Death Penalty hearing set for Evansville Courtroom
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- Evansville will take the spotlight on Thursday in the debate over media coverage of Indiana state executions.
Property owners rally before INDOT's restraining order hearing
An emergency hearing will be held in Evansville's U.S. District Court. The hearing will be over whether or not the state of Indiana is infringing on a group of media companies' First Amendment rights by barring journalists from witnessing next Tuesday's execution of Benjamin Ritchie.
Ritchie was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney in 2000. On Wednesday, the Indiana Parole Board turned down Ritchie's request for clemency, and Governor Mike Braun refused to issue a stay of execution.
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Trump moves to block US entry for foreign students planning to study at Harvard University
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is moving to block nearly all foreign students from entering the country to attend Harvard University, his latest attempt to choke the Ivy League school from an international pipeline that accounts for a quarter of the student body. In an executive order signed Wednesday, Trump declared that it would jeopardize national security to allow Harvard to continue hosting foreign students on its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 'I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,' Trump wrote in the order. It's a further escalation in the White House's fight with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university. A federal court in Boston blocked the Department of Homeland Security from barring international students at Harvard last week. Trump's order invokes a different legal authority. Trump invoked a broad federal law that gives the president authority to block foreigners whose entry would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States.' On Wednesday, he cited the same authority when announcing that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the U.S. and those from seven others would face restrictions. Trump's Harvard order cites several other laws, too, including one barring foreigners associated with terrorist organizations. In a statement Wednesday night, Harvard said it will 'continue to protect its international students.' 'This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights,' university officials said. It stems from Harvard's refusal to submit to a series of demands made by the federal government. It has escalated recently after the Department of Homeland Security said Harvard refused to provide records related to misconduct by foreign students. Harvard says it has complied with the request, but the government said the school's response was insufficient. The dispute has been building for months after the Trump administration demanded a series of policy and governance changes at Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and accusing it of tolerating anti-Jewish harassment. Harvard defied the demands, saying they encroached on the university's autonomy and represented a threat to the freedom of all U.S. universities. Trump officials have repeatedly raised the stakes and sought new fronts to pressure Harvard, cutting more than $2.6 billion in research grants and moving to end all federal contracts with the university. The latest threat has targeted Harvard's roughly 7,000 international students, who account for half the enrollment at some Harvard graduate schools. 'Admission to the United States to study at an 'elite' American university is a privilege, not a right,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X. 'This Department of Justice will vigorously defend the President's proclamation suspending the entry of new foreign students at Harvard University based on national security concerns.' Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called the measure ridiculous and said it has nothing to do with national security. 'It's a thinly veiled revenge ploy in Trump's personal feud with Harvard, and continued authoritarian overreach against free speech,' Jayapal said on the social media site X. The order applies to all students attempting to enter the United States to attend Harvard after the date of the executive order. It provides a loophole to allow students whose entry would 'benefit the national interest,' as determined by federal officials. Trump's order alleges that Harvard provided data on misconduct by only three students in response to the Homeland Security request, and it lacked the detail to gauge if federal action was needed. Trump concluded that Harvard is either 'not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students.' 'These actions and failures directly undermine the Federal Government's ability to ensure that foreign nationals admitted on student or exchange visitor visas remain in compliance with Federal law,' the order said. For foreign students already at Harvard, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will determine if visas should be revoked, Trump wrote. The order is scheduled to last six months. Within 90 days, the administration will determine if it should be renewed, the order said. A State Department cable sent last week to U.S. embassies and consulates said federal officials will begin reviewing the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism. In a court filing last week, Harvard officials said the Trump administration's efforts to stop Harvard from enrolling international students have created an environment of 'profound fear, concern, and confusion.' Countless international students have asked about transferring from the university, Harvard immigration services director Maureen Martin said in the filing. ___ ___
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Oregon track star wages legal battle against trans athlete policy after medal ceremony protest
An Oregon high school track star is speaking out after refusing to stand on the podium with a transgender athlete, saying her protest was about fairness – not hate. 'I just didn't think that it's fair to biological females to allow and encourage biological males to compete among us, not only for myself and the other girl that stepped down, but the girl who should have been on the podium and the girl who didn't even get to go to state because she was beaten by a biological male at districts,' athlete Alexa Anderson said on 'Fox & Friends.' Advertisement 'It is not about hate or transphobia at all. It's about protecting women's rights and their right to fair and equal competition within sports.' Anderson and another athlete named Reese Eckard, who finished in third and fourth place in the Oregon State Athletic Association's Girls High Jump finale, respectively, stood behind the podium during the ceremony because they refused to stand next to the transgender student, Liaa Rose, who placed fifth, according to the New York Post. An official behind the event allegedly told those protesting to 'step aside' and 'get out' of the photos. 3 Reese Eckard and Alexa Anderson protest the girls' high jump medal ceremony at the Oregon State high school championships at Hayward Field on May 31, 2025. America First Policy Institute Advertisement 3 Alexa Anderson speaks out on her legal battle during a recent interview with 'Fox and Friends.' 'I was very shocked and kind of stressed with all the eyes and attention on us, so I complied with what he said, but I am a little bit frustrated that people were angry with us rather than supportive of our movement,' Anderson continued. During the 'Fox & Friends' appearance, Anderson's attorney Jessica Steinmann spelled out the legal action currently in motion, sharing that America First Policy Institute filed a complaint with the US Department of Education to request that they investigate the Oregon Department of Education. 'The law that was meant to protect our girls, Title IX, is now being weaponized against them. On top of that, they are now being sidelined and there's clear First Amendment issues as well,' she shared. Advertisement 3 Eckard and Anderson refused to share the podium with transgender athlete Liaa Rose who tied for fifth in the event. @LaLONeill/X Steinmann said female athletes today are losing medal access, scholarships and economic opportunities to biological males allegedly stealing their thunder. The incident came on the heels of a controversy in neighboring California, where trans athlete AB Hernandez won two state titles against female competitors.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
What Trump's Harvard Visa Restriction Means for International Students
University banners hang outside Widener Library during Harvard's commencement, in Cambridge, Mass., May 29, 2025. Credit - Rick Friedman—AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump has escalated his standoff with Harvard University, seeking another path to prevent international students from attending the school after a judge blocked an attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students. 'I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,' Trump said Wednesday, the same day he issued a 'travel ban' restricting nationals from 19 countries on entering the U.S., in a proclamation that seeks to limit foreigners' ability to travel to the U.S. to study at Harvard. 'This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights,' the university said in a statement. 'Harvard will continue to take steps to protect the rights of our international students and scholars, members of our community who are vital to the University's academic mission and community—and whose presence here benefits our country immeasurably,' it said in a previous statement. The university has not responded to queries from TIME about how exactly it plans to respond to the proclamation. The proclamation comes days after the State Department reportedly instructed embassies and consulates to increase vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard for any purpose—with the word 'any' underlined and bolded. Last week, the State Department paused the scheduling of new student visa interviews at embassies across the world to look into intensifying the scrutiny of applicants' social media accounts, citing concerns about antisemitism and terrorism. Harvard has also faced the threat of federal funding cuts and the rescinding of its tax-exempt status. The Cambridge, Mass.-based university is one of several elite higher education institutions in the U.S. that have come under attack by the Trump Administration. Here's what to know. The proclamation suspends the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard, effective immediately. After 90 days, it will be reassessed for extension; otherwise, it will expire in six months. The proclamation applies to those who attempt to enter the country to attend Harvard through the Student Exchange Visa Program. It does not apply to those attending other universities through SEVP. It also directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to 'consider' on a case-by-case basis whether foreign nationals who attend Harvard and are already in the U.S. under F, M, or J visas should have their visas revoked. The order allows for exceptions to be made for those 'whose entry would be in the national interest,' as determined by Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, or their respective designees. Read More: Harvard's International Students Left in Limbo Amid Legal Battle With Trump Administration Harvard currently has nearly 7,000 international students, representing more than a quarter of its enrollees. Several universities across the globe have already offered to accept impacted students. If international students are forced to transfer, Harvard would suffer financially, as many international students pay full tuition and other associated costs of attendance, which can be as high as about $87,000 per year for undergraduates to $102,000 per year for some graduate students. The latest proclamation comes as Trump's second-term Administration has already sought to cancel thousands of international students' visas across the country, before abruptly reversing course. Recently, the Administration has also targeted students from China, who account for nearly a quarter of all international students in the U.S., citing national security concerns. According to the latest proclamation, the government has concluded 'Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs.' The proclamation points to concerns about crime; insufficient cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security; foreign entanglements, including with China; and alleged civil rights violations. 'Crime rates at Harvard University—including violent crime rates—have drastically risen in recent years,' the proclamation asserts, adding that the university 'has failed to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus.' It also alleges that Harvard 'has refused the recent requests of the DHS for information about foreign students' 'known illegal activity,' 'known dangerous and violent activity,' 'known threats to other students or university personnel,' 'known deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel,' and whether those activities 'occurred on campus,' and other related data.' It concluded: 'Harvard's actions show that it either is not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students.' The proclamation also cites student newspaper the Harvard Crimson, which reported earlier this year that the university has received over $150 million in funding from foreign governments, more than any of its Ivy League peers. A university spokesperson told the Crimson that donations are used to fund financial aid as well as educational and operational expenses. Trump's latest proclamation also cited a May letter by the Republican-led House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party that alleged 'Harvard repeatedly hosted and trained members of a CCP paramilitary organization.' Lastly, the proclamation claimed that Harvard 'continues to flout the civil rights of its students and faculty.' It referred to the 2023 Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, in which admissions policies that consider race as a factor were ruled unconstitutional, to suggest that the university engages in 'blatant' 'discrimination against disfavored races.' Harvard, the proclamation alleged, continues to 'deny hardworking Americans equal opportunities,' while it 'admits students from non-egalitarian nations, including nations that seek the destruction of the United States and its allies, or the extermination of entire peoples.' Contact us at letters@
