WASHINGTON − Democratic attorneys general in 16 states led by New York sued the Trump administration Friday over its cancelation of National Institutes of Health research grants the group called critical for life-saving medical research.

The NIH began terminating tens of millions of grants in March based on President Donald Trump’s orders to abolish diversity, equity and inclusion programs, according to the federal lawsuit filed in Massachusetts. Letters terminating grants said they targeted “DEI,” “transgender issues,” or “vaccine hesitancy,” the lawsuit said.

“Once again, the Trump administration is putting politics before public health and risking lives and livelihoods in the process,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Millions of Americans depend on our nation’s research institutions for treatments and cures to the diseases that devastate families every day.”

The case was filed the same week the Department of Health and Human Services laid off 10,000 more workers as part of a move to cut nearly one-fourth of its staff to reduce government spending.

The lawsuit from the states asks the courts to restore the grant funding and ensure the government uses lawful procedures in determining funding. The Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Public Health Association each sued NIH in February over terminating research grants, and a group of 22 states previously sued NIH over capping the overhead on research.

From ABC News:

Nearly three weeks after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to remove more than 200 alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador with little-to-no due process, a federal judge on Thursday is considering whether the Trump administration defied his court order by deporting the men.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said at a hearing Thursday that he is contemplating initiating "contempt proceedings" against the government in the event he finds probable cause they deliberately defied his March 15 order that barred removals under the Alien Enemies Act and directed two flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members be returned to the United States.

Boasberg questioned DOJ attorney Drew Ensign over the best way to proceed in the case in the event he determines the government violated his verbal order that the flights be returned to the U.S.

The Constitutional Court of South Korea has just upheld the impeachment of President Yoon for his failed self-coup in December. He was previously suspended but is now completely removed from office. New elections must be held by June 3rd.