The University of Pennsylvania will prohibit transgender athletes from competing on women’s sports teams and remove records set by Lia Thomas as part of a federal agreement, the Department of Education announced Tuesday. Thomas, a transgender woman and UPenn graduate, won the 2022 NCAA title in the women’s 500-yard freestyle.⁠
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The Department’s Office for Civil Rights said UPenn violated Title IX by “permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.” Title IX bars sex-based discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds. “This is a complex issue, and I am pleased that we were able to reach a resolution through the standard OCR process for concluding Title IX investigations,” UPenn President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement.⁠
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Jameson added that the university “will review and update the Penn women’s swimming records set during that season to indicate who would now hold the records under current eligibility guidelines.” The agreement requires the university to revise record books and team eligibility policies in line with federal directives.⁠
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The United States is evacuating nonessential personnel from its embassy in Baghdad and permitting military families to leave several Gulf bases, officials from the State Department and Pentagon confirmed. ⁠
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The measures follow warnings from Iran about possible missile strikes on U.S. bases in response to any attacks on its nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump met with top national security officials at Camp David three days earlier to discuss the situation.⁠
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Israeli officials have placed their military on high alert, preparing for a potential confrontation with Iran if nuclear talks fail. ⁠
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Trump set a two-month deadline for a new agreement, which expires this week. Tehran has not responded to the U.S. proposal, and officials say it is increasingly unlikely that the planned sixth round of talks in Oman will take place. The U.K. also issued a maritime warning over escalating tensions in the region.⁠
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A State Department official cited updated security analysis as the reason for reducing the U.S. footprint in Iraq. Pentagon officials said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized “voluntary departure” for families at multiple bases. ⁠
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The White House is reviewing whether to lower tariffs on Chinese imports as part of potential trade negotiations. A source familiar with the discussions said any reduction would be tied to a formal deal with Beijing rather than offered unilaterally. ⁠
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Reports suggest that current tariffs, raised to 145% earlier this year, could be cut to a range between 50% and 65%. A tiered structure is also being considered, similar to a House proposal that would apply 35% duties to low-risk goods and 100% or more to those deemed strategic.⁠
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President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that “145% is very high, and it won’t be that high,” adding, “It’ll come down substantially. But it won’t be zero — used to be zero. We were just destroyed. China was taking us for a ride.” He also said, “If they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal.” ⁠

While formal negotiations have not begun, Trump and administration officials say they are preparing conditions for a potential agreement.⁠
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday the trade conflict with China is “not sustainable,” and suggested de-escalation was likely, although talks had yet to begin and would be “a slog.” ⁠
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U.S. markets responded to the comments, with the S&P 500 climbing more than 2%. ⁠
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The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge brought by Republican committees and Vice President JD Vance to federal campaign finance rules that limit spending coordinated between political parties and candidates. The case originated during Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio and questions whether restrictions on such spending violate First Amendment protections. The court will take up the matter in its next term starting in October.⁠
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The plaintiffs—including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, and former Congressman Steve Chabot—argue the limits “severely restrict political party committees from doing what the First Amendment entitles them to do: fully associate with and advocate for their own candidates for federal office.” The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the limits last year, citing a 2001 Supreme Court ruling. Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s administration supported the appeal and asked the court to appoint a third party to defend the existing law.⁠
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The justices also approved a motion from the Democratic National Committee and related groups to intervene in defense of the spending limits. “The Republican Party has spent decades trying to eliminate statutory limits on political party expenditures that are coordinated with candidates’ campaigns,” attorney Marc Elias said. The challenge follows a broader trend in campaign finance litigation, including the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which struck down limits on independent expenditures by outside groups.⁠
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