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Trump says he may soon strike deal with Harvard that is ‘mindbogglingly' historic

Trump says he may soon strike deal with Harvard that is ‘mindbogglingly' historic

US President Donald Trump said his administration has been working closely with Harvard University and may announce a deal over the next week, potentially ending a stand-off between the White House and the richest and oldest US university.
'They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,' Trump said Friday on social media.
'If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!'
Harvard has been front and centre in the White House's campaign to reshape elite higher education, with the administration accusing the school of fostering antisemitism and for having political biases. The government has suspended more than US$2.6 billion in federal research money and said Harvard would not be able to receive new funding.
Trump has also repeatedly called for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status, which would have significant financial implications, even with the school's US$53 billion endowment.
In addition, he has sought to block the university from enrolling foreign students, sparking a court battle.

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Israel says Iran's supposed nuclear programme delayed by 2 years amid fresh attacks
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Israel says Iran's supposed nuclear programme delayed by 2 years amid fresh attacks

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time2 hours ago

  • Asia Times

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In the case of Iran, adding even more uncertainty to a fragile situation will only add fuel to what is already a massive fire. Trump's refusal to specify exactly what the US response would be is more proverbial petrol. The insinuation that this could escalate to regime change may be true or not (or just unpredictable bluster). It's also the case that only 14% of Americans support military intervention and so a more aggressive policy may not be realistic. But if Iran is led to think that Trump is directly threatening their state, this could encourage them to hunker down as opposed to changing their nuclear policy – risking greater military action on both sides. Donald Trump is being unclear about whether the US is going to bomb Iran. Even just the implicit threat of US military intervention will damage what little relations there are between America and Iran. 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Even if they support curbing Iran, they may find it difficult to back someone they simply can't depend on. And if they feel cautious about the Iran situation because they can't rely on Trump, Trump needs to start asking whether he can rely on them for support in whatever his next move is. Michelle Bentley is professor of international relations, Royal Holloway University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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