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Trump admin freezes $584 mn UCLA grants, research projects at risk
UCLA is the first public university whose federal grants have been targeted by the administration over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action. The Trump administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against private colleges.
"If these funds remain suspended, it will be devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation," Chancellor Julio Frenk said on Wednesday in a statement, noting the groundbreaking research that has come out of the university.
The departments affected rely on funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, Frenk said.
The US Department of Education did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.
The Trump administration recently announced the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division found UCLA violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 "by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students".
The announcement came as UCLA reached a USD 6 million settlement with three Jewish students and a Jewish professor who sued the university, arguing it violated their civil rights by allowing pro-Palestinian protesters in 2024 to block their access to classes and other areas on campus.
The university has said that it is committed to campus safety and inclusivity and will continue to implement recommendations.
The new UC president, James B Milliken, said in a statement on Wednesday that it has agreed to talks with the administration over the allegations against UCLA.
"These cuts do nothing to address antisemitism," Milliken said. "Moreover, the extensive work that UCLA and the entire University of California have taken to combat antisemitism has apparently been ignored." Milliken said the "cuts would be a death knell for innovative work that saves lives, grows our economy, and fortifies our national security. It is in our country's best interest that funding be restored".
As part of the lawsuit settlement, UCLA said it will contribute USD 2.3 million to eight organisations that combat antisemitism and support the university's Jewish community. It also has created an Office of Campus and Community Safety, instituting new policies to manage protests on campus. Frenk, whose Jewish father and grandparents fled Nazi Germany to Mexico and whose wife is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, launched an initiative to combat antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias.
Last week, Columbia agreed to pay USD 200 million as part of a settlement to resolve investigations into the government's allegations that the school violated federal antidiscrimination laws. The agreement also restores more than USD 400 million in research grants.
The Trump administration plans to use its deal with Columbia as a template for other universities, with financial penalties that are now seen as an expectation.
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First Post
20 minutes ago
- First Post
Trump thinks he can 'WIN' by bullying, duplicity and pressure tactics; he doesn't get India or PM Modi
Trump might not understand the nuances of economic theory or trade, but he's bloody good at setting the narrative read more The United States evidently feels that the post-war multilateral trading system that it built and maintained for so long is no longer serving its purpose. Smarting and insecure, the world's preeminent power is now keen to switch to a power-based economic rearrangement where deals will be struck based on relative hard power of countries and downstream of personal relationships. What has complicated matters further is the task of chaperoning this complete overhauling of America's (and perhaps global) trade policy – abandoning all rules of free trade in favour of an extractive, hierarchical tributary system – has fallen on Donald Trump, the leader of the MAGA cult, a vainglorious bully with a chronic proclivity for exaggeration and lying, a weapons-grade narcissist convinced of his own 'stable genius', a vindictive egotist who gives in to flattery and torches bilateral ties over perceived slights. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has remade the Republican Party in his image. He bends the structures of American democracy and has exposed inherent weaknesses of its vaunted institutions. For instance, he recently fired America's chief statistician for releasing a jobs report that he didn't like. That report for the month of July indicated fewer jobs and a significant slowdown in the economy. A few days later at a press conference, Trump fished out a mysterious chart before the cameras and proceeded to claim that these 'all new numbers' are 'pretty amazing'. Trump might not understand the nuances of economic theory or trade, but he's bloody good at setting the narrative. Right now, he has convinced his MAGA base that 'billions of dollars are pouring in' from all corners of the world due to his tariffs. The reality is, as analysts at Goldman Sachs point out, 'fully four-fifths of the tariffs have so far been borne by American consumers and firms' with American carmakers Ford or GM picking up '$800m and $1.1bn in tariff costs, respectively, in the second quarter of this year alone.' That doesn't matter so long as Trump convinces his followers that they are 'winning'. The weaponization of American consumer market is at the top of Trump's economic agenda, and India finds itself among countries at the receiving end of Trump's imperial whim. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason why Trump has gone after India with all the vengeance of a scorned bully, but a combination of several factors possibly led to Trump imposing a 50% levy on Indian exports, unilaterally scuttling an interim trade deal that was ready for his approval, and seeking to constrain India's foreign policy choices through onerous conditions imposed on India's energy security. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump has made a spate of falsified remarks on India-Pakistan ceasefire, forcefully claimed a mediator's role on Kashmir, put pressure on prime minister Narendra Modi to yield to a one-sided trade deal that would spell disaster for India's agriculture and dairy sectors, and has demanded that India abandon its long-standing relationship with Russia. To suggest that Trump's imposition of tariffs is due to a failure of India's foreign policy, or Modi's personal failure, is wrong. It is incumbent on a belief that Trump is a rational actor. He isn't. The American president slapped 50% tariff on Brazil, a country with which the US runs a multimillion-dollar trade surplus, because he is pally with former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and thinks Bolsonaro is being unjustly persecuted. What Trump wants is to ride roughshod over India's red lines, crack open India's sensitive agriculture and dairy sectors and for Modi to fly down to Washington DC, make a headline commitment which Trump will then advertise as a 'massive win' to his base and humiliate the Indian prime minister publicly for daring to defy his bogus claim that he authored the India-Pakistan ceasefire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What Trump wants, essentially, is for Modi to bend his knee before his Royal Highness the President of the United States, lie supine and submit India's interests before his feet before Trump may consider giving a tariff relief to India. Pratap Bhanu Mehta cuts to the chase in Indian Express. 'Trump is imperialism on steroids. The reset of capitalism is not in favour of mitigating environmental risk, more social protection or even coherent industrial policy. If this is a reset, it is towards a more coercive domestic political system, accelerating oligarchy, increasing discretion, throwing capitalism into a more speculative tailspin, and outright coercion of others.' Despite Trump's brazen insults and repeated hectoring, not to speak of the extractive tariff rate of 50% that has put the entire India-US relationship at risk, New Delhi has so far been reticent in rhetoric beyond pushing back against the US president's demonstrably false and unjustified remarks. The prime minister has shown quiet resolve without seeking to deepen the crisis. Without directly referring to the US president or the collapsed trade deal, Modi has exhorted Indians to 'buy local, sell local' to boost Make in India, and stressed Thursday, a few hours after Trump doubled the levy, that he will never compromise on the interests of India's farmers, dairy sector workers, livestock breeders and fisherfolk even if he pays 'a heavy price for it.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It indicates that the nub of the problem lies in precisely these thresholds that India fiercely guards and Trump is desperate to cross. The American president has expressed his frustration with lack of access in India's dairy and agri sectors before. He has called India 'tariff king' and 'abuser' of trade policies, claiming that India 'unfairly' protects its markets. Data reveals, however, that India's simple average tariff – comprising levies on both agriculture and non-agriculture products – is around 16%, around the same ballpark figure as Bangladesh 14.1%, Turkey 16.2% and Argentina 13.4%. When it comes to 'weighted average tariffs', that quantify the tariff based on the volume of trade, India is ranked 64 among 144 nations with a levy of 4.6%. In comparison, Vietnam has a levy of 5.1%, Indonesia 5.7% and the European Union 5%. India's logic behind protecting these sectors, where over 85% of agricultural households are subsistence farmers who are either landless or hold fragmented plots that amount to just 47.3% of crop area, is sound. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The majority of livestock breeders in India keep only two to three animals. Evidently, this small-scale structure makes Indian farmers and breeders vulnerable to competition from foreign producers who operate at a much larger scale and benefit from automation, advanced technologies and significant state subsidies. India's dairy sector alone provides employment for about 80 million people. This vast, unorganized sector run by cooperatives has high female labour participation, leading to significant women empowerment. Foreign competition from organized multinational agribusinesses may jeopardize jobs, worsen rural distress and even increase farmer suicides. Alongside, there are risks involved in crossing culture and dietary barriers. American dairy products often originate from cattle fed on non-vegetarian additives or 'blood meal' that may include meat or blood from that would conflict severely with Indian cultural and religious norms where majority of citizens are Hindus who revere the cow and consume strictly vegetarian diet. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Still, reports indicate that during negotiations India was ready to offer unprecedented access to some areas while protecting the most sensitive segments of its developmental economy. Intent on boasting that he made India kneel before him, Trump took a maximalist position and failed to appreciate the extra mile India was walking in good faith. A public humiliation of the Indian prime minister at the altar of Trump's ego cannot be part of a 'mutually beneficial' trade deal. India isn't an American vassal state or in need of Trump's security umbrella. It is certainly not, as Trump claims, a 'dead economy'. The US president also claimed that America foes 'very little business with India'. He perhaps forgot that during Modi's visit to Washington DC in February this year, both sides pledged to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 from the current figure of $131.84 billion. The US is India's largest trading partner for four consecutive years till 2024-25, and in the last fiscal India's exports to America rose by 11.6% to $86.51 billion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India is a $4.1 trillion economy on the verge of moving past Germany and Japan to become the world's third largest. It is also the world's fastest growing among major economies. India is demographically young, and despite gazillions of problems, has pulled 171 million people out of extreme poverty in the past decade. The Global Firepower Military Strength Ranking places India's military on fourth spot after the US, Russia and China. And while India is the second-largest importer of arms, it is also rapidly developing our indigenous capabilities. As a postcolonial society, Indians place a high premium on autonomy, self-respect and is clear about its own place in the world. If the Americans want access to the world's largest consumer market, they will sign a deal with a modicum of fairness instead of trying to kick India around. Among the mistakes Trump did was assume that India is running out of options and chose to target India's buying of Russian oil. The attempt reeked of arrogance from a leader who doesn't understand India. It was also a callous shifting of goalposts after getting frustrated at not being able to get anywhere with his pressure campaign. India has repeatedly pointed out that India's oil imports including from Russia are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people. India buys Russian seaborne crude below the price cap set by G7 and helps cool global oil prices, an understanding that was reached with the previous Biden administration. It means that if India does not pick up Russian crude, it may result in global inflation of oil prices. Second, India is not the biggest purchaser of Russian oil. It's China. If purchasing of Russian energy is the criteria for additional tariff, then the Trump administration should impose an even greater tariff on Beijing. It does not. As Trump's aide Peter Navarro candidly admitted, Trump hasn't taken that step even though China is the top buyer of Russian crude, importing $62.6 billion worth of Russian oil in 2024 compared to India's $52.7 billion, because 'we don't want to get to a point where we actually hurt ourselves.' It means Trump's additional tariff on India has no moral justification. It is plain bullying by an American president who considers India as a semi-sovereign country, or China too powerful to mess around with. It is testament also to the kind of people Trump has surrounded himself with in his second term that Navarro, the White House trade adviser, claimed India uses 'American dollars to buy Russian oil. Russia then uses those American dollars that come from India to finance its armaments to kill Ukrainians' rather theatrically, without knowing that most of India's oil trade with Russia is settled in dirhams, the currency of UAE because New Delhi has been unable to establish a direct 'rupee-rouble mechanism' with Moscow. The most interesting part of Trump's tariff and his vitriolic comments about India that it is 'not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits,' is that a major buyer of Russian crude refined by India is the United States itself. That's the precise reason why Trump's extra 25% levy imposed on Indian exports exempts gasoline or diesel sold by India. Energy Watch reported, quoting data from a February 2024 report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), that 'the US was the largest importer of oil products made from Russian crude after the G7-led price cap came into effect in December 2022. Many of those products were shipped from India.' There's more. While Trump has penalized India for buying Russian oil, it continues to import significant quantities of Russian fertilizers and chemicals. Fertilizer imports from Russia into the US were about $1.1 billion in 2024 and increased by 21% in early 2025 compared with previous years, mostly in the form of urea and urea ammonium nitrate. America's total combined imports of fertilizers and inorganic chemicals from Russia in 2024 amount to roughly $1.98 billion ($1.3 billion in fertilizers along with $683 million in inorganic chemicals). If the US can keep buying refined fuel sourced from Russia and large amounts of fertilizers and other chemicals from Moscow to cater to its national interest, so can India to secure its energy interest for a billion-plus people. That Trump considers American national interest superior to India's indicates a conceited worldview, and intrinsic lack of respect for US strategic partner. It is instructive that while Trump has gone after New Delhi's move to secure predictable and affordable energy for Indians, he has wilfully ignored the fact that the world's largest buyer of Russian gas in dollar terms is the European Union (EU), while China is the biggest buyer of Russian fossil fuels overall. In 2024, the EU imported approximately $23.6 billion worth of Russian gas, making it the biggest market for Russian natural gas exports by value. Media reports point out, collating data from Kpler and Politico Europe, 'that in the first 15 days of 2025, the 27 EU countries imported a record-high 837,300 metric tons of LNG from Russia. This has raised concerns that billions of dollars could be fueling Moscow's war in Ukraine.' Of course, for Trump the villain of the piece is India because he needed a leverage to pile up pressure and bring India to heel during negotiations. This chicanery is consistent with Trump's character. He has tried around three dozen times to steal credit for India-Pakistan ceasefire despite the Indian prime minister and foreign minister clarifying on the floor of the Parliament that the development was a bilateral achievement through military channels and no world leader had anything to do with the outcome. Trump has also turned trade negotiations into a veritable circus where he can display his full range of 'dealmaking skills', that includes unpredictability, bullying, deception, duplicity and plain lies. The Swiss tried hard to negotiate and returned with a high 39% tariff, Brazil got burnt at the stake with 50% with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva telling Reuters in an interview that 'he saw no room for direct talks now with Trump that would likely be a humiliation.' Even US ally Japan is grappling with the aftermath of a deal that keeps on shifting its shape. With the Russian president agreeing to sit across the table, much may depend on the August 15 talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska. It is possible that a deal there may eventually lead to a reduction in tariff on India. A tactical understanding leading to a suboptimal trade deal might be the best-case scenario. Trump will eventually figure out that messing around with India hasn't been a clever move. His shenanigans have undone three decades of dedicated work by both countries to build trust.
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump again claims that he helped 'settle' tensions between India, Pakistan
U.S. President Donald Trump repeated the claim that he got "things settled" between India and Pakistan following the four-day military conflict between the two countries that could have turned into a "nuclear conflict". Speaking at the White House on Friday (August 8, 2025), Mr. Trump also claimed that five or six planes "got shot down" during the recent conflict between the South Asian neighbours. The U.S. President did not specify whether the jets were lost by either of the two countries or if he was referring to combined losses by both sides. New Delhi has been maintaining that India and Pakistan halted their military actions following direct talks between their militaries without any mediation by the U.S.. Mr. Trump made the comments flanked by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after they inked a U.S.-brokered peace agreement during a trilateral signing ceremony. "As President, my highest aspiration is to bring peace and stability to the world. Today's signing follows our success with India and Pakistan." "They were going at it, they were going at it big, and they were two great leaders that came together just prior to what would have been a tremendous conflict, as you know, a nuclear conflict, probably,' Mr. Trump said. Asserting that he is settling conflicts through trade, Mr. Trump said, 'I got things settled with India, Pakistan. I think it was trade more than any other reason. That's how I got involved." "I said, 'You know, I don't want to be dealing with countries that are trying to blow themselves up and maybe the world'. They are nuclear nations," he said. Mr. Trump referred to the conflict between India and Pakistan twice during his remarks at the event, adding them to the nearly 35 previous occasions where he has claimed that he stopped the war between the two countries through trade. 'That was a big one, getting that one settled. I think you'd agree that was a big one,' Mr. Trump said, turning to the Azerbaijani President. 'And they were going at it, you know, they were shooting airplanes out of the sky… five or six planes got shot down in their last little skirmish, and then it was going to escalate from there. That could have gotten to be very, very bad,' Mr. Trump claimed. India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries. At the ceremony, Mr. Trump added that he is solving conflicts around the world because he wants to save a lot of lives. 'I love saving lives. That's what it's about. And you know, when you save lives, you really end up having a peaceful world. Usually that ends up pretty well.' Mr. Trump also listed the conflicts between Congo and Rwanda, Thailand and Cambodia and Serbia and Kosovo that he said he helped settle. Responding to a question on the Ukraine war, Mr. Trump said, 'I think we are getting close." "I think that a lot of things happened recently that would make this go forward. I'm not going to mention anything having to do with India, but maybe that had an impact. But what really had an impact was that NATO stepped up in terms of their spending on buying military equipment." Mr. Trump also said that no matter what he does, he will not be given the Nobel Peace Prize. 'I'm not politicking for it. I have a lot of people that are…it would be a great honour, certainly, but I would never politick. I'm not doing it for that. I'm doing it because of I really, number one, I want to save lives. That's why I'm involved so much with Ukraine and Russia.'
Indian Express
20 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Brief pause on US-India trade negotiations
Good morning, In a first in India, a decommissioned Indian Navy warship, INS Guldar, will soon be sunk, deliberately, where it will be transformed into an artificial reef, and would act as an underwater tourist attraction. Located in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhuburg district, the underwater museum-cum- artificial reef will witness at least 71,000 tourists visiting the site in its first year. If successful, this would become India's first operational submarine tourism experience. My colleague Sonal Gupta, in our latest Express Specials, dives deeper into the process of scuttling, and explains how an artificial reef is created. With that, let's move on the top 5 stories from today's edition: 🚨 Big Story Uncertainty: Negotiations between India and the US for a trade agreement have hit a pause, just two days after US President Donald Trump escalated tensions between the two countries by doubling tariffs on India to 50 per cent, the highest globally. Moreover, the arrival of the US trade team is uncertain, given absence of any communication from the US side. The halt comes after New Delhi decided to dig in its heels over market access in the agricultural sector, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring that he 'personally will have to pay a very heavy price', but he was 'ready for it'. Modi-Putin talks: Amid strained ties with the US, PM Modi held a conversation with President Vladimir Putin over phone on Friday to discuss 'the latest developments on Ukraine' and 'reaffirm' their 'commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership'. This call comes three days after Russia criticised Trump's tariff action and backed India's right to choose its trading partners. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has issued a statement indicating a likely meeting between Putin and Trump next week over the war in Ukraine. HPCL clears the air: Amid US' criticism of India's import of Russian crude oil, Public sector refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) chairman Vikas Kaushal said that the company has cut down on processing Russian oil as it has lost much of its price advantage over competing crude grades. He, however, clarified that the move is not because of geopolitical considerations or any signal from the government. In the absence of a directive from the government, the refiner is free to look for alternatives if it were to completely stop buying Russian crude in the future due to any sanctions-related reason, Kaushal said. ⚡ Only in Express From meetings at the Yorkshire Cricket Club, a roller-coaster series for Rishabh Pant, Ben Duckett's knock that helped England win, a missing cat, Shubman Gill's 269, India's victory at the Test, ritual days at Lord's, the Gujarat Express restaurant shop, Curator vs Gambhir, to Mohammad Siraj winning hearts, India's tour of England has been all joy, and little emo. In his latest Sports column, Sandeep Dwivedi takes us through the days of Indian cricketers' time in England during an enthralling series, highlighting how they kept the 'thrill' going despite all odds. 💡 Express Explained Over the past few weeks, Mumbai civic authorities have cracked down on the feeding of pigeons in public places in the city, acting on directives issued by the state government and the Bombay High Court. Public opinion has remained divided between those who have welcomed the action, citing health concerns linked with the birds, and critics including animal rights activists and members of the Jain community, for whom the feeding of pigeons holds religious significance. Why is the feeding of pigeons significant? Where does the matter stand now? We explain. ✍️ Express Opinion In our Opinion section today, Pulapre Balakrishnan highlights the need for India to assert its sovereignty in times of escalating trade tensions with the United States. He writes: 'Despite the naivete he has displayed in his dealings with Trump, Prime Minister Modi is not responsible for his perfidy. In dealing with the national emergency that we now face, he needs to be supported politically. Every section of India depends on oil, almost all of which is imported. It is indisputably in India's interest to assure its supply even as we reduce our dependence on it.' 🍿 Movie Review Wondering what to watch this weekend? We've got you covered! Debutant Director Eva Victor's comedy-drama 'Sorry, Baby' has hit the screens, bringing you a story of assault, pain, loneliness and angst, told with a dash of humour and humanity. Calling it 'bitingly real,' Shubhra Gupta, in her review, writes: 'What is remarkable about Victor's Sundance breakout, a taut 104 minutes, is the way it refuses to position Agnes as a classic victim, even though there's enough reason for it… we see how Victor refuses to box in her character, showing Agnes's leaning into her assaulter's circle of charm – you can see a mutual attraction spark at an admiring glance or text– as something completely natural.' That's all for today. Have a lovely weekend! Until next time, Ariba
