4 h. ago NY public schools tell Trump administration they won't comply with DEI order

New York state school officials have told the Trump administration that they will not comply with its demands to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices, despite the administration’s threats to terminate federal education funding

Politics

23 h. ago US supreme court allows Trump administration to freeze teacher

Millions in grants that would promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives may be frozen following rulingThe US supreme court is letting the Trump administration temporarily freeze $65m in teacher-training grants that would promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in a 5-4 decision.The decision came down on Friday afternoon, with five of the court’s conservatives – Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh – in the majority. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson all dissented. Continue reading...

Politics

27 h. ago Fed chair warns of high inflation and slower growth as Trump tells him to cut interest rates – live

Federal Reserve chair says ‘we face a highly uncertain outlook’ as president tells him to cut interest ratesPeople in the US: how have your shopping habits changed due to Trump’s tariffs?Trump insists he won’t back down from global trade war as markets slumpThe Trump administration is taking aim at Brown University with threats to freeze $510m in grants, widening its promise to withhold federal funding from schools it accuses of allowing antisemitism on campus, according to multiple media outlets including Reuters and the New York Times.University officials said they had not yet been formally notified, but the school was among dozens warned last month that enforcement actions could be coming as the administration seeks to crack down on academic institutions . Continue reading...

Events

31 h. ago ‘My policies will never change’: Trump doubles down on trade war after China announces retaliatory tariffs – live

US president says on Truth Social that ‘this is a great time to get rich’ despite China issuing a 34% tariff on all US goods The Trump administration is taking aim at Brown University with threats to freeze $510m in grants, widening its promise to withhold federal funding from schools it accuses of allowing antisemitism on campus, according to multiple media outlets including Reuters and the New York Times.University officials said they had not yet been formally notified, but the school was among dozens warned last month that enforcement actions could be coming as the administration seeks to crack down on academic institutions . Continue reading...

Events

35 h. ago Furious Macron tells European firms to freeze billions in US investments

The bloc has already responded fiercely to the US President's decision to impose a 20 per cent tariff on all EU goods sold to the US.

Economics

57 h. ago Millions of Afghans lose access to healthcare services as USAID cuts shut clinics

Fears of surge in malnutrition, measles, malaria and polio as 206 World Health Organization facilities forced to close ‘I begged them, my daughter was dying’: how Taliban male escort rules are killing mothers and babiesMore than 200 health facilities run by the World Health Organization in Afghanistan, providing medical care for 1.84 million people, have closed or ceased operating after the US aid cuts announced by the Trump administration shut off life-saving medical care, including vaccinations, maternal and child health services.On his first day in office in January, President Donald Trump announced an immediate freeze on all US foreign assistance, including more than $40bn (£32bn) for international projects coming from USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. It was later confirmed that more than 80% of USAID programmes had been cancelled. Continue reading...

Science

3 d. ago Trump freezes CT education funds: Which districts are affected?

Trump freezes CT education funds: Which districts are affected?  CT Mirror

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Hope in my heart’: big Texas welcome for displaced Afghans on hold as Trump freezes refugee programs

Texas volunteers had prepared welcome for family fleeing Taliban now stranded in Pakistan in fear of being deportedThe 24-year-old Afghan woman wants to become a surgeon – and she had set her sights on training in the US.She wants to care for other women and girls, so they don’t have to be afraid to visit the doctor – so at least in one crucial aspect of their lives they won’t have to endure the unwanted advances, dismissive comments and blatant disrespect that she’s experienced from many of the men who have always surrounded her, first in her native Afghanistan and now in legal limbo in Pakistan. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Trump officials to review $9bn in Harvard funds over antisemitism claims

Administration accuses university of failing to protect students and plans to look into federal grants and contractsThe Trump administration announced a review on Monday of $9bn in federal contracts and grants at Harvard University over allegations that it failed to address issues of antisemitism on campus.The multi-agency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said it will review the more than $255.6m in contracts between Harvard University, its affiliates and the federal government, according to a joint statement from the education department, the health department and the General Services Administration. The statement also says the review will include the more than $8.7bn in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Scientists shielding farming from climate change need more public funding. But they're getting less

Public funding for agricultural research in the U.S. has been declining for the last two decades, a process Trump has rapidly accelerated by freezing or pausing support for a variety of research programs financed by the USDA, EPA and other organizations

Politics

1 week ago Trump officials pause some green card applications in immigration crackdown

Approved refugees reportedly affected by freeze on processing after Trump demands more aggressive vettingUS politics live – latest updatesThe Trump administration has paused the processing of certain green card applications as the US government continues to implement a hardline immigration agenda.CBS News reported that approved refugees are part of the processing freeze, as the White House enacts an effort to more aggressively vet immigrants to the US. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Youth Music launches Rescue the Roots campaign to save grassroots projects: ‘The time for action is now’

New campaign launches as Ed Sheeran calls for urgent government funding of music education in the UK

Events

1 week ago Italy’s Pirelli pushes Chinese owner to cut stake amid fears of Trump freeze

Management will demand Sinochem reduce its stake in tyremaker at board meeting on Wednesday

Politics

1 week ago The rare turtle stranded in Wales thanks to Trump’s aid freeze

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle named Rhossi was found on the coast of northern Wales in 2023 - now he can’t get home

Politics

1 week ago Teenage Migrant Injured Turtle! Hurt young sea creature from the US is stranded in Wales after Trump foreign aid freeze

The Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Rhossi, washed up on Anglesey at the end of 2023 but was slowly nursed back to health and had been poised to return to the wild.

Events

1 week ago European universities offer ‘scientific asylum’ to US researchers fleeing Trump’s cuts

Academics from US hoping to escape funding freezes and ideological impositions are being actively recruitedLaced with terms such as “censorship” and “political interference”, the Belgium-based jobs advert was far from typical. The promise of academic freedom, however, hinted at who it was aimed at: researchers in the US looking to flee the funding freezes, cuts and ideological impositions ushered in by Donald Trump’s administration.“We see it as our duty to come to the aid of our American colleagues,” said Jan Danckaert, the rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in explaining why his university – founded in 1834 to safeguard academia from the interference of church or state – had decided to open 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a particular focus on Americans. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Scots divided on future of SNP's 'free tuition' for university students as half say they support means testing

Call for ‘more nuanced and open discussion’ on future of higher education funding

Politics

1 week ago Ed Sheeran writes urgent open letter to Keir Starmer for music education funding: ‘The time to act is now’

British singer-songwriter is joined by fellow stars Harry Styles, Stormzy, Robert Plant and Eric Clapton in calling on Keir Starmer to provide a £250m music education package

Politics

1 week ago Ed Sheeran spearheads call for music education funding after ‘decades’ of cuts

He has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Government officials calling for immediate, long-term funding for UK music education.

Politics

2 w. ago US universities face choice to surrender or fight back against Trump’s takeover

‘Extraordinary fear’ takes hold at universities as Trump campaign threatens investigations or loss of federal fundsThe Trump administration’s unprecedented pressure campaign on American higher education – which is forcing major universities to bow to its demands or risk investigations and the loss of millions of dollars in federal money – is so far facing little pushback from the schools affected.That campaign escalated earlier this month, when the US government cancelled $400m in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University. In a subsequent letter, representatives of three federal agencies said they would reconsider that freeze only if Columbia agreed to conditions including more aggressively disciplining students who engage in pro-Palestinian disruptions, planning “comprehensive” reform of the school’s admissions policies, and placing one of school’s area studies departments under “academic receivership” – meaning under the control of an outside chair. Continue reading...

Politics