WASHINGTON: The White House is seeking fines from several universities it says failed to stop antisemitism on campus, including Harvard University, in exchange for restoring federal funding, a Trump administration official said on Friday.
The administration is in talks with several universities, including Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Brown, the source said, confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration is close to striking deals with Northwestern and Brown and potentially Cornell.
A deal with Harvard, the country’s oldest and richest university, is a key target for the White House, the official added.
The universities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump and his team have undertaken a broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at US universities, which the Republican president says are gripped by antisemitic and “radical left” ideologies.
Trump has targeted several universities since returning to office in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled college campuses last year.
Columbia University said on Wednesday it will pay more than $200 million to the US government in a settlement with the administration to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored.
The Trump administration has welcomed the Columbia deal, with officials believing the university set the standard on how to reach an agreement, the official said.
Harvard has taken a different approach, suing the federal government in a bid to get suspended federal grants restored.
White House seeks fines from other universities after Columbia deal
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White House seeks fines from other universities after Columbia deal
- Trump and his team have undertaken a broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at US universities
Canadian police investigate reports of gunfire at US consulate in Toronto
- Police said they were at the scene near University Avenue and Queen Street West
- “Evidence of a firearm discharge has been located,” police said in the post
TORONTO: Canadian police are investigating reports that the United States consulate in downtown Toronto was hit by gunfire early on Tuesday morning.
No injuries have been reported.
Toronto police said Tuesday they responded to reports at around 5:30 a.m. that someone shot a gun at the US consulate.
In a post on social media, police said they were at the scene near University Avenue and Queen Street West.
“Evidence of a firearm discharge has been located,” police said in the post.
No suspect information has been released.
“The shooting that took place at the US consulate early this morning is an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement.
“Everyone at all levels of government and across Canada needs to make clear that there is zero tolerance for this sort of intimidating and dangerous behavior.”
The reported shooting comes after two Toronto-area synagogues were struck by gunfire last weekend.
“The US consulate was shot at. This comes after shootings at synagogues,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “This cannot stand. Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith and culture and to live their day-to-day lives without fear, intimidation or violence. As we have seen too many times, antisemitic incidents spike when international incidents rise. It is never acceptable to target the Jewish community.”
Chow said there is heavy police presence on Tuesday at both the US and Israeli consulates in Toronto.
The war in Iran has prompted large demonstrations outside the US consulate, both in support and in protest.
