Harvard seeks end to US funding cuts, says national security, public health research in peril
WILMINGTON, Delaware: Harvard University asked a federal judge on Monday (Jun 2) to issue a summary judgment ruling to unfreeze US$2.5 billion in funding blocked by President Donald Trump's administration, which Harvard said was illegal.
Harvard's filing in the US District Court in Boston said that it had received 957 orders since Apr 14 to freeze funding for research pertaining to national security threats, cancer and infectious diseases and more since the country's oldest and wealthiest school rejected a White House list of demands.
Trump has said he is trying to force change at Harvard - and other top-level universities across the US - because in his view, they have been captured by leftist "woke" thought and become bastions of antisemitism.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs has set arguments for Jul 21 on Harvard's motion for summary judgment, which is a request for a judge to decide a dispute without a trial to determine material facts.
Harvard sued the Trump administration in April, alleging the funding freeze violated the school's right to free speech and was arbitrary and capricious.
In Monday's court filing, Harvard detailed the terminated grants, including US$88 million for research into pediatric HIV, US$12 million for increasing Defense Department awareness of emerging biological threats and US$8 million to better understand dark energy.
The school said ending the funding would destroy ongoing research into cancer treatments, infectious disease and Parkinson's.
The Trump administration has opened numerous investigations into Harvard. Some are looking at threats against Jewish students and faculty after pro-Palestinian protests broke out following the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Other investigations are probing whether Harvard discriminates based on sex and gender, along with the school's ties to foreign governments and international students.
The Trump administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students last month, which a judge temporarily blocked after Harvard sued in a separate case.
Harvard and other universities say Trump's attacks are threats to freedom of speech and freedom of academics, as well as threats to the schools' very existence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
22 minutes ago
- CNA
Dollar falls after data disappoints; Trump calls for rate cut
NEW YORK :The dollar fell across the board on Wednesday after weaker-than-expected U.S. private payrolls numbers highlighted continued easing in the labor market and data showed the U.S. services sector contracted for the first time in about a year in May. U.S. private payrolls rose by only 37,000 jobs in May, far less than expected, after a downwardly revised 60,000 rise in April, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment increasing 110,000 following a previously reported gain of 62,000 in April. U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates following the data. "It's a major gap between expectation and actual," Juan Perez, director of trading at Monex USA in Washington. "This idea that labor has not been hurt and that the post-pandemic recovery was good enough that people are enjoying good opportunities ... that narrative is changing and that's absolutely very negative for the U.S. dollar," he said. Separately, data showed the U.S. services sector contracted for the first time in nearly a year in May while businesses paid higher prices for inputs, a reminder that the economy remained in danger of a period of very slow growth and high inflation. "The Fed will take notice of slower job growth, but this won't be enough to convince them to cut interest rates near term," Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, said in a note. The dollar fell 0.7 per cent to 142.89 Japanese yen. The euro rose 0.4 per cent to $1.1414, ahead of the European Central Bank's decision on interest rates expected on Thursday. Investors are awaiting Friday's monthly payrolls figures to gauge the state of the labor market, and remain focused on trade negotiations. The Trump administration has given a Wednesday deadline for countries to submit their best offers on trade, the same day duties on imported steel and aluminium doubled. Trump is also tipped by the White House to have a call this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, after the two sides accused each other of violating the terms of an agreement last month to roll back some tariffs. Trump posted on his social media platform on Wednesday that Xi was "tough" and "hard to make a deal with." The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major currencies, was 0.3 per cent lower on the day at 98.838, not far from its late-April low of 97.923. The Hong Kong dollar was at 7.847 per U.S. dollar, the closest it has been to 7.85 - the weak end of its trading band against the U.S. dollar - since August 2023, according to LSEG data. Sterling was 0.2 per cent higher at $1.35515. The UK and its metal exports are exempt from the increased U.S. duties, given Britain has a trade deal in place. Traders were also monitoring developments in Japanese markets after sources told Reuters the Bank of Japan is considering slowing down the tapering in its bond purchases from next fiscal year onward. The Canadian dollar was about 0.4 per cent higher versus its U.S. peer after the Bank of Canada on Wednesday held its key benchmark rate at 2.75 per cent, citing the need to probe the effects of U.S. trade policy. Canada is prepared to strike back if talks with Washington to remove Trump's tariffs did not succeed, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday.
International Business Times
2 hours ago
- International Business Times
Gold Falls from 4-Week High as Dollar Strengthens and Tariff Fears Grow
Gold prices jumped to nearly a four-week peak in the previous session, providing a glimmer of hope for investors seeking shelter from market turbulence. But that optimism lasted only until Tuesday, when a stronger United States dollar and renewed global trade worries pushed the precious metal back down. Investor sentiment turned cautious again, particularly with important data and geopolitical updates. Spot gold fell by 1.1 percent to $3,340.79 an ounce by 10:21 a.m. ET, dropping from its previous peak — the highest since May 8. U.S. gold futures fell 0.9% to $3,365.90. The drop came as the dollar index (.DXY) was up 0.5%, rebounding from a one-month low. A strengthening dollar tends to make gold more expensive for buyers who do not use the currency and typically acts to depress demand. Even with Tuesday's slip, gold is still up almost 28 percent for the year. The metal remains a trusted haven amid inflationary pressures and geopolitical tension. Silver fell 1.2% to $34.37 an ounce but still remained near a seven-month peak hit recently. Platinum slipped 0.4 percent, to $1,059.32, while palladium gained 1.4 percent, to $1,003.10. Gold has shown huge sensitivity to changes in politics and central-bank expectations. Traders are on edge this week awaiting a possible phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump shocked the world with his latest accusations aginst China for reneging on a past pledge to roll back tariffs, fueling fears that trade tensions could return to the fore. Further clouding the outlook was an announcement by the European Commission, which said it planned to challenge Washington's most recent tariff plans. Meanwhile, Trump suggested doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum, which could heighten trade friction with trade partners. "Market conditions are going through the summer slow period," said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures. "That, extending as well with trade jitters, could mean gold continues to trade sideways unless we see a big catalyst." Investors are also awaiting important U.S. economic updates this week. All eyes are on Friday's nonfarm payrolls report and on remarks from several Federal Reserve officials. Analysts say September could be an inflection point for rate cuts, which would normally be supportive for gold.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
State Department shifts $250 million from refugee aid to 'self-deportations'
FILE PHOTO: A Honduran migrant who voluntarily returned from the United States using the CBP Home app, part of a U.S. President Donald Trump administration initiative encouraging self-deportation of undocumented immigrants, checks a document at the Center for Attention to Returned Migrants, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Yoseph Amaya/File Photo WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department has moved $250 million to the Department of Homeland Security for voluntary deportations by migrants without legal status, a spokesperson said, an unprecedented repurposing of funds that have been used to aid refugees uprooted by war and natural disasters. The money has been transferred "to provide a free flight home and an exit bonus to encourage and assist illegal aliens to voluntarily depart the United States," the State Department spokesperson told Reuters. Historically, those funds have been used "to provide protection to vulnerable people" overseas and to resettle refugees in the U.S., said Elizabeth Campbell, a former deputy assistant secretary of state. The re-routing of the money comes as President Donald Trump pushes to reshape U.S. government agencies to serve his 'America First' agenda. The State Department's planned reorganization explicitly states that the agency's refugee bureau now largely will focus on efforts to 'return illegal aliens to their country of origin or legal status.' The funds came from Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) overseen by the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration. Its website says its mission is to "reduce illegal immigration," aid people "fleeing persecution, crisis or violence and seek durable solutions for forcibly displaced people." Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, citing the law authorizing the funding, said in a May 7 Federal Register notice that underwriting the repatriation of people without legal status will bolster the "foreign policy interests" of the U.S. He did not mention the $250 million transfer to DHS. The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump's administration is working to speed up deportations in a crackdown that the Republican president vowed during the 2024 campaign would expel millions of people illegally in the U.S. It has encouraged migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador. But the volume of deportations since he took office in January appears to be less than those overseen by his predecessor Joe Biden in the February-May period of 2024, about 200,000 people versus 257,000. On May 9, Trump announced Project Homecoming, an initiative overseen by DHS that offers $1,000 stipends and travel assistance to migrants who "self-deport." DHS said in a May 19 news release that 64 people had "opted to self deport" to Honduras and Colombia on a charter flight under the program. Some experts said that while legal, sending the money to DHS for deportation operations was an unprecedented use of MRA funds. The main purpose of the funds historically has been "to provide refugee and displacement assistance, refugee processing and resettlement to the U.S., and respond to urgent and emerging humanitarian crises - not to return those very people to the harm or persecution they fled,' said Meredith Owen Edwards, senior director of Policy and Advocacy at the Refugee Council USA. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
