President Donald Trump's administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to block the university from enrolling international students as the president called for withdrawing Harvard鈥檚 tax-exempt status.
The moves raise between the White House and the nation鈥檚 oldest, wealthiest and arguably most prestigious university.
Here's the latest:
Education Department is demanding records related to foreign funding at Harvard
It鈥檚 the latest attempt to ramp up pressure on the university. The department sent a records request to Harvard on Friday asking for, among other things, a list of all foreign gifts, grants, and contracts from or with foreign sources.
The records request followed a review that Education Secretary Linda McMahon said showed Harvard has 鈥渘ot been fully transparent or complete in its disclosures, which is both unacceptable and unlawful.鈥
The move comes after the Trump administration threatened to block the university from enrolling international students and the president called for withdrawing Harvard鈥檚 . The Trump administration has also frozen nearly $2 billion in grants and loans after Harvard rejected the administration鈥檚 demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity.
FDA scrambling to hire contractors to replace fired staff who supported safety inspections
It鈥檚 the latest example of the chaotic fallout from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 effort to slash the size of the federal health workforce.
Kennedy said last month that inspections would not be affected by thousands of layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration. But dozens of staffers who helped support that work have been eliminated, including those who handled travel to remote regions of Asia where most pharmaceutical ingredients are produced.
The disruption comes as the FDA struggles to retain inspectors.
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The US has a single rare earths mine. Chinese export limits are energizing a push for more
America鈥檚 only rare earths mine heard from anxious companies soon after to this month by limiting exports of those minerals used for military applications and in many high-tech devices.
鈥淏ased on the number of phone calls we鈥檙e receiving, the effects have been immediate,鈥 said Matt Sloustcher, a spokesperson for , the company that runs the Mountain Pass mine in California鈥檚 Mojave Desert.
The trade war between the world鈥檚 two biggest economies could lead to a critical shortage of rare earth elements if China maintains its export controls long-term or expands them to seek an advantage in . The California mine can鈥檛 meet all of the U.S. demand for rare earths, which is why Trump is trying to clear the way for new mines.
Rare earth elements are important ingredients in electric vehicles, powerful magnets, advanced fighter jets, submarines, smartphones, television screens and many other products.
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New US ambassador to Japan says he鈥檚 optimistic a tariffs deal can be reached
George Glass arrived in Tokyo on Friday.
Glass, a prominent businessperson known for his background in finance, investment banking and technology, arrives as Washington and Tokyo are negotiating Trump鈥檚 tariff measures, which have triggered worldwide concern about their impact on the economy and global trade.
鈥淚鈥檓 extremely optimistic ... that a deal will be get done,鈥 Glass told reporters after landing at Tokyo鈥檚 Haneda international airport.
His arrival comes a day after the two countries held their first round of tariff talks between their top negotiators in Washington where both sides agreed to try to reach an agreement as quickly as possible and hold a second round of meetings later this month.
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Strange sell-off in the dollar raises specter of investors losing trust in the US under Trump
Among the threats tariffs pose to the U.S. economy, none may be as strange as the sell-off in the dollar.
Currencies rise and fall all the time because of inflation fears, central bank moves and other factors. But economists worry the recent drop in the dollar is so dramatic that it reflects something more ominous as President Trump tries to reshape global trade: a loss of confidence in the U.S.
The dollar鈥檚 dominance in cross-border trade and as a safe haven has been nurtured by administrations of both parties for decades because it helps keep U.S. borrowing costs down and allows Washington to project power abroad 鈥 enormous advantages that could possibly disappear if faith in the U.S. was damaged.
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It could be a rare day where the president doesn鈥檛 appear publicly
He鈥檚 slated to participate in a swearing in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was confirmed by the Senate to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But there鈥檚 not expected to be press access and there鈥檚 nothing else on Trump鈥檚 public schedule.
Rubio says the US will drop Ukraine-Russia peace efforts if no progress within days
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. may 鈥渕ove on鈥 from trying to secure a if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to .
He spoke in Paris after landmark talks among U.S., Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress. A new meeting is expected next week in London, and Rubio suggested that could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues
鈥淲e are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,鈥 Rubio told reporters upon departure. 鈥淏ecause if it鈥檚 not, then I think we鈥檙e just going to move on.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not our war,鈥 Rubio said. 鈥淲e have other priorities to focus on.鈥 He said the U.S. administration wants to decide 鈥渋n a matter of days.鈥
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Law firms, universities and now civil society groups are in Trump鈥檚 sights for punitive action
First the . Then its . Now, Trump is leaning on the advocacy groups that underpin U.S. civil society.
Trump said Thursday that the administration is not just of , but environmental groups and specifically the ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.
The president鈥檚 remarks began to confirm what advocacy groups have been quietly warning: is coming next for them.
Trump and his team have been working their way through the nation鈥檚 institutions, threatening to chisel away at the independence and autonomy of the law firms, college campuses and now advocacy groups 鈥 or putting them at risk of losing their federal funds or professional livelihood.
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Trump administration seeks explosive expansion of nation鈥檚 immigration detention system
If Trump鈥檚 administration has its way, the capacity to hold tens of thousands more migrants will soon be added around the country as the U.S. seeks an explosive expansion of what is already the world鈥檚 largest immigration detention system.
Trump鈥檚 effort to conduct mass deportations as promised in the 2024 campaign represents a potential bonanza for private prison companies and a challenge to the government agencies responsible for the orderly expulsion of immigrants. Some critics say the administration鈥檚 plans also include a deliberate attempt to isolate detainees by locking them up and holding court proceedings far from their attorneys and support systems.
The acting director of the ICE, Todd Lyons, said at a border security conference in Phoenix last week that the agency needs 鈥渢o get better at treating this like a business鈥 and suggested the nation鈥檚 deportation system could function 鈥渓ike Amazon, trying to get your product delivered in 24 hours.鈥
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Trump administration takes aim at Harvard鈥檚 international students and tax-exempt status
The Trump administration has escalated its , threatening to block the university from enrolling international students as the president called for withdrawing Harvard鈥檚 .
The moves raise between the White House and the nation鈥檚 oldest, wealthiest and arguably most prestigious university, which on Monday became the first to openly defy the administration鈥檚 demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity.
鈥淚 think Harvard鈥檚 a disgrace,鈥 President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday.
By taking action against international students and the school鈥檚 tax status, the administration struck at two pillars of Harvard, where international students make up 27% of the campus, and the majority of the student body is in graduate school, often conducting globally prominent research. The school has risen to distinction by attracting the world鈥檚 top talent and large tax-deductible gifts from the country鈥檚 richest donors.
The federal government more than to the Ivy League institution.
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