10 ms·

NIH freezes all research grants to Columbia University

127 points by pmags 2y ago

pmags 2y ago
Some key text from the article: At the behest of its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH will not only block new funding for the university, but also stop paying investigators working on all existing NIH projects. Although these researchers will not be ordered to stop work, they will need prior approval from NIH to draw from existing disbursements, according to an NIH source.
Blackthorn 2y ago
[flagged]
mkoubaa 2y ago
Our universities are the envy of the world for their academic freedoms. Were. Were the envy of the world.
- AlexandrB 2y ago
  When did they stop being the envy of the world? Was it when every member of faculty was basically forced to sign diversity pledges?[1] Was it when students and faculty were given time off to mourn the outcome of a democratic election?[2] Or maybe it was when protesters for a conflict half a world away were allowed to intimidate students from attending classes?[3] No, I guess it was when government funding was cut ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ [1] https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/fire-statement-use-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-criteria-faculty-hiring-and https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/fire-statement-use-di... [2] https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/11/07/its-just-heartbreaking-columbia-and-barnard-students-react-to-trump-election/ https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/11/07/its-just-h... [3] https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-arrested-at-yale-columbia-pauses-in-person-classes-amid-anti-israel-protests/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-arrested-at-yale-columb... Edit: See also this account of the last four years: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/the-last-four-years-were-the-most https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/the-last-four-years-wer... Academic freedom has been dead at US universities for a while. The murderer is not the guy who was elected in 2024.
  - SubiculumCode 2y ago
    Please. Re the fire.org, have you read through the 600 cases? [1] https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/scholars-under-fire#home/?view_4_page=48 https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/scholars-under-fire#h... Read them. You won't see any strong "woke" pattern...just the usual mix bag
  - MarceColl 2y ago
    As an outsider, none of what you said matters one bit to us. All seems fairly reasonable by "world" standards. When your universities stopped being the envy of the world was when attending them meant hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for a teenager. The cuts are even more pathetic and just cement our image.
  - mkoubaa 2y ago
    (1) and (2) have some merit but (3) is total nonsense
  - BriggyDwiggs42 1y ago
    > No, I guess it was when government funding was cut Yup
School-Cotton 2y ago
Is there a serious steelman argument for why it makes sense to reflexively call protests against Israel anti-Semitic? The Jews are a globally distributed (and somewhat loosely defined) cultural group, whereas Israel is a specific concrete geopolitical entity. They are just completely categorically different things. Even if you have insane pro-terrorist views and want to wipe Israel off the map (which, to be clear, I don’t support), it’s not necessarily the case that your reason for holding those beliefs is antipathy to the Jewish culture, religion or ethnicity. Indeed that might be why you hold those beliefs, but as far as I can tell it’s not logically required.
- mmoustafa 2y ago
  [flagged]
- thakoppno 2y ago
  Can you identify a person that best exemplifies this steelman argument?
  - School-Cotton 2y ago
    I was asking if there is one, not asserting that there is. I don’t understand your question.
    - ars 2y ago
      Flying Hamas flags, saying "From the river to the sea", and calling for intifada are all antisemitic, not anti-Israel. Being anti-Zionist - but only to the Jews in Israel, and not the Arabs, is also antisemitic (and racist).
      - KingMob 2y ago
        You know the Israeli government has also used the phrase "From the river to the sea", right? "Intifada" just means "uprising"; the original Palestinian intifadas referred to nonviolent work stoppages, protests, etc. The attempt to imply it means something grosser is your ignorance and/or racism. > Being anti-Zionist - but only to the Jews in Israel, and not the Arabs This thought is incoherent. It's like saying Blacks protesting America are also protesting Black Americans.
someothherguyy 2y ago
makes one wonder how many people currently in clinical trials will suffer because of this
- jijji 2y ago
  [flagged]
perihelions 2y ago
https://archive.is/GRKJc https://archive.is/GRKJc
selcuka 2y ago
Wow. This is literally the definition of doublespeak. > The administration also accuses the [60] universities of racism through their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs [...]
- mrkstu 2y ago
  How so? Racism vs Asians and Whites and Jews is still racism by the letter of the law.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - arrosenberg 2y ago
    War is peace. Diversity is racism.
    - theGeatZhopa 2y ago
      ...kings are not elected, but made ;)
      - arrosenberg 2y ago
        Your point? Americans don't kneel.
        theGeatZhopa 2y ago
        .. not all of them, sure.
        esseph 2y ago
        There's a lot kneeling right now.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
deleted 2y ago
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jfengel 2y ago
Any idea why Columbia in particular? Dozens of universities had protests of varying kinds, and they fell over themselves trying to comply. Does something make Columbia stand out? Or was it an arbitrary pick to be an example?
- avs733 2y ago
  A working theory is a grudge from a long time ago over not buying land from trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-university-400-million.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-u...
- deleted 2y ago
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- plegresl 2y ago
  Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million A quarter-century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-university-400-million.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-u...
- someothherguyy 2y ago
  From the article: > Brown University and Princeton University have also had their NIH grants frozen, and the agency is reviewing its funding to Harvard University as part of a broader Trump administration review of some $9 billion in federal funding to the Massachusetts school.
- hayst4ck 2y ago
  https://snyder.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-antisemitism https://snyder.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-antisemitism But why was Columbia put first? It is in New York. More than twenty percent of its undergraduate students are Jewish. No matter the experiences or attitudes of these students, their university suddenly losing four hundred million dollars is unlikely to improve their education and life chances. Columbia students can speak for themselves. My guess is that Columbia was selected as the symbolic first target less because of the presence of antisemitism than because of the presence of Jews. And I think that this is something that actual American antisemites will immediately have grasped. The city of New York is coded for antisemites as Jewish. The antisemites in America, seeing Columbia and New York punished, will see Jews being punished -- and they will be pleased by this. The same goes for universities as a whole. Universities are often understood by antisemites to be Jewish. The attempt to bring universities to heel will be met by antisemites with approval. If that sounds wild, 4 prominent republicans have Sieg Heiled. Including musk, and Trump's first chief strategist Bannon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9pXCuJnbc&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9pXCuJnbc&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfYjPzj1Xw&t=18s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfYjPzj1Xw&t=18s
CharlieDigital 2y ago
It baffles me because everyone wins when we fund research. And by and large, the biggest benefactors of public research are private companies that can develop and commercialize the research. Not only will this cause brain drain, but in the long run it will surely make American industry less competitive across the board.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
  As is so much else going on, this is a failed marshmallow test meant only to satisfy short term emotion.
- ks2048 2y ago
  Quote: In a 2021 speech entitled ‘The Universities are the enemy,’ Vice President JD Vance laid out a plan for America’s universities saying in part “we have to honestly and aggressively attack the universities in this country.” from, https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7493272 https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7493272
  - omnimus 2y ago
    You do that after you got your Yale degree with all the education and connections that come with it.
- deleted 2y ago
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jijji 2y ago
[flagged]
perihelions 2y ago
I can't believe it's coincidence and accident that this Administration is assaulting medical research simultaneously on multiple fronts: here, with these attacks on universities, that seem to primarily target NIH research at America's most prestigious schools; the DOGE attacks, which are preferentially deleting medical workers, multiple entire offices at the FDA and the CDC; and that decision to elevate an HIV/AIDS denier to the office of HHS secretary. I don't know what the intention is behind this systematic assault on medicine. It's incomprehensible.
- ajross 2y ago
  They view it as an assault on Universities, not "science". The thinking goes (you see this kind of rhetoric right here on HN) that The Radical Left has infested education in the United States and polluted the thinking of a generation of future leaders. "Woke Mind Virus", etc... So to stamp that out, you need to get the kids to stop with the bad thinking. But you can't actually do that as the government because of the whole "shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech" thing. So instead you hit their school instead. Make it so Columbia (in this case) knows that their funding depends on the grace of the government, and that if they want it back they need to start expelling or otherwise controlling the spreaders of the woke virus.
  - readthenotes1 2y ago
    I am not sure why you are getting downvoted. This is the rationale given to me by the Trump supporters I know with postgraduate degrees
    - the_third_wave 2y ago
      The downvote button is used by (too) many as the online equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears while loudly saying la la la la la, I can't hear you when confronted with facts they want to but can not rebuke.
    - spankalee 2y ago
      They're being downvoted by Trump supporters who want Columbia to be pressured to limit liberal views on campus.
deleted 2y ago
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breadwinner 2y ago
From the story: "Last month, White House began to pressure Columbia over its handling of anti-Israel protests and other allegations of antisemitism at the university..." If anyone thinks this is about antisemitism please check out the links below. John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, reiterated his assertion that Trump said, “Hitler did some good things, too,” in a story published Tuesday in The New York Times. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-said-hitler-did-some-good-things-and-wanted-generals-like-the-nazis-former-chief-of-staff-kelly-claims https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-said-hitler-did-... Donald Trump dabbles in Nazi allusions too often for it to be a coincidence. https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/politics/trump-nazi-allusions-analysis/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/politics/trump-nazi-allusions... Trump's re-election campaign that featured a symbol used in Nazi Germany. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53098439 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53098439 Trump’s latest flirtation with Nazi symbolism draws criticism https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4677700-trumps-latest-flirtation-with-nazi-symbolism-draws-criticism/ https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4677700-trumps-latest-... Trump campaign accused of T-shirt design with similarity to Nazi eagle https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/11/fact-check-trump-2020-campaign-shirt-design-similar-nazi-eagle/5414393002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/11/fac... Donald Trump's 'Star of David' Tweet About Hillary Clinton Posted Weeks Earlier on Racist Feed https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-s-star-david-tweet-about-hillary-clinton-posted-n603161 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-...
aabaker99 2y ago
I did a little digging because I haven’t followed the news on this. Through a chain of links from the article is https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=412025 https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?Docum... which is a report from the Committee on Education lead by Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) detailing anti-Semitic activity on university campuses. It seemed to me a lot of the key findings were framed in a political way. I was hoping to see more specific damages that might justify these huge cancellations of grant funding. For example one key finding was “Northwestern put radical anti-Israel faculty in charge of negotiations with the encampment.” I admittedly don’t have time to read the full report but how is the labelling of faculty involved in the negotiation a clear case of discrimination for the violation of Title IV of the Civil Rights Act? Shouldn’t the key findings be more about the harms that were experienced by Jewish students? It’s a shame this report is being used to justify suspension of research funding.
- djur 2y ago
  The weaponization of antisemitism is especially repugnant coming from an administration that hires people like this: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5319995/kingsley-wilson-antisemitic-comments-defense-department-pentagon https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5319995/kingsley-wilson...
- foobarchu 2y ago
  Any time I hear this administration accuse someone of anti-Semitism, I have to wonder whether it's actual anti-Semitism or simply support for the existence of Palestinians.
  - rickydroll 2y ago
    I'll probably get downvoted for this. When I started dating a woman from Israel, her stories didn't jive with the stories we hear here. So I started digging into it and understood why she said it was such a mess and there was no way anybody outside of Israel could understand what was going on. I'm not saying this as a form of both-sides-ism, but an acknowledgment that it's a shitshow and may never be untangled least of by US/EU.
SlightlyLeftPad 2y ago
Didn’t Columbia capitulate already? Lo, it didn’t matter, they got screwed anyway. I wish I could say this was surprising, but here we are.
- davidw 2y ago
  If you give a bully your lunch money, it's not like they leave you alone the next day. They come back for more.
deleted 2y ago
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SubiculumCode 2y ago
The 60 universities they will be targeting like this, including my own institution. https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-sends-letters-60-universities-under-investigation-antisemitic-discrimination-and-harassment https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of...
Zaheer 2y ago
It's quite insane that protesting against the actions of a foreign government has more consequences than protesting against the American government. The current administration is throwing everything it (theoretically) stands for (1st Amendment, America-first, etc) for another country.
- stevenwoo 2y ago
  This is impossible to discuss accurately without politics and religion - the GOP relies heavily on fundamentalist Christian votes, there is a roughly 200 year old interpretation of Revelations in the Old Testament that posits that the state of Israel must exist so Satan can destroy it in the battle of Armageddon before Jesus comes back a second time to save Christians. This is why the GOP is so gung ho for Israel at any cost.
  - c0redump 2y ago
    The evangelical angle certainly applies to a subset of the republicans, but not all of them. The difficult and uncomfortable truth is that ardent supporters of Israel wield immense power and influence, and they are able to significantly damage the careers of politicians that do not align with their interests. The fact that many repugnant racists, antisemites, and holocaust deniers make a comically exaggerated conspiracy theory out of this core truth makes it impossible to discuss it rationally.
  - timeon 2y ago
    I'm bit 'no true Scotsman' with this but I think it would be more precise to talk specifically about American Evangelicals instead of just Christians. Because this is not normal Christian thing and, comparing to Catholics, American Evangelicals are niche.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- myth_drannon 2y ago
  No, but attacking students, physically preventing them from attending classes and screaming death threats based on their religion has tremendous implications. First stop all the funding (not only NIH, but prevent Qatar from funding universities) and then kick out those who are on student visas (or better send to jails in El-Salvador) and send to jail the citizens.
Animats 2y ago
Defining criticism of Israel as "antisemitism" is very convenient for Netanyahu. Netanyahu is under heavy criticism within Israel. Like Trump, if he can't remain Supreme Leader, he goes on trial.[1] Netanyahu needs a war to stay in power. Netanyahu met with Trump today, wanting support from the US against Iran. It didn't go well for Netanyahu.[2] This has little to do with Jewishness. [1] https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-04-08/ty-article/.premium/revelations-about-netanyahus-requests-from-the-shin-bet-are-terrifying/00000196-11e1-d294-ad97-bbe7a4310000 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-04-08/ty-article/.p... [2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/middleeast/analysis-netanyahu-trump-tariffs-iran-intl-latam/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/middleeast/analysis-netanyahu...
- deleted 2y ago
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- settrans 2y ago
  Criticizing Israel is not antisemitism, and nobody is arguing that. Holding Israel to a double standard or denying Jews the right to self-determination is however broadly considered antisemitism[0][1]. "Today, it is used by over 1,000 other governments, universities, NGOs, and other key institutions, demonstrating a clear international consensus."[2] [0] https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitio... [1] https://www.ajc.org/use-of-the-working-definition-in-the-us https://www.ajc.org/use-of-the-working-definition-in-the-us [2] https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/about-ihra-working-definition-antisemitism https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/about-ihra-workin...
  - rozap 2y ago
    > Criticizing Israel is not antisemitism, and nobody is arguing that. Literally everybody on the far right yells antisemitism if you say that Israel is committing genocide. How you can say this isn't so, I'm not sure, but I applaud your ability to cover your eyes and ears, this news cycle is exhausting.
    - 2y ago
bufferoverflow 2y ago
[flagged]
- trust_bt_verify 2y ago
  Source?
  - dlubarov 2y ago
    For example, the university appointed Joseph Massad to teach a class on Zionism. Check out his article about the "astounding", "awesome" massacre on Oct 7 by the "innovative Palestinian resistance" (Hamas) - https://electronicintifada.net/content/just-another-battle-or-palestinian-war-liberation/38661 https://electronicintifada.net/content/just-another-battle-o... It's just an example of a much broader pattern though, see e.g. Shai Davidai's posts https://x.com/shaidavidai https://x.com/shaidavidai
  - bufferoverflow 2y ago
    Columbia University hired a Muslim professor, Muhamed Abdul, who said: “Yes, I am with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” on his social media account.
  - bufferoverflow 2y ago
    The wife of a terrorist is protesting with Columbia University students. Sami Al-Arian was deported from the US in 2015 for aiding Islamic Jihad. https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1785504227244052872 https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1785504227244052872
  - bufferoverflow 2y ago
    Campus security and police at Columbia are not allowing pro-Israel assistant professor @ShaiDavidai on the part of campus being occupied by the far-left and Islamic extremists. To protect the autonomous zone, the university is keeping out its critics. https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1782419968077803590 https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1782419968077803590

127 points by pmags 2y ago

Some key text from the article: At the behest of its parent agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH will not only block new funding for the university, but also stop paying investigators working on all existing NIH projects. Although these researchers will not be ordered to stop work, they will need prior approval from NIH to draw from existing disbursements, according to an NIH source.

Blackthorn 2y ago

[flagged]

mkoubaa 2y ago

Our universities are the envy of the world for their academic freedoms. Were. Were the envy of the world.

AlexandrB 2y ago
When did they stop being the envy of the world? Was it when every member of faculty was basically forced to sign diversity pledges?[1] Was it when students and faculty were given time off to mourn the outcome of a democratic election?[2] Or maybe it was when protesters for a conflict half a world away were allowed to intimidate students from attending classes?[3] No, I guess it was when government funding was cut ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ [1] https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/fire-statement-use-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-criteria-faculty-hiring-and https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/fire-statement-use-di... [2] https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/11/07/its-just-heartbreaking-columbia-and-barnard-students-react-to-trump-election/ https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/11/07/its-just-h... [3] https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-arrested-at-yale-columbia-pauses-in-person-classes-amid-anti-israel-protests/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-arrested-at-yale-columb... Edit: See also this account of the last four years: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/the-last-four-years-were-the-most https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/the-last-four-years-wer... Academic freedom has been dead at US universities for a while. The murderer is not the guy who was elected in 2024.
- SubiculumCode 2y ago
  Please. Re the fire.org, have you read through the 600 cases? [1] https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/scholars-under-fire#home/?view_4_page=48 https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/scholars-under-fire#h... Read them. You won't see any strong "woke" pattern...just the usual mix bag
- MarceColl 2y ago
  As an outsider, none of what you said matters one bit to us. All seems fairly reasonable by "world" standards. When your universities stopped being the envy of the world was when attending them meant hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for a teenager. The cuts are even more pathetic and just cement our image.
- mkoubaa 2y ago
  (1) and (2) have some merit but (3) is total nonsense
- BriggyDwiggs42 1y ago
  > No, I guess it was when government funding was cut Yup

School-Cotton 2y ago

Is there a serious steelman argument for why it makes sense to reflexively call protests against Israel anti-Semitic? The Jews are a globally distributed (and somewhat loosely defined) cultural group, whereas Israel is a specific concrete geopolitical entity. They are just completely categorically different things. Even if you have insane pro-terrorist views and want to wipe Israel off the map (which, to be clear, I don’t support), it’s not necessarily the case that your reason for holding those beliefs is antipathy to the Jewish culture, religion or ethnicity. Indeed that might be why you hold those beliefs, but as far as I can tell it’s not logically required.

mmoustafa 2y ago
[flagged]
thakoppno 2y ago
Can you identify a person that best exemplifies this steelman argument?
- School-Cotton 2y ago
  I was asking if there is one, not asserting that there is. I don’t understand your question.
  - ars 2y ago
    Flying Hamas flags, saying "From the river to the sea", and calling for intifada are all antisemitic, not anti-Israel. Being anti-Zionist - but only to the Jews in Israel, and not the Arabs, is also antisemitic (and racist).
    - KingMob 2y ago
      You know the Israeli government has also used the phrase "From the river to the sea", right? "Intifada" just means "uprising"; the original Palestinian intifadas referred to nonviolent work stoppages, protests, etc. The attempt to imply it means something grosser is your ignorance and/or racism. > Being anti-Zionist - but only to the Jews in Israel, and not the Arabs This thought is incoherent. It's like saying Blacks protesting America are also protesting Black Americans.

someothherguyy 2y ago

makes one wonder how many people currently in clinical trials will suffer because of this

jijji 2y ago
[flagged]

perihelions 2y ago

https://archive.is/GRKJc https://archive.is/GRKJc

selcuka 2y ago

Wow. This is literally the definition of doublespeak. > The administration also accuses the [60] universities of racism through their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs [...]

mrkstu 2y ago
How so? Racism vs Asians and Whites and Jews is still racism by the letter of the law.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- arrosenberg 2y ago
  War is peace. Diversity is racism.
  - theGeatZhopa 2y ago
    ...kings are not elected, but made ;)
    - arrosenberg 2y ago
      Your point? Americans don't kneel.
      - theGeatZhopa 2y ago
        .. not all of them, sure.
      - esseph 2y ago
        There's a lot kneeling right now.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

jfengel 2y ago

Any idea why Columbia in particular? Dozens of universities had protests of varying kinds, and they fell over themselves trying to comply. Does something make Columbia stand out? Or was it an arbitrary pick to be an example?

avs733 2y ago
A working theory is a grudge from a long time ago over not buying land from trump. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-university-400-million.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-u...
deleted 2y ago
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plegresl 2y ago
Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million A quarter-century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-university-400-million.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/nyregion/trump-columbia-u...
someothherguyy 2y ago
From the article: > Brown University and Princeton University have also had their NIH grants frozen, and the agency is reviewing its funding to Harvard University as part of a broader Trump administration review of some $9 billion in federal funding to the Massachusetts school.
hayst4ck 2y ago
https://snyder.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-antisemitism https://snyder.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-antisemitism But why was Columbia put first? It is in New York. More than twenty percent of its undergraduate students are Jewish. No matter the experiences or attitudes of these students, their university suddenly losing four hundred million dollars is unlikely to improve their education and life chances. Columbia students can speak for themselves. My guess is that Columbia was selected as the symbolic first target less because of the presence of antisemitism than because of the presence of Jews. And I think that this is something that actual American antisemites will immediately have grasped. The city of New York is coded for antisemites as Jewish. The antisemites in America, seeing Columbia and New York punished, will see Jews being punished -- and they will be pleased by this. The same goes for universities as a whole. Universities are often understood by antisemites to be Jewish. The attempt to bring universities to heel will be met by antisemites with approval. If that sounds wild, 4 prominent republicans have Sieg Heiled. Including musk, and Trump's first chief strategist Bannon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9pXCuJnbc&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9pXCuJnbc&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfYjPzj1Xw&t=18s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VfYjPzj1Xw&t=18s

CharlieDigital 2y ago

It baffles me because everyone wins when we fund research. And by and large, the biggest benefactors of public research are private companies that can develop and commercialize the research. Not only will this cause brain drain, but in the long run it will surely make American industry less competitive across the board.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
add-sub-mul-div 2y ago
As is so much else going on, this is a failed marshmallow test meant only to satisfy short term emotion.
ks2048 2y ago
Quote: In a 2021 speech entitled ‘The Universities are the enemy,’ Vice President JD Vance laid out a plan for America’s universities saying in part “we have to honestly and aggressively attack the universities in this country.” from, https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7493272 https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7493272
- omnimus 2y ago
  You do that after you got your Yale degree with all the education and connections that come with it.
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jijji 2y ago

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perihelions 2y ago

I can't believe it's coincidence and accident that this Administration is assaulting medical research simultaneously on multiple fronts: here, with these attacks on universities, that seem to primarily target NIH research at America's most prestigious schools; the DOGE attacks, which are preferentially deleting medical workers, multiple entire offices at the FDA and the CDC; and that decision to elevate an HIV/AIDS denier to the office of HHS secretary. I don't know what the intention is behind this systematic assault on medicine. It's incomprehensible.

ajross 2y ago
They view it as an assault on Universities, not "science". The thinking goes (you see this kind of rhetoric right here on HN) that The Radical Left has infested education in the United States and polluted the thinking of a generation of future leaders. "Woke Mind Virus", etc... So to stamp that out, you need to get the kids to stop with the bad thinking. But you can't actually do that as the government because of the whole "shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech" thing. So instead you hit their school instead. Make it so Columbia (in this case) knows that their funding depends on the grace of the government, and that if they want it back they need to start expelling or otherwise controlling the spreaders of the woke virus.
- readthenotes1 2y ago
  I am not sure why you are getting downvoted. This is the rationale given to me by the Trump supporters I know with postgraduate degrees
  - the_third_wave 2y ago
    The downvote button is used by (too) many as the online equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears while loudly saying la la la la la, I can't hear you when confronted with facts they want to but can not rebuke.
  - spankalee 2y ago
    They're being downvoted by Trump supporters who want Columbia to be pressured to limit liberal views on campus.

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breadwinner 2y ago

From the story: "Last month, White House began to pressure Columbia over its handling of anti-Israel protests and other allegations of antisemitism at the university..." If anyone thinks this is about antisemitism please check out the links below. John Kelly, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, reiterated his assertion that Trump said, “Hitler did some good things, too,” in a story published Tuesday in The New York Times. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-said-hitler-did-some-good-things-and-wanted-generals-like-the-nazis-former-chief-of-staff-kelly-claims https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-said-hitler-did-... Donald Trump dabbles in Nazi allusions too often for it to be a coincidence. https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/politics/trump-nazi-allusions-analysis/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/politics/trump-nazi-allusions... Trump's re-election campaign that featured a symbol used in Nazi Germany. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53098439 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53098439 Trump’s latest flirtation with Nazi symbolism draws criticism https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4677700-trumps-latest-flirtation-with-nazi-symbolism-draws-criticism/ https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4677700-trumps-latest-... Trump campaign accused of T-shirt design with similarity to Nazi eagle https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/11/fact-check-trump-2020-campaign-shirt-design-similar-nazi-eagle/5414393002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/11/fac... Donald Trump's 'Star of David' Tweet About Hillary Clinton Posted Weeks Earlier on Racist Feed https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-s-star-david-tweet-about-hillary-clinton-posted-n603161 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/donald-trump-...

aabaker99 2y ago

I did a little digging because I haven’t followed the news on this. Through a chain of links from the article is https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=412025 https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?Docum... which is a report from the Committee on Education lead by Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) detailing anti-Semitic activity on university campuses. It seemed to me a lot of the key findings were framed in a political way. I was hoping to see more specific damages that might justify these huge cancellations of grant funding. For example one key finding was “Northwestern put radical anti-Israel faculty in charge of negotiations with the encampment.” I admittedly don’t have time to read the full report but how is the labelling of faculty involved in the negotiation a clear case of discrimination for the violation of Title IV of the Civil Rights Act? Shouldn’t the key findings be more about the harms that were experienced by Jewish students? It’s a shame this report is being used to justify suspension of research funding.

djur 2y ago
The weaponization of antisemitism is especially repugnant coming from an administration that hires people like this: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5319995/kingsley-wilson-antisemitic-comments-defense-department-pentagon https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5319995/kingsley-wilson...
foobarchu 2y ago
Any time I hear this administration accuse someone of anti-Semitism, I have to wonder whether it's actual anti-Semitism or simply support for the existence of Palestinians.
- rickydroll 2y ago
  I'll probably get downvoted for this. When I started dating a woman from Israel, her stories didn't jive with the stories we hear here. So I started digging into it and understood why she said it was such a mess and there was no way anybody outside of Israel could understand what was going on. I'm not saying this as a form of both-sides-ism, but an acknowledgment that it's a shitshow and may never be untangled least of by US/EU.

SlightlyLeftPad 2y ago

Didn’t Columbia capitulate already? Lo, it didn’t matter, they got screwed anyway. I wish I could say this was surprising, but here we are.

davidw 2y ago
If you give a bully your lunch money, it's not like they leave you alone the next day. They come back for more.

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SubiculumCode 2y ago

The 60 universities they will be targeting like this, including my own institution. https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-sends-letters-60-universities-under-investigation-antisemitic-discrimination-and-harassment https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of...

Zaheer 2y ago

It's quite insane that protesting against the actions of a foreign government has more consequences than protesting against the American government. The current administration is throwing everything it (theoretically) stands for (1st Amendment, America-first, etc) for another country.

stevenwoo 2y ago
This is impossible to discuss accurately without politics and religion - the GOP relies heavily on fundamentalist Christian votes, there is a roughly 200 year old interpretation of Revelations in the Old Testament that posits that the state of Israel must exist so Satan can destroy it in the battle of Armageddon before Jesus comes back a second time to save Christians. This is why the GOP is so gung ho for Israel at any cost.
- c0redump 2y ago
  The evangelical angle certainly applies to a subset of the republicans, but not all of them. The difficult and uncomfortable truth is that ardent supporters of Israel wield immense power and influence, and they are able to significantly damage the careers of politicians that do not align with their interests. The fact that many repugnant racists, antisemites, and holocaust deniers make a comically exaggerated conspiracy theory out of this core truth makes it impossible to discuss it rationally.
- timeon 2y ago
  I'm bit 'no true Scotsman' with this but I think it would be more precise to talk specifically about American Evangelicals instead of just Christians. Because this is not normal Christian thing and, comparing to Catholics, American Evangelicals are niche.
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myth_drannon 2y ago
No, but attacking students, physically preventing them from attending classes and screaming death threats based on their religion has tremendous implications. First stop all the funding (not only NIH, but prevent Qatar from funding universities) and then kick out those who are on student visas (or better send to jails in El-Salvador) and send to jail the citizens.

Animats 2y ago

Defining criticism of Israel as "antisemitism" is very convenient for Netanyahu. Netanyahu is under heavy criticism within Israel. Like Trump, if he can't remain Supreme Leader, he goes on trial.[1] Netanyahu needs a war to stay in power. Netanyahu met with Trump today, wanting support from the US against Iran. It didn't go well for Netanyahu.[2] This has little to do with Jewishness. [1] https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-04-08/ty-article/.premium/revelations-about-netanyahus-requests-from-the-shin-bet-are-terrifying/00000196-11e1-d294-ad97-bbe7a4310000 https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-04-08/ty-article/.p... [2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/middleeast/analysis-netanyahu-trump-tariffs-iran-intl-latam/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/middleeast/analysis-netanyahu...

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settrans 2y ago
Criticizing Israel is not antisemitism, and nobody is arguing that. Holding Israel to a double standard or denying Jews the right to self-determination is however broadly considered antisemitism[0][1]. "Today, it is used by over 1,000 other governments, universities, NGOs, and other key institutions, demonstrating a clear international consensus."[2] [0] https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definition-antisemitism https://holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitio... [1] https://www.ajc.org/use-of-the-working-definition-in-the-us https://www.ajc.org/use-of-the-working-definition-in-the-us [2] https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/about-ihra-working-definition-antisemitism https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/about-ihra-workin...
- rozap 2y ago
  > Criticizing Israel is not antisemitism, and nobody is arguing that. Literally everybody on the far right yells antisemitism if you say that Israel is committing genocide. How you can say this isn't so, I'm not sure, but I applaud your ability to cover your eyes and ears, this news cycle is exhausting.
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bufferoverflow 2y ago

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trust_bt_verify 2y ago
Source?
- dlubarov 2y ago
  For example, the university appointed Joseph Massad to teach a class on Zionism. Check out his article about the "astounding", "awesome" massacre on Oct 7 by the "innovative Palestinian resistance" (Hamas) - https://electronicintifada.net/content/just-another-battle-or-palestinian-war-liberation/38661 https://electronicintifada.net/content/just-another-battle-o... It's just an example of a much broader pattern though, see e.g. Shai Davidai's posts https://x.com/shaidavidai https://x.com/shaidavidai
- bufferoverflow 2y ago
  Columbia University hired a Muslim professor, Muhamed Abdul, who said: “Yes, I am with Hamas and Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad” on his social media account.
- bufferoverflow 2y ago
  The wife of a terrorist is protesting with Columbia University students. Sami Al-Arian was deported from the US in 2015 for aiding Islamic Jihad. https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1785504227244052872 https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1785504227244052872
- bufferoverflow 2y ago
  Campus security and police at Columbia are not allowing pro-Israel assistant professor @ShaiDavidai on the part of campus being occupied by the far-left and Islamic extremists. To protect the autonomous zone, the university is keeping out its critics. https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1782419968077803590 https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1782419968077803590