Michael Barbaro

Yeah and we've heard about how other universities are trying to appeal to these researchers to say look we don't have these major questions over us. We've even heard of foreign countries like China trying to recruit some of these researchers because.

While Harvard is held up as the most prestigious institution in the country, there are a lot of other universities in the country that can and do similar work and could facilitate that.

While Harvard is held up as the most prestigious institution in the country, there are a lot of other universities in the country that can and do similar work and could facilitate that.

As far as we know, the corporation, that board that oversees Harvard, has not authorized its lawyers to go back to the table to negotiate.

As far as we know, the corporation, that board that oversees Harvard, has not authorized its lawyers to go back to the table to negotiate.

Because there's a feeling that how can you make a deal with Donald Trump?

Because there's a feeling that how can you make a deal with Donald Trump?

Donald Trump has shown through the deals he made with the law firms that there's Donald Trump's understanding of the deals and there's the law firm's understanding of the deals. There's a gap between those two.

Donald Trump has shown through the deals he made with the law firms that there's Donald Trump's understanding of the deals and there's the law firm's understanding of the deals. There's a gap between those two.

Yeah, in the case of the law firms, they thought to head off these executive orders from Trump, they were committing tens of millions of dollars in pro bono legal work to uncontroversial causes like helping veterans.

Yeah, in the case of the law firms, they thought to head off these executive orders from Trump, they were committing tens of millions of dollars in pro bono legal work to uncontroversial causes like helping veterans.

And then in the weeks after the deal, Trump started talking publicly about how, oh, these lawyers could go and do trade negotiations for the government, and oh, these lawyers could go and help the coal industry, and that's not what the firms thought that they agreed to.

And then in the weeks after the deal, Trump started talking publicly about how, oh, these lawyers could go and do trade negotiations for the government, and oh, these lawyers could go and help the coal industry, and that's not what the firms thought that they agreed to.

There's this feeling of like, how can we go to the negotiating table with someone like that who could easily move the goalposts on us? And Harvard is also being lavished with praise. Harvard has not always been an institution that is looked favorably upon. They themselves are coming out of scandal.

There's this feeling of like, how can we go to the negotiating table with someone like that who could easily move the goalposts on us? And Harvard is also being lavished with praise. Harvard has not always been an institution that is looked favorably upon. They themselves are coming out of scandal.

And the corporation, that board, was lambasted for giving in to the far right on that. And in this instance, the corporation, which has some pretty prominent Democrats on it, is being held up as a central player of the second term resistance. And they know the criticisms that the law firms have received for making deals with Trump.

And the corporation, that board, was lambasted for giving in to the far right on that. And in this instance, the corporation, which has some pretty prominent Democrats on it, is being held up as a central player of the second term resistance. And they know the criticisms that the law firms have received for making deals with Trump.

So they know if they go back to the table that that's a pretty big step for them and something that they could really face a lot of blowback for.

So they know if they go back to the table that that's a pretty big step for them and something that they could really face a lot of blowback for.

Correct. And that was the sort of thing that I found most fascinating about the Harvard story, which was that as they were being praised for fighting back and as everyone said, oh, they've got this great legal case and they've got these great lawyers, that they were really in an increasingly difficult position and that there weren't great ways out for itself.