Trans athlete bans are still about scoring political points, not fairness
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Forbes
34 minutes ago
- Forbes
80 First Tee Teens Selected To Compete During PGA TOUR Champions' PURE Insurance Championship At Pebble Beach
First Tee and PGA TOUR Champions are proud to announce the 80 exceptional teens selected to compete in the 2025 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, to be held September 19–21 at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Marley Pedrique poses after the final round of the final round of the 2025 First Tee National Championship at the Walker Course at South Bend University in South Bend, Ind. on Thursday, June 26, 2025. (Jason E. Miczek/First Tee) The annual tournament is hosted by PURE Insurance and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and broadcast internationally on Golf Channel. It uniquely pairs First Tee participants with PGA TOUR Champions professionals and amateurs from the business world for a week of competition and mentorship. The teens, ages 15 to 18, represent 48 First Tee chapters nationwide and will compete for the male and female pro-junior titles. Participants were chosen based on both their golf skills and personal growth through First Tee's youth development programs. This year's class boasts an average GPA of 3.89 and nearly seven years of involvement with First Tee. 'The PURE Insurance Championship is more than a golf tournament — it's a celebration of the dedication, perseverance and character of First Tee juniors," said Katie Krum, Chief Marketing Officer at PURE Insurance. 'Having experienced firsthand the lasting impact of youth sports, I am proud to support such a worthy cause and thrilled to share that we have extended our title sponsorship commitment through 2029 and continue championing these inspiring young leaders.' The 2025 junior field was announced live on Golf Channel, featuring an interview with Dylan Au, an alumnus of First Tee – Greater Seattle, who competed in the 2024 PURE Insurance Championship alongside Fred Couples. Au will begin pre-med classes at the University of Washington this fall. First Tee - Greater Seattle's Dylan Au poses alongside his playing partner Fred Couples at the 2024 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach. In addition, Marley Pedrique of First Tee – Florida Gold Coast earned an exemption into the tournament by finishing third at the 2025 First Tee National Championship, held in June at the University of Notre Dame's Warren Course. 'This moment represents years of hard work and dedication for these 80 teens,' said Greg McLaughlin, CEO of First Tee. 'Thanks to our partners at PURE Insurance, PGA TOUR Champions, Pebble Beach Resorts, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Golf Channel for supporting this event. It is a week filled with incredible golf, mentorship and invaluable life lessons.' This year's PGA TOUR Champions field will include legends such as David Duval, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and defending champion Paul Broadhurst. Clint Eastwood returns as chairman of the PURE Insurance Championship. Tournament play begins Friday on both Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Following Saturday's rounds, the top 24 juniors will advance to Sunday's final round at Pebble Beach, where one male and one female First Tee participant will be crowned champions. The junior field for 2025 PURE Insurance Championship can be viewed here.
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
Mayor and Police Chiefs Let Corruption Fester at N.Y.P.D., Suits Charge
Four former high-ranking police officers are suing Mayor Eric Adams of New York, accusing him of enabling corruption in the Police Department, an agency where they said anyone who spoke out faced retaliation and humiliation. The separate lawsuits filed on Monday in New York Supreme Court come as Mr. Adams, a former police captain, is running for re-election and using falling crime numbers to bolster his campaign. But the allegations from the former officers, who each spent decades in the department and helped lead bureaus like Internal Affairs and Professional Standards, could revive accusations that he presided over a law enforcement agency where chaos and cronyism reigned. One of the former officers, James Essig, who served more than 40 years, was chief of detectives until August 2023. He said in the suit that Edward Caban, the commissioner at the time, had forced him to resign after he objected to the promotions of unqualified officers to elite detective roles and specialized units. Mr. Essig's lawsuit, which names Mr. Caban, Mr. Adams and Jeffrey Maddrey, the former chief of department, accused Mr. Caban of selling promotions in exchange for $15,000. Instead of relying on a list of candidates recommended by supervisors, Mr. Caban and Mr. Maddrey often picked 'friends and cronies' of theirs and Mr. Adams, according to the suit. In an interview, Mr. Essig, 63, said he wanted 'accountability' for former leaders whose decisions 'killed morale' and hurt the careers of dozens of police officers who were forced out or left the department because they were troubled about its direction. The lawsuits are about exposing the wrongdoing of 'people who were in there who didn't do the right thing,' he said. 'They used the Police Department as their own little playground.' Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for Mr. Adams, said the administration would review the lawsuits. 'The Adams administration holds all city employees — including leadership at the N.Y.P.D. — to the highest standards,' she said in a statement. 'Our work at the department speaks for itself: Crime continues to topple month after month both above and below ground.' 'That is no coincidence,' Ms. Mamelak Altus added. 'It's thanks to the Adams administration's laser focus on public safety.' The Police Department declined to comment. Lawyers for Mr. Caban, who resigned amid a federal probe into several members of the Adams administration, said he would 'vigorously defend' himself. 'There is no merit to the allegations raised in these complaints, including the unsupported and reckless suggestion that former Commissioner Caban accepted anything of value in connection with promotions,' said his lawyers, Russell Capone and Rebekah Donaleski. Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Philip Banks III, the former deputy mayor for public safety who is named as a co-defendant in one of the lawsuits, said in a statement that his client had done 'absolutely nothing wrong.' Mr. Maddrey's lawyer, Lambros Lambrou, said he had not seen the lawsuit yet. Mr. Maddrey resigned in December after he was accused by a lieutenant of coercing her into sex in exchange for overtime opportunities. Mr. Maddrey, who has denied the allegations, is also under federal investigation. Last November, Mayor Adams appointed Jessica Tisch as police commissioner and she has since overhauled the executive staff, replacing the head of internal affairs and other key positions as she works to bring stability back to the department. Ms. Tisch has also restored the department's longstanding promotion system, in which candidates are recommended and vetted by supervisors, according to several people familiar with the changes. Since then, Mr. Adams has stood alongside Ms. Tisch at news conferences where he has touted the drop in crime. However, the complaints filed on Monday threaten to cast a shadow on those achievements, recalling the scandals that forced out Mr. Caban and Mr. Maddrey, who were allies of the mayor. Mr. Adams promoted Mr. Caban to commissioner in July 2023, following the abrupt resignation of Keechant Sewell, who had left after only 18 months, frustrated over her inability to run the department as she saw fit. She felt stymied by members of the Adams administration and could not make discretionary promotions even at the lower levels of the agency without getting clearance from City Hall, according to people close to her. Mr. Caban himself resigned in September 2024 after federal agents seized his phone as part of a criminal investigation into the administration. Federal authorities were investigating Mr. Caban and his twin brother, a former police officer who was fired from the department in 2001 and had been working in nightclub security. The investigation involved possible payments made in exchange for favors to nightclubs. The authorities also sought records of promotions and transfers. The other former officers suing the city and the Police Department include: Christopher McCormack, who was the assistant chief of the Criminal Task Force Division; Matthew Pontillo, the chief of professional standards; and Joseph Veneziano, who was once second in command at the Internal Affairs Bureau. Each had a rank of either two or three stars and had spent 30 to 40 years in the department. The lawyer representing all the officers, Sarena Townsend, described them as 'high-level, integrity-driven professionals' who had been replaced with friends of the mayor or his allies in the department. In his lawsuit, Mr. Pontillo said he had been forced out after he criticized Mr. Maddrey for his support of 'unrestricted' high-speed pursuits and after he issued an audit that said officers from the Community Response Team, a unit created by John Chell, then the chief of patrol, had been turning off their body-worn cameras during stops. Their behavior 'indicated a pattern of unconstitutional stops and searches that the C.R.T. officers were attempting to hide,' according to Mr. Pontillo's complaint. Chief Chell, whom Commissioner Tisch promoted to chief of department, is named in Mr. Pontillo's lawsuit. He did not respond to a message for comment. In his complaint, Mr. Veneziano said that Mr. Maddrey and Mr. Caban had retaliated after Mr. Veneziano disciplined an inspector who was friends with Mr. Maddrey. The inspector, who was not named, had claimed to be working when he was not, according to the suit. In 2021, the inspector lost 60 vacation days and was forced to retire, but when Mr. Maddrey was promoted to chief of the department a year later, he reinstated the inspector and later promoted him to deputy chief in his office. Mr. Veneziano said he was later transferred to the 'inferior' Transit Bureau, where he was given an office far from other executives in the unit and ostracized from high-level meetings. He resigned in November 2023. In his complaint, Mr. McCormack said that as commander of the Criminal Task Force Division he was supposed to act as a 'gatekeeper' for personnel. But when he rejected candidates pushed by Mr. Maddrey, he was given a humiliating choice: resign or face demotion to captain. After Mr. McCormack left, Mr. Maddrey appointed more than 30 unqualified or incompetent people to the division, according to the suit. One officer who remained in an elite unit was a candidate pushed by Mr. Banks. The officer had wanted to join a division charged with investigating money laundering, known as the El Dorado unit. The officer had no experience in accounting or finances, like other members of the unit, and also had a criminal history. According to the suit, the candidate wanted to be part of the unit because the name 'sounded cool.' Maia Coleman contributed reporting.
CNN
38 minutes ago
- CNN
American Amanda Anisimova ‘enjoying every step of the way' in run to Wimbledon semifinals
Once Amanda Anisimova secured her first spot in a grand slam semifinal in six years, the American sunk to the court, first to her knees, and then all the way on to the Wimbledon grass, face first. She emerged upright with a smile, and she wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was giving herself a hug. With the 6-1, 7-6(9) win against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Anisimova reached her second grand slam semifinal of her career. The other came at the French Open in 2019 back when she was 17 and a rising star – even before the emergence of fellow American Coco Gauff. 'It's been an extraordinary year for me,' Anisimova said in her on-court interview after defeating Pavlyuchenkova in Tuesday's quarterfinal round. 'So many highs. It's just been such a ride, and I've been enjoying every step of the way.' Anisimova will next face world No. 1 and three-time grand slam champion Aryna Sabalenka – setting up a big-hitting semifinal clash. Anisimova leads the head-to-head matchups with Sabalenka 5-3, though Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, in the round of 16 at the French Open in June. 'I feel like we always bring the best in each other's game, and we always raise the level when we play against each other,' Anisimova said of Sabalenka. 'But yeah, I mean, I always enjoy the challenge that she brings. I'm sure it's the same vice versa.' This year's Wimbledon run, in ways, is years in the making for the 23-year-old Anisimova – one that might not have been possible had she not taken what she has called a 'necessary' hiatus from the sport. On May 5, 2023, Anisimova announced in an Instagram post that she was taking a break from tennis, saying at the time, 'I've really been struggling with my mental health and burnout since the summer of 2022. It's become unbearable being at tennis tournaments. At this point, my priority is my mental well-being and taking a break for some time.' Anisimova, who returned to the WTA Tour in January 2024, told reporters Tuesday that it hasn't always been smooth sailing since her return to the sport. For starters, there was the task of getting her ranking back up: At the start of 2024, she was No. 442 in the world, coinciding with the extended time off she chose to take. And a year ago, Anisimova wasn't even in the Wimbledon main draw, having lost in the third round of qualifying. But in 2025, it's been clicking for the American, and she's soaring higher than ever. Anisimova, who won her third singles title of her career earlier this year at the WTA 1000 event in Doha, is at a career-high No. 12 in the world. She is guaranteed to be in the top 10 on Monday after Wimbledon. 'I think it was just more of a necessary thing to kind of reset with where I was at in my life and career-wise,' Anisimova told reporters Tuesday of her break. 'It was just something that I needed to do kind of for myself. 'Yeah, I feel like that really served me, definitely. Coming out of that break, it wasn't all upward. There were definitely some ups and downs coming out of it and getting used to the lifestyle and just being an athlete at this level. It's not easy. 'I definitely had to find my way back, really work on the fitness side, and definitely get in my hours of training. Yeah, I mean, it's been a journey. I feel like since last summer, it's really trended upwards for me. I finally found my game and my confidence.' Back in 2019, Anisimova would rise to what was then a career-high No. 21. At that year's French Open, she not only beat Sabalenka, but she also stunned Simona Halep to reach the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty. But just months after her breakthrough at Roland Garros, Anisimova suffered from a heartbreaking and shocking loss. Ahead of the US Open, her dad, who was also her coach, was found dead. She withdrew from the tournament – and went on to a mix of highs and lows in terms of results on the court for the next few years. Before announcing her break from tennis in May 2023, Anisimova's last match was an opening-round loss in Madrid in April. She wouldn't return to action until eight months later. During her time away, she took up a new hobby: art. 'I got into art when I was struggling with my mental health, and it was something that I did in my free time just to get my mind off of things,' Anisimova said Friday after the third round. 'Once I was done with my training day or had a day off, it's something I would do. 'I think before that I didn't have any hobbies or interests other than just, like, hanging out with my friends and family, so I wanted to find something that I enjoyed doing on my own. 'I feel like it's just a very good getaway for myself. I enjoy going to museums, as well, especially in different cities, specifically in Europe.' As part of her celebration after reaching the semifinals Tuesday, Anisimova went to the edge of the stands, and picked up her nephew, Jaxon, so he could join her on the court. The pair walked hand-in-hand to Anisimova's on-court interview. 'He flew in this morning, and it's his birthday on Thursday,' Anisimova said of Jaxon, who will be turning 4 years old, in her interview on court. Tuesday's match was the first he had ever seen, Anisimova told reporters. 'I'm just super grateful,' Anisimova said in her on-court interview of her sister, brother-in-law and Jaxon, 'that they flew in and got to experience this with me. It doesn't happen often. It's super special.'
