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August 09, 2012 | | Over It President Obama—who, technically, is the honorary president of the Boy Scouts—came out against the group's antigay policies in a White House statement on Wednesday. Even Romney agrees that it’s wrong. Eagle Scout Aaron Becker on why he’s joining the growing number of Scouts their ranks in protest—and how his years earning badges taught him that it’s the right thing to do. TOUGH GIRL Seventeen-year-old Claressa Shields won a gold medal Thursday in women’s middleweight boxing. Repping the U.S., Shields beat her 33-year-old opponent Nadezda Torlopova 19-12, shuffling, dancing, and even sticking her tongue out towards the end of the match. Shields’s victory marked the only gold-medal win for the U.S. boxing team at the London games. This Olympics was the first in which the men’s team, typically the most successful in Olympic boxing, received no metals at all. This is the first Olympic games for the sport. Blockbuster The highly secretive trial of Gu Kailai, accused of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, began on Thursday—and was over in four hours. The verdict has not been announced, but Gu did not contest the murder charges. With its web of conspiracy, love, and murder, the sensational story has evoked the infamous trial of Mao’s widow Jiang Qing, writes The Daily Beast's Melinda Liu. But much has changed in China since then. QUICK REVERSAL It was a story that kicked up a firestorm of national attention, and, just as quickly, it’s over. The Louisiana public charter school revealed by the ACLU to have a policy of testing all female students suspected of being pregnant and kicking out those who turned out to be, or who refused to be tested, has reversed its policy. The chairman of the rural Delhi Charter School claimed that no one at the school realized there was anything wrong with the policy until the ACLU (and everyone in the entire country) pointed it out. Showdown Usain Bolt is hoping to make history on Thursday by becoming the first sprinter to win the 100m and 200m in consecutive Olympics. He won the 100 on Sunday and is expected to win the 200 today, having set the 200m world record of 19.30 seconds at the 2008 Olympics and then lowering it to 19.19 at the 2009 world championships in Berlin. But it is not entirely clear whether or not Bolt has recovered enough from his recent health issues to maintain the endurance required for the 200. If Bolt falters, then his teammate Yohan Blake is most likely to win. Blake ran the 200 in 19.26 seconds—the second fastest time ever—during a meet last year. | | 
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