In recent weeks, the Trump administration has put the American university system on notice.
It has pressed for changes, opened investigations — and in some cases withheld critical funds.
Alan Blinder, who covers education in America, explains how schools are responding to the pressure and what it might mean for the future of higher education.
Yesterday
The Firestorm Over a Rape Allegation at Cornell
An alleged campus sexual assault at Cornell University has gripped the country and ignited a national debate over consent.Debra Kamin, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what we know about what happened.Guest: Debra Kamin, an investigative reporter for the ... Show More
31m 4s
Oct 1
Why Washington Is Trying to Rein In College Sports
In the five years since student athletes have been allowed to earn money, college sports have become a chaotic and murky marketplace where players can move from team to team chasing a payday.Stewart Mandel of The Athletic explains why, this week, Washington decided to step in.Gue ... Show More
29m 34s
Sep 30
Inside the Devastating Hack of the F.B.I.
A little over a decade ago, after hackers broke into the U.S. government and stole the personnel records of millions of federal workers, officials vowed that it would never happen again. Something similar recently did — to the F.B.I.Dustin Volz, who covers cybersecurity for The N ... Show More
23m 57s
Sep 2025
Casualties of Trump’s War on Higher Ed
President Trump has a long list of grievances against many U.S. colleges and universities. He’s complained about antisemitism on campuses, of gender- and race-based course offerings, even communist indoctrination. To force change, the government has increasingly used the power of ... Show More
28m 38s
Apr 2025
Why Trump’s university crackdown is driving professors off US campuses
With academics leaving the US, funding cuts looming over universities for alleged failures to combat antisemitism, and foreign students facing deportation for pro-Palestinian activism, the Trump administration’s policies are being felt at colleges across the United States. What’s ... Show More
25m 11s
Apr 2025
America’s universities stand up to Trump
This week, Harvard University, the oldest and wealthiest in the US, defied Donald Trump a list of demands. The Trump administration responded by freezing $2.2bn in federal funding for the Ivy League school. This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Harvard professor Ryan Enos t ... Show More
27m 57s