New report sounds alarm on ‘staggering’ amount of foreign money pouring into US universities
FIRST ON FOX: A new report from a nonprofit and nonpartisan government watchdog is shedding light on the tens of billions of dollars that have poured into U.S. universities in recent years, including $20 billion to some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The report, produced by Americans for Public Trust and released this week, found that $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts were funneled into American colleges and universities, including $20 billion alone to elite schools like Harvard, Yale, and others. Within that total, $795 million came from nations that are long-standing adversaries to the United States, including China, Russia, Venezuela and Yemen. “Alarmingly, many of these schools are also top research universities that handle sensitive information and intellectual property,” the study states. DESANTIS SAYS FLORIDA RETURNED $878M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFTER MEETING WITH MUSK, DOGE The report amplifies concerns that this money is coming into American universities with strings attached and peddling influence from foreign actors overseas. “For far too long, a staggering amount of foreign money has flowed into our colleges and universities with little to no transparency or oversight,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News Digital. UNIVERSITY DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER UNEARTHED AUDIO EXPOSES HIM BOASTING ABOUT SKIRTING ANTI-DEI LAWS “Much of these foreign funds can be traced back to countries that have well-established adversarial relationships with the United States or engage in direct or indirect malign activities against our country. It is no coincidence that, in the same time period, we’ve seen a rise in anti-American demonstrations and radical ideas being cultivated at these institutions. Elected leaders need to take action to crack down on reporting lapses at these institutions to increase accountability and raise public awareness about the entities and individuals influencing these institutions.” Anti-Israel protests have erupted on college campuses across the country in recent years, and the report states that threat in 2024, “some of the schools that received the most Qatari money included Ivy League members Harvard and Cornell Universities. The report also documents concerns about money from China pouring into Ivy League institutions. “The effects of monies flowing into college campuses from China are dangerous and widespread,” the report states. “In 2024, China poured over $175 billion into U.S. schools, and the historic breadth of this vast enterprise cannot be understated; Americans for Public Trust has already previously uncovered nearly $130 million in Chinese funding to the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania alone over a roughly five-year period.” The study concludes that measures need to be taken to ensure foreign influence is not prevalent at American schools, including the passage of the DETERRENT ACT, which would “deter bad actors from attempting to buy influence, conduct espionage, and sow propaganda and discord across the United States via our higher education system.”
Venezuela accepts US deportation flight with 199 people
NewsFeed A US deportation flight carrying 199 people has landed in Venezuela. The resumption of flights comes after Donald Trump accused Nicolas Maduro of not accepting deportees at a sufficiently “rapid pace” and sent over 200 Venezuelans to a Salvadoran mega prison. Published On 24 Mar 202524 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Who is jailed Turkish opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu?
The embattled mayor of Istanbul is the opposition party’s candidate for the next presidential election, scheduled to take place in 2028. The embattled mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, has been chosen as the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate for the next presidential election, scheduled to take place in 2028. Imamoglu, who was detained on Wednesday, is widely seen as the top challenger of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His arrest has prompted widespread protests, which have been ongoing for several days, primarily centred in major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Below is a brief timeline of Imamoglu’s political career. (Al Jazeera) Early life and education Imamoglu was born on June 4, 1970 in Trabzon, northeastern Turkiye. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in human resources management from Istanbul University. Elected mayor of Istanbul In 2008, he joined the Republican People’s Party (CHP), one of Turkiye’s major political parties. From 2014 to 2019 he served as mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district. In 2019, he became mayor of Istanbul, beating the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) candidate. The results were initially annulled, but he won in a rerun. In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and was banned from politics for insulting the Election Council during the annulment of the 2019 Istanbul mayoral election. He appealed the ruling and the ban is pending. Advertisement University degree annulment On March 18, 2025, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu’s bachelor’s degree, citing irregularities with the Council of Higher Education regulations. This annulment would jeopardise his presidential eligibility, as under Turkish law, a candidate must have at least a higher education degree to be eligible to run for president. Arrest and protests On March 19, 2025, Imamoglu was arrested and charged with corruption, aiding the PKK, and leading a criminal organisation. This led to widespread protests, which are still ongoing. CHP presidential candidate On March 24, 2025, Imamoglu was elected as the CHP’s presidential candidate. The next scheduled election is in 2028. But early elections are thought to be likely. Adblock test (Why?)
Centre given 4 weeks to file report in THIS case of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi
The plea had been filed by Vignesh Shishir, who is from Karnataka and believed to be a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vignesh claims he has confidential emails from the British government to support his claim.
Trans European travelers warned by their countries about US travel amid Trump ‘two-sexes’ order
Several European countries have updated their travel advisories for transgender travelers seeking to enter the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s “two-sexes” executive order and the administration’s immigration crackdown. Finland, Denmark, the U.K. and Germany are all urging cautionary planning for transgender people when traveling to the U.S. “When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female,” the Danish travel advisory said on its website. JUDICIAL HALT OF DEPORTATION FLIGHTS PUTS US FOREIGN POLICY AT RISK, CAREER STATE DEPT OFFICIAL CLAIMS The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is the system that screens passengers before they travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. “If you have the gender designation X in your passport, or you have changed your gender, it is recommended that you contact the U.S. Embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed,” the website reads. Finland also updated its website in recent weeks. “If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa,” Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on its website. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED DURING TRUMP’S NINTH WEEK IN OFFICE The new advisory does not explicitly mention the Trump administration, but it comes as the U.S. State Department aligned its policies with President Trump’s goals of only having “male” or “female” on American passports. According to an advisory on its website, Germany issued a warning for transgender travelers to exercise caution when traveling to some countries, but it did not explicitly state the U.S. or mention President Trump. “For example, transgender travelers may encounter difficulties entering certain countries if they present a passport with a name and photo that no longer corresponds to their gender identity,” their information for LGBTQ travelers states. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE So far, seven transgender Americans have sued the Trump administration over the policy, which the American Civil Liberties Union filed on their behalf in February. Trump signed the executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” in one of his first actions in January. It reiterates that the administration recognizes there are only two sexes, male and female, defined strictly by biological characteristics determined at conception. It mandates that federal agencies enforce this binary understanding of sex across the federal government, including in healthcare, education and military service. Trump has also faced judicial pushback for his nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration as he carries out his mass deportation program targeting anyone living in the country unauthorized. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department and White House for comment.
Trump charges ahead with agenda in week 10 as judges try to block his executive orders
President Donald Trump begins the 10th week of his fast-paced second term in office with a Cabinet meeting on Monday. The question on many people’s minds is whether DOGE chief Elon Musk will be in attendance. In the previous meeting, it was reported that discussions were tense between Musk and some Cabinet members, particularly between Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over DOGE’s broad and deep cuts. Rubio and Trump both denied these claims. The Cabinet meeting comes against the backdrop of White House attorneys going to court on various aspects of the president’s second-term agenda on issues like the removal of illegal immigrants, slashing the federal workforce, cutting foreign aid, his executive order banning transgender soldiers in the military and allowing transgender Americans to have passports with alternate designations than the binary “male” and “female” genders assigned at birth. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT DOGE, EVEN AS THEY SEE NEED FOR CUTS WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Also on Monday, Trump will appear with Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. Trump appointed Landry to the Council of Governors last month. Landry recently praised the president’s near elimination of the federal Education Department, saying, “The United States spends the most on education, yet we are ranked at the bottom of nearly every poll. The time for change is NOW! Thank you President @realDonaldTrump for returning education where it belongs – the states!” In the wake of the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID, advocates are calling for Trump to extend the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was launched by President George W. Bush and is scheduled to expire on Tuesday. The Bush Institute has urged the administration to reconsider cuts to the program. Bush previously said that the program has saved more than 25 million lives in developing countries, according to a Politico report. Trump will also be closely watching as U.S. negotiators are meeting separately with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia this week. Trump spoke to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week when a partial outline of a ceasefire was agreed to. GREENLAND GOVERNMENT CALLS TRUMP’S ACQUISITION TALKS ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP On Thursday, Trump is sending a team from his administration to Greenland, including second lady Usha Vance and national security advisor Mike Waltz. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede is not offering a welcoming hand to the U.S. delegation, calling the trip “highly aggressive”. “What is the national security advisor doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,” Egede said. On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News, “So you have to ask yourself: How are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security?” “If that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us,” he continued.
SCOOP: House to hold hearings next week on ‘activist judges’ blocking Trump agenda
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a hearing early next week looking into the issue of “activist judges,” three people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital. It comes as the Trump administration has faced more than a dozen injunctions from various district court judges across the country on a range of policy decisions. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, confirmed on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” that he intended to hold such hearings minutes after Fox News Digital reported on the news. Jordan also said he expects a House-wide vote next week on a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to block district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. Two sources said they expected that vote next week or the week after, but one source stressed that conversations were still ongoing. That comes as some conservatives push for impeachment as a way to punish judges blocking Trump’s agenda. A resolution by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, has seen some attention from House GOP leadership after Trump specifically called for the judge in question – U.S. district court Judge James Boasberg – to be impeached. Boasberg issued a 14-day emergency injunction on Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport suspected Tren De Aragua gang members to a prison in El Salvador. The White House is now locked in a legal standoff over the order. But two sources also told Fox News Digital last week that Trump showed interest in Issa’s bill as well, telling Capitol Hill aides that “the president wants this.” Gill told Fox News Digital when he introduced the bill earlier this month that he hoped it would go through the regular committee process, but it’s not clear if those plans have changed given House leaders’ inclination toward Issa’s bill. However, if any conservative who has filed an impeachment resolution – Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., and Eli Crane, R-Ariz., in addition to Gill – classified it as “privileged,” it would force House GOP leaders to take it up within two legislative days. Two sources told said last week that House leaders were wary of the impeachment route given the intense political maneuvering such a measure would take – only for it to likely die in the Senate. Jordan praised Issa’s bill during his Fox News television interview on Monday, though his office did not immediately return a request for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: GOP moves to authorize Trump to wage war on cartels through military force
EXCLUSIVE – Congressman Greg Steube, R-Fla., is introducing a resolution today to empower the Trump administration to “take a sledgehammer” to the cartels by authorizing the president to use the “full force of the American military” against nine of the largest migrant criminal groups that have been wreaking havoc on American cities. One of the criminal groups included in the resolution is Tren de Aragua – also known as “TdA” – which is an international gang tied to the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley as well as the violent takeover of at least one apartment building in Aurora, Colorado, last year. The group is also suspected of having ties to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro. The resolution authorizes President Donald Trump to unleash the American military on Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel and several other gangs, which it says have “violated the territorial integrity of the United States” and present “a clear and evident danger” to the American people. It states that over 110,000 Americans per year died of opioid overdoses during the height of the border crisis under the Biden administration. It further says that the targeted cartels “engaged in and permitted the occurrence of terrorism, outrages upon personal dignity, and the extrajudicial execution of innocent peoples in the United States.” BLUE SANCTUARY STATE OPERATING AS ‘CONTROL’ CENTER FOR VICIOUS MIGRANT GANG: ACTING DEA CHIEF “Whereas ensuring the territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and protection of the American people against all enemies, foreign and domestic, is of the utmost responsibilities entrusted upon the Armed Forces,” the resolution reads, “The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as the President determines necessary and appropriate against the covered cartels, any forces directly coordinated or affiliated with any covered cartel, and any successor organization or forces to any such covered cartel.” This comes after the Department of State – at the direction of an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office – designated Tren de Aragua and seven other groups as “foreign terrorist organizations.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The order stated that these groups “present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” and invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEP) to declare a national emergency to “deal with those threats.” “It is the policy of the United States to ensure the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States and their ability to threaten the territory, safety, and security of the United States through their extraterritorial command-and-control structures, thereby protecting the American people and the territorial integrity of the United States,” read the order. ‘ON NOTICE’: EX-VENEZUELAN MILITARY OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘FIRST GOOD STEP’ TARGETING BLOODTHIRSTY GANG Speaking with Fox News Digital, Steube – who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – explained his resolution, saying, “These are not ragtag bands of low-level lawbreakers but organized criminal enterprises that profit off death and addiction.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “We can no longer ignore the deliberate invasion of Mexican drug cartels into our neighborhoods and communities,” he said. “Far too many innocent people have suffered at the hands of the cartels.” “Until such time that the Mexican government finally steps up and squashes the drug cartels who use Mexico as their home base, Congress must give President Trump and Secretary Hegseth the green light to take a sledgehammer to these criminal networks and their supply chains,” he went on. “My joint resolution will authorize the Trump administration to use the full force of the American military against the nine largest drug cartels operating out of Mexico.”
French actor Depardieu goes on trial in Paris on sexual assault charges
The trial of French actor Gerard Depardieu, who has been charged with sexually assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021, has begun in a Paris court. It is thought to be a pivotal moment in France’s #MeToo movement. On Monday, Depardieu, 76, sat on a seat opposite the judge while the two plaintiffs were also present in the courtroom. Prosecutors alleged the assaults against the women, whose full identities have not been revealed, took place during the filming of Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters). They accuse Depardieu of groping one of the women on the film set, pulling her towards him and trapping her with his legs before touching her waist, hips and breasts while saying obscene words. Three people witnessed the scene, prosecutors said. They said the second woman was groped by Depardieu on set and in the street. Before the trial began, Depardieu, his hand on his lawyer’s shoulder, walked calmly past reporters, looking straight at the cameras without saying a word, before entering the courtroom and chatting with a couple of actors there. Advertisement His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, told reporters that the accusations were false and based on lies. “Truth is on our side,” he said. ‘Fear because he is a cinema giant’ A towering figure of French cinema, Depardieu has faced a growing number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. Overall, about 20 women have accused Depardieu of improper behaviour, but several cases have been dropped due to the statute of limitations. French actor Charlotte Arnould was the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Depardieu in 2018. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and Monday’s case is the first in which he will stand trial. A lawyer for one of the women told the Reuters news agency before the proceedings that her client had been scared to come forward against Depardieu. “There’s a fear because he’s a cinema giant,” Carine Durrieu-Diebolt said. “It’s a struggle between David and Goliath, and they are afraid of retaliation as they all work in cinema but at a much lower level than Depardieu.” The second plaintiff, an assistant director, also alleged sexual violence. “What my client wants is for the trial to take place, but I am also worried about how Mr Depardieu’s defence will treat the civil parties at the hearing,” lawyer Claude Vincent told the AFP news agency. Important development for #MeToo in France On Monday, dozens of protesters stood outside the court, chanting, “We believe you,” to show their support for the two plaintiffs. If found guilty, Depardieu could face up to five years in jail and a 75,000-euro ($81,000) fine. Advertisement Depardieu’s trial is the highest profile #MeToo case in the media industry to come before the courts in France, a country where the protest movement over sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction as in the United States. Recently, however, there have been signs of a change. Last year, Gisele Pelicot became a global feminist icon after she waived her right to anonymity during the trial of her former husband, who was convicted of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to their home to sexually abuse her over the course of nearly a decade. Last month, a French court found film director Christophe Ruggia guilty of sexually abusing actress Adele Haenel when she was underage. Adblock test (Why?)
What poisoned Fallujah can tell us about toxic risks in Gaza and Lebanon
Over the past few months, thousands of people returned to their homes in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, where they faced threats from unexploded ordinances and lack of access to water, food, and safe shelter. Many were forced to handle war debris, which may pose long-term health risks. Our new research from Fallujah, Iraq published today by the Costs of War project at Brown University reveals just how dangerous this debris can be. Two decades after the US-led invasion and almost a decade after the occupation of the city by ISIS, the enduring health effects of war are still evident. Our team’s X-ray fluorescence bone sampling detected uranium in the bones of 29 percent of study participants in Fallujah, while lead was detected in 100 percent of them. The levels of lead were 600 percent higher than averages from similarly aged populations in the US. Healthy adults should have no uranium present in the bone, so any presence is significant. Heavy metals such as lead and uranium can cause serious adverse effects in neurodevelopment, general neurological health, cardiovascular health, and birth outcomes. Advertisement When ISIS occupied Fallujah in 2014, one of our study participants Reina (not her real name) and her young family managed to flee north to the relative safety of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. While they were away, ISIS fighters used their house to store weapons. Iraqi and US warplanes then bombarded the entire neighbourhood, damaging the family’s house. After they returned to their home two years later, and during the first trimester of her pregnancy, Reina cleared up the rubble almost single-handedly – all the time breathing in a toxic admixture of concrete dust, munition remnants, and the burned fragments of her home’s interior. Her son was born in 2017 with a congenital anomaly. Reina and her family – among thousands of returning residents of Fallujah – faced the deferred health risks triggered by post-war clean-up activities. Though she has fully restored her home, Reina remains concerned: “I can’t tell if the house is still making us sick,” she told us. Her concerns are well-founded. More heavily bombarded areas in Fallujah still have higher levels of heavy metals in the soil than other areas. But the bombardment has not been the only source of toxicity threatening Iraqis. As the US army drew down its presence in Iraq, it burned huge amounts of military equipment and weapons in so-called burn pits, which produced toxic fumes that spread to nearby population centres. It was well-documented that these burn pits caused serious health issues among US veterans who faced only short-term exposure. Advertisement Reina’s story, and thousands of others like hers, contain lessons that are important for returnees in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. One key observation of our recent study, spearheaded by doctors Samira Alaani and Abdulqader Alrawi in Fallujah and led by Kali Rubaii at Purdue University, is that those who were first to return and rebuild in war-damaged areas may be at a higher risk of reproductive health harms. The children of men and women who were immersed in postwar cleanup activities may have a higher rate of certain congenital anomalies and poorer birth outcomes than the children of those who returned later or who did not directly participate in rebuilding. This is likely because their parents were exposed through inhalation to toxins from detonated munitions, incinerated materials, dioxins, and other forms of dust at a much higher rate than those who returned after buildings were restored. Fallujah’s increase in birth anomalies has been attributed to exposure to the weapons of war, as are manifold other similar spikes in, for example, early onset cancers and respiratory diseases. A second observation is that in the process of being displaced, returning, and re-establishing households, families face nutritional gaps that can compound health risks, even for the next generation. Post-war clean-up often brings malnourished bodies into contact with myriad harmful materials; a decreased intake of key nutrients can undermine the body’s ability to cope with toxins and intensify reproductive health risks. Advertisement For example, during the first trimester of pregnancy, insufficient folate intake can lead to neural tube defects in the foetus. War debris contains heavy metals that can also disrupt folate pathways in pregnant women. These patterns we observed in Fallujah’s public health will likely occur in other heavily bombarded cities, where returnees will bear the double burden of military violence: Not only have they suffered death, dismemberment, displacement, and dispossession, but they are also likely to experience intergenerational health effects yet to come. Certainly, the most effective way to limit heavy metal toxicity from war is by not bombing cities in the first place. But when that happens, there are steps that can be taken to limit the compounded health effects of toxic exposure. First, populations in war zones should not be deprived of adequate nutrition and safe drinking water. Second, international NGOs, health institutions, local clinics, and regional radio outlets should disseminate information about direct measures displaced people can take to protect their own health when they return to their homes. For example, it is critical that returnees wear a mask or scarf to limit inhaling fine particles during cleaning and reconstruction activities. Burying rather than burning trash can also reduce widespread exposure to toxins. And when pregnant or seeking to conceive, women should avoid participating in dust-producing cleanup and rebuilding activities. Additionally, vitamins C and D in food or supplements can limit both the uptake and release of heavy metals accumulated in one’s bones. Women in the first trimester of pregnancy – or seeking to conceive – should have priority in their consumption of folate-rich foods – like spinach, broccoli, fortified rice, and enriched wheat – or folic acid supplements (aka vitamin B9) when they can be found. Advertisement These are some of the ways – albeit limited – to mitigate the ongoing harm of post-war exposures to better protect future generations. Meanwhile, our collective and active effort to prevent military bombardment remains the most effective