Martha Bellisle

The Trump administration is investigating the Oregon Department of Education after receiving a complaint from a conservative non-profit group alleging the state was violating civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened the investigation based on a complaint saying high-school aged female athletes in the state had lost medals and other competitive opportunities to transgender athletes. The probe is the latest escalation in the Republican administration’s effort to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports teams nationwide.

Budget woes, cuts to the federal wildfire-fighting workforce and President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada have made it more difficult for state officials to plan for the upcoming wildfire season.