The Latest: Harvard sues the Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students

San Francisco Chronicle​

23-05-2025

Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration's decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House's political demands.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump fired off a post on his social media network in which he said the European Union has been 'very difficult to deal with' in trade talks and that he wants to impose 50% tariffs on the EU in June.
Trump administration investigates border shelters for smuggling, then sends them more immigrants
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to nongovernmental shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border after telling those organizations that providing migrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers.
Border shelters, which have long provided lodging, meals and transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that raised 'significant concerns' about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. FEMA suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the United States.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people even after the March 11 letter, putting them in the awkward position of doing something FEMA appeared to say might be illegal. Both agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Omani mediator says Iran-US talks made 'some but not conclusive progress'
Oman's foreign minister said Friday that the fifth round of Iran-U.S. negotiations had made 'some but not conclusive progress.'
Badr al-Busaidi made the comment on the social platform X after the talks ended in Rome.
Iranian and American officials offered no immediate comment.
'The fifth round of Iran US talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress,' al-Busaidi wrote. 'We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days, to allow us to proceed towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honourable agreement.'
Iran and US conclude their fifth round of nuclear negotiations in Rome with enrichment a key issue
That's according to Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who made the comment on the messaging app Telegram, posting a picture of him talking with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the discussions.
There was no immediate acknowledgment from the American side. Iran said U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff left early to catch a flight while others stayed behind for technical talks.
Vance: Trump administration won't be launching any more 'undefined missions' or 'open-ended conflicts'
Addressing graduation at the U.S. Naval Academy, the vice president said the alternative will be quicker-hit military actions.
As an example, he pointed to the bombing Trump recently ordered — then paused — against Houthis rebels in Yemen.
'That's how military power should be used. Decisively with a clear objective,' he said.
Vance added, 'When we throw a punch, we throw a punch hard, and we do it decisively. And that's exactly what we may ask you to do.'
Vance also criticized a Biden administration effort to build a pier in Gaza to accept aid amid Israel's war with Hamas there which he suggested never worked.
DOGE targets Census Bureau, worrying data users about health of US data infrastructure
The group launched by Elon Musk to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting some U.S. Census Bureau surveys it claims are 'wasteful,' worrying users of federal data who are already concerned about the health of the nation's statistical infrastructure.
The Department of Government Efficiency said on social media this week that five surveys costing $16.5 million that are conducted by the statistical agency for other federal agencies have been 'terminated.' It didn't specify which ones. The DOGE post said some of the questions on the eliminated surveys asked about alcohol consumption and the frequency of home internet use.
Other surveys are being reviewed 'one-by-one,' said Tuesday's post on DOGE's X account. The Census Bureau didn't respond this week to an inquiry seeking comment.
Trump's team is divided on how to tackle the president's vow to ease sanctions on Syria
Since Trump announced his intent to end a half-century of U.S. sanctions on Syria, a tug-of-war has developed in his administration over how quickly and thoroughly that should happen.
At risk could be the future of a transitional government run by those who drove Syrian leader Bashar Assad from power late last year and hopes that it can stabilize the country after a devastating 13-year civil war that has left millions dead or displaced, the economy in ruins and thousands of foreign fighters still on Syrian soil.
U.S. presidents have piled up penalties over the years on the autocratic family that previously controlled Syria, and those could be quickly lifted or waived through executive action. But Congress imposed some of the strictest measures and would have to permanently remove them.
Trump hosts top crypto investors as some industry leaders fear he's putting personal profits first
President Trump rewarded top investors in one of his cryptocurrency projects with a swanky dinner Thursday night, an event that showed the ascendance of an emerging financial industry — and also the president's willingness to mix public office with personal profit.
Some 220 of the biggest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin were invited to Trump's luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, where they dined on filet mignon and halibut. According to participants' posts on social media, Trump spoke for about half an hour before dancing to the song 'YMCA.'
Despite the White House insisting Trump would be attending the event 'in his personal time,' he stood behind a lectern with the presidential seal as he touted an industry that's generating profits for his family business.
After feeling unfairly targeted under President Joe Biden, the crypto industry has quickly become a powerful political force, donating huge sums to help Trump and friendly lawmakers. The U.S. Senate is advancing key pro-crypto legislation while bitcoin prices soar.
Belgian princess left in doubt about her Harvard future following Trump's foreign student ban
Belgium's Royal Palace said Friday that Princess Elisabeth, who's first in line to the throne, is waiting to find out whether she can return to Harvard for her second year after Trump announced a ban on foreign students at the university.
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.
'We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It's too early to say right now,' said the palace's communications head, Xavier Baert.
Baert said Princess Elisabeth, aged 23, has completed her first year of a graduate school program at Harvard and would spend the summer back in Belgium. 'And we'll have to see what happens next year,' he said.
Vice President JD Vance will address graduates at the US Naval Academy on Friday
The president and vice president traditionally speak at one of the military service academies every year. Trump is scheduled Saturday to speak at West Point's commencement.
Vance, who served in the Marines, was the first veteran to serve on a major party presidential ticket since John McCain in 2008 when he became Trump's running mate last year. Former President George W. Bush, who left office in 2009, was the last sitting president who had served in the military.
Trump tariff threats on Europe and Apple send markets lower
President Trump is sending stocks lower again, this time after threatening 50% tariffs on the European Union that could begin in a little more than a week.
The S&P 500 was down 1.1% in early trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 408 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.6%.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that trade talks with the European Union 'were going nowhere' and that the 'straight 50%' tariffs would go into effect on June 1. Apple sank after Trump threatened to put a 25% tariff on its products unless the company moves iPhone manufacturing to the U.S.
Trump administration says Columbia violated civil rights of Jewish students
The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by 'acting with deliberate indifference' toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus.
The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech.
It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration's monthslong attack on higher education.
Harvard sues the Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students
The Ivy League school calls the ban unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House's political demands.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government's action violates the First Amendment and will have an 'immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.'
'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard said in its suit.
The school said it plans to file for a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Homeland Security from carrying out the move.
▶ Read more about Trump's dispute with Harvard University
Trump said he wants to impose 50% tariffs on EU in June because of stalled trade talks
Trump fired off another post on his social media network on Friday in which he said the European Union has been 'very difficult to deal with' in trade talks.
'Our discussions with them are going nowhere!' the president said and added that he is 'recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.'
Trump's Harvard visa threat could wipe out several of the school's sports teams
Some of Harvard's sports teams would be virtually wiped out by a Trump administration decision announced on Thursday that would make the Ivy League school with the nation's largest athletic program ineligible for international student visas.
Harvard's 42 varsity sports teams are the most in the nation, and Sportico reported last month that 21% of the players on the school's rosters for the 2024-25 seasons — or 196 out of 919 athletes — had international hometowns. The site noted that some could be U.S. citizens or green card holders who wouldn't need one of the international visas at issue in an escalating fight premised by the administration's assertions that the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.
Trump threatens 25% import tax on Apple unless iPhones are made in the US
Trump on Friday threatened to put a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are manufactured in the United States.
The threat delivered over social media could dramatically increase the price of iPhones, potentially hurting sales and the profits of one of America's leading technology companies. The company now joins Amazon, Walmart and other major companies as being in the White House's crosshairs as they try to respond to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures unleashed by the import taxes being imposed by Trump.
Apple, led by CEO Tim Cook, in response to Trump's tariffs on China was looking to shift iPhone manufacturing to India as it adjusts supply chains. That plan has become a festering source of frustration for the U.S. president, who also brought it up last week during his Middle East trip.
China criticizes US ban on Harvard's international students
The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration's move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America's international standing, as anxious students and parents overseas fretted over what would come next.
Among the two largest parts of the international student community in Harvard are Chinese and Indian students. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school's data, with 1,203 of those from China and 788 from India.
The Trump administration's move, announced Thursday, was a hot topic on Chinese social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the U.S. would remain a top destination for foreign students, noting Harvard was already suing the U.S. government in court.