US President Donald Trump signed an order Thursday aimed at “eliminating” the Department of Education, a decades-old goal of the American right, which wants individual states to run schools free from the federal government.Surrounded by schoolchildren sitting at desks set up in the East Room of the White House, Trump smiled as held up the order after signing it at a special ceremony.Trump said the order would “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all.””We’re going to shut it down and shut it down as quickly as possible. It’s doing us no good,” Trump said. “We’re going to return education back to the states where it belongs.”The Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress — but Trump’s order will likely have the power to starve it of funds and staff.The move honors one of Trump’s campaign promises and is among the most drastic steps yet in the brutal overhaul of the government that Trump is carrying out with the help of tech tycoon Elon Musk.The order directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States.”Democrats and educators have slammed the move.The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, called it a “tyrannical power grab” and “one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.”Republican leaders, including governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, were in the audience for the signing ceremony.Trump has cast the move as necessary to save money and improve educational standards in the United States, claiming they are lagging behind those in Europe and China.But education has been a battleground for decades in America’s culture wars, and Republicans have long wanted to remove control of it from the federal government.- ‘Beautiful day’ -Trump’s appointment of McMahon — the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment — to lead the department was widely seen as a sign that its days were numbered.The president said at the signing ceremony that “hopefully she will be our last secretary of education.”McMahon, who moved to halve the department’s staff after being sworn in earlier this month, told reporters at the White House that Trump “wants to get those dollars back to the states without the bureaucracy of Washington.”Trump promised on the campaign trail to get rid of the department and devolve its powers to US states, in much the same way that has happened with abortion rights.But the White House said earlier that a rump education department was likely to stay on to deal with “critical functions” including loans and some grants for low-income students.”The Department of Education will be much smaller than it is today,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters before the signing. The Heritage Foundation — a right-wing think-tank that has seen many of its “Project 2025″ recommendations adopted by Trump — welcomed the move.”It’s a beautiful day to dismantle the Department of Education,” it said on X.Traditionally the US government has had a limited role in education, with only about 13 percent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers, the rest being funded by states and local communities.But federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs. And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students.Trump, his billionaire advisor Musk and Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) have already dismantled several other government agencies, effectively crippling them by slashing programs and employees.A similar move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development was halted earlier this week by a federal judge, who said the push likely violated the US Constitution.

A US judge ordered Thursday that an Indian researcher at a top American university not be removed from the country, following his arrest and threat of expulsion for alleged Hamas ties.The detention of Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University in the US capital, came as fears mount in the academic world that freedom of research and speech is being challenged two months into US President Donald Trump’s new term.Suri’s lawyer demanded his release and denounced the arrest as a “targeted, retaliatory detention” that was intended “to silence, or at the very least restrict and chill, his speech” as well as that of others who “express support for Palestinian rights.”Early Thursday evening Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the Eastern District of Virginia Court ordered Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has also filed an emergency motion to stop the deportation, said Suri was being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.”Ripping someone from their home and family, stripping them of their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint is a clear attempt by President Trump to silence dissent,” said ACLU immigrant rights attorney Sophia Gregg. “That is patently unconstitutional.” On Wednesday, the French government condemned the expulsion of a French space scientist meant to attend a conference in Houston, after officials searched his smartphone and found what they called “hateful” messages against US policy.”Dr Khan Suri is an Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Georgetown University said in a statement.”We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention.”Neither Secretary of State Marco Rubio “nor any other government official has alleged that Mr Suri has committed any crime or, indeed, broke any law whatsoever,” his lawyer said in the court filing.The filing accused the US government of having detained Suri “based on his family connection and constitutionally protected free speech.”- Fellow arrested -Suri — a fellow at Georgetown’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, according to the university website — was arrested Monday at his home in Arlington, Virginia, according to Politico, which first reported on the story. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said on X that Suri was “a foreign exchange student at Georgetown University actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media.”McLaughlin accused him of having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas.”The State Department decided the researcher was subject to deportation under a provision of immigration law that allows for expulsion if the visa holder’s presence in the United States is determined to threaten US foreign policy, she added.Hamas is a US-designated terror organization.Georgetown University said it backs its “community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable.”Citing a petition filed by Suri’s lawyer, Politico reported that Suri’s wife is a US citizen of Palestinian descent, and that the couple believes they are being targeted because the government suspects they oppose US policy on Israel.

The head of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday accused Maryland authorities of negligence ahead of last year’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, near the Port of Baltimore.NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told a press briefing that the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) should have “conducted a vulnerability assessment” of the bridge in case a ship collided with it.On March 26, 2024, the Singapore-flagged M/V Dali lost power and plowed into a support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse and killing six road workers who had been filling potholes overnight.If the assessment had been completed “the MDTA would have been aware that this critical, essential bridge was above the AASHTO threshold of risk for catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision,” Homendy said, referring to a guide by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).An NTSB investigation determined the assessment would have found the bridge “was almost 30 times greater than the risk threshold” for bridges deemed critical and essential.Homendy also warned that many other bridges across the United States were at risk of a similar catastrophe.”The 30 owners of 68 bridges over navigable waterways frequented by oceangoing vessels are likely unaware of their bridges’ risk of catastrophic collapse from a vessel collision,” she said.Homendy urged the bridges’ owners to reassess “the potential need to implement countermeasures to reduce the bridges’ vulnerability.”The list of bridges at risk includes the nearby Chesapeake Bay Bridge outside Baltimore. Preparations for rebuilding the Key Bridge — an estimated $2 billion endeavor — are already underway, according to the MDTA, with the new bridge expected to reopen to traffic by 2028.

US President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that courts stop blocking his agenda, edging closer to a constitutional showdown after a judge suggested the administration ignored an order to block summary deportations.A federal judge, in a strongly worded order, gave the Justice Department until Tuesday to explain why it went ahead with flights to prison in El Salvador of Venezuelan migrants, some of whom say they committed no crime and were targeted only for their tattoos.Trump, in a scathing attack on the judiciary that would have been unthinkable coming from most presidents, demanded that the Supreme Court intervene.”It is our goal to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and such a high aspiration can never be done if Radical and Highly Partisan Judges are allowed to stand in the way of JUSTICE,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post aimed at Chief Justice John Roberts.”STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump wrote in all capital letters.”If Justice Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not fix this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our Country is in very serious trouble!”Roberts, who was nominated by Republican George W. Bush, a day earlier issued a rare rebuke by the country’s top justice to remarks of the president after Trump called for the impeachment of the judge who ruled on the immigration case.”For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a brief statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”James Boasberg, the chief judge of the US District Court in Washington, on Saturday had issued an emergency order against the deportation of Venezuelans as they sought legal recourse.He said that two flights in the air needed to turn around. El Salvador’s President Nayyib Bukele, who has offered to take in prisoners on the cheap in Latin America’s largest prison, responded on social media: “Oopsie… Too late.”In a new order on Thursday, Boasberg said that an acting field office director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement explained that the Trump administration was considering justifying its actions by saying the issue was a matter of “state secrets.””This is woefully insufficient,” Boasberg wrote, saying that “the Government again evaded its obligations.”He said that a regional official in charge of immigration enforcement was not in a position to attest to cabinet-level arguments against a federal court.He gave the Trump administration until Tuesday to explain why it did not violate his restraining order.

The NBA’s Boston Celtics are being sold to the head of a California private equity firm for $6.1 billion, a record price for a US sports franchise, the club’s owners confirmed Thursday.Boston Basketball Partners LLC said in a statement it had agreed to sell the iconic team to William Chisholm, managing director and co-founder of Symphony Technology Group.”If approved, the new ownership group will buy a majority of the team this summer at an initial valuation of $6.1 billion,” the statement said, confirming the purchase price reported by US media.That’s the highest ever offered for a North American sports team, surpassing the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023.The sale of the Celtics, the current NBA champions, still requires the approval of the NBA Board of Governors.The team is one of the most storied in the league’s history, with a record 18 championships.Chisholm, a Massachusetts native, said in a statement he has been “die-hard fan Celtics fan my entire life.””I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston — the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country,” Chisholm said. “I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge.”The new ownership group also includes current Celtics co-owner Robert Hale; Bruce Beal Jr, president of Related Companies; and the global investment firm, Sixth Street.The Grousbeck family and Steve Pagliuca purchased the Celtics for $360 million in 2002.Wyc Grousbeck will continue in his roles of chief executive officer and Governor, overseeing team operations, through the 2027-28 season.Chisholm said he was looking forward to learning from Grousbeck along with Celtics president Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla.The Boston Globe reported that three other buyers had been under consideration: Celtics co-owner Pagliuca; Stan Middleman, a co-owner of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies; and The Friedkin Group.Pagliuca released a statement after news of the pending sale broke, saying he “worked tirelessly to put together a strong bid” and was “saddened” that his offer to buy the team was not selected.”We made a fully guaranteed and financed offer at a record price, befitting the best sports fans in the world, and with all the capital coming from individuals who are fully committed to winning on and off the court,” Pagliuca said in his statement.”We had no debt or private equity money that would potentially hamstring our ability to compete in the future. We have felt it was the best offer for the Celtics.”I will never stop being a Celtic, and if the announced transaction does not end up being finalized, my partners and I are ready to check back into the game and bring it home, to help continue what the Celtics do best — win,” he added.Three NBA teams were sold in 2023: the Phoenix Suns for $4 billion, the Milwaukee Bucks for $3.5 billion and the Dallas Mavericks for $3.5 billion.