University Protests and Trump Administration's Demands

  • University protests against the Trump administration's demands for limiting activism on campus continue across the country.
  • Harvard University was the first to openly defy the Trump administration, with students, faculty, and staff rallying in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • The university frames the government's demands as a threat to its autonomy and the Supreme Court's long-granted rights to American universities.

Immigration and Deportation Issues

  • The Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of international students and scholars who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel.
  • More than 1,000 international students have had their visas or statuses revoked in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System this year.
  • A federal judge ruled that "probable cause exists" to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders on deportation flights.

Federal Funding Cuts

  • The Trump administration has announced plans to cut roughly one-third of the federal health budget, with a memo stating that tens of billions of dollars will be slashed from the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • The National Institutes of Health's budget would also be reduced by more than 40%.
  • Programs on gun violence prevention, chronic disease prevention, and domestic HIV/AIDS prevention would be eliminated entirely.

Other News

  • The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal grants at Harvard University in response to the school's refusal to comply with its demands.
  • The IRS is reportedly considering revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status.
  • President Donald Trump has extended the federal hiring freeze through July 15, as part of his efforts to cut spending within the federal government.
  • Ukraine has signed a memorandum with the US as a step toward a proposed minerals deal between the two countries.

Protests and Demonstrations

  • Protests against Israel's assault on Gaza continue across the world, including in Pakistan, Germany, and the Netherlands.
  • Palestinian solidarity protesters were violently arrested by police in Berlin.
  • Activists protested on the roof of a factory that supplies hardware to Israel's biggest weapons producer, Elbit Systems.

Other Developments

  • The Trump administration is planning to sell the Washington, DC, headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  • A Justice Department attorney said that Attorney General Pam Bondi could potentially take "criminal action" against states that count mail ballots that arrive at election offices after Election Day.

US News Headlines April 17th 2025