Trump's week in review: UK trade deal, illegal immigration crackdown, American pope

Harvard funding battle

The Trump administration escalated its conflict with Harvard University, barring it from federal grants until it meets what Secretary of Education Linda McMahon called “common-sense reforms” regarding alleged antisemitism and campus policies.

McMahon fired off a letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber accusing the institution of having "made a mockery" of higher education. "This letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided," McMahon wrote in the scathing three-page letter posted Monday to social media.

Dear @Harvard: pic.twitter.com/XmMimXfkX0

— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) May 5, 2025

"Harvard will cease to be a publicly funded institution and can instead operate as a privately-funded institution, drawing on its colossal endowment, and raising money from its large base of wealthy alumni."

McMahon’s letter follows a $2.2 billion freeze on Harvard’s federal funding, which prompted the university to sue, alleging government overreach.