White House Freezes University Funds, Judges Block Deportations, China Denies Ukraine Claims

Federal Funds Frozen for Universities

• 🏛️ The White House has frozen nearly $2 billion in federal funds designated for Cornell University and Northwestern University.
• 💰 Cornell faces a freeze of over $1 billion, while Northwestern's freeze amounts to approximately $790 million.
• ⚠️ Neither university has received official notification from the White House or Department of Education regarding the reasons for the freeze, though the administration cites alleged civil rights violations.
• 📚 This action follows similar freezes impacting federal funds for other universities, including Columbia, U Penn, Harvard, and Princeton, tied to demands for policy changes.

Legal Rulings on Deportations and Investigations

• ⚖️ Federal judges in Texas and New York have temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans accused of being gang members.
• 📜 The legal challenge centers on the use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law, with lawyers arguing for due process.
• 🔍 President Trump has signed executive orders directing the Department of Justice to investigate former homeland security officials Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs, who have publicly criticized him.

International Incidents and Aid

• 💔 The death toll from a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic has risen to at least 124, with over 250 injured.
• 🇨🇳 Beijing has denied Ukrainian claims that Chinese citizens are fighting alongside Russia in the invasion, calling the assertions