News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Special Report Mathura J. Sridharan, The New Solicitor General Of Ohio, Target Of Racist Attacks O n July 31, Ohio State At- torney General Dave Yost named Indian American Mathura J. Sridharan as his pick for the Midwestern state’s 12th Solicitor General. The Solicitor General is the state’s top attorney for appeals in state and federal courts. Sridharan’s Linke- din account identifies her as Ohio Solicitor General as her term has already begun. But caustic, racist comments surfaced very quickly on theWeb. In her acceptance statement, Sridharan is quoted saying in media reports, “It is an honor and a privilege to stand up for the rights and freedoms of my fellow Ohioans. I am profoundly grateful for the trust Attorney General Yost has placed in me.” While appointing her, AGYost posted on X @DaveYo- stOH, “Mathura is brilliant… she won her argument at SCOTUS last year. Both the SGs she worked under (Flowers & Gaiser) recommended her. I told her when I originally hired her I needed her to argue with me. She does … All the time!” Yost went on to add, “Excited to promote her. She will serve Ohio well.” When racist reactions to her appointment surfaced, AG Yost went further, posting on X, “A few commenters have asserted that Mathura is not American. She is a United States citizen, married to a US citizen, and the child of naturalized US citizens. If her name or her complexion bother you, the problem is not with her or her appoint- ment.” Some of the obnoxious and racist X posts against Sridharan were uploaded on the website goldsea.com in an article by Romen Basu Borsellino – Nevertheless, Sridharan has received support all round. The publication Juris Review carried an article by a contributor on August 4, 2025, entitled, “OhioWelcomes Mathura Sridharan as 12th Solicitor General Amid Cul- ture Clash” where the author noted, “Sridharan’s qualifi- cations reflect a rare blend of academic and professional rigor.” It went on to details them – Bachelor’s degrees from MIT in electrical engineering, computer science, and eco- nomics, Master’s in electrical engineering and computer science fromMIT, a J.D. from NYU School of Law. Add to that clerkships with Judge Steven J. Menashi in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and with Judge Deborah A. Batts in the Southern District of NewYork. Among her arguments before the Supreme Court, it pointed to the most notable one in Ohio v. EPA in 2024. The unnamed Juris Review contributor went on to say, “Her appointment marks a historic milestone. Sridharan is one of the first Indian-origin women in the United States to be named Solicitor General of a state, a breakthrough that reflects progress in increasing diversity at the highest levels of the legal profession.” But as soon as the appointment became public, Srid- haran was the subject of racial attacks, particularly the bindi she wears on her forehead. In her previous position as a Deputy Solicitor General, Sridharan also directed Ohio’s Tenth Amendment Center for which she initiated and directed suits to defend Ohioans against unlawful federal policies nd to preserve separation of powers between the federal and state governments, notes The Federalist Society on its website fedsoc.org . PHOTO:linkedin.com @mathura-j-sridharan PHOTO:Screenshotfrom GoldSea.com postof August4,2025 Mathura J. Sridharan, the new Solicitor General of Ohio. Posts on X passing judgement on the appointment of Mathura J. Sridharan as Solicitor General of Ohio. From News Dispatches US Affairs News India Times (August 9, 2025 - August 15, 2025) August 15, 2025 8 Top FDA Vaccine Regulator Under Trump, Vinay Prasad, Ousted Amid Conservative Criticism During Training V inay Prasad, a critic of broadly administering coronavirus shots who became the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine and gene therapy regulator in May, was ousted Tuesday,(July 29) according to two people familiar with the situation. Prasad had recently come under fire from some Republicans and conserva- tive activists, including far-right activist Laura Loomer, over his approach to drug approvals and his previous support for Democratic politicians. The FDA division that Prasad led, which oversees biological medical prod- ucts, had also been grappling with the deaths of patients who received a drug made by Sarepta Therapeutics to treat the rare genetic disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The people who said Prasad was ousted spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive personnel matter. The Department of Health and Human Ser- vices confirmed late Tuesday that Prasad left the job but did not explain why. “Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distrac- tion to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman, said in a statement. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.” Prasad, previously a University of Cali- fornia at San Francisco professor and epi- demiologist, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Loomer, who had successfully pushed for the ouster of national security officials in the Trump administration, recently tar- geted Prasad, describing him on her web- site as “The Progressive Leftist Saboteur Undermining President Trump’s FDA.” In another post, Loomer accused Prasad of being “anti-Trump.” In a post on X last week, former Re- publican senator Rick Santorum claimed Prasad was “destroying @POTUS legacy for helping patients.” Prasad had received blowback for deci- sions the FDA made under his tenure on drugs for rare diseases, particularly pres- sure to pause shipments of Sarepta’s gene therapy for Duchenne after three potential deaths linked to the product. On Monday, the agency lifted the hold for patients with the disease who are still able to walk. Prasad has long critiqued the regulato- ry process for approving certain medica- tion, such as cancer drugs. As an oncology researcher, his studies have found that cancer drugs approved on “surrogate endpoints” – early indicators that they are working – may not turn out to extend lives. OnWednesday morning, Sarepta shares were up more than 10 percent in pre- market trading. Wall Street analysts said Prasad’s ouster could boost companies, including Sarepta, that make cell and gene therapies and often seek accelerated ap- proval by using the alternate path Prasad had criticized. Before joining the Trump administra- tion, Prasad gained prominence as a critic of the public health response to the coronavirus pandemic, including an- nual vaccination for children and vaccine mandates. In May, Prasad replaced Peter Marks, who championed the coronavirus shots, as the head of the FDA’s Center for Biolog- ics Evaluation and Research. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Ken- nedy Jr. forced Marks out in late March. Prasad was later named both the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer, hand- ing him a vast portfolio at the massive agency. He often appeared on a new FDA podcast launched by Commissioner Marty Makary, who Prasad had championed as a great choice to lead the agency. Earlier this year, the two created a new framework for coronavirus vaccines to narrow approval for updated shots to adults 65 and older and people at high risk for severe disease. Makary recently defended Prasad. “There’s not a political bone to his body,” Makary told Politico in an interview published this past weekend. “He’s an im- peccable scientist, I think one of the great- est scientific minds of our generation.” -This article appeared on theWashington Post Syndicated Service July 30, 2025 By Rachel Roubein, Lena H. Sun