INTERNACIONAL
Trump admin slashes over $2.2B in funding to Harvard after school defies demands
The Trump administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced it is freezing over $2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts to Harvard University in Massachusetts, after the school’s president released a statement saying the school would not comply with the administration’s demands regarding antisemitism.
«Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws,» the task force said. «The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable.
«It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,» the statement continued. «The Joint Task Force to combat anti-Semitism is announcing a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60M in multi-year contract value to Harvard University.»
The decision comes after Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said the school would not comply with the Trump administration’s demands, despite the possibility of the Ivy League school losing federal funding.
HARVARD WON’T COMPLY WITH TRUMP ADMIN’S DEMANDS AMID THREATS OF CUTTING FEDERAL FUNDING
The Trump admin froze over $2.2B in grants to Harvard. (AP)
In his letter, Garber said the federal government has threatened its partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, over accusations of antisemitism on their campuses.
He also noted that the Trump administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, saying if the school plans to maintain a financial relationship with the federal government, it must comply.
«It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,» Garber wrote. «We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement.»
TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES $1B FROM CORNELL, $790M FROM NORTHWESTERN AMID CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION: REPORT
Harvard said it would not comply with the Trump administration’s demands. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who graduated from Harvard in 2006, ripped the Ivy League school’s response, saying in part, «…Harvard University has rightfully earned its place as the epitome of the moral and academic rot in higher education.»
«Fueled by the radical groupthink Far Left faculty, inept University leadership, donations by foreign adversaries, and pro Hamas terrorists, Harvard has fully embraced and tolerated the raging antisemitism threatening the lives and physical safety of Jewish students on campus,» Stefanik said. «It is time to totally cut off U.S. taxpayer funding to this institution that has failed to live up to its founding motto Veritas. Defund Harvard.»
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey praised Harvard’s decision to not fold to the Trump administration.
DHS: DEPORTED BROWN UNIVERSITY DOCTOR ATTENDED HEZBOLLAH CHIEF’S FUNERAL, SUPPORTED TERROR LEADER
Gov. Maura Healey, D-Mass., praised Harvard. (Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Specifically, she thanked Harvard and Garber for their leadership in standing up for education and freedom by standing against, what she called, the administration’s «brazen attempt to bully schools.»
«We all agree that antisemitism has no place in America and that it should be fought in the workplace, classrooms and everywhere,» Healey said. «Complying with the Trump Administration’s dangerous demands would have made us all less safe.»
President Donald Trump has suspended federal funding to every Ivy League, besides Penn and Dartmouth, over investigations into anti-Israel protests that have taken place on their campuses since October 2023. Funding for dozens of other universities has also been impacted by investigations for the same reason.
Earlier this month, a federal antisemitism task force announced a review of Harvard’s federal grants and contracts, worth nearly $9 billion, as the university faces an investigation into campus antisemitism.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Trump administration has promised to be more aggressive in ending campus antisemitism after saying President Joe Biden did not hold universities accountable for their violent protests.
The administration has also made moves to detain and deport foreign students who participated in or orchestrated anti-Israel protests at American universities.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Massachusetts,College,Donald Trump,Antisemitism Exposed
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Senate Republicans and Democrats advanced the first set of spending bills through the upper chamber, despite signals from Democrats that they may block the government funding process.
In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Senate Democrats warned that Republicans’ passage of highly partisan bills, like President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, had eaten away at the trust that girds the appropriations process.
DEMS SEEK RETALIATION OVER GOP CUTS AS THUNE CALLS FOR ‘COOPERATION’ ON FUNDING VOTE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., heads to the Senate Chamber to vote on a bill on Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Still, after meeting behind closed-doors Tuesday afternoon, Democrats ultimately provided enough votes to advance the bill, which would fund military construction and the VA. The vote allows for lawmakers to make amendments and debate the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the meeting that Democrats were still gunning for a bipartisan spending deal, effectively opening the door for his conference to back the spending bill package for now.
«We’re working together to get one,» Schumer said. «But the bottom line is, Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this.»
The bill advanced on a 90 to 8 vote, with Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican to open debate on the bill.
Democrats were largely frustrated with the passage of Trump’s rescissions package last week, which slashed funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting, arguing that doing so dissolved trust between the parties when it came to crafting spending bills.
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Reuters)
They argued that reaching an agreement on a funding bill, only to see their priorities later stripped out through rescissions, shattered confidence in their Republican colleagues to stick to their word.
«There’s no doubt,» Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a high-ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital. «I mean, someone does one thing one day and undoes it the next day, that obviously creates issues with trust.»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to call his counterparts’ bluff, and put the bill on the floor. Failure to advance the the legislation could have signaled a rocky road ahead for funding the government and beating the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown.
«Democrats have indicated that they’re so upset over a rescissions bill last week, which, by the way, cut one tenth of 1% of all federal spending, that somehow they could use that to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,» Thune said.
«We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us, and we’re trying to give them what they’ve been asking for, [which] is a bipartisan appropriations process,» he continued.
Prior to the vote, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged passage of the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that when she and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, took the helm of the committee, they «committed to working together» on spending bills.
She noted that when Democrats controlled the chamber, lawmakers didn’t get the same opportunity to consider spending bills, but acknowledged that it was still a «challenging legislative environment.»
«This is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and I want to express my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Thune, for giving us the opportunity to bring the first of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor,» she said.
‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS
Sen. John Fetterman during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by FOX NEWS anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025, in Boston. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
But, passage of the first bill, and the ensuing amendment process leading to a final vote, does not guarantee that the appropriations process will go smoothly before the deadline hits in the next couple of months.
Congress has not passed spending bills through a process called regular order since the late 1990s and has typically relied on short government funding extensions, known as continuing resolutions, and year-end, colossal spending packages, known as omnibuses, to keep the lights on in Washington.
Disagreements over funding levels between the Senate and House, coupled with lingering questions about whether Schumer will continue to play ball with Republicans, could tee up another showdown around the September deadline.
Schumer said that he would have a confab with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Murray, «to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.»
«With so much hard work ahead, the government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families,» he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Sen. John Fetterman, who earlier this year voted with Republicans and a handful of his Democratic colleagues to thwart a partial government shutdown, had a stern message for Senate Democrats that may want to obstruct the government funding process.
«I will never, ever vote to shut our government down,» the Pennsylvania Democrat told Fox News Digital. «That’s a core responsibility. And now we may not like a lot of these changes to things, and I don’t, but I’m saying that’s the way that democracy works.»
«And now shutting the government down, how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos,» he continued.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Syrian jihadists reportedly executed a 35-year-old Syrian American – a member of the religious minority Druze community – last week as government-backed forces viciously attacked members of the Druze community in the country.
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, «Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them.»
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, «Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.»
WHY SYRIA PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN TRUMP’S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE
Hosam Saraya was visiting family in Syria when he was killed by suspected jihadists due to his being a member of the Druze community. (Instagram/Hosam Saraya)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an «American citizen from Oklahoma» was «brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria,» adding, «I’m working with partners in the region to learn more, and we’re in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time.»
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out «heroic actions.»
Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre «Abu Mohammed al-Golani,» was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds.
Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida.
Syrian security forces walk together along a street after clashes between government troops and local Druze fighters in Sweida, July 16, 2025. (Reuters/Karam al-Masri)
An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it «learned its lesson» from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze.
The bulk of the world’s Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon.
WHO ARE THE DRUZE? RELIGIOUS GROUP AIDS SYRIAN MEMBERS UNDER ISLAMIST ATTACK, ISRAELI MEMBERS OFFER SUPPORT
Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, «The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms.»
Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, «Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward.»
Israeli Druze cross the border near Majdal Shams in a show of support for the Druze community in Hader on the Syrian side on July 16, 2025. (Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Arizona congressman said, «My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace.»
Al-Sharaa’s rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
After Al-Sharaa’s forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: «This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can’t protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims,»
The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, «Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement’s terms were violated.»
INTERNACIONAL
El vínculo de 15 años entre Donald Trump y Jeffrey Epstein: un torbellino de fiestas, jets privados y mujeres
Vecinos de Palm Beach
Donald Trump habla con Jeffrey Epstein, durante una fiesta en Mar-a-Largo, Florida./ Captura de videoUn encuentro en Mar-a-Lago
La fiscal general Pam Bondi habla durante una conferencia de prensa en la Casa Blanca. Foto: Pete Marovich/The New York TimesSeparación de caminos
Activistas colocaron un cartel que mostraba al presidente Donald Trump y a Jeffrey Epstein cerca de la embajada de Estados Unidos en Londres. Foto AP«Yo no era fan»
Video | Nicolás Sabo, hijo del kiosquero asesinado en Ramos Mejía, será candidato en la lista de Talerico
El FMI se reunió para debatir el caso argentino y definir el desembolso de u$s2.000 millones: la advertencia por reservas
Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill
American man from Oklahoma ‘brutally executed’ by Syrian-backed jihadis
Cómo fue el accidente en el que murió un intendente cordobés
La Libertad Avanza difundió el primer video de campaña: “PBA tiene que sumarse al modelo del Presidente”
Milei, Villarruel y una pelea tóxica en la cima del poder con impacto institucional y final abierto
Los cuadernos de las coimas: convocan a una audiencia clave para iniciar el juicio oral contra Cristina Kirchner y 150 acusados
Juan Carlos Maqueda defendió la condena contra Cristina Kirchner: “Hay una sensación de que se hizo Justicia y que no hay impunidad”
La tensión por el dólar se aplacó y la City tiene veredicto: ¿la paz será duradera o temporal?
El Gobierno anunció el inicio del proceso de privatización de AySA
Alarma por el dólar: la volatilidad se mantiene, pese a las medidas urgentes de Caputo
Día del Cerebro: por qué se celebra hoy y recomendaciones para mantener una mente ágil
El Día del Cerebro se conmemora el 22 de julio de cada año, con el objetivo de concientizar acerca de...
Así quedó la lista completa de Fuerza Patria para las elecciones 2025 en Buenos Aires
Ya se conocen las listas para las elecciones del 7 de septiembre de la provincia de Buenos Aires (PBA). Tal...
Mendoza: Javier Milei está cerca de firmar una alianza con el radical Alfredo Cornejo
MENDOZA.- El acuerdo avanza con fuerza; las tensiones internas, también. Mientras el presidente Javier Milei y el gobernador radical, Alfredo...
POLITICA2 días agoExpulsada del Gobierno, Victoria Villarruel empieza a tomar distancia, pero no tiene proyecto político para este año
- POLITICA2 días ago
La CGT evalúa adelantar a octubre el recambio de sus autoridades y define una movilización contra Milei
- ECONOMIA3 días ago
YPF aplica un nuevo aumento en los combustibles desde la medianoche: a cuánto sube el litro de nafta
