COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

Related Articles

Will Minnesota United make a splash in the summer transfer window?

What is the identity of the 2025 Vikings? That will be revealed soon enough

Twins come a few feet from tying game in loss to Dodgers

Willi Castro, a potential trade candidate, hopes to be Twin for life

‘Nobody else is really capable of doing it’: Twins impressed by Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani

The change, announced Monday with a quiet change on the USOPC’s website and confirmed in a letter sent to national governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.

The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy” and reference’s Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.

The national governing bodies will likely follow the USOPC’s directive.

You just walked through the gates at TPC Twin Cities and are ready to consume hours of golf from some of the world’s best golfers at the 3M Open this week in Blaine.

Now what? There are 18 holes spread out over the 235-acre property, and 156 players in the field. How do you decide what to watch?

It can be a little daunting. You’re not exactly sure where you can go between roped off areas and cabins and grandstands dedicated to folks who bought premium packages. On a hot day, you can only handle so much aimless walking before simply looking for a place to sit down.

After walking the entire course Monday, we found a few spots we liked more than others, All of them are close to food and amenities and, perhaps more important, restrooms, But the primary initiative here was to locate the best places to watch golf.

Let’s start with our three multi-hole view points:

No. 1: On top of the front nine

The mound with concessions, a covered patio setup and restrooms, all of which overlooks the third, fourth, sixth and seventh holes at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, the site of the 3M Open, taken on Monday, July 21, 2025. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

So many of the best spots on the course are sold off as premium spots either with grandstands or air-conditioned buildings you had to pay to enter. But the tournament has done spectators a solid on the front nine — and this is the best spot on the course by sheer volume of viewable holes.

Atop a mound in the middle of most of the action sits a concession stand, public restrooms and a covered outdoor dining area. Walk 50 steps in any direction from that area and you can look down on the approach shots and the putts on No. 3, the entire par-3 fourth, the approach shots and putts on the par-5 sixth and the entire hole on No. 7.

If you’re following a marquee group, the third hole marks a good time to go up to this mound — located just behind the third green — and park for a bit to recharge and still watch a lot of the action.

No. 2: The woods

You can tell the 3M Open organizers knew where the bulk of their fans would set up shop. It’s traditionally quite hot this time of year in this part of the country, and this week will be no exception. So, the ample shade provided by the mini forest of trees off the fairway on the 18th hole is where various drink, dining and seating spots are set up.

It also happens to be one of the best places to watch golf.

From there, you can get an A-plus view of players on the famous par-5 18th attempting their approach shots over the pond and onto the green, and you can see how they finish up from afar.

But turn around and walk 100 yards in the other direction and you can choose whether you want to watch the conclusion of another par 5, the 12th hole, or the tee shots on the par-3 13th. While no two of the holes are viewable at one time, it’s easy to toggle between the three exciting options with the well-shaded, well-stocked area in the woods serving as your home base.

No. 3: The 14th fairway

The 14th and 17th holes at TPC Twin Cities are two of the more exciting, consequential holes on the course. And you can view them both at the same time.

The view from the 14th fairway at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, the site of the 3M Open, taken on Monday, July 21, 2025. The spot also provides a look at the 17th hole. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

The 14th is either a birdie hole or a potential disaster, depending on whether you hit the fairway off the tee. Find one of the fairway bunkers and your second shot is treacherous and, potentially, tournament ending with water lurking down the entire left side of the hole.

You can camp just feet away from those bunkers and get a great view of not only that action, but the entire par-3 17th hole from across the pond. If you’re looking for shade, there’s a nice tree closer to the 14th green from which you can get a better look at the action there, while still seeing everything happening around the green on No. 17, especially if you bring a set of binoculars.

One downside to parking on No. 14: There isn’t much for food options right around there, so maybe grab a bite to eat on your walk over there (A pro tip: There is a convenient water refill station directly behind the 14th green).

Ranking each hole, from best to worst individual viewing:

1. The par-5, 18th

A majestic hole thanks to the large water hazard and the fun of the risk/reward shots of “going for the green in two.’ Numerous good spots from which to watch the approach, both just off the fairway and from behind the green. The latter gives a good perspective on just how big and sloping the green can be, and a great view of incoming balls flying through the air toward the pin.

We’re not usually fans of watching non par-3 holes from tee boxes, but the 18th hole does have a nice, public grandstand that gives a great view of the consequential drives that frequently determine your fate on the hole. The top of the grandstand provides Instagram-worthy photo ops. Just don’t go up there thinking you’re going to catch a good view of No. 17; the green is blocked off by the grandstands surrounding that hole.

No. 2: The par-4, 14th

For all the reasons mentioned above. The water-lined hole is consequential and fun, and most views from the fairway to the green are good.

No. 3: The par-4, 2nd

The highest ranking Par-4 on the list, No. 2 doesn’t have great food or bathroom amenities, though there usually is a family that lives along the hole that sells cheap water and Gatorade over its fence. Tell ’em Jace sent you (NOTE: this will not give you a discount, but rather a puzzled look).

But the view from behind the greenside bunkers is perfect. The hole has a majestic feel, with a pond alongside the fairway and one in front of the green that requires a walking bridge for the golfers to cross. The green is well bunkered, and you can see the entire hole, from tee shot to putt, from behind it all.

No. 4: The par-4, 16th

The hole is at its best when the tee is moved up to make it a drivable Par-4. But it’s a fun watch any day, particularly from around the green with the various run-off areas that lead to some tricky chips.

No. 5: The par-3, 13th

A par 3 that doesn’t allow you to get too close to the green, but roughly 50 yards down from the tee box is a spot where you can see the tee shot, be relatively close to players as they walk by and still see the action on the green.

And there’s a nice spot roughly 20 yards away from the green where you get a good look at that action, and can turn around, and get a solid look at what’s happening on No. 14.

No. 6: The par-4, 9th

The view from ‘The Lookout,’ a covered patio bar that overlooks the green on No. 9 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, the site of the 3M Open, taken on Monday, July 21, 2025. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)

This hole is often getting baked by the sun, but the tournament has provided a resource that should be utilized. “The lookout” is a covered patio bar with a prime view of the hole from behind the green. And there are some tricky chips from around the green that make the hole’s finish fun to watch.

No. 7: The par-5, 12th

A par 5 that can really only be viewed from behind the green, which does provide a decent angle of incoming approach shots. But the turn of the fairway and the heavy allotment of trees blocks most good vantage points from the fairway rough.

No. 8: The par-3, 8th

A ho-hum par-3 that earns a spot in the top-half of this list because it’s the one par-3 on the entire course where spectators camp behind the green to get the best vantage point of incoming shots.

No. 9: The par-4, 11th

A par-4 that is fun to watch from the fairway to get the best idea of the changes in elevation on the hole, and a greenside view shows the varying slopes that can leave golfers in trouble if they hit it into the wrong spots.

No. 10: The par-4, 10th

A straight-forward par 4 that provides plenty of birdie chances and has a nice shade tree by a bunker approximately 60 yards out from the green that provides a great view of the entire hole. Amenities of all kinds surround this hole.

No. 11: The par-3, 17th

One of the more popular holes on the course, but the green is engulfed with premium-seating grandstands. Views leave much to be desired for general admission course goers. But if you want to stand roughly 50 yards away from the green, you can certainly catch all the action.

No. 12: The par-4, 1st

Could be higher, frankly, as the behind-the-green view gives a good view of the approach shots and allows for a strong appreciation of what’s greenside for golfers to contend with.

No. 13: The par-4, 7th

A decent par 4 that simply doesn’t offer much for up-close viewing unless someone goes wayward off the tee. But if you hang out as close as you can to the green, it is another good spot for food, drink and bathroom amenities.

No. 14: The par-3, 4th

A par 3 that is a little difficult to get a good look at. The bunkers and slopes of the green always leave at least part of the putting surface hidden from, frankly, anywhere you try to get a look.

No. 15: The par-5, 6th

The first half of the par 5 offers little in terms of good views, though a couple of the houses that run alongside the fairway have some excellent poolside patio/bar setups you can admire. The closer you get to the green, the more that gets hidden by hills and bunker lips.

The best place to watch the action is 100-125 yards away from the green along the fairway, or from the house porches on the other side of the pond.

No. 16: The par-4, 3rd

Nothing distinct on this long par-4, though if you’re hoping for a wayward drive to dive into the spectator area, this is another good candidate along the fairway. Best watched from the aforementioned mound as part of the multi-view approach.

No. 17: The par-4, 5th

Tough hole to see much from beyond the green with the elevation changes. The one positive: You can get very close to the pin if the hole is on the backside of the green. Probably worth skipping the lengthy walk that is holes No. 5-6 and just cut from No. 4 to No. 7.

No. 18: The par-4, 15th

It’s a straightforward par 4 with no distinct features and no amenities. Skip it and go right from No. 14 to No. 16 green if you’re walking the course.

Related Articles

3M Open: Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Max Homa are coming to Blaine next week. Who else?

Rory McIlroy returns home for the British Open ready to embrace the love

Here are some of the top golfers committed to the 3M Open

Can this Burnsville land go from garbage dump to golf destination?

Another quick major chance for top-ranked Nelly Korda when Women’s PGA tees off in Texas

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is developing new safeguards for the organ transplant system after a government investigation found a Kentucky group continued preparations for organ donation by some patients who showed signs of life, officials told Congress Tuesday.

Related Articles

OpenAI’s Sam Altman warns of AI voice fraud crisis in banking

Family, supporters urge release of Spanish-language journalist in ICE custody

Smoking or oxygen machine issue may have caused deadly fire at Massachusetts assisted-living home

Video shows Florida deputies punching and dragging a Black man from his car

Ozzy Osbourne, who led Black Sabbath and became the godfather of heavy metal, dies at 76

While the organ removals were canceled, near misses that some lawmakers called horrifying should never happen. A House subcommittee asked how to repair trust in the transplant network for potential organ donors and families — some of whom have opted out of donor registries after these cases were publicized.

“We have to get this right,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Kentucky Republican who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee and whose mother died waiting for a liver transplant.

“Hopefully people will walk away today knowing we need to address issues but still confident that they can give life,” Guthrie said, adding that he will remain a registered organ donor.

The hearing came after a federal investigation began last fall into allegations that a Kentucky donation group pressured a hospital in 2021 to proceed with plans to withdraw life support and retrieve organs from a man despite signs that he might be waking up from his drug overdose. That surgery never happened after a doctor noticed him moving and moaning while being transported to the operating room — and the man survived.

Lawmakers stressed most organ donations proceed appropriately and save tens of thousands of lives a year. But the federal probe – concluded in March but only made public ahead of Tuesday’s hearing — cited a “concerning pattern of risk” in dozens of other cases involving the Kentucky group’s initial planning to recover someone’s organs.

The report said some should have been stopped or reassessed earlier, and mostly involved small or rural hospitals with less experience in caring for potential organ donors.

The Kentucky organ procurement organization, or OPO, has made changes and the national transplant network is working on additional steps. But notably absent Tuesday was any testimony from hospitals – whose doctors must independently determine a patient is dead before donation groups are allowed to retrieve organs.

Here’s a look at how the nation’s transplant system works.

There’s a dire need for organ donation

More than 100,000 people are on the U.S. transplant list and about 13 a day die waiting, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Only about 1% of deaths occur in a way that allows someone to even be considered for organ donation. Most people declared dead in a hospital will quickly be transferred to a funeral home or morgue instead.

How the U.S. organ transplant system is set up

Several groups are involved in every transplant: the hospital caring for someone dead or dying; the 55 OPOs that coordinate recovery of organs and help match them to patients on the waiting list; and transplant centers that decide if an organ is the right fit for their patients.

Adding to the complexity, two government agencies — HRSA, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — share regulatory oversight of different parts of the donation and transplant process.

How deceased donation works

Most organ donors are brain-dead – when testing determines someone has no brain function after a catastrophic injury. The body is left on a ventilator to support the organs until they can be retrieved.

But increasingly organs are donated after circulatory death, called DCD – when people die because their heart stops. It usually happens when doctors determine someone has a nonsurvivable injury and the family withdraws life support.

Donation groups don’t provide hands-on patient care

Hospitals are required to alert their area OPO to every potential donor who is declared brain-dead or once the decision to withdraw life support is made. The OPOs by law can’t participate in that decision and “we are not even in the room at that time,” said Barry Massa of Kentucky’s Network for Hope.

During the following days of preparation, hospital employees continue caring for the patient – while the donation team talks with the family about the process, gathers hospital records showing the patient is eligible, requests tests of organ quality, and make arrangements with transplant centers to use them.

Once the hospital withdraws life support and the heart stops beating there’s a mandatory wait – five minutes – to be sure it won’t restart. When the doctor declares death, the organ retrieval process can begin.

Organs are only considered usable if death occurs relatively quickly, usually up to about two hours. Sometimes that takes much longer and thus the organs can’t be used – and HRSA’s Dr. Raymond Lynch told Congress that doesn’t necessarily mean anything was done wrong. Still, he said HRSA is investigating reports of possible mistakes elsewhere.

“This is a technically demanding form of care” that requires “good collaboration between the OPO and the hospital,” he said.

What happens next

At issue is how doctors are sure when it’s time to withdraw life support from a dying patient — and the delicate balance of how OPOs interact with hospital staff in preparing for donation once death occurs.

In May, HRSA quietly ordered the U.S. transplant network to oversee improvements at the Kentucky OPO and to develop new national policies making clear that anyone – family, hospital staff or organ donation staff – can call for a pause in donation preparations any time there are concerns about the patient’s eligibility.

Lynch said the government now wants more proactive collaboration from OPOs to give hospital staff “a clear understanding” of when to at least temporarily halt and reevaluate a potential donor if their health status changes.

Kentucky’s Massa said his group only received HRSA’s reports this week – but that after learning about last fall’s allegations, it made some changes. Massa said every hospital doctor and nurse now gets a checklist on caring for potential donors and how to pause when concerns are raised — and anyone can anonymously report complaints.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid a federal overhaul of student loan plans, many borrowers have been left wondering what it means for their hopes of loan forgiveness. In particular, those who are enrolled in a repayment plan known as income-based repayment, or IBR, have wondered if forgiveness will still be available to them.

Related Articles

OpenAI’s Sam Altman warns of AI voice fraud crisis in banking

Investors breathe life into new batch of meme stocks as Kohl’s and Opendoor Technologies surge

There are many illegal marijuana farms, but federal agents targeted California’s biggest legal one

The solar tax credit is ending: what that means for homeowners

UN says booming solar, wind and other green energy hits global tipping point for ever lower costs

A recent update from the Education Department said forgiveness through the IBR plan is paused while systems are updated. “IBR forgiveness will resume once those updates are completed,” the agency said.

IBR is not affected by a federal court’s injunction blocking former President Joe Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The IBR plan was created by Congress separately from other existing repayment plans, including those known as PAYE and ICR. It’s also exempt from some changes coming from President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill.

Here’s what to know.

Which income-driven repayment plans are affected by the court’s injunction?

Following a court injunction last summer, loan forgiveness for the SAVE, Income-Contingent Repayment, or ICR, and Pay As You Earn, or PAYE, plans is currently paused because those plans were not created by Congress. The legal action called into question whether student loan forgiveness was authorized under the federal statute that governs those plans. The IBR plan was created under a different authority.

IBR, created by Congress, reduces monthly payments for borrowers with lower incomes. It also invokes a statute that authorizes student loan forgiveness of the balance at the end of a 20- or 25-year repayment term.

When will IBR forgiveness resume?

The Education Department hasn’t given a timeline for when its system update will be complete and forgiveness will resume.

Should a borrower continue to make IBR payments in the interim?

Borrowers enrolled in IBR who have reached the threshold for forgiveness but who are not seeing their loans discharged as a result of the pause may continue to make payments with the expectation that the Education Department will refund the excess payments. The plan offers forgiveness after 240 or 300 monthly payments, depending on when borrowers enrolled.

Borrowers can also request forbearance from their loan servicer. In that case, interest would continue to accrue on any remaining balance.

What changes are coming from Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’?

Trump’s tax and spending law will eventually phase out the ICR, PAYE and SAVE plans, replacing them with the Repayment Assistance Plan. IBR plans will continue to exist and to provide forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. RAP, in contrast, will require 30 years of repayment before forgiveness is granted.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.