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It’s war between Trump, Harvard (and Obama)

A few hours after Harvard announced its refusal to comply with a series of demands from the Trump administration, Donald Trump retaliated by announcing the freeze of over two billion dollars in federal funds intended for the university.

Obama's criticism of Trump's "ham-handed" demands could encourage other universities to follow Harvard's example.

The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) 2025-04-15T14:22:55.271Z

According to a letter from the Trump administration to Harvard, obtained by the New York Times, the White House was demanding that the university comply with a series of measures, under penalty of losing its funding, mainly intended for research.

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Harvard accuses the government of hiding, behind certain requirements related to the fight against anti-Semitism, an attempt to directly regulate intellectual conditions within the university.

The message from the president of Harvard University to the Trump administration is unequivocal:

«The University will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights».

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It also stated: «No government, regardless of which party is in power, should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue».

This firm statement was quickly applauded by former President Barack Obama, himself a graduate of Harvard’s prestigious law school. He described the Trump administration’s attempts to control academic freedom as «unlawful and ham-handed».

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Obama expressed hope that Harvard’s decision would serve as an example and encourage other universities and institutions to follow the same path.

American universities are facing pressure from the Trump administration, accused of attacking the fundamental principles of a democratic society, such as freedom of expression, association, and academic freedom. This attempt was condemned in a letter signed by nearly 900 institutions, including members of the faculty at Yale, according to The Guardian.

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Trump’s requirements included removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, changing admission policies to be based solely on merit, restricting the admission of international students deemed hostile to American values, banning pro-Palestinian student groups, collaborating with immigration authorities, and imposing a ban on wearing masks during protests on campus.

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Bukele and Trump do not seem in a hurry to help Kilmar Abrego Garcia

During the visit of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to the White House on April 14, he and Donald Trump passed the responsibility back and forth regarding the mistaken deportation of a migrant to a controversial prison in El Salvador

President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, made it clear in a joint meeting that the Maryland man who was wrongly deported won't be returned to the US

CNN (@cnn.com) 2025-04-14T17:34:56.264Z

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, was deported by mistake to a controversial prison in El Salvador, despite a Supreme Court decision requiring the Trump administration to facilitate his return, a ruling that had prohibited his expulsion for security reasons.

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The meeting between Donald Trump and the Salvadoran president could have been the ideal opportunity to correct the error made by the Trump administration in Garcia’s case. However, the two leaders instead chose to pass the responsibility back and forth regarding who has the power to decide on the man’s freedom. Worse, they seemed amused by the situation.

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Donald Trump admitted that an administrative error had been made in Garcia’s expulsion, but claimed that his administration had respected the Supreme Court’s decision by removing legal or logistical barriers on the American side.

According to him, Garcia’s return now depends exclusively on the Salvadoran authorities, ruling out any diplomatic effort to repatriate him.

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Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele stated that he would not facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, despite the injunction from the US Supreme Court.

He even claimed « not to have the power » to send him back, labeling Garcia a « terrorist » and rejecting any clandestine return operation.

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The terrorism accusations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia by the Trump administration and President Nayib Bukele are based on no concrete evidence. Although allegations of ties to the MS-13 gang have been made, no criminal charges have ever been brought against him in the United States or El Salvador.

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Recall that the Supreme Court recently ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was illegally deported to El Salvador, estimating that this deportation violated a previous decision protecting him.

Since then, the administration has been trying to evade this obligation, notably by playing on the interpretation of the word « facilitate ».

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Recall that Abrego Garcia, who entered the United States illegally around 2011, had obtained an exception to his deportation to a specific country due to the dangers to his life, a decision made in 2019 after examining the evidence by an immigration judge. The judge had concluded that Garcia could not be deported, as he was a target of a gang in his home country, El Salvador.

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Garcia’s future remains uncertain, and it remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will react to the Trump administration’s persistent inaction in this case.

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Katy Perry returns from space and kisses the ground

Katy Perry successfully achieved a dream she had for the past 15 years by participating in her first space trip alongside an all-female crew from Blue Origin.

Katy Perry kisses the floor after returning from Space.

Pop Base (@popbase.tv) 2025-04-14T15:06:34.721Z

The star shared her experience on Instagram, offering her fans a glimpse of the facilities and the capsule she was about to board.

Perry expressed her great pride in living this adventure alongside five exceptional and inspiring women, including Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of billionaire Jeff Bezos, emphasizing that they formed the very first all-female space crew.

An hour before her takeoff on the Blue Origin rocket, Katy Perry shared a video in which she expressed deep emotion, stating that she had never felt such a mix of excitement and inner love.

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In her message, she explains that one only becomes fully aware of the love and emotions one carries within oneself when one is about to experience something as significant as takeoff.

The star also described this experience as historic, emphasizing that it was the very first time an all-female crew went to space together, on board the New Shepard NS-31 mission, launched on April 14.

Perry also shared a video in which she presents the training capsule used by her and the other crew members before the flight. We see a seat with her name embroidered on it, and the singer expressed her desire to sing in space.

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She was briefly heard during the live broadcast of the mission, upon her return to Earth.

Visibly moved, she appeared leaving the capsule, kissing the ground with a daisy in her hand. Her 4-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, was present on site to witness both the takeoff and the landing.

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The singer explained that she chose to perform What a Wonderful World in space rather than one of her own songs, believing that this moment should not be centered on her, but on a collective energy, on humanity as a whole, and on the beauty of the world.

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Arson suspect admits he wanted to kill Josh Shapiro

The residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was targeted in a violent attack on the night of Saturday, April 12, to Sunday, April 13, while the governor, his wife, their four children, their two dogs, and a guest family were inside, asleep at the time of the incident.

The incident occurred on the first night of Passover, a Jewish holiday celebrated by Shapiro and his relatives earlier in the evening.

Police have arrested a Harrisburg man in connection with what they call a “targeted attack” that caused a fire that heavily damaged the Pennsylvania governor’s residence early Sunday morning as Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept inside.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star (@penncapital-star.com) 2025-04-13T23:10:19.935Z

Cody A. Balmer, a 38-year-old man, was then arrested and charged with planning and carrying out the attack.

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According to authorities, the individual allegedly admitted to being motivated by a deep-seated hatred for the governor. He allegedly climbed the fence surrounding the official residence, broke two windows with a hammer, and then threw two Molotov cocktails inside.

The fire quickly spread, causing significant damage to a section of the house, fortunately located away from the area where the occupants were sleeping.

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The attack, which occurred around 2 a.m., took place while all the occupants of the residence were asleep. Thanks to the presence of state police officers responsible for the governor’s security, an evacuation operation was quickly launched, allowing all residents to be put to safety. At the same time, a search was initiated to find the perpetrator, who had managed to evade surveillance.

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The rapid intervention of law enforcement prevented a tragedy from occurring. Although no injuries were reported, part of the residence suffered significant material damage, and the circumstances of the attack clearly testify to the seriousness of the perpetrator’s intentions.

According to law enforcement, Balmer allegedly stayed inside the property for a few minutes before triggering the fire. A few hours after the attack, he turned himself in to the authorities, providing detailed information about the planning of his actions during his interrogation, corroborated by surveillance footage. However, he did not provide any explanation for his motivations.

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According to investigators, surveillance footage shows Balmer climbing the fence and then heading towards the windows on the south side of the residence, which he breaks with a hammer. During his interrogation, he also allegedly admitted that if he had found Josh Shapiro inside, he would have attacked him with his hammer with the intention of killing him.

During a press conference held in front of his fire-damaged residence, Governor Josh Shapiro reacted firmly, stating that the attack would only strengthen his determination to do his job. He declared that if the perpetrator of the assault had sought to intimidate him, he had failed.

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Balmer now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, arson, burglary, and terrorism.

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