In a move to challenge the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public schools, 19 states filed a federal lawsuit on Friday.
The lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts by Democratic attorneys general, seeks to block the Department of Education’s directive, issued on April 3, which threatened to cut federal funding if states did not comply with civil rights laws and reject what the federal government deemed “illegal DEI practices.”
The directive required states to certify their compliance by April 24, including gathering signatures from local school systems confirming their adherence. However, the plaintiffs, attorneys general from 19 states, argue that they will not abandon policies designed to ensure equal access to education and that their prior certifications of compliance with the law stand.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are legal efforts that help students feel safe, supported and respected. The Trump administration’s threats to withhold critical education funding due to the use of these initiatives are not only unlawful, but harmful to our children, families, and schools,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
This new lawsuit follows a series of rulings against the Trump administration earlier this week. Judges in three states issued decisions blocking elements of the directive: a Maryland judge postponed the effective date of the February 14 memo, which instructed schools to end practices that differentiate people based on race; a judge in Washington, DC, granted a preliminary injunction against the April certification letter; and in New Hampshire, a judge ruled that the education department cannot enforce either directive against the plaintiffs, which include one of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions.
All three cases argue that the guidance threatens academic freedom and is vague, leaving schools uncertain about what actions are permissible, such as whether voluntary student groups for minority students can continue.
The new lawsuit warns that the administration’s directive could put more than $13.8 billion in federal funding at risk, money that supports students, including those with disabilities.
“Plaintiffs are left with an impossible choice: either certify compliance with an ambiguous and unconstitutional federal directive — threatening to chill policies, programs and speech — or risk losing indispensable funds that serve their most vulnerable student populations,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit is backed by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The education department has not yet responded to requests for comment. Linda McMahon, education secretary under President Donald Trump, had warned that states refusing to sign the certification forms could face funding cuts. In an interview on the Fox Business Network, McMahon stated that states that do not comply could “risk some defunding in their districts,” adding that the purpose of the form is “to make sure there’s no discrimination that’s happening in any of the schools.”

Ravindra Jadeja’s bat fails umpire’s gauge test (screengrab)

NEW DELHI: A rare and unexpected moment unfolded at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday during the IPL clash between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, as Ravindra Jadeja was forced to change his bat after it failed the umpire’s inspection.
The incident took place right after Jadeja walked out to bat following Sam Curran’s dismissal in the fifth over.
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As Jadeja arrived, the on-field umpire stopped play momentarily to inspect his bat using the standard bat gauge — a tool used to ensure bats conform to size regulations.
Watch:
Much to the surprise of the crowd and players, the bat did not pass through the gauge, prompting the umpire to ask for a replacement.
A fresh bat was quickly fetched from the CSK dugout, allowing play to resume.
The brief delay added a layer of drama early in Chennai’s innings, drawing plenty of reactions from fans both in the stadium and online.
Jadeja had come to the crease after Sam Curran fell to a clever delivery by Harshal Patel.
In the 4.3 over, Curran attempted to pull a slower short ball outside off but mistimed it badly, sending a simple catch to Aniket Verma at deep mid-wicket. He departed for 9 runs off 10 balls.
And despite giving CSK some respite with his knock of 21 off 17, Jadeja couldn’t capitalise on the brisk start, falling to Kamindu Mendis in the 10th over.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bowl first.
SRH made notable changes, bringing in Mohammed Shami and Kamindu Mendis, while naming Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, Sachin Baby, Rahul Chahar, and Wiaan Mulder as substitutes.
CSK also shuffled their lineup, with Dewald Brevis and Deepak Hooda replacing Rachin Ravindra and Vijay Shankar.
The unusual bat inspection moment, though brief, was one of the talking points in a match that was already high on stakes and expectations.

Image credit: ASU’s website

The TOI correspondent from Washington: A top US scientist of Indian-origin resigned as the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), whose $ 9 billion budget funds life-changing research in America, amid allegations that the MAGA-infused Trump administration is gutting science and research in the country.
Sethuraman Panchanathan, an alumnus of IIT, Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, resigned with 16 months to go before the end of his six-year term, saying “I believe I have done all I can to advance the mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership.”
“Panch” as he is popularly known among colleagues, did not delve into reasons for his departure, but the broad take-away in scientific circles from his all-staff memo is that he quit due to frustration over White House pressure to cut NSF’s $9 billion annual budget and cull the agency’s 1,700-person staff.
“This is a pivotal moment for our nation in terms of global competitiveness. NSF is an extremely important investment to make US scientific dominance a reality. We must not lose our competitive edge,” Dr Panchanathan urged in the memo, even as the Trump/Musk DOGE hatchet hacked at what they consider to be bloated expenditure that funds DEI priorities and non-essential research.
The NSF has deep ties with Indian institutions such as the Department of Science and Technology and many universities, collaborating in areas like communications, semiconductors, cyberinfrastructure, secure computing, and green technology, directing millions of dollars to joint research. Although NSF does not directly fund Indian researchers or institutions, it channels grants to US researchers collaborating with Indian counterparts.
Panchanathan was a key driver of 2023 US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies that was signed in the White House. Although he was appointed to the post by President Trump during his first term, the NSF, like many storied American institutions, is running aground as the Trump-Musk credo of eliminating “waste and fraud” is drying up funding.
As with many institutions, including its companion National Institute of Health (NIH), DOGE teams of young whippersnappers are said to have physically infiltrated into the NSF headquarters earlier this month, demanding accountability from senior leadership who they believe have long had a “free run.”
According to one account, the NSF was directed to terminate over $1 billion in grants and halt new awards that conflicted with President Trump’s executive orders relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), clashing directly, given his own background, with Panchanathan’s priorities such as increasing diversity in research.
Born and raised in Chennai, Dr Panchanathan completed his B.SC in Vivekananda College and MSc and MTech at IISC and IIT respectively before coming to Canada for his PhD and later moving to US where he has rose rapidly in scientific, winning praise for his work in assistive and rehabilitative technologies, ubiquitous computing environments for individuals with disabilities, haptic user interfaces, and face/gait analysis and recognition. Among the start-ups he co-founded are MotionEase Inc. and RehabDev LLC, both focused on rehabilitative technologies.

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine, would stay with Russia, a move which is seen as a new pressure tactic on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make concessions to end the war.
“Crimea will stay with Russia,” Trump said in a Time magazine interview published on Friday. “Zelenskyy understands that,” he said, adding, “and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time.”
The comments came amid ongoing tensions over Crimea, a strategically important peninsula along the Black Sea that Russia seized in 2014 during President Barack Obama’s administration, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.
“They’ve had their submarines there for long before any period that we’re talking about, for many years. The people speak largely Russian in Crimea,” he said. “But this was given by Obama. This wasn’t given by Trump,” he added.
He accused Zelenskyy of prolonging the war by resisting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, Trump has also slammed Putin for its continued assault on Ukarine saying, “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
During recent peace discussions, Russia struck the city of Sumy, killing over 30 civilians celebrating Palm Sunday, launched drone attacks on Odesa, and bombarded Zaporizhzhia with powerful glide bombs.
Western European leaders have accused Putin of stalling negotiations and attempting to seize more Ukrainian territory while his military maintains momentum on the battlefield. On Thursday, Zelenskyy pointed out that Ukraine had accepted a US ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as the first step toward peace talks, but Russian attacks have continued.