The US Department of Education has launched an investigation into [Chicago](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/chicago) public schools over allegations that a program aimed at improving academic outcomes among Black students violates federal law. The department has also warned that it could withhold federal funding from the district. The investigation, [announced on Tuesday](https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-launches-title-vi-investigation-chicago-public-schools), is being overseen by the education department’s office for civil rights and stems from a [complaint](https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Chicago-Public-Schools_OCR_with_hyperlinks_Redacted.pdf) filed by Parents Defending Education, a conservative group based in [Virginia](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/virginia). The complaint targets the district’s Black Student Success Plan, alleging that it “discriminates against students on the basis of race”, which the [Trump administration](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration) claims violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a [federal law](https://www.justice.gov/crt/fcs/TitleVI#:~:text=Overview%20of%20Title%20VI,-Title%20VI%2C%2042&text=It%20prohibits%20discrimination%20on%20the,activities%20receiving%20federal%20financial%20assistance.) that prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal financial assistance. In the complaint, the group alleges that the school district is “failing students of all races and ethnicities, which makes this racially segregated program all the more egregious”. Chicago public schools described the Black Student Success Plan as being part of the system’s “commitment to eliminating educational opportunity gaps and ensuring Black students have the support needed to achieve academic success and personal growth” in a February [news release](https://www.cps.edu/press-releases/2025/february/chicago-public-schools-launches-black-student-success-plan-during-black-history-month-celebrations/) announcing the initiative. The plan, which was to start this spring, includes “implementing culturally responsive practices and instruction, ensuring equitable resource allocation, increasing the recruitment and retention of Black educators and leaders, and fostering meaningful engagement with Black students and families”, according to the news release. The chief education officer of [Chicago](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/chicago) public schools, Bogdana Chkoumbova, said at the time that the district was “committed to removing these obstacles and calls upon the community to support efforts to better serve Black students”, adding: “Together, we can create an inclusive educational environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive.” The Department of Education’s investigation into the Chicago school district appears to be the first time since Trump took office again in January that the department has investigated a public school system for implementing a race-based program, according to [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/education-department-opens-investigation-chicago-public-schools-rcna203761?cid=eml_mrd_20250501). In a statement released on Tuesday, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights, Craig Trainor, [said](https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-launches-title-vi-investigation-chicago-public-schools) that Chicago public schools have a “record of academic failure, leaving students from all backgrounds and races struggling and ill-prepared to meet the challenges and enjoy the rewards of contemporary American life”. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/01/education-department-chicago-school-investigation#EmailSignup-skip-link-11) Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion Trainor argued that the Black Student Success Plan “seeks to allocate additional resources to favored students on the basis of race”. “The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow federal funds, provided for the benefit of all students, to be used in this pernicious and unlawful manner,” Trainor added. In response to the investigation announcement this week, the Chicago Teachers Union president, Stacy Davis Gates, [called the probe](https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/ctu-president-on-the-newly-launched-federal-department-of-education-investigation-into-the-cps-black-student-success-plan/) an “attempt to hinder the progress we are striving to achieve”. “Rather than using the department to create opportunities for students, Trump and McMahon appear determined to transform it into a debt collection agency and a vehicle to dismantle the civil rights protections that support students and their families,” Davis Gates added.

Department store chain Kohl's terminates CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause following internal investigation NEW YORK -- Department store chain Kohl's terminates CEO Ashley Buchanan for cause following internal investigation.  [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/pope-francis-live-updates-leader-catholic-church-dies/?id=91681792) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/US/americans-describe-trump-term-in-one-word-poll/story?id=121279635) [  ](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-reacts-joe-rogans-warning-becoming-monsters-deportations/story?id=121284580)

The former [Central Intelligence Agency](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/cia) director John Brennan has added his name to growing calls for the president to be ousted on grounds that he is unfit for the job, arguing that the US constitution’s 25th amendment addressing involuntary removal from office was “written with Donald Trump in mind”. Brennan, who served as head of the spy agency during Barack Obama’s presidency, told [MS Now](https://www.ms.now/ali-velshi/watch/fmr-cia-director-john-brennan-iran-didn-t-pose-an-imminent-threat-admin-lies-are-obvious-2496023107742) on Saturday that Trump’s recent volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization and the danger he posed to so many lives merited his removal from the Oval Office. “This person is clearly unhinged,” he said. “I think the 25th amendment was written with [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) in mind.” Brennan added that Trump was too much of a liability to be allowed to continue to be commander-in-chief, with immense firepower at his disposal, including the US nuclear arsenal. The ex-CIA director’s comments cast him at the forefront of a mounting debate over Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran and his increasingly violent threats to inflict mass destruction on that country. On 7 April, [the president warned](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/07/israel-warns-iran-lives-at-risk-if-they-use-trains-trump-deadline) that Iran’s “whole civilisation will die tonight” if the Iranian regime failed to meet his ultimatum – a threat Brennan said hinted at the deployment of nuclear capabilities. As Trump has ramped up his aggressive and [expletive-filled](https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/08/us/word-of-week-fkin-cec) rhetoric, an increasing number of Democrats have responded by calling for the 25th amendment to be invoked. The measure, baked into the US constitution in 1967, allows for the vice-president and a majority of the cabinet to [remove the president](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv) on the basis that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”. More than 70 Democrats in Congress have called for the amendment to be applied, according to the latest count by [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-trump-removal-iran-threats-impeachment-25th-amendment-rcna267194). The chances of that actually happening are close to nil, given the lock-tight loyalty that continues to be shown to Trump by his vice-president, JD Vance, and his entire cabinet. However, concern about Trump’s increasingly charged language and dystopian threats are likely to persist given the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran on Saturday as well as the possibility of renewed hostilities. Brennan’s comments were especially striking given that he is under active investigation by Trump’s US justice department as part of the president’s vendetta against his perceived enemies. Under pressure from the White House, the justice department put Brennan and the former FBI director James Comey under [criminal investigation](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-administration-targets-comey-brennan-new-investigation-rcna217713) in July. Two months later, Comey was charged with [two counts](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/25/james-comey-fbi-director-indictment) accusing him of lying to Congress during testimony in 2020 over the Russia election interference investigation. A judge has thrown out that prosecution. It is understood that the investigation into Brennan is ongoing. In March, the chair of the House judiciary committee, Trump ally Jim Jordan, claimed the inquiry was “[heating up](https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/jim-jordan-says-probe-former-cia-director-john-brennan-heating-doj-seeks#:~:text=Jim%20Jordan%20says%20probe%20into,Russia%20to%20influence%20the%20election)”.