite of it.

This is always a hot topic, especially because renting challenges the traditional rhetoric that homeownership is the ultimate path to wealth. And I get it — owning a home is part of the “American Dream.” But if it doesn’t lead to financial freedom, homeownership may be more like a nightmare.

Let me show you how renting, when done intentionally, can actually make you richer.

Renting avoids the hidden costs of homeownership

When you own a home, you’re not just paying the mortgage — you’re also responsible for home maintenance, property taxes and insurance. In fact, Bankrate’s 2025 Hidden Costs of Homeownership Study found that the average annual cost of owning and maintaining a single-family home is more than $21,000.

Now, you’ll incur some of these costs when renting, too. Unless your rental unit includes utilities and internet, you’re probably going to have to pay out of pocket. You’ll probably pay less in electricity than you would in a large, single-family home, but for the sake of argument, let’s take these average costs at face value.

Omitting the expenses you’ll still have when renting, homeownership costs an average of $15,391 — that’s almost $1,300 you could free up each month.

While there aren’t any states that require renters insurance, most landlords have a provision in their rental contracts requiring this form of coverage. While typically less expensive than homeowners insurance, renters insurance is another cost to factor into your calculations.

And don’t forget about mortgage interest

My clients are always shocked when I have them review the amortization table for their 30-year mortgage. In the early years of your mortgage, a large percentage of your monthly payment goes toward interest. You’re not really building equity in the first few years of a mortgage — you’re mostly paying interest.

Let’s say you borrowed a $420,000 mortgage. You qualified for a 6.75 percent mortgage rate on a 30-year term. Your monthly payment is $2,724.

Of your first mortgage payment, only $362 pays down the principal balance — a whopping $2,363 goes toward interest. The balance does shift over time, and by the end of your 30-year term, the bulk of your payment goes toward the principal. But how likely is it that you’ll see the mortgage through to the bitter end, without selling or refinancing (and starting the clock all over again)?

I’ve helped five clients make the decision to sell their homes in 2025, and none of them lived there longer than a decade. So much of their money has gone to interest, and they won’t get much equity in return.

After five years of dutifully paying $2,724 every month, you’ve only gained about $25,000 in home equity. Meanwhile, your mortgage servicer will have made nearly $138,000 from your loan interest. Your five years’ worth of mortgage payments cost you $163,440, and in return, you got $25,000 in equity. Hardly seems worth it.

Rather than paying $15,000 per year in homeownership costs and vast sums of mortgage interest, I pay my rent. Sure, I won’t get a return on that money, but more cash stays in my pocket — cash I can put toward investments. Use a mortgage calculator to take a look at your amortization table and crunch the numbers for yourself.

Renting frees up capital for wealth-building

“Real estate always appreciates in value.” This one’s a myth — just ask anyone who sold a home during the 2008 financial crisis. My husband and I paid $10,000 out of pocket to sell his home at the time.

Yes, real estate can appreciate, but it’s also highly market- and location-dependent. In the past three years, the investments I’ve made in the stock market and my financial education business have significantly outpaced the return I would’ve made on a home in my local market — and with much less headache.

Unfortunately, several of my clients bought their homes at the height of the pandemic boom and are now seeing their home values decline from their peaks.

In today’s economy, renting is increasingly the more affordable option.

According to those numbers, you could save more than $9,000 per year by renting. That money could go a long way for many Americans, and even further if you reallocate that money into wealth-building assets.

After selling my home and returning to renting, I took the proceeds of the sale and invested in growing my business — that cash injection allowed me to surpass my first $1 million in revenue. In the time since, my husband and I have also contributed the maximum amount to our 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), allowing us to pursue early retirement.

When I transitioned from homeownership to renting, I used the proceeds from my home sale and invested in low-risk, interest-bearing accounts, like high-yield savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs). This passive income has covered my rent and other living expenses.

I have more money working for me as a renter than I did as a homeowner.

Renting can offer new social networks and income opportunities

Some of my older coaching clients tend to wrongly believe that renting equates to a decrease in quality of life. I’ve been happy to dispel that myth when they comment on the dance, improv and travel that my renting lifestyle accommodates.

I live in a one-bedroom rental in a walkable neighborhood filled with restaurants, music, theater and fitness. Post-COVID apartment buildings often feature co-working spaces, gyms and even social events that allow me to meet people from all walks of life. I felt a lot more isolated in the suburb where I used to live, which was more homogeneous, less active, and farther away from cultural events.

I’ve also been able to find more side hustles than when I lived on the outskirts, like teaching financial literacy classes or dog walking and babysitting for neighbors in my building.

The combination of downsizing and renting has also allowed me to pick up and move quickly to capitalize on potential business or job opportunities in other cities. I can afford global travel with business partners using the money I previously spent on lawn care and home DIY projects. I’ve expanded my social and professional networks and spend more time doing things that bring me joy.

Why renting can be strategic

According to Bankrate’s 2025 Emergency Savings Report, fewer than half of U.S. adults have enough emergency savings to cover three months of expenses, and about a quarter have no emergency savings at all. When you don’t have money set aside for a rainy day, it’s especially important to have tight control over your monthly spending — predictable monthly payments are key.

A fixed-rate mortgage may seem stable, but property taxes can always go up. Insurance premiums can rise, and maintenance is always more expensive than you think. Avoiding surprise repairs to water heaters, HVAC systems or roofing can also decrease the anxiety of not having enough cash savings on hand, especially when those repairs cost thousands of dollars.

Your next steps

What expenses will actually help me build the life I want?
Do I want a house in the suburbs because I believe it’s what’s expected of me?
Could my money be better spent elsewhere?
If I already own a home, have I considered the real-world costs associated with my mortgage, maintenance and other housing costs?
How do my homeownership costs compare to rentals in my area?

Final thoughts: Owning a home can be great — if it fits your financial plan

As a first-generation American, I felt the weight of my family’s expectation to live out the American Dream — after all, they emigrated here so I could realize it. But I’m living proof that renting isn’t a step back, nor should you feel any shame for choosing to rent.

It’s been a strategic move that’s made me richer — financially, mentally, and emotionally.

Think of rent the same way you think of a gym membership or software subscription — it’s a monthly cost that may support the lifestyle you want. It’s not “throwing money away.” It’s buying peace of mind, freedom of movement and time to grow wealth in other ways.

For me, real wealth isn’t found in square footage. It’s in the daily opportunity to move and live freely according to what aligns with my own version of the American Dream.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.