Latest news with #MauraHealy
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
First on CNN: More than 12,000 Harvard alumni unite to support university legal challenge
Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater, CNN has learned, an unprecedented effort to back the school as it challenges the Trump administration's decision to halt more than $2.2 billion in federal funding. More than 12,000 Harvard alumni – from the class of 1950 to the just-graduated class of 2025 – added their signatures to an amicus brief, a legal document sent by a third party to a lawsuit offering the court additional information about the case. The brief, first reported by CNN, was submitted to the court on Monday. The signatories come from a range of backgrounds, united by a Harvard degree and concern for the future of their alma mater: a Wisconsin beer brewer, comedian Conan O'Brien, an Ohio fighter pilot, author Margaret Atwood, a South Dakota tribal leader and Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healy, among other prominent members of communities across the country and globe. The group claims it's the largest known alumni brief from a single school in history. And the alumni involved believe it's a historic moment as Harvard defends itself – and in turn, potentially sets a precedent for other colleges and universities amid a major clash over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight. Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its decision to freeze federal funding and has asked for an expedited final decision in the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 21. 'As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government's reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law—and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes—the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,' the brief says. It continues, 'The Government's end goal is to narrow our freedoms to learn, teach, think, and act, and to claim for itself the right to dictate who may enjoy those freedoms. As alumni, we attest that Harvard's true greatness resides in the ways we share these values and exercise these freedoms.' The White House did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the brief. Anurima Bhargava, a documentary filmmaker, civil rights lawyer and Harvard alumna who has helped lead the effort, told CNN in an interview that it marks a moment of solidarity across traditional divides. 'We are educated in part so that we can be safeguarders of liberty and democracy. And that is certainly what we all feel like is an important stand to take in this time,' Bhargava said. She continued, 'It's about our education, not only at Harvard – it goes so far beyond Harvard to 'what are our abilities in every kind of school and college and university to be able to voice and to think and to learn freely without the kind of interference that we're seeing from the government.'' Bhargava said there were 'many' alumni who wanted to sign the brief but did not, for fear of retaliation from the administration. Efforts to target Harvard began even before President Donald Trump returned to office, with his allies arguing they're cracking down on antisemitism on campus amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the administration's actions extend to a broader agenda – and a belief inside the White House that it's a winning political issue for the president. 'We unequivocally condemn antisemitism and every other form of discrimination and hate, which have no place at Harvard or anywhere else in our society. Yet charges of antisemitism—particularly without due process and proper bases and findings by the Government—should not be used as a pretext for the illegal and unconstitutional punishment and takeover of an academic institution by the Government. Indeed, most of the Government's demands on Harvard have little or nothing to do with combating antisemitism, or any other kind of bias and discrimination, on campus,' the brief states. The university is now engaged in multiple legal battles with the Trump administration, which has launched several investigations into the school. White House officials and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have kept the door open to negotiating with the school, but the administration is not currently in talks.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
First on CNN: More than 12,000 Harvard alumni unite to support university legal challenge
Thousands of Harvard University alumni have signed on to a legal message of support for their alma mater, CNN has learned, an unprecedented effort to back the school as it challenges the Trump administration's decision to halt more than $2.2 billion in federal funding. More than 12,000 Harvard alumni – from the class of 1950 to the just-graduated class of 2025 – added their signatures to an amicus brief, a legal document sent by a third party to a lawsuit offering the court additional information about the case. The brief, first reported by CNN, was submitted to the court on Monday. The signatories come from a range of backgrounds, united by a Harvard degree and concern for the future of their alma mater: a Wisconsin beer brewer, comedian Conan O'Brien, an Ohio fighter pilot, author Margaret Atwood, a South Dakota tribal leader and Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healy, among other prominent members of communities across the country and globe. The group claims it's the largest known alumni brief from a single school in history. And the alumni involved believe it's a historic moment as Harvard defends itself – and in turn, potentially sets a precedent for other colleges and universities amid a major clash over academic freedom, federal funding and campus oversight. Harvard sued the Trump administration in April over its decision to freeze federal funding and has asked for an expedited final decision in the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for July 21. 'As alumni, we are deeply alarmed by the Government's reckless and unlawful attempts to assert control over the core functions of Harvard and its fellow institutions of higher education. Without due process or any recognizable basis in law—and with complete disregard for the freedoms the Constitution secures and the constraints it imposes—the Government has embarked on a campaign to deploy every power at its disposal to damage Harvard,' the brief says. It continues, 'The Government's end goal is to narrow our freedoms to learn, teach, think, and act, and to claim for itself the right to dictate who may enjoy those freedoms. As alumni, we attest that Harvard's true greatness resides in the ways we share these values and exercise these freedoms.' The White House did not respond to CNN's request for comment on the brief. Anurima Bhargava, a documentary filmmaker, civil rights lawyer and Harvard alumna who has helped lead the effort, told CNN in an interview that it marks a moment of solidarity across traditional divides. 'We are educated in part so that we can be safeguarders of liberty and democracy. And that is certainly what we all feel like is an important stand to take in this time,' Bhargava said. She continued, 'It's about our education, not only at Harvard – it goes so far beyond Harvard to 'what are our abilities in every kind of school and college and university to be able to voice and to think and to learn freely without the kind of interference that we're seeing from the government.'' Bhargava said there were 'many' alumni who wanted to sign the brief but did not, for fear of retaliation from the administration. Efforts to target Harvard began even before President Donald Trump returned to office, with his allies arguing they're cracking down on antisemitism on campus amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the administration's actions extend to a broader agenda – and a belief inside the White House that it's a winning political issue for the president. 'We unequivocally condemn antisemitism and every other form of discrimination and hate, which have no place at Harvard or anywhere else in our society. Yet charges of antisemitism—particularly without due process and proper bases and findings by the Government—should not be used as a pretext for the illegal and unconstitutional punishment and takeover of an academic institution by the Government. Indeed, most of the Government's demands on Harvard have little or nothing to do with combating antisemitism, or any other kind of bias and discrimination, on campus,' the brief states. The university is now engaged in multiple legal battles with the Trump administration, which has launched several investigations into the school. White House officials and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have kept the door open to negotiating with the school, but the administration is not currently in talks.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump freezes $1 billion in food aid given to local schools and food banks to help low-income families
The Department of Agriculture has slashed over $1 billion in funding aimed at helping schools and food banks purchase from local farmers, according to a nonprofit. 'Multiple states' were recently notified of these cuts, the nonprofit School Nutrition Association said in a statement Tuesday. 'With research showing school meals are the healthiest meals Americans eat, Congress needs to invest in underfunded school meal programs rather than cut services critical to student achievement and health,' said the group's president Shannon Gleave. 'These proposals would cause millions of children to lose access to free school meals at a time when working families are struggling with rising food costs. Meanwhile, short-staffed school nutrition teams, striving to improve menus and expand scratch-cooking, would be saddled with time-consuming and costly paperwork created by new government inefficiencies.' An estimated $660 million in funds through the Local Food for Schools program for 2025 will no longer be available to support childcare institutions and schools, the group added. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education confirmed it received a notice of termination from the USDA on Friday of the second round of Local Food for Schools grant funding, an award of $12.2 million, claiming that they 'determined this agreement no longer effectuates agency priorities and that termination of the award is appropriate,' the state's governor Maura Healy said in a Monday statement. 'Donald Trump and Elon Musk have declared that feeding children and supporting local farmers are no longer 'priorities,' and it's just the latest terrible cut with real impact on families across Massachusetts,' said Governor Healey. 'There is nothing 'appropriate' about it. Trump and Musk are continuing to withhold essential funding in violation of court orders, and our children, farmers and small businesses are bearing the brunt of it.' The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which provides food to food banks and organizations that reach underserved communities, was also included in the cuts, Politico reported. A USDA spokesperson told the outlet that funding 'is no longer available and those agreements will be terminated following 60-day notification.' The spokesperson added: 'These programs, created under the former Administration via Executive authority, no longer effectuate the goals of the agency. LFPA and LFPA Plus agreements that were in place prior to LFPA 25, which still have substantial financial resources remaining, will continue to be in effect for the remainder of the period of performance.'
