In a bid to reclaim frozen federal funding, Brown University is now the third Ivy League campus to do so.
The agreement, which was made public on Wednesday, is the most recent instance of a top US school bargaining with the president and agreeing to his demands.
Brown will receive $ 50 million over ten years to improve Rhode Island’s workforce development programs as part of the deal. Additionally, it will commit to supporting its neighborhood’s Jewish community and restricting transgender students’ acceptance.
The Trump administration’s decision to withhold federal funding from prestigious universities in an effort to combat anti-Semitism and “woke” ideology has sparked a wider campaign.
Despite the administration’s claims that its actions are politically motivated and out of step with reality, opponents claim that many administrators feel as though they have no choice but to accept the pressures of funding.
The University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University both signed separate agreements with Trump earlier this month.
Trump’s position on transgender athletes was respected by Columbia, but the University of Pennsylvania agreed to do so in exchange for paying a $200 million settlement.
Similar to how his administration handled Brown, his administration cut funds and began investigations into both schools.
Brown President Christina Paxson asserted in a statement that the agreement protects the institution’s academic independence.
She made a point about the government’s right to control Brown’s curriculum and speech content.
According to Paxson, “maintenance of the University’s discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values, and who we are as a Brown community.”
The controversial Columbia University agreement also has a number of similarities to the controversial agreement, including measures to stop alleged anti-Semitism following widespread protests against Israel’s occupation of Gaza.
Advocates have accused the Trump administration of purposefully demeaning the demonstrations to silence pro-Palestine voices.
According to the new agreement, Brown will need to “support a vibrant Jewish community, research and education about Israel, and a robust Program in Judaic Studies.”
To maintain a welcoming campus climate, including for Jewish faculty and students, it will also need to conduct a survey.
The agreement also addresses Trump’s other priorities, including his opposition to having transgender athletes play sports teams and campus housing that reflect their gender identities.
On January 20, Trump signed an executive order mandating that only the male and female sexes would be recognized, completely rejecting transgender identity.
The president has also tried to stop diversity initiatives, claiming that they are inherently discriminatory.
The school agreed to provide a trove of data on the race, grades, and standardized test scores of students who applied and were accepted to the university for a “comprehensive audit” in his government’s agreement with Brown.
Brown is also prohibited from using any “proxy for racial admission,” such as personal statements or “diversity narratives,” in the agreement.
However, Brown evaded a request from Columbia that an independent monitor be appointed to check compliance with the agreement.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the agreement demonstrated how successfully the Trump administration had “reversed the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions.”
The Trump administration will pay the $50 million in unpaid federal grant costs as part of the deal, despite Brown’s commitment to invest $50 million in workforce development in Rhode Island.
The Trump administration’s projected withholding of the school’s nearly $ 510 million in grants and research funding.
Administrators reportedly said this week that they were willing to spend up to $500 million to reach a deal, but the president is still locked in a standoff with Harvard University.
At least 71 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli-caused attacks in Gaza as a result of a worsening humanitarian crisis, according to medical sources in the area. Additionally, seven more people have died from malnutrition and famine in the besieged area.
Israeli forces were heading toward the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering northern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 51 people and injuring more than 648 others, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
The Nasser Medical Complex reported that another 20 people who were attempting to get aid were killed close to Khan Younis in southern Gaza’s “Morag Corridor.”
Israeli forces killed more than 1, 000 Palestinians who were requesting aid near US- and Israeli-backed GHF’s aid distribution centers, which started operations in late May.
The UN and other humanitarian organizations have harshly criticized the GHF for not providing enough aid and for the dire security conditions at and nearby its aid distribution sites.
Aid organizations and health officials are putting forth new threats of starvation, particularly among children and the elderly, as a result of the attacks.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 89 children have died from malnutrition, the most recently reported death toll. A famine scenario is unfolding, according to a global hunger monitor’s report on Tuesday.
Jihan al-Quraan, a mother who spoke to Al Jazeera while holding her young daughter, is one of the people who are struggling to survive. Look at her stomach, she says! An entire month without bread means no flesh, just bones, she said, citing the lack of food.
Al-Quraan claimed she tried to leave empty-handed but instead tried to get some food in a crowded soup kitchen. She continued, “I only discovered a few dry pasta shells on the floor.”
Aid entering Gaza is still far below the required levels despite growing needs. The majority of the population is not reached by the aid flow into Gaza, according to Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for UNRWA, the organization that provides refuge for Palestinian refugees.
To meet basic humanitarian needs, Gaza needs at least 500 to 600 aid trucks each day, according to the UN. Over the past four days, only 269 trucks have gotten into the area.
According to Tareq Abu Azzoum of Al Jazeera, the majority of them were looted by “hungry crowds.” “Now, it’s not very shocking to loot.” A starving population that has been denied access to food, water, and medical supplies has had a predictable outcome for a long time.
He continued, “People have gone days without getting any kind of food.” “The Gaza Strip’s trucks are not able to meet the population’s needs,” the statement says.
According to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, dozens of elderly people have died in displacement camps as a result of starvation, malnähriation, or a lack of care, according to a report released by the organization.
Due to the ministry’s lack of a transparent reporting system and the tendency of families to immediatelybury their loved ones, many of these deaths were identified as natural causes, according to the group’s statement on X.
In addition, it stated that over the past two weeks, there have been “unprecedented surges” in daily deaths in hospitals and primary care settings, with hundreds of elderly patients visiting “states of extreme exhaustion, seeking nutritional fluids.”
Israeli bombardment continues.
According to medical sources, at least 15 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday in Gaza.
That includes the three people who, at the very least, were killed in two separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, including Palestinian photojournalist Ibrahim Mahmoud Hajjaj, 35. Two people were killed and others were hurt in a strike that occurred close to the Az-Zahra School in the central Daraj neighborhood. Hajjaj was killed in a second strike in Gaza City’s eastern region.
Since October 7, 178 journalists have been killed in Israel’s occupation of Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 60 Palestinians have been killed and more than 146, 000 others have been injured in Israeli attacks since the start of the conflict, according to the country’s health ministry. During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, an estimated 1, 139 people were killed in Israel, and more than 200 others were taken prisoner.
threat of annexation in Gaza
A Palestinian minister made the suggestion of annexing parts of Gaza, which would undermine any hope for a two-state solution and further cement Israel’s occupation in violation of international law.
Security cabinet member Zeev Elkin claimed that Israel may give Hamas the ultimatum to reach a deal before extending its military operations, accusing the organization of trying to drag out ceasefire negotiations to snag Israeli concessions.
Losing lands is his contention, saying that it is the enemy’s most agonizing experience. A significant pressure tool would be to say to Hamas that they will lose land that they will never recover from playing games with them.
The remarks were made shortly after Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu claimed the Israeli government was “advancing the destruction of Gaza.”
Eliyahu stated on Haredi radio station Kol Barama, “The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be completely eradicated.” We are eliminating this evil, God bless. We are promoting “My Mein Kampf” among the population that has been educated, he said, referring to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany’s Nazi Party,’s autobiography and political work from 1925.
Eliyahu’s remarks sparked widespread outcry, including from the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Israeli media reports suggest that the government is putting together a formal ceasefire ultimatum against Hamas: accept them or be subject to territory annexation.
According to Channel 13 in Israel, Israel may attempt to annex land close to the Gaza perimeter fence by pushing up to a kilometer inside the Strip.
As Hamas and Israel continue to negotiate in mediation with American, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators, these threats come as negotiations continue. According to Channel 12, Israel has proposed a 60-day ceasefire that would call for the withdrawal of allies from Gaza but not the end of the conflict.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Israel on Thursday to discuss “next steps” to take to resolve the situation, according to a US official. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, stated earlier this week that he anticipated more centers to be constructed in Gaza.
In light of the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza, Canada has joined several Western nations in declaring its intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He explained that Ottawa had hoped a negotiated peace process would lead to a two-state solution, but that strategy was “no longer tenable.”
At the 80th UN General Assembly session in September 2025, Carney told reporters that Canada plans to recognize the State of Palestine.
The United Kingdom and France made a similar announcement earlier this month with this move.
However, it is unclear how these recognitions will affect Israel’s ongoing conflict with Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, the two Palestinian states that would be a part of a Palestinian state.
According to Carney, the recognition is based on Mahmoud Abbas’ and the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to reform and the holding of general elections in 2026.
He emphasized that Hamas cannot participate in upcoming elections and that it will not be permitted to participate, which some claim could tarnishe any democratic process.
“Stopping up a two-state solution means standing with all those who favor peace over terrorism or violence,” Carney said.
US rejects the recognition of Palestine
The top ally of Israel, the United States, has opposed attempts to recognize a Palestinian state, claiming that Hamas is rewarded by doing so.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of the United States, made a mockery of Emmanuel Macron earlier this month when he announced his plans to recognize Palestine.
Trump compared Macron to Macron, saying, “What he says doesn’t matter. Nothing will change it, according to the statement.
He also criticized the UK’s decision on Tuesday, claiming that it had not been discussed during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland.
“You could argue that you are rewarding Hamas and that you are rewarding people.” They shouldn’t be compensated, in my opinion. To be honest, I don’t belong in that camp, Trump said.
Despite accusations made by UN experts and human rights organizations that the US ally is committing a genocide against Palestinians, the Trump administration has continued to support Israel.
Since the start of the war in 2023, the Israeli military has killed more than 60, 000 Palestinians in Gaza.
calls for sanctions
In response to concerns about human rights violations, Canada announced last year that it would stop issuing new permits for weapons exports to Israel.
A coalition of advocacy groups released a report earlier this week that was based on Israeli tax records and revealed new details about how weapons have been continuing to be sent to Israel.
The organizations demanded Ottawa to revoke all existing arms export permits to Israel and accused the Canadian government of creating a “web of lies” to defend itself from criticism.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims applauded Carney’s announcement on Wednesday, but called on Canada to take additional action to stop Gaza’s assault.
It compared Trump’s own pressure to make Canada the 51st state in the US with Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The organization stated in a statement that “Canada must continue to stand by our values in order to lead an independent foreign policy, especially given that the Trump administration, which supports the annexation of Gaza, also has the potential to create a 51st state.
At the Windsor, Ontario engine plant of Ford Motor Company of Canada, where she has spent the past 30 years, Kristin Lawton, 53, has worked for the company for 30 years in health and safety.
In Windsor, a major industrial hub close to the US border near Detroit, Laurie is a fourth-generation auto worker.
Her husband, her son, and both of her great-grandfather worked for Ford, which employs them today.
According to Lawton, who currently works in health and safety at the factory, “these are really well-paying jobs.”
For employees at this place, it will change their lives. ”
More people work in manufacturing jobs at Windsor than anyone else, or 19% of the workforce. Tariff threats are currently affecting those workers and employers in Canada’s industrial heartland.
President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum in March, and the same tariffs on automobiles weeks later. He increased the duties on steel and aluminum in June. He is also threatening to tax copper at a 50% ; beginning on Friday.
Trump has until May 30 to reach a deal with Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney. or pay 35 percent tariffs on all products deemed to be incompatible with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by 2020, in addition to previous duties.
Trump slammed Canadians’ hopes for a reprieve last Friday.
Trump said that Canada might just pay tariffs. Not really a negotiation, she says. ”
The European Union agreed to pay 15% duties on the majority of European exports on Sunday following the same deadline.
Long-established US and Canadian manufacturers are anticipating the worst, just like industry-dependent communities.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s senior director of manufacturing, Alex Greco, said, “Volatility continues to be the new certainty.”
Confidence loss
Lawton’s coworkers were “all on edge,” according to her. Trump’s first tariffs were the result of her efforts.
Her plant produces engines for US-based companies in Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan, with some of its components coming from abroad.
It definitely has a real human impact, she said, not least of which is in our region, which is the center of all Canadian manufacturing. ”
Krysten Lawton, one of Canada’s auto workers, is concerned about the impact of tariffs on their jobs.
1. of Canadian manufacturers are employed. 7 million people, or one-tenth of the nation’s gross domestic product, exported 356 billion dollars ($257 billion US) of goods to the US last year, with 530,000 manufacturing jobs directly tied to exports.
Over 30,000 direct export-dependent jobs were created out of 62 billion Canadian dollars ($45 billion) of that. Nearly 10,000 jobs were created in Canada thanks to exports of 13 billion Canadian dollars ($9 billion) of domestically produced aluminum. Steel and iron costing 4 billion Canadian dollars ($6 billion), creating nearly 6,000 jobs.
Trump’s volatile approach, according to Greco, “just lowers overall investment confidence, lowering confidence in cross-border supply chains,” stifling many businesses’ expansion plans.
Job impacts are delayed by official data. However, this year, thousands of people have been laid off in the metal and automotive industries.
According to Centre for Future Work director and economist Jim Stanford, Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) decreased in April, primarily in manufacturing, which has already had a significant impact.
He said, “The tariffs themselves, and probably more importantly, the uncertainty surrounding the tariffs, are definitely hitting home.”
Only 11% of voters believe Trump will negotiate in “good faith” amid the tariff whims that he has implemented have caused concern among workers, employers, and voters.
The harm could be worse, according to Catherine Connelly, the director of McMaster University’s Center for Research on Employment and Work.
She noted that employment is actually rising without widespread layoffs or inflationary changes.
The business professor in Hamilton, Ontario, said, “We are in the point where anything can happen.” However, it appears that there will be some sort of tariffs.
No company has ever desired this, according to the statement. ”
If tariffs are kept, the auto industry will suffer.
Since the Canada-US Auto Pact of 1965, car factories along the Michigan-Ontario border have grown increasingly congested.
Julian Vikan Karaguesian, a professor of economics at McGill University and a member of the Canadian finance ministry, praised the country’s 60 years of integration as a source of information on trade issues, including those at the US embassy.
It will hurt if these tariffs continue, according to the statement. ”
Workers are concerned, especially younger ones, who have less seniority protections and are paying more, according to John D’Agnolo, chair of Unifor’s Auto Industry Council.
The long-time Ford employee and unionist called it “funny.” They are concerned, they say.
They must ensure that their families are looked after. ”
Greco predicted that industry slowdowns would “ripen” across auto-dependent regions.
He said that companies will have to make difficult choices. There is still a chance of a recession, according to the article. ”
There are exceptions for North American-made parts, according to experts.
According to Stanford, the US tariff on cars is supposed to adjust for the car’s US-made content, Stanford said. However, industry is actually just scratching their heads. ”
‘Cascading impacts ‘
Tariffs on raw metals for cars will have “cascading impacts,” according to Greco, even for USMCA-compliant auto parts.
Canadian steel accounts for a quarter of the country’s imported steel, and aluminum accounts for more than half.
[File: Carlos Osorio/Reuters] The US imports a quarter of its steel from Canada.
One region houses one-third of the workforce in Ontario, “the heart” of the metal industry.
Nearly 12,000 people work in the metal manufacturing industry on the peninsula that surrounds Hamilton, Canada’s “steel capital.”
Steel is particularly important to Hamiltonians; It’s a sizable sector, Connelly said. The businesses are extraordinarily resilient, according to the company.
No one, however, ever imagined that a situation like this might arise. It’s undoubtedly a shock. ”
Zehns of thousands of metalworkers are represented by the United Steelworkers. Marty Warren, its national union director for Canada, warns that “a lot is at stake” for members who produce goods “from the moment you are born caskets for your final day.”
Many of his members are concerned about their chances of finding “great-paying jobs” that “support communities”.
He noted that it definitely sparked some anxiety. The membership is frightened of the fact that, “Should I be saving my money for the dark times?” ’”
Carney imposed his own steel tariffs on a number of nations on July 16 to “ensure Canadian steel producers are more competitive.”
The Canadian Prime Minister should take more steps to safeguard domestic industries, according to unions.
What would be a nation without a domestic steel industry, Warren remarked. ”
The labor movement was polarized.
One thorn in the highly unionized manufacturing sector of Canada: US labor leaders support Trump’s “America First” economic agenda. The head of the United Auto Workers endorsed “restoring American jobs”.
Do we find it shocking? D’Agnolo remarked. We work well together, of course, so we’re proud of ourselves. ”
Lawton, a Ford employee, uses less diplomatic language to refer to pro-tariff leaders as “chameleons” for their resolute criticism of Trump.
You have people who will support him one day and oppose him the next, according to her. It would actually have a much greater impact on the US than it would ours.
Lawton objected to Ford’s decision to relocate US workers to Canada in 1905.
She claimed, “We have never taken any American jobs.” But once you hear it repeatedly, you begin to believe it. ”
After decades of declining manufacturing, Trump allegedly sparked a “hearing of big betrayal” among blue-collar Americans. He said, “It’s not clear he’ll be able to tariff his way back to America because he’s a major manufacturer.” Shortcuts are hardly ever effective. ”
Trump’s administration claims that tariffs will bring jobs back to his nation [File: Leah Millis/Reuters]
You must be able to bounce, the saying goes.
Before becoming the Bank of Canada, Karaguesian held the position of head of Carney’s finance department.
Even though he has been dealt a very difficult hand of cards, he considers Carney to be “very clever economically, politically, and strategically”
Carney will have to make a compromise, but not without cost.
We will have to draw a line in the sand, Karaguesian said, if we want to remain a sovereign nation. ”
According to a poll, two-thirds of Canadians favor Carney making “hard concessions” and refusing them.
Lawton describes manufacturing as a “roll coaster” in Windsor, an auto-dependent community.
You get a layoff after buying your first home, thinking about starting a family, and then bang, she said.
Young workers worry the most about her. She urges her children to diversify their skills and not rely on one source of income to weather the storms of manufacturing.
Similar advice would she offer Carney.
She said, “You have to be able to bounce.” Because of the roller coaster ride, I don’t want to give cars to my boys.
Laura Dahlmeier, a German biathlete and two-time Olympiad champion, was killed by falling rocks while climbing Laila Peak, a 6, 094-meter summit in northern Pakistan. A landslide that reached her at a height of about 5,700 meters on Monday morning struck her.
The co-founder of Palestine Action in the UK has successfully challenged a government’s decision to outlaw the organization in accordance with anti-terror laws. The ban may violate the right to free speech, according to a judge. Nearly 200 people have been detained on suspicion of publicly supporting the organization since the ban began in early July.
