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New York Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: President Announces Trade Deal With South Korea
Brown University, besieged by the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the country's most elite schools, struck a deal with the government on Wednesday, becoming the third Ivy League university in a month to reach an agreement with the White House. The agreement, a copy of which Brown made public, calls for the university to make $50 million in payments to state work force development programs over a decade and requires Brown to comply with the Trump administration's vision on matters like transgender athletes and 'merit-based' admissions policies. The university, which is in Providence, R.I., secured a pledge from the government that the deal would not be used 'to dictate Brown's curriculum or the content of academic speech.' The Trump administration is also required to restore millions of dollars in federal research funding that it had blocked in recent months, and Brown avoided the naming of an independent monitor to oversee the deal. Government officials had accused the school of harboring antisemitism after it became the site of pro-Palestinian protests over the war in Gaza. Brown denied any wrongdoing and hoped that the agreement would end months of turmoil. But it also opened the school to charges that it had capitulated to the Trump administration. In an open letter on Wednesday, Brown's president, Christina H. Paxson, said the agreement 'preserves the integrity of Brown's academic foundation, and it enables us as a community to move forward after a period of considerable uncertainty.' The Trump administration depicted the deal as an ideological victory. In a statement on Wednesday, the education secretary, Linda McMahon, argued that the deal would be part of a 'lasting legacy of the Trump administration, one that will benefit students and American society for generations to come.' 'The Trump administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation's higher education institutions,' Ms. McMahon said. The government had previously reached agreements with the University of Pennsylvania and, last week, Columbia University. White House officials are negotiating with Harvard University and representatives of other schools that have been similarly squeezed by President Trump's tactic of tying hundreds of millions of dollars — or more — in research funding to a school's acquiescence to government demands. Brown has been among the most affected since administration officials said in April that they intended to block $510 million in funding from flowing to the school. The university never brought a court challenge, but for months leading up to Wednesday's deal, Dr. Paxson and other university leaders sounded increasingly dire warnings about Brown's financial standing. Last week, the university disclosed that it had borrowed $500 million, a loan that came after it had already secured $300 million. But Dr. Paxson, like other university leaders, faced thorny debates about whether to negotiate with the White House. Many in academia have sharply criticized the government's tactics, likening them to measures pursued by authoritarians around the world. Dr. Paxson appeared to sense the prospect of a backlash, even as she promoted the agreement, devoting more than 350 words of her letter to explain why Brown had elected to negotiate. 'I have consistently and publicly asserted Brown's commitment to meeting its obligations to follow the law, as well as our willingness to understand any valid concerns the government may have about the ways in which the university fulfills those legal obligations,' Dr. Paxson wrote. 'I stated that Brown should uphold its ethical and legal obligations while also steadfastly defending academic freedom and freedom of expression, for both the university as an institution and for individual members of our community.' The agreement, she said, allows Brown to 'meet those dual obligations.' Brown's agreement with the government emerged one week after Columbia struck its deal with the Trump administration. The agreements, though similar in many respects, were not exact replicas. (Penn's settlement covered a narrower set of issues.) Columbia, for instance, secured broader protections against potential government intrusion, with language that said the federal government could not use the deal to 'dictate faculty hiring, university hiring, admissions decisions or the content of academic speech.' Brown's agreement spoke only to blocking the government from shaping the school's 'curriculum or the content of academic speech.' The Columbia deal required a $200 million fine to be paid directly to the federal government, while Brown's agreement allows the university to steer the money toward work force development programs that are conceivably beyond the White House's easy reach. But one of the most essential differences involves how the deals will be enforced. Columbia agreed to the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee compliance. Brown, however, will work directly with the federal government. The Brown, the Columbia and the Penn agreements offer the White House templates for future talks with schools like Harvard, which has been negotiating with the government for more than a month. The agreements, though, also show universities where the White House might budge. The New York Times reported this week that Harvard was skeptical of agreeing to a Columbia-like monitor. The university had concerns that such a stipulation may infringe on its academic freedom. Harvard officials have also been reluctant to make a settlement payment directly to the government. But the university has signaled a willingness to spend up to $500 million in connection with a settlement. Asked at the White House on Wednesday whether $500 million would be sufficient, Mr. Trump replied: 'Well, it's a lot of money. We're negotiating with Harvard.' The university has declined to comment on the negotiations. Brown's ability to skirt a direct payment to the government could become a model for other schools. Mr. Trump himself had suggested an eagerness to redistribute some of the research money that powers top-tier research universities. In a social media post in May, he floated the idea of taking money stripped from Harvard and 'giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!' Brown was among the government's targets this spring, when it essentially learned through the news media that the administration was looking to seize $510 million in research funding. Even for a school of Brown's wealth, the threat amounted to an extraordinary sum. In its 2024 fiscal year, Brown received about $184 million through federal grants and contracts. Many in Mr. Trump's political coalition scorned Brown for its approach to the protests that roiled campuses in 2024. As part of a deal with demonstrators, Brown became one of the only universities that agreed to consider demands from pro-Palestinian students who wanted divestment from Israel. Although the university's governing board ultimately voted against taking that step, the university's willingness to bargain with protesters infuriated many conservatives. Before her school came under such direct pressure from the White House, Dr. Paxson was more vocal than many higher education leaders about the Trump administration's tactics against prominent universities. In March, she said that the administration's 'demands raise new and previously unthinkable questions about the future of academic freedom and self-governance for those that are committed to continuing to serve this country as leading research institutions.' At the time, she vowed that if Brown faced a confrontation 'directly impacting our ability to perform essential academic and operational functions, we would be compelled to vigorously exercise our legal rights to defend these freedoms, and true to our values, we would do so with integrity and respect.' On Wednesday, she said that the agreement with the White House 'evolved as Brown was engaged in ongoing interactions with the government relating to two federal agency reviews.' But, she also said, Brown had never 'been informed of any finding that the university violated any law.' J. Timmons Roberts, an environmental studies professor at Brown, said he was relieved that the settlement seemed less onerous than Columbia's. 'This feels like mostly things that Brown had to do anyway, and had already said it was going to do,' said Dr. Roberts, who was among hundreds of faculty members who had signed a petition urging Brown to resist the Trump administration's demands. 'It seems that Brown has navigated this process in a way that maintains its core mission.' And Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, said he liked that the money would go toward work force projects, not the federal government. Nonetheless, he said he remained disturbed that universities had been put in a position of negotiating deals with the government. 'We really look forward to engaging with this administration on matters of policy,' he said. 'But this isn't policy. This is simple extortion and deal-making, which has no place in a democracy.'
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration reaches $50 million deal with Brown University to restore funding
Donald Trump Education policyFacebookTweetLink Follow The Trump administration has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement with Brown University to restore federal funding – its second major deal with an elite university after last week's $221 million settlement with Columbia University. In return for Brown agreeing to several measures aimed at dismantling certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the federal government will reinstate all frozen grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, restore the school's eligibility for future funding, and close all pending investigations into the university, a White House official said. But Brown, which was under financial strain even before the Trump administration began slashing research funding at a number of higher education institutions, was largely able to escape the nine-figure settlements the White House reached with Columbia and is seeking with Harvard University. Under the deal announced Wednesday, the Providence-based school will pay $50 million in grants over 10 years to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, according to the White House official and Brown President Christina Paxson. Brown is not making 'any payments or fines to the federal government,' Paxson said in a letter to the university community. That's different from Columbia's deal, under which the school will pay $200 million to the US Treasury over three years and an additional $21 million to settle US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigations. Paxson touted the deal as a voluntary agreement that preserves Brown's mission, noting that it does not give the government the 'authority to dictate Brown's curriculum or the content of academic speech.' And supporting workforce development organizations, she said, is 'aligned with our service and community engagement mission.' Workforce development and career training programs have also been a priority for the Trump administration. Under the terms of the deal, Brown has agreed to 'not engage in unlawful racial discrimination in admissions or university programming' and will provide the federal government access to relevant data on the matter, the White House official said. The school is also expected to adopt definitions of 'male' and 'female' from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year for 'women's sports, programming, facilities, and housing.' The school's health facilities 'will not perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors or prescribe them puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones,' and the school 'will take steps to improve the campus climate for Jewish students,' according to the official. Paxson said that most of the agreement's provisions codify existing policies and practices. However, in a nod to the pressure the school was facing, she added in her letter: 'There are other aspects of the agreement that were not part of previous federal reviews of Brown policies but are priorities of the federal administration in resolving the funding freeze.' She noted that Brown 'had not previously been informed of a reason for the freeze of its federal research funding, and at no time has Brown been informed of any finding that the University violated any law.' CNN reported earlier this year that more than half a billion dollars in grant money was on the line at Brown as the Trump administration reviewed the Ivy League university's DEI policies and its response to alleged antisemitism on campus. Education Secretary Linda McMahon heralded Wednesday's deal as a move to '(reverse) the decades-long woke-capture of our nation's higher education institutions.' White House officials had hoped Columbia's deal would serve as a blueprint for other universities, pointing to Brown and Cornell University as schools on the cusp of agreements, CNN reported earlier this week. At the same time, the Trump administration has launched investigations into Duke University, Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Law Journal. The administration also remains engaged in lawsuits with Harvard, though The New York Times reported this week that the school is open to a potential half-billion-dollar settlement that could resolve ongoing legal battles.
CNN
11 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Trump administration reaches $50 million deal with Brown University to restore funding
Donald Trump Education policyFacebookTweetLink Follow The Trump administration has reached a multimillion-dollar agreement with Brown University to restore federal funding – its second major deal with an elite university after last week's $221 million settlement with Columbia University. In return for Brown agreeing to several measures aimed at dismantling certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the federal government will reinstate all frozen grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, restore the school's eligibility for future funding, and close all pending investigations into the university, a White House official said. But Brown, which was under financial strain even before the Trump administration began slashing research funding at a number of higher education institutions, was largely able to escape the nine-figure settlements the White House reached with Columbia and is seeking with Harvard University. Under the deal announced Wednesday, the Providence-based school will pay $50 million in grants over 10 years to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, according to the White House official and Brown President Christina Paxson. Brown is not making 'any payments or fines to the federal government,' Paxson said in a letter to the university community. That's different from Columbia's deal, under which the school will pay $200 million to the US Treasury over three years and an additional $21 million to settle US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigations. Paxson touted the deal as a voluntary agreement that preserves Brown's mission, noting that it does not give the government the 'authority to dictate Brown's curriculum or the content of academic speech.' And supporting workforce development organizations, she said, is 'aligned with our service and community engagement mission.' Workforce development and career training programs have also been a priority for the Trump administration. Under the terms of the deal, Brown has agreed to 'not engage in unlawful racial discrimination in admissions or university programming' and will provide the federal government access to relevant data on the matter, the White House official said. The school is also expected to adopt definitions of 'male' and 'female' from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year for 'women's sports, programming, facilities, and housing.' The school's health facilities 'will not perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors or prescribe them puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones,' and the school 'will take steps to improve the campus climate for Jewish students,' according to the official. Paxson said that most of the agreement's provisions codify existing policies and practices. However, in a nod to the pressure the school was facing, she added in her letter: 'There are other aspects of the agreement that were not part of previous federal reviews of Brown policies but are priorities of the federal administration in resolving the funding freeze.' She noted that Brown 'had not previously been informed of a reason for the freeze of its federal research funding, and at no time has Brown been informed of any finding that the University violated any law.' CNN reported earlier this year that more than half a billion dollars in grant money was on the line at Brown as the Trump administration reviewed the Ivy League university's DEI policies and its response to alleged antisemitism on campus. Education Secretary Linda McMahon heralded Wednesday's deal as a move to '(reverse) the decades-long woke-capture of our nation's higher education institutions.' White House officials had hoped Columbia's deal would serve as a blueprint for other universities, pointing to Brown and Cornell University as schools on the cusp of agreements, CNN reported earlier this week. At the same time, the Trump administration has launched investigations into Duke University, Duke University School of Medicine and the Duke Law Journal. The administration also remains engaged in lawsuits with Harvard, though The New York Times reported this week that the school is open to a potential half-billion-dollar settlement that could resolve ongoing legal battles.
Sky News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
What you need to know as Harvard and Trump administration in court over funding
The Trump administration and Harvard University have gone head-to-head in federal court over the government's threats to cut billions from the school's funding. The Ivy League institution, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, sued the Trump administration in April for seeking "unprecedented and improper" control of the school, after it froze $2.6bn (£1.9bn) of its federal funding. Harvard's lawsuit accuses the government of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a list of 10 demands from a federal antisemitism task force, which included sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. The Trump administration denies the cuts were made in retaliation, with the department of justice arguing that funding cuts are a means to protect against antisemitism, after it accused Harvard of ideological bias and violating the rights of its Jewish students when campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza took place last year. The case is now being heard before US district judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed by former president Barack Obama. Both sides have sought a summary judgement, which ends a legal case early without the need of a full trial. But there is no indication on when Judge Burroughs will deliver a verdict. With the ruling potentially leading to larger implications on how much influence the US government has over schools, here is what you need to know. Research, careers and labs at stake During Monday's hearing at Moakley Federal Courthouse, Harvard lawyer Steven Lehotsky asked Judge Burroughs to reverse the series of funding freezes. He said if the cuts remain in place, it could lead to the loss of research, damage careers and the closing of labs. "It's not about Harvard's conduct," he said. "It's about the government's conduct toward Harvard." Already, government agencies have begun to end their contracts with the school, citing a clause that allows grants to be scrapped if they no longer align with government policies. Sky News' US partner network NBC News reported the cancelled contracts were worth an estimated $100m (£74m). Despite having a $53bn endowment - a collection of assets, typically built up from donations, that generate income for the school - Harvard has said it cannot absorb the full cost of the cuts. Although, it has begun to self-fund some research. Donald Trump also separately warned in a post on Truth Social that Harvard could lose its tax exempt status and be "taxed as a political entity". 'The government is pro-Jewish students' In court, the parties continually went over whether antisemitism on campus justified the removal of federal funding. Michael Velchik, the lawyer representing the Trump administration, argued Harvard allowed antisemitism to flourish at the university following the 7 October 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, including protesters chanting antisemitic slogans and Jewish students being attacked. "Harvard claims the government is anti-Harvard. I reject that," Mr Velchik, who is a Harvard graduate, said. "The government is pro-Jewish students at Harvard. The government is pro-Jewish faculty at Harvard." Harvard has said it has made changes to combat antisemitism, but Mr Lehotsky argued that the issue is not relevant to cutting research to do with, for example, Alzheimer's research. Judge Burroughs also pushed back at Mr Velchik, saying the government had provided "no documentation, no procedure" to "suss out" whether Harvard administrators have or haven't done enough to combat antisemitism. "The consequences of that in terms of constitutional law are staggering," she said. "I don't think you can justify a contract action based on impermissible suppression of speech." Mr Velchik responded by saying the case comes down to the government choosing how best to spend billions in research funding. After Monday's hearing, Mr Trump took to Truth Social, calling Judge Burroughs a "total disaster". Enrolling international students row The lawsuit over federal funding is separate to a complaint Harvard filed in a Boston federal court in May over the Trump administration's plan to stop the school from enrolling international students. Judge Burroughs, who is overseeing both cases, issued a temporary restraining order which stops the government from revoking Harvard's certification in the student and exchange visitor programme, which allows the university to host international students with visas to study in the US. 2:17 The government first brought about the plan after accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" to assault Jewish students on its premises. It also accused the university of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), contending the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024. Harvard argued the move violated the First Amendment and would have had an "immediate and devastating effect" on the school and "more than 7,000 visa holders".
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Fordham's WFUV is among hundreds of radio and TV stations to feel the pinch of federal funding cuts
Public radio and television stations across the country are bracing for major cuts after Republicans in Congress passed legislation that will strip more than $1 billion in federal funding. CBS News New York went to a station in the Bronx on Monday to see how the cuts will be felt there. Alisa Ali has been hosting a radio show at WFUV on the campus of Fordham University for 20 years, playing classics and shining a light on up-and-comers. "We're going to give artists who may not be heard on other outlets a chance to gain an audience," Ali said. The National Public Radio-member station also helps train the next generation of journalists, like student Lainey Nguyen. "It's incredibly valuable to be here and learn how to pitch stories, learn how to edit audio on industry-standard equipment," Nguyen said. The dual missions of music discovery and education are at risk at around 1,500 local public radio and TV stations. WFUV, for one, will lose more than $500,000 a year in federal funding. General manager Chuck Singleton said that will mean, "less public service, less music discovery, fewer live studio sessions with artists." President Trump called for the cuts, saying public media's news programming was biased against him and fellow Republicans. In a statement, the White House's Office of Management and Budget said, "The federal government will no longer subsidize this trash." Stations like WFUV are turning to listeners to try and make up for those cuts. "Hopefully our community will step up and realize that this is important and it is worth saving," Ali said. From the boroughs to back roads, public radio is not ready to go silent just yet.
