A federal judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Labor from implementing parts of President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at curbing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts among federal contractors and grant recipients. Judge Matthew Kennelly of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois halted the Labor Department from requiring federal contractors or grant recipients from certifying that they don’t operate any programs in violation of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders. Kennelly’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Chicago Women in Trades, a nonprofit with several contracts with the Department of Labor.

Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah has become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite widespread opposition from dentists and national health organizations. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation late Thursday that bars cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water systems. Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Utah lawmakers who pushed for a ban said putting fluoride in water was too expensive. Lawmakers in other states including Ohio, South Carolina and Florida also have made proposals to restrict fluoride in public water.

A second South Carolina death row inmate chooses execution by firing squad

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A second South Carolina death row inmate has asked to die by firing squad just five weeks after the state carried out its first execution by bullets. Mikal Mahdi chose the firing squad Friday. The 41-year-old inmate’s execution is scheduled for April 11. Mahdi was convicted of fatally shooting a police officer. He ambushed Orangeburg public safety officer James Myers at his Calhoun County shed in July 2004, fatally shooting the officer with his own gun. Mahdi will be the fifth man put to death in South Carolina in less than seven months. He had the choice of firing squad, lethal injection or the electric chair.

Khalil’s lawyers appear in NJ court over jurisdiction of Columbia activist’s case

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Lawyers for a Columbia University graduate student who has become the face of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on campus protests against Israel appeared before a judge in Newark, New Jersey, to debate where his legal fight to be released from federal custody should play out. The Trump administration wants the case moved to Louisiana, where Mahmoud Khalil is being held in an immigration detention center. The judge declined to rule from the bench but said he’ll have a decision as soon as he’s able. The administration has cited a seldom-invoked statute authorizing the secretary of state to deport noncitizens whose presence in the country threatens U.S. foreign-policy interests.