Latest news with #MichaelCasey
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harvard Barred From Enrolling Foreign Students. What to Know
People walk through the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Credit - Michael Casey—Associated Press The Trump Administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University's certification to enroll international students, saying that thousands of current students must transfer or leave the country. The move marks a dramatic escalation of the Administration's battle with Harvard, threatening to impact a significant portion of the university's student body and a key source of its revenue. Roughly 27% of Harvard's student body—about 6,800 students—come from outside the United States, a number that has grown steadily in the past decade, according to university enrollment data. Many of those students pay full tuition, contributing significantly to the university's nearly $6 billion annual budget. Read more: The Complicated History of Government Influence Over Universities The decision stunned students, faculty, and higher education leaders across the country. In a statement to TIME, a Harvard spokesperson described the Trump Administration's move as 'unlawful' and wrote that the University is 'fully committed' to enrolling international students. 'We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University—and this nation—immeasurably,' said Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton. 'We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission.' Here's what you should know about the Administration's action. The decision to revoke the certification, announced by the Department of Homeland Security in a letter delivered to the university and later shared publicly by Secretary Kristi Noem, immediately strips Harvard of its authorization under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The revocation bars the university from admitting new international students and requires current foreign students to transfer to other institutions or face losing their legal status in the United States. 'I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked,' Noem wrote in the letter. In her letter, Noem cited Harvard's failure to comply with requests for records, its use of diversity and inclusion policies, and its handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus as the motivation for the Trump Administration's action. The Trump Administration has claimed that Harvard refused to turn over documents that Homeland Security says are related to potential 'misconduct and other offenses' by foreign students. Noem also accused the university—without offering evidence—of fostering 'an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' policies,' as well as alleged coordination with the Chinese Communist Party. 'Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism in society and campuses,' Noem wrote. The Administration's decision adds to a growing list of federal penalties levied against Harvard, including the loss of billions in federal research funding and recent threats to strip the university of its tax-exempt status. Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would terminate $60 million in grants to the university. A White House spokesperson told TIME on Thursday that 'Harvard has turned their once-great institution into a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.' 'They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions,' said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson. 'Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.' The battle between the Administration and Harvard comes as President Donald Trump has increasingly sought to assert control over elite universities, often framing his actions as part of a broader effort to eliminate what it characterizes as ideological bias and campus extremism. Critics, however, say the Administration is punishing academic institutions for political reasons and curbing the free exchange of ideas. The Administration has separately moved to terminate the legal status of international students nationwide, including at Harvard. A federal judge on Thursday blocked it from doing so, ruling that the government can't arrest, incarcerate, or move students elsewhere based on their legal status until another case on the matter is resolved. Read more: What to Know About the Universities That Have Had Their Funding Targeted by the Trump Administration The Department of Homeland Security has given Harvard 72 hours to turn over the requested records in order to regain certification. But even if the university complies, the timeline for reinstatement remains unclear, and many students are now scrambling to determine whether they must leave the country. The move is also likely to prompt a legal challenge. Harvard previously filed suit against the Administration last month over federal attempts to dictate changes to its admissions and hiring practices. Write to Nik Popli at
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Carter's halts guidance amid tariff uncertainty and sees Q1 FY25 sales dip
North American apparel retailer Carter's has reported net sales decrease of 4.8% to $629.83m in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (Q1 FY25), compared with $661.49m during the same period of the previous year. The company cited macroeconomic factors as reasons for the sales decline: inflation, heightened interest rates and waning consumer confidence. In the quarter ending 29 March 2025, the company saw US wholesale sales fall by 5.3%, US retail by 4.3%, and international segment sales by 4.9%. Comparable net sales for US retail also saw a reduction of 5.2%, although e-commerce performed better than physical stores. Carter's also reported that changes in foreign currency exchange rates negatively impacted consolidated net sales by $6.4m, or 1%. During the quarter, Carter's underwent notable leadership changes with Michael Casey stepping down as CEO and chairman on 3 January 2025. On 26 March, the company appointed Douglas Palladini as its new CEO, president and member of its board, all effective from 3 April. Palladini stated: 'Our teams delivered a good first quarter. Our US tetail business achieved its sales and earnings plans in the quarter. Trends in March, the most significant month of the quarter, improved meaningfully from performance in January and February, driven by the effectiveness of our product and promotional strategies. 'In March, we saw improved traffic, conversion and comparable sales trends while continuing to add new customers and improve customer retention. Sales in our US wholesale business exceeded our forecasts due to higher demand from several customers. Demand outside the United States was also strong in the first quarter, particularly in our Canada and Mexico retail businesses.' The retailer's operating income suffered a significant drop of 52.6% to $26.10m, from $55.04m in the first quarter of the previous fiscal year. The operating margin shrunk to 4.1% from 8.3%, influenced by pricing investments, fixed cost deleverage and expenses associated with leadership changes and operational improvements. Its adjusted operating income also saw a downturn of 35.7%. Carter's recorded net income of $15.54m in Q1 FY25. This translates to $0.43 per diluted share from $38.03m or $1.04 per diluted share in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Carter's has decided to suspend its future financial guidance in response to the transitions and looming uncertainties regarding proposed new tariffs and their potential impact on operations. Palladini added: 'As I get up to speed on the business and assess what is required to return to growth, we are suspending forward-looking guidance at this time. I strongly believe in the tenet that we 'do what we say' and I intend to spend the time required to be able to meet that commitment. In addition, the current tariff situation has introduced substantial uncertainty, greatly complicating our ability to accurately predict Carter's financial outlook.' Navigate the shifting tariff landscape with real-time data and market-leading analysis. Request a free demo for GlobalData's Strategic Intelligence . "Carter's halts guidance amid tariff uncertainty and sees Q1 FY25 sales dip" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Battle of Lexington reenactment draws early-morning crowds for 250th anniversary
By Hillel Italie and Michael Casey LEXINGTON — Thousands of people came to this Massachusetts town Saturday just before dawn to witness the beginnings of the American Revolution. Amid a hail of gunfire, they watched as British soldiers confronted an overmatched group of Lexington Minute Men on Lexington Battle Green. The battle, which left eight Americans dead and 10 wounded, marks the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The day offers an opportunity to reflect on this seminal moment in history but also consider what this fight means today. 'It's truly momentous,' said Richard Howell, who portrayed Lexington Minute Man Samuel Tidd in the battle. 'This is one of the most sacred pieces of ground in the country, if not the world because of what it represents,' he said. 'To represent what went on that day, how a small town of Lexington was a vortex of so much ... Lexington was the first town that was able to anywhere muster men and were the first to face the onslaught of the British.' The semiquincentennial comes as President Donald Trump, the scholarly community and others divide over whether to have a yearlong party leading up to July 4, 2026, as Trump has called for, or to balance any celebrations with questions about women, the enslaved and Indigenous people and what their stories reveal. The history of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts is half-known, the myth deeply rooted. Reenactors may with confidence tell us that hundreds of British troops marched from Boston in the early morning of April 19, 1775, and gathered about 14 miles northwest on Lexington's town green. Firsthand witnesses remembered some British officers yelled, 'Thrown down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels!' and that amid the chaos a shot was heard, followed by 'scattered fire' from the British. The battle turned so fierce that the area reeked of burning powder. By day's end, the fighting had continued around 7 miles west to Concord and some 250 British and 95 colonists were killed or wounded. But no one has learned who fired first, or why. And the revolution itself was initially less a revolution than a demand for better terms. Woody Holton, a professor of early American history at the University of South Carolina, says most scholars agree the rebels of April 1775 weren't looking to leave the empire, but to repair their relationship with King George III and go back to the days preceding the Stamp Act, the Tea Act and other disputes of the previous decade. 'The colonists only wanted to turn back the clock to 1763,' he said. Stacy Schiff, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian whose books include biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams, said Lexington and Concord 'galvanized opinion precisely as the Massachusetts men hoped it would, though still it would be a long road to a vote for independence, which Adams felt should have been declared on 20 April 1775.' But at the time, Schiff added, 'It did not seem possible that a mother country and her colony had actually come to blows.' The rebels had already believed their cause greater than a disagreement between subjects and rulers. Well before the turning points of 1776, before the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's boast that 'We have it in our power to begin the world over again,' they cast themselves in a drama for the ages. The so-called Suffolk Resolves of 1774, drafted by civic leaders of Suffolk County, prayed for a life 'unfettered by power, unclogged with shackles,' a fight that would determine the 'fate of this new world, and of unborn millions.' The revolution was an ongoing story of surprise and improvisation. Military historian Rick Atkinson, whose 'The Fate of the Day' is the second of a planned trilogy on the war, called Lexington and Concord 'a clear win for the home team,' if only because the British hadn't expected such impassioned resistance from the colony's militia. The British, ever underestimating those whom King George regarded as a 'deluded and unhappy multitude,' would be knocked back again when the rebels promptly framed and transmitted a narrative blaming the royal forces. 'Once shots were fired in Lexington, Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren did all in their power to collect statements from witnesses and to circulate them quickly; it was essential that the colonies, and the world, understand who had fired first,' Schiff said. 'Adams was convinced that the Lexington skirmish would be 'famed in the history of this country.' He knocked himself out to make clear who the aggressors had been.' Neither side imagined a war lasting eight years, or had confidence in what kind of country would be born out of it. The founders united in their quest for self-government but differed how to actually govern, and whether self-government could even last. Americans have never stopped debating the balance of powers, the rules of enfranchisement or how widely to apply the exhortation, 'All men are created equal.' 'I think it's important to remember that the language of the founders was aspirational. The idea that it was self-evident all men were created equal was preposterous at a time when hundreds of thousands were enslaved,' said Atkinson, who cites the 20th-century poet Archibald MacLeish's contention that 'democracy is never a thing done.' 'I don't think the founders had any sense of a country that some day would have 330 million people,' Atkinson said. 'Our country is an unfinished project and likely always will be.' Is Harvard's resistance to Trump igniting a broader movement across higher ed? 'Free speech is in danger': Tufts student newspaper editor defends Rümeysa Öztürk Judge orders that Tufts student who was arrested by ICE be returned to Vermont Mass. Sen. Warren, husband report $925K in income in 2024 Senator points out glaring legal vulnerability of Trump deportations
Associated Press
18-02-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
‘No kings on Presidents Day' rings out from holiday protests against Trump and Musk
Despite frigid weather, nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall on Presidents' Day, chanting 'Elon Musk has got to go' and 'No kings on Presidents Day!' (AP video: Michael Casey)
Boston Globe
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘No kings on Presidents Day' rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
Demonstrators join more than a thousand people protesting the policies of the Trump administration marched from the Boston Common past City Hall to the North End, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 in Boston. (AP/Michael Casey) Michael Casey/Associated Press Boston protesters, some dressed in Revolutionary War-style clothing from the 1700s, carried signs saying such things as 'This is a Coup' and 'Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up.' One sign had a depiction of Uncle Sam saying 'I Want You to Resist.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I thought it was important to be here on Presidents Day to demonstrate for what America stands for,' said Emily Manning, 55, a Boston engineer who came to the rally with her two teenage sons. 'American values are not the values of the plutocracy or the limited few rich people.' Advertisement Organizers of Monday's protests, which were focused on state capitals and major cities including Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Florida; and Seattle, said they were targeting 'anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.' One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation's capital said, 'Deport Musk Dethrone Trump.' Many demonstrations were slated for cities where temperatures were well below freezing as a polar vortex worked its way across the country. The rallies followed a series of Trump executive orders and came just days after layoffs across federal agencies as part of an effort to reduce the government workforce. __ Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
