Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered diplomatic correspondence to stop using the Calibri font and return to the more traditional Times New Roman effective Wednesday, reversing a Biden administration shift to the less formal typeface that he called wasteful, confusing and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.

“Typography shapes how official documents are perceived in terms of cohesion, professionalism and formality,” Rubio said in a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates abroad Tuesday.

In it, he said the 2023 shift to the sans serif Calibri font emerged from misguided diversity, equity and inclusion policies pursued by his predecessor, Antony Blinken. Rubio ordered an immediate return to Times New Roman, which had been among the standard fonts mandated by previous administrations.

“The switch was promised to mitigate accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities,” the cable said, asserting that it did not achieve that goal and had cost the department $145,000 but did not offer any evidence.

Since taking over the State Department in January, Rubio has systematically dismantled DEI programs in line with President Donald Trump’s broader instructions to all federal agencies. The Trump administration says the goal is to return to purely merit-based standards.

Rubio has abolished offices and initiatives that had been created to promote and foster diversity and inclusion, including in Washington and at overseas embassies and consulates, and also ended foreign assistance funding for DEI projects abroad.

“Although switching to Calibri was not among the department’s most illegal, immoral, radical or wasteful instances of DEI it was nonetheless cosmetic,” according to Rubio's cable obtained by The Associated Press and first reported by The New York Times.

“Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department’s correspondence,” he said, adding that it also clashed with the typeface in the State Department letterhead.

According to a separate memo sent to department employees, the return to Times New Roman takes effect Wednesday and all templates for official documents are to be updated to remove the offending Calibri font.

The only exceptions are documents prepared for international treaties and for presidential appointments, which are required to use Courier New 12-point font, the memo said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to join Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol to brief lawmakers on the military strike on a suspected drug smuggling boat and its crew in the Caribbean near Venezuela Sept. 2, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Eight people died, flights were disrupted and the military was deployed as motorists in the Kenyan capital were stranded for hours on Saturday after roads were flooded following heavy rains overnight.

George Seda, the police boss in Nairobi, said Saturday that six people drowned and two others were electrocuted, warning that the death toll may rise as search and rescue operations continue. Seda also said that more than 100 vehicles were damaged, with some overturning on the roadside and in parking bays.

Kenya Airways Saturday said flights were disrupted, with some diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa, and that disruptions would continue for hours.

The military was deployed to assist emergency rescue services, and the local toll road operator waived fees for an elevated road.

Heavy rain began on Friday and continued overnight, submerging vehicles and forcing motorists in some areas to wade through hip-high water to reach higher ground.

Videos of flooded homes and overturned vehicles were shared on social media.

A military rescue unit was deployed overnight to support emergency services as Kenya Red Cross response units struggled to reach people in need.

Kenya Red Cross Secretary-General Ahmed Idris said search and rescue teams were working tirelessly to assist those stranded.

“We are severely limited by the traffic and the situation on what used to be roads. We are doing our best to reach those in need,” he wrote on X.

Kenya's Public Service Minister Geoffrey Ruku said Saturday that he was coordinating national disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. He urged Kenyans to be cautious and prioritize their safety.

Some residents blamed the flooding on clogged drainage systems, stating that city authorities ought to have prepared by ensuring there was functional drainage infrastructure ahead of the rainy season.

One resident, Aisha Bajaber, wrote on X, “The whole city is flooded yet again. How long will officials keep ignoring the lack of drainage?”

Rains have been pounding the country since late February, which marks the start of the long-rains season.

Previous rain seasons have seen flooding, landslides and mudslides that have left hundreds of people dead and seen thousands of others displaced.

People walk through floodwaters after heavy rains in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Cars are seen submerged after heavy rains flooded roads in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

People climb on top of their cars after heavy rains flooded roads in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)