Morning Digest: Trump says Iran military leaders killed in Tehran strike; Modi assures no Lok Sabha seat loss for States that stabilised population, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on April 5, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that “many” of Iran’s military leaders were killed in a huge strike on the Islamic republic’s capital. “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The post included a video showing explosions lighting up a city’s skyline at night but did not specify when the military action took place.

With the Tamil Nadu Assembly election around the corner, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announcement that it will implement the three-language formula in a phased manner from 2026-27 kicked off a war of words between the DMK government in the State and the BJP-led regime at the Centre on “Hindi imposition” versus “progressive and inclusive multilingualism”.

Activists, one of whom spearheaded a historic legal battle to recognise transgender persons as a third gender, have moved the Supreme Court against the Centre’s new law, which dismantles the fundamental right to self-identification of gender, a basic imperative of personal autonomy and dignity. The petitioners, represented by advocates Nipun Katyal, Surya Pratap Singh Rana, Aishwary Mishra and Manan Sharma, said the 2026 Act throws up a singularly fundamental constitutional question of law, that is, whether the state, through the instrument of legislation, may define who a person is and, in so doing, “substitute its own biological or sociomedical classification for the lived, autonomous, and self-perceived identity of a human being”.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday in Varanasi appealed to every section of society to ensure no child is left out of school, pushing to bring down the dropout rate to zero, adding that in U.P. student dropout rate has reduced from 19% before 2017 to just 3%. “I request all of you be it teachers, parents, public representatives and all sections of society to ensure that no child is deprived of education. It is the most sacred responsibility, every individual gets an opportunity to become accomplished, and those who shape themselves accordingly achieve success,” said Mr. Adityanath, while launching the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ for the academic session 2026-27 at the Composite School, Shivpur Varunapar Zone in Varanasi.

States that have stabilised their populations will not lose their Lok Sabha seats, and all States will benefit from a proposed increase in the size of the House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told an election rally in Central Travancore in Kerala. The Centre is planning amendments to the Constitution and relevant laws to redraw the electoral map of the country, with the size of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies to be increased by half, with a third of the total reserved for women, ahead of the 2029 general election. Parliament’s budget session is reconvening on April 16 to consider these amendments.

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a broader cabinet shake-up in ​the wake of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s removal this week, as he grows increasingly frustrated with the political fallout from the war with Iran, five people familiar with internal White House discussions said. Any potential ‌reshuffling could serve as a reset for the White House as it confronts a politically challenging stretch: The five-week-old war has driven ​up gas prices, dragged down Mr. Trump’s approval ratings and intensified anxiety about the consequences for Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections.