Harvard calls Trump’s proclamation to block foreign students from attending university ‘illegal retaliatory step’
Ziyu Julian Zhu/Xinhua via Getty Images
(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Harvard University is calling President Donald Trump’s proclamation to block foreign students from attending the university another “illegal retaliatory step.”
“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” Harvard said in a statement. “Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”
Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday afternoon, invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the entry of noncitizens from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard for at least six months. Trump argued the institution is “no longer a trustworthy steward” of international students.
The proclamation also directed the secretary of state to consider revoking the visas of foreign students already in the U.S. to study at Harvard.
“I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the proclamation said.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security tried to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program — which allows the school to sponsor foreign students – but a federal judge issued a temporary order blocking the move.
Trump justified the sudden move Wednesday by claiming Harvard has refused to provide information about international students, has “extensive entanglements with foreign countries,” and has discriminated in their admissions practices. The proclamation also claimed crime rates have “drastically risen” at the school and requires the government to probe the potential misconduct of foreign students.
“These concerns have compelled the Federal Government to conclude that Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs,” the proclamation said.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled plans to begin building a sophisticated new missile defense shield that could intercept threats from space, estimating the endeavor would cost some $175 billion and become operational in three years.
The project “Golden Dome,” which will be led by Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, echoes President Ronald Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” program, which was criticized for being overly ambitious and siphoning money away from other national priorities. The White House cited advancements in technology as a reason why some of Reagan’s vision was now possible.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term,” Trump said in announcing the plan. “So we’ll have it done in about three years. Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space.”
Trump began calling for a U.S. missile defense shield similar to Israel’s Iron Dome a year ago on the campaign trail after watching Israel deflect some 300 missiles and drones amid Iran’s attacks that spring. Military officials said at the time that they hadn’t expressed a need for such a comprehensive shield to defend the U.S., while critics noted the U.S. wasn’t under threat from its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and is buffered by two oceans.
Still, some experts say the idea of improving the nation’s ability to fend off aerial threats is long overdue.
Tom Karako, a missile defense expert, said the current U.S. system is focused mostly on the ability to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles from rogue states like North Korea. But the U.S. needs better protection when it comes to other threats like drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons, he said.
“The truth is, we’re pretty vulnerable,” said Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project and a senior fellow with the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
One question, though, is how much capability the U.S. can develop in just three years, particularly considering Trump’s stated goal of developing a network of space-based interceptors.
“It’s not to say that it can’t be done sooner than perhaps some folks think, but three years is going to be pushing it for some of those things,” Karako said.
Standing beside Trump in the Oval Office was Guetlein, the Pentagon’s vice chief of space operations who will lead the project, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said the project was possible now because technology has improved since the Reagan days.
“The technology wasn’t there. Now it is,” Hegseth said of Reagan’s “Star Wars” program. “And you’re following through to say we will protect the homeland from cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, drones, whether they’re conventional or nuclear.”
On Capitol Hill, early indications were that Republicans would support the effort with Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, promising to include a $25 billion “down payment” in an upcoming spending bill.
Democrats, though, have questioned the steep price tag. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee, noted last week the White House requested some $113 billion in its budget for next year without outlining a clear plan on what the program would achieve and when.
“That’s essentially a slush fund at this point,” said Reed, D-Rhode Island.
Trump’s talk of building “the greatest dome of them all” seemed to originate on the campaign trail. After watching Israel’s successful use of its Iron Dome, Trump’s calls for a U.S. version was met with cheers from crowds at his rallies so much that Republicans included the construction of a U.S. missile shield in its party platform ahead of the 2024 elections. In January, Trump signed an executive order calling on Hegseth to make it happen.
“The threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks, remains the most catastrophic threat facing the United States,” Trump wrote in the Jan. 27 order.
Since then, “the Defense Department has gathered the brightest minds and best technical talent available to review a full range of options that considers current U.S. missile defense technology and cutting-edge innovation to rapidly develop and field a dependable umbrella of protection for our homeland,” Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman and Hegseth’s senior adviser, said earlier this week amid reports the Defense Department has been working on the proposal.
Still unclear is exactly how comprehensive the system would be. Also in question is whether such an ambitious program might siphon away money from other vital programs. The Air Force, for example, is in the process of replacing 400 of its intercontinental ballistic missiles built in the 1970s with new ones.
“Some U.S. technology in space such as space-based sensors and air and missile defense exist today, but all of the systems comprising the Golden Dome architecture will need to be seamlessly integrated,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Golden Dome will be fielded in phases, prioritizing defense where the threat is greatest.”
Trump’s plan appears to be on the lower end of congressional cost estimates, but dramatically sooner than thought possible. Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the U.S. would need to spend anywhere from $161 billion to $542 billion over 20 years to develop and launch a network of space-based interceptors.
According to the CBO, these cost estimates are lower than they would have been years ago because of a decline in the cost of available launch services.
(WASHINGTON) — House Republicans are plowing ahead with a vote on the Senate-approved GOP budget blueprint on Wednesday despite opposition from rank-and-file lawmakers.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with the help of President Donald Trump, will need to work to persuade nearly a dozen GOP holdouts to advance the legislation.
GOP leaders don’t have the votes right now. The speaker can only afford to lose three defections if all members are voting and present, and several GOP hard-liners from the House Freedom Caucus are likely to vote against the bill due to what they have said are concerns about how the plan would reduce the deficit.
If Johnson can pull off passing the legislation through the House in the face of likely drama on the House floor, he will deliver Trump a major win.
Trump posted Wednesday morning on his social media platform Truth Social that “it is more important now, than ever, that we pass THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL. The USA will Soar like never before!!!”
The House will hold a vote at 3:30 p.m. on a “rule,” a procedure to advance legislation, which includes the budget blueprint. This will be a key test vote for Republicans.
If the rule vote passes, the House will vote on final passage of the budget blueprint at 5:30 p.m., requiring a simple majority.
Trump met with Johnson and several GOP hard-liners who have said they have concerns about the bill Tuesday afternoon in the Oval Office, though Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., two likely no votes, said they were not invited.
Trump posted afterward that it was “a very good meeting.”
“I let them know that, I AM FOR MAJOR SPENDING CUTS! WE ARE GOING TO DO REDUCTIONS, hopefully in excess of $1 Trillion Dollars, all of which will go into ‘The One, Big, Beautiful Bill,'” he posted Tuesday night. “I, along with House Members and Senators, will be pushing very hard to get these large scale Spending Cuts done, but we must get the Bill approved NOW.”
“A great meeting. The President was very helpful and engaged,” he said. “We have a lot of members’ whose questions were answered. We are making great progress right now.”
Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn., Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Keith Self, R-Texas, and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., were unlikely to support the bill, though it is unclear if they were convinced by the president to change their positions.
However, Roy said Tuesday that he still had concerns with the budget blueprint and will likely vote against the bill, telling reporters that the resolution has “enough” GOP objections to tank it.
“I’m not here for aspirations,” he posted on X. “The Senate’s bill does not add up – it’s all tax cuts with no spending cuts which = deficits.”
Trump made a final pitch to House Republicans while speaking at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s black-tie dinner Tuesday night.
“Just in case there are a couple of Republicans out there, you just got to get there,” Trump said. “Close your eyes and get there. It’s a phenomenal bill. Stop grandstanding. Just stop grandstanding.”
(WASHINGTON) — Two law firms — Jenner and Block and WilmerHale — filed suit against the Trump administration on Friday to block executive orders signed by President Donald Trump last week that targeted their attorneys’ security clearances and bring to a halt any interactions they may have with the federal government.
“The Order threatens not only Jenner, but also its clients and the legal system itself,” Jenner and Block said Friday in its lawsuit. “Our Constitution, top to bottom, forbids attempts by the government to punish citizens and lawyers based on the clients they represent, the positions they advocate, the opinions they voice, and the people with whom they associate.”
Jenner and Block and WilmerHale are the latest firms seeking to counter what has been a rapid onslaught by the White House seeking to target individual firms that have hired or otherwise represented Trump’s political enemies.
“The President’s sweeping attack on WilmerHale (and other firms) is unprecedented and unconstitutional,” the lawsuit said. “The First Amendment protects the rights of WilmerHale, its employees, and its clients to speak freely, petition the courts and other government institutions, and associate with the counsel of their choice without facing retaliation and discrimination by federal officials.”
The firms’ legal challenges against what they have described as blatantly “unconstitutional” executive orders come on the heels of successful effort by the law firm Perkins Coie, which earlier this month secured a court order blocking similar executive action signed by Trump.
The lawsuits, filed in federal court in D.C. on Friday, accuse Trump of engaging in a sweeping campaign to intimidate major law firms who have represented plaintiffs currently suing the administration, or who have represented or at one point employed those he dislikes.
“These orders send a clear message to the legal profession: Cease certain representations adverse to the government and renounce the Administration’s critics — or suffer the consequences,” the Jenner and Block suit said. “The orders also attempt to pressure businesses and individuals to question or even abandon their associations with their chosen counsel, and to chill bringing legal challenges at all.”
Both lawsuits were initially assigned Friday to D.C. District judge Beryl Howell, who previously enjoined the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order against the law firm Perkins Coie — and described it as very likely unconstitutional. But on Friday afternoon, Howell ordered them to be randomly reassigned to a different judge — noting they raise separate factual and legal questions than the Perkins Coie case.
Earlier this week, Howell rejected an effort from the Trump administration to have her removed from overseeing the Perkins Coie lawsuit after they argued she showed clear bias against Trump.
