1 Judge Rules Trump Administration's Freeze On Harvard Funding Is Illegal
A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Trump administration violated Harvard University's First Amendment rights when it froze nearly $2 billion in federal grants over the school's handling of antisemitism on campus. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked Trump officials from implementing orders freezing grant funding and terminating research grants from federal agencies. In her 84-page decision, Burroughs acknowledged Harvard has been "plagued" by antisemitism and should have done more to address it, but found "little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism." She said the administration used "antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities" that violated federal law and the Constitution.
2 Epstein Accusers Pressure Congress To Release Files
Nine Jeffrey Epstein accusers gave emotional testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday, sharing gut-wrenching stories of sexual abuse to pressure Congress to release all Justice Department files from the Epstein investigation. The accusers appeared at a news conference organized by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who are trying to force a House vote compelling the release of all files. The accusers threatened to compile their own list of names if Congress won't release the files. The Trump administration and GOP leaders oppose releasing all files, saying it could expose victims who don't want to go public. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House Oversight Committee is already investigating, and Tuesday night it released over 33,000 pages, though many were already public. The White House called supporting the petition a "hostile act" against the administration. The accusers also demanded Trump promise not to pardon Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison.
3 President Trump Says He May Send Troops To New Orleans
Talking to reporters in the White House yesterday, President Trump threw out a new option in his promised push to mobilize troops to help with violent crime…New Orleans. “Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in,” Trump said. He then claimed that the crime problem in New Orleans could be solved, saying the administration “will straighten that out in about two weeks.”