“As President Trump escalated his attacks against Harvard University, its board resolved to fight,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Trustees discussed whether to sue or pursue deal talks after Trump first targeted the university in March. But as the president lobbed bomb after bomb at the school—pulling billions in federal funds, threatening its tax-exempt status, and now trying to block it from enrolling international students—the group stood firm.”

“By Friday, the school had filed two lawsuits against the administration, the latest to regain its foreign students.”

New York Magazine: “The inside story of an unconditional surrender.”

“The latest confrontation between Harvard University and the Trump administration began last month with a far-reaching demand for data on international students,” the New York Times reports.

“Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, sent a letter to Harvard requesting, among other things, coursework for every international student and information on any student visa holder involved in misconduct or illegal activity.”

“Harvard rebuffed parts of the request, and the Trump administration retaliated on Thursday. In one of its most aggressive moves so far against the university, the government said Harvard could no longer enroll any international students, who account for about one-fourth of its total enrollment.”

“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said President Donald Trump is ‘moving forward’ with efforts to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status,” Bloomberg reports.

“A U.S. judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students,” Reuters reports.

Yascha Mounk: “Even among this litany of increasingly radical attacks on higher education, the Trump administration’s latest broadside against Harvard stands out for the extent of its cruelty…”

“Trump’s action would deeply disrupt the lives and the careers of thousands of talented young people, the vast majority of whom have done absolutely nothing to provoke the administration’s ire against their institution. It would have a highly negative impact on important research happening across the university, with some leading labs in fields from medical research to quantum physics effectively ceasing to function.”

“It would lastingly damage America’s hard-earned reputation as the world’s most coveted destination for ambitious researchers. In short, it would lead to the most remarkable—and the most distinguished—exodus of talented students in the history of American higher education.”

Jason Furman: Trump’s attack on Harvard won’t make America great again.

“Harvard University sued the Trump administration for a second time on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would block international students from attending the nation’s oldest university and one of its most prestigious,” the New York Times reports.

“The lawsuit, and a letter issued by Dr. Alan Garber, Harvard’s president, signified a dramatic escalation of the battle between the administration and Harvard. And the university’s forceful and almost immediate response served as evidence that stopping the flow of international students to Harvard, which draws some of the world’s top scholars, would destabilize Harvard’s very existence.”

CNBC: Harvard sues Trump administration over ban on international student enrollment.

“The Trump administration’s sudden move to bar foreign students at Harvard University is seen as dealing a blow to the US’s standing in business — and handing an advantage to elite rival colleges across the English-speaking world,” Bloomberg reports.

Bloomberg: “The assault on a beacon of US education ostensibly in the name of tackling anti-semitism is the latest move that erodes the nation’s soft power globally. The administration has cut funding or dissolved institutions including USAID, Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.”

“Other universities in the US and internationally are likely to capitalize on Harvard’s plight, snatching the smartest minds — dozens of Nobel laureates attended or taught at the school. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has already offered to unconditionally accept Harvard students.”

The Guardian: China pledges support for overseas students after Trump’s latest attack on Harvard.

“The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda,” the New York Times reports.

A federal judge in Boston has blocked President Trump’s executive order to shut down the Department of Education, the Washington Post reports.

The order says the Trump administration must “restore the Department to the status quo such that it is able to carry out its statutory functions.”

“The Trump administration is investigating whether Harvard’s admissions policies comply with a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action, opening a new front in its widening effort to bring the institution to heel,” the New York Times reports.

“The investigation adds to the mounting pressure on the nation’s oldest, wealthiest university to overhaul its admissions, curriculum and hiring practices to align with President Trump’s political agenda.”

“The Trump administration has sharply expanded its campaign against experts who track misinformation and other harmful content online, abruptly canceling scores of scientific research grants at universities across the country,” the New York Times reports.

“The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is cutting an additional $450 million in grants to Harvard University through eight federal agencies, on top of the $2.2 billion already frozen last week,” CNBC reports.

A new AP-NORC poll finds just 27% of Americans support withholding federal funding from universities for noncompliance with the president’s goals or removing their tax-exempt status.

“Sixty-four percent of adults think that colleges and universities make positive contributions to medical and scientific research and 63% feel they encourage new ideas and innovative technology.”

Rose Horowitz: “The latest letter to Harvard makes clear that the administration’s goal is to punish liberal institutions for the crime of being liberal.”

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg roasted Education Secretary Linda McMahon for confusing artificial intelligence development as “A1” as he torched President Donald Trump’s cabinet as incompetent, Mediaite reports.

McMahon repeatedly referred to AI as “A1” multiple times while speaking at an education summit in San Diego.

Said Buttigieg: “Like I love A1 Steak Sauce, but A1 steak sauce is not one of the most important things confronting humanity right now. Artificial intelligence is. And somebody who doesn’t understand that probably should not be leading an important federal agency.”