‘You cannot bomb your way out of this': Rep. Jason Crow on Trump Administration's intel missteps
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Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Congressional Democrats threaten investigation if Harvard makes deal with Trump
Harvard officials and members of the Trump administration have The letter from members of Congress comes days after the New York Times reported that people familiar with the the Trump-Harvard negotiations said the university was Advertisement The federal government announced on June 30 that Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act based on its lack of urgency while responding to allegations of antisemitism on campus. Members of Congress said on Friday that instead of settling with the Trump administration, Harvard should settle with the students alleging lack of protection from antisemitism. 'If these actions are rooted in students' concerns of legal compliance with civil rights law, any settlement must be with those students individually or as a class,' the letter said. Advertisement Bowing to political pressure from the White House would merit congressional oversight and inquiry, the lawmakers said in their letter. 'We urge Harvard to defend its institutional independence and academic integrity from this blatant attempt at political intimidation, and we reserve our right to engage in congressional oversight should the university fail to do so,' said California Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo, who signed the letter. UPenn officials did not agree to payments, and Columbia said it will pay about $200 million to the federal government. But Harvard could set an example of refusing to acquiesce to the federal government's pressure campaign, the congressional alumni group said in their Friday letter. 'Capitulating to politically motivated demands from the Executive Branch risks setting a precedent that could severely undermine the independence not only of Harvard but of educational institutions nationwide,' the letter said. The 13 other co-signers include Senators Van Hollen, Schiff, and Gallego and Representatives Ruiz, Garamendi, Scott, Takano, Himes, Castro, Hernandez, Ivey, Min, and Rivas. Harvard officials have shared virtually no information about talks. A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Members of Congress said in their letter that they're also asking the university to clarify details of the negotiations, such as how many meetings have taken place and what the Trump administration has demanded. Advertisement The lawmakers said the university has until August 13 to provide them with more details of negotiations. 'Should Harvard pursue a settlement perceived to be a response to political intimidation rather than a good-faith resolution of a legitimate legal dispute, Congress retains both the authority and the obligation to investigate,' the letter said. Claire Thornton can be reached at
Boston Globe
10 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
The Smithsonian removes a Trump impeachment reference from an exhibit but says it's temporary
'Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance,' Zimmerman said in an email. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He said that in September 2021, the museum installed a temporary label on content concerning Trump's impeachments. 'It was intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time,' he said. But the label remained in place. 'A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000 requires a significant amount of time and funding to update and renew,' he said. 'A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.' White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said the Smithsonian has 'highlighted divisive DEI exhibits which are out of touch with mainstream America' for too long. Advertisement 'We are fully supportive of updating displays to highlight American greatness,' he said in a statement that did not address the missing reference to Trump's impeachments. Trump's impeachments were more recent Trump is only the president to have been impeached twice — in 2019, for pushing Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, who would defeat Trump in the 2020 election; and in 2021 for 'incitement of insurrection,' a reference to the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to halt Congressional certification of Biden's victory. The Democratic majority in the House voted each time for impeachment. The Republican-led Senate each time acquitted Trump. Soon after Trump's first impeachment, the history museum issued a statement saying that curators 'will determine which objects best represent these historic events for inclusion in the national collection.' Since returning to office in January, Trump has cut funding, forced out officials and otherwise demanded changes across a range of Washington cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The current administration has targeted interpretations of history In March, Trump issued an executive order entitled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' in which he alleged that the Smithsonian was beholden to 'a divisive, race-centered ideology.' He has placed Vice President J.D. Vance in charge of an effort to ensure no funding goes to 'exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.' Congressional Democrats issued a statement in April calling Trump's order a 'flagrant attempt to erase Black history.' Last week, artist Amy Sherald canceled a planned exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery after officials raised concerns over her painting 'Trans Forming Liberty, 2024,' in which she depicts a nonbinary transgender person posing as the Statue of Liberty. Sherald is best known for her painting of then-first lady Michelle Obama, which was commissioned by the Portrait Gallery. Advertisement Founded in the 19th century, the Smithsonian oversees a network of cultural centers that includes the portrait gallery, the history museum, the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Gardens. News of the Trump impeachment label being removed was first reported by The Washington Post.
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Can We Extradite Him?' How U.S. Officials Grappled With the Release of a Triple Murderer
By the time the United States was extracting a group of Americans and legal U.S. residents from a prison in Venezuela last month, some State Department officials had come to an uncomfortable realization. One of the prisoners had been convicted of murdering three people in Spain in 2016. And soon he would be on his way home, having his photo taken alongside those deemed by the United States to have been wrongfully imprisoned in Venezuela. How were they going to explain that to the American people? On July 18, the day of the prisoner release, U.S. officials tried to figure out whether and how to acknowledge that Washington was bringing home Dahud Hanid Ortiz, whose case seemed to undercut President Trump's claims of keeping the worst of the worst out of the United States. In an internal email exchange that was obtained by The New York Times, State Department officials debated whether to include Mr. Hanid Ortiz in a public statement to be published that afternoon about the people being released, 10 including him. 'We had understood that we don't want to refer to him as a hostage or wrongfully detained, which is why we said nine,' a press official wrote. Michael Kozak, the career official who oversees diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere, replied: 'Well then we probably should not have asked for him. Can we now extradite him to Spain? We did get the S.O.B. released.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
