Trump will today sign an order to eliminate the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign promise to bring education back to the states. Read more here.
Columbia University’s problems were far from over after its president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, resigned in August.
Under her leadership, pro-Palestine students protesting against the war in Gaza got out of hand, resulting in clashes with police, encampments that remained for months, and the vandalism and illegal occupation of a campus building, Hamilton Hall.
Nine students were later expelled, and many more were suspended.
The school’s current leader, Interim President Katrina Armstrong, failed to clean up her predecessor’s mess, determined an investigation report by federal agencies that found “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students” and cost the school $400 million in federal funding and counting.
Anti-Israel activity continued in and around the New York City campus even as the Trump administration wrapped up its investigation of previous events.
Earlier this month, Columbia students and others protested on the campus and at Trump Tower after learning that additional students connected to last year’s events had recently been suspended, and some graduates had their college degrees temporarily rescinded.
They also protested against the arrest and detainment of former Columbia student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on March 9 and given deportation orders.
The Department of Education issued the university a $5 billion ultimatum demanding a series of corrective actions to protect Jewish students, end anti-Semitic instruction, and eliminate a campus judiciary process that failed to discipline disruptive students in the past.
Should students decide to protest in the future, they can’t wear masks anymore unless for medical or religious purposes. Columbia University has until the end of today to meet those preconditions before federal agencies will even consider future federal aid.
Armstrong sent a letter to the campus community signaling that she would comply with the conditions, though she did not state it explicitly. Her letter says the school has already taken steps to curb anti-Semitism.
“We are working around the clock to secure the future of this extraordinary University,” her letter states.
—Aaron Gifford
KYIV AGREES TO PARTIAL CEASE-FIRE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to a partial ceasefire with Russia during a call with U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday.
The deal will see Ukraine and Russia temporarily halt strikes on one another’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy described the conversation as “positive, very substantive, and frank.”
Kyiv is committed to halting strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and remains willing to accept Trump’s previous call for a total 30-day ceasefire, he added.
The call came a day after Trump held similar talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed not to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure but refused Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
The Kremlin said that Putin would not accept a full ceasefire, however, unless Ukraine was severed from all international military aid and intelligence sharing.
Technical experts from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia will gather in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss the implementation of the partial ceasefire.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have already traded accusations that the other side is violating the agreement.
Meanwhile, the two sides acknowledged a prisoner swap of 175 people on Wednesday, among the largest of the war.
A more permanent armistice remains elusive as Kyiv and Moscow jockey to get American backing for their various proposals on issues related to international economic assistance, the future deployment of peacekeeping forces, and territorial concessions.
Trump’s continued pressure on Kyiv to pony up valuable resources as repayment for assistance already received could also threaten to undermine Ukraine’s position in the negotiations.
Shortly after the call with Zelenskyy, Trump suggested that Kyiv should make a deal to hand over control of its nuclear power plants to the United States.
The Trump administration is also seeking to finalize a deal with Kyiv that will grant the United States access to vast areas of Ukraine’s rare earth metals.
An initial framework for that deal included access to some $500 billion in natural resources, a far greater amount than the $120 billion the United States has spent on direct assistance to Ukraine over the past three years.
—Andrew Thornebrooke
BOOKMARKS
The Federal Reserve has declined to change interest rates keeping the benchmark between 4.25 percent and 4.5 percent. The rates are expected to remain higher while experts weigh inflation and the effect of Donald Trump’s economic policies.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress has issued a report saying math and reading scores have declined steadily for the past six years. The Epoch Times’ Aaron Gifford highlights experts’ recommendations to turn that trend around.
Israel’s war with Gaza is back in full swing as it looks to launch a new ground offensive against Hamas. The operation will seek to recapture a corridor of territory Israel had relinquished during the cease-fire, now to be reclaimed “with an intensity that you have not seen,” according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
The Trump administration has repurposed the CBP One app, previously used by illegal immigrants under President Joe Biden’s administration to enter the country more easily. The new version, CBP Home, allows illegals to self-deport with a chance to return legally in the future.
The FBI has turned its focus to transnational criminal groups like Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang recently classified as “alien enemies” by the Trump administration. “Under President Donald J. Trump, the message to criminals who bring harm and destruction to our communities is simple: you WILL be found and you WILL face justice,” the White House said on X.
—Stacy Robinson
