Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines with the Trump administration’s escalating battle with Harvard University.
The Department of Homeland Security says it’s revoking the school’s ability to enroll international students. In a statement, the agency said that even — quote — “existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”
This comes after officials demanded last month that Harvard turn over information about foreign students that might connect them to violence or protests. The school has not done so. Harvard enrolls nearly 6,800 foreign students, making up about a quarter of its total student body. A spokesperson called today’s action unlawful.
Also today, a federal judge blocked President Trump’s executive order to shut down the Department of Education. He also directed the administration to reinstate the employees who were laid off in recent mass firings. It’s a major setback to Trump’s goal of dismantling the department.
In his order, Judge Myong Joun of Massachusetts said the administration’s efforts painted a — quote — “stark picture of irreparable harm, leading to the loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations.” The department says it will challenge the order.
A divided Supreme Court today rejected a bid by the Catholic Church of Oklahoma to establish what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school. The justices came to a rare tie vote, 4-4, after Amy Coney Barrett recused herself. The outcome affirmed the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision to block the online Catholic charter school, which aimed to incorporate Catholic teachings into its curriculum and activities. But it leaves the issue unresolved nationally over whether the First Amendment allows states to fund such schools.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate voted to block California’s plan to phase out gas-powered cars by the year 2035.
