President Trump suggested today that Harvard University could be stripped of its tax-exempt status after the school refused to bow to the government’s demands. Federal law prohibits the president from directing the I.R.S. to investigate specific organizations, but Trump’s threat was nevertheless a dramatic escalation in the feud between the government and the nation’s richest and oldest university.
Just yesterday, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard after the school rebuffed a series of changes to its policies and curriculum.
The administration has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in federal funding from colleges and universities over diversity hiring practices and tolerance of anti-Israel protests on campuses which have sometimes included antisemitic behavior. These seven schools have been singled out for punitive funding cuts or notified that their funding is in jeopardy.
Critics of Trump cheered Harvard’s resistance as an example for other institutions to follow. Harvard would face a significant financial burden if it lost its tax exempt status, but is uniquely positioned to withstand a showdown with the government because of its endowment of more than $50 billion.
Columbia University, which last month agreed to major concessions the government had demanded, changed its tune today. Its new acting president announced that the school would reject any deal that erodes its independence.
It’s Tax Day and the I.R.S. is downsizing
About 22,000 employees at the Internal Revenue Service have signed up for the Trump administration’s latest resignation offer. Together with earlier departures, including thousands of layoffs that have been contested in court, the tax agency is on track to lose about a third of its work force this year.
The cuts have already caused the I.R.S. to abandon some audits. And the staff reductions are expected to decrease the amount of revenue the federal government is able to collect, in part because taxpayers may feel more emboldened to try to avoid paying taxes if the I.R.S. is diminished.
Hopefully you’ve already filed your taxes: If not, here are some last-minute tips.
In other politics news:
Many Ukrainians have little hope of a cease-fire
The war in Ukraine has continued, despite Trump’s push for a truce. On Sunday, Russia launched two ballistic missiles into the city of Sumy, killing 34 civilians, including two children, and wounding another 117.
A team of Times reporters visited the city after the attack and spoke with the residents. The overwhelming feeling there is one of fear, ceaseless tension and frayed nerves. Every week, one building or another is blown to pieces. “In Sumy,” the mayor said, “we don’t have a day or night of calm.”
Autopsies showed some Gaza medics were shot in the head
The paramedics and rescue workers killed in an Israeli shooting in Gaza last month died mainly from gunshots to the head or chest, according to autopsy reports obtained by The Times.
The reports said 11 of the men had gunshot wounds and that most had been shot multiple times. Israel’s military said it was investigating.
More top news
A fight is brewing over Van Gogh’s last painting
Vincent Van Gogh spent his final days in the idyllic French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, just north of Paris. People come from afar to trace the tortured painter’s last footsteps. But since 2020, when art experts identified his final work as “Tree Roots,” there has been strife in the town.
The main tree root depicted in the painting — that of a black locust tree, dubbed the “elephant” by enthusiasts — abuts a public road. The village’s mayor has been fighting the property owners in court over who is in control of it. So far, the property owners, who have set up a website and non-profit organization for the tree roots, are winning.
How an anime master perfected the ‘cool guy’ protagonist
Television shows made by Shinichiro Watanabe have helped define contemporary anime.
His work, including the renowned “Cowboy Bebop,” is known for thrilling fight scenes, propulsive musical scores and fun, unpredictable characters. But his enduring signature is in his cool and magnetic protagonists, who are always athletic and always stylish. Here’s how the hero of his latest show, “Lazarus,” fits into this history.
Santa’s hometown is booming
Every year for well over a decade, hundreds of thousands of tourists have ventured to the small Finnish city of Rovaniemi, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Virtually all go for the same reason: to visit the self-proclaimed hometown of Santa Claus.
My colleague Jeffrey Gettleman recently joined the hordes and witnessed firsthand just how much the city revolves around St. Nick. He tried the reindeer blood pancakes, heard from exasperated locals and chatted with the Santas, who are trained to make small talk in 20 languages.
Have a jolly evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor.
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