May 30, 2019

Caster Semenya appeals to top Swiss court against IAAF testosterone rule

Caster Semenya. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Olympic champion Caster Semenya appealed to Switzerland’s Supreme Court Wednesday against the International Association of Athletics Federations' new rule requiring middle-distance female runners with high natural levels of testosterone to use medication to lower their levels.

Why it matters: Semenya was to compete at the world championships in Doha in the 800 meters event this September, but the rule would prevent her because of her testosterone level. "I am a woman and I am a world-class athlete," she said in a statement, per Reuters. "The IAAF will not drug me or stop me from being who I am."

Go deeper: Caster Semenya says "hell no" to testosterone-lowering drugs

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Alayna Treene
11 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Exclusive: Conservative group launches $2M Supreme Court ad

Screengrab of ad, courtesy of Judicial Crisis Network.

The Judicial Crisis Network is launching a $2.2 million ad campaign to put pressure on vulnerable Senate Republicans in battleground states to support a quick confirmation when President Trump announces his Supreme Court nominee.

The big picture: "Follow Precedent," previewed by Axios, is one of the first national and cable television ads to run following Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death Friday.

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Axios
Updated 12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

CDC says it mistakenly published guidance about COVID-19 spreading through air

CDC Director Robert Redfield. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Getty Images

The CDC has removed new guidance that acknowledged airborne transmission of the coronavirus, posting in a note on its website that the guidance was only a draft and had been published in error.

Why it matters: The initial update — which was little noticed until a CNN story was published Sunday — had come months after scientists pushed for the agency to acknowledge the disease was transmissible through the air. The CDC previously said that close person-to-person contact was the bigger concern, and the language has been changed back to erase the warning about airborne transmission.

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Axios
57 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state in Capitol's National Statuary Hall

Photo: Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday that the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall on Friday.

The state of play: The Supreme Court also announced Monday that Ginsburg will lie in repose on the front steps of the building on Wednesday and Thursday, allowing the public to pay respects to the late justice outside.

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