Minnesota was among several states to push back this week on an order by the Trump administration that K-12 schools certify they follow federal civil rights laws and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion practices or risk loss of federal funding.

“MDE has consistently complied with and continues to comply with applicable federal law,” wrote state Education Commissioner Willie Jett in a response to the U.S. Department of Education. “The requested, additional certification seemingly seeks to change the terms and conditions of federal financial assistance awarded to MDE without formal administrative process. Adherence to rulemaking procedures is required in order for a federal agency to make improvisatory changes to legal assurances and impose new requirements on recipients.”

A U.S. Education Department order on Thursday initially gave states 10 days to sign and return a document saying they will follow federal antidiscrimination laws and to gather signatures from local school systems certifying compliance with civil rights laws. The document threatens to cut federal money for violations, including using DEI practices “to advantage one’s race over another.”

In the Monday letter, Jett said MDE has consistently complied with and certified its compliance with “all required assurances for federal programs, all of which have been approved by ED,” and that remains in effect, Jett added.

“Federal funds provide critical resources for students with disabilities, early learning programs, transportation, career and technical education, and teacher training — all of which strengthen Minnesota schools, workforce, and communities. Congress directs the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to pass these federal investments on to states so local leaders can plan and make decisions that are best for our communities,” Jett wrote.

The Trump administration has overstepped its authority with the demand, Jett wrote.

“Threats to this funding without backing in law or established requirements put key programs at risk that students and schools depend on every day,” Jett added.

Grants, contracts

Other states pushing back on the order include New York, California and Vermont. Chicago’s mayor has promised to sue over any cuts. Others are moving forward with the order, including Virginia and Arizona. Many said they are still reviewing it.

While Thursday’s letter from the Education Department does not carry legal force, schools that continue DEI practices “in violation of federal law” could face Justice Department litigation and a termination of federal grants and contracts.

The initial 10-day deadline for states to submit the certification was extended Monday by federal officials to April 24.

Several national organizations, including the nation’s largest teachers union, have sued the U.S. Department of Education in response to its threats of funding cuts for schools that engage in DEI practices. The union also has asked a federal court to block Thursday’s order.

John Thein, St. Paul Public Schools interim superintendent, thanked Jett and other state education officials during a board meeting on Tuesday.

“This letter from Commissioner Jett will be sent to all (St. Paul Public Schools) staff members and their families to ensure the district commitment to each member of our learning community will be provided with a safe, secure environment, treated in a respectful and equitable manner, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, social economic status, disability, homeland, religion, national origin, age or physical appearance,” Thein said.

This story contains information from the Associated Press. 

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By NADIA LATHAN, Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate in a primary challenge against Republican Sen. John Cornyn, setting up what is likely to become one of the GOP’s most contentious and expensive contests of 2026.

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Paxton, a close ally of President Donald Trump, announced his decision Tuesday in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham after spending more than a year openly flirting with a Senate challenge. During that time, Paxton has sought to position himself as a national leader among the GOP’s ascendant hard right, launching some of the first criminal investigations in the U.S. over abortions and gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

“Every day of delay means more pollution, more suffering, and more costs for people who can least afford them.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul delivering her State of the State in 2023, where she first unveiled the state’s Cap-and-Invest plan. She’s stalled on moving the program ahead since. (Mike Groll/Office of Gov. Hochul)

Like many people, the first thing I do each morning is take a deep breath and stretch. Unlike some, this is quickly followed by reaching for my inhaler. Twenty years ago, I could run up four flights of stairs. Today, even a short walk to the corner store leaves me gasping for air. My official diagnosis is severe asthma, but what it really represents are the consequences of environmental injustice.

I’m a single parent to two kids in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Brownsville is a zone left behind by Con Edison where electrical power is sometimes short, so they shut off the elevators in the NYCHA houses. We don’t have healthy food options. It’s also quite literally hotter in our neighborhood because there’s fewer parks, trees and green space. More air pollution—smog—forms in the heat and humidity of the summer. Sometimes it feels as if I am trying to breathe through a straw.

My situation is not unique—it is the reality for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers whose neighborhoods bear the burden of pollution. And we face impossible choices: medicine or heat, food or rent. Our budgets have been stretched beyond their limits, yet more is taken from us each year. We can’t allow for a shot at cleaner air to be taken away.

This is why Gov. Kathy Hochul’s retreat from the cap-and-invest program is devastating. This program would make large polluters pay for their pollution while generating approximately $3 billion annually to be invested in our communities. For people like me, it means cleaner air to breathe, utility rebates to lower our bills, good jobs and upgrades to neglected infrastructure.

Corporate lobbyists claim this program would hurt New Yorkers economically, but they never mention people like me who are already paying with our health and wallets. Done right, cap and invest would clean our polluted air, improve our health and lower our healthcare costs, while also delivering utility rebates directly to New Yorkers and funding energy efficiency upgrades that would lower bills long-term.

Clean air is not a luxury. Affordable energy is not either.

Years ago, Gov. Hochul championed a strong cap-and-invest program focused on affordability, but just recently she balked when it was time to issue the regulations, which she controls, to start the program. New Yorkers cannot afford this slow-walk any longer. We need Gov. Hochul to release the cap-and-invest regulations now.

Every day of delay means more pollution, more suffering, and more costs for people who can least afford them. I implore you to join us: call Gov. Hochul and demand that she advance a strong cap-and-invest program that holds polluters accountable.

Cynthia Norris is with New York Communities for Change and is a resident of Brownsville, Brooklyn.

The post Opinion: The Air We Can’t Afford—New York Needs Cap-and-Invest appeared first on City Limits.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

Shares of Cal-Maine Foods, the largest U.S. egg producer, fell in after-hours trading Tuesday after the company acknowledged it is being investigated by the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine said it received notice of the investigation into egg price increases last month. Cal-Maine said it is cooperating with the investigation.

The company’s shares fell more than 4% in after-hours trading.

Egg prices have hit record highs in recent months, largely due to a bird flu epidemic that has forced farmers to slaughter more than 166 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens.

One dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of $5.90 in U.S. cities in February, up 10.4% from a year ago. That eclipsed January’s record-high price of $4.95.

The egg price increases have put Cal-Maine, which provides around 20% of the nation’s eggs, under increased scrutiny.

On Tuesday, Cal-Maine said its sales nearly doubled to $1.42 billion in its fiscal third quarter, which ended March 1. The company said that was primarily due to higher egg prices, which averaged $4.06 per dozen during the quarter, up from $2.25 per dozen a year ago.

Cal-Maine’s sales fell short of Wall Street’s forecast of $1.43 billion, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Cal-Maine said it sold a record 331.4 million dozen-eggs in the third quarter, a 10% increase from the same period a year ago.

Cal-Maine said it made progress on mitigating the effects of bird flu, including increasing the number of layer hens and chicks hatched and recovering from the flu-related closure of facilities in Texas and Kansas. The company said its feed costs were also down during the quarter.

Cal-Maine said its third quarter net income more than tripled to $508.5 million compared to the same period a year ago. The profit, of $10.38 per share, also fell short of analysts’ forecast of a $10.72 per-share profit.