Michael Barbaro

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.

And in the midst of that, they have continued to be pelted by the administration. In the weeks since the funding was first taken away, the administration has doubled down on its funding cuts. It's found new and different ways to strip Harvard of federal money. It has made other threats and brought into question whether Harvard is going to be able to keep its tax-exempt status with the IRS.

And in the midst of that, they have continued to be pelted by the administration. In the weeks since the funding was first taken away, the administration has doubled down on its funding cuts. It's found new and different ways to strip Harvard of federal money. It has made other threats and brought into question whether Harvard is going to be able to keep its tax-exempt status with the IRS.

There's additional measures potentially in place to tax their endowment in a more severe way. Harvard is also getting buried in requests and paperwork from a range of different Justice Department investigations, investigations by the Department of Education, Health and Human Services.

There's additional measures potentially in place to tax their endowment in a more severe way. Harvard is also getting buried in requests and paperwork from a range of different Justice Department investigations, investigations by the Department of Education, Health and Human Services.

And there's this fear atop Harvard that with all these different investigations, which for now are civil, that they'll turn into full-blown criminal investigations. And on top of that, in perhaps one of the most severe things that we've seen... The administration demanded all of the information the school had on international students.

And there's this fear atop Harvard that with all these different investigations, which for now are civil, that they'll turn into full-blown criminal investigations. And on top of that, in perhaps one of the most severe things that we've seen... The administration demanded all of the information the school had on international students.

And when Harvard didn't give the administration what it wanted, it said, we're taking away the visas for all of your international students, which is a potentially huge deal because international students make up a quarter of the student population at Harvard.

And when Harvard didn't give the administration what it wanted, it said, we're taking away the visas for all of your international students, which is a potentially huge deal because international students make up a quarter of the student population at Harvard.

Correct. And Harvard did quickly sue. They went to court over this and got a judge to temporarily halt it. So it's been paused for now. But now if you're an international student, you have to be checking the federal docket to see if there's an injunction in place that allows you to continue to go to school.

Correct. And Harvard did quickly sue. They went to court over this and got a judge to temporarily halt it. So it's been paused for now. But now if you're an international student, you have to be checking the federal docket to see if there's an injunction in place that allows you to continue to go to school.

Correct. Like, think about that, that the government, in one what appears to be fairly quick action, was able to raise a question, of whether a quarter of a student body was going to be able to attend school in the fall, even if a judge steps in and says it's no good. Like, that's a major use of the government's power.

Correct. Like, think about that, that the government, in one what appears to be fairly quick action, was able to raise a question, of whether a quarter of a student body was going to be able to attend school in the fall, even if a judge steps in and says it's no good. Like, that's a major use of the government's power.

Before Trump came back to office, I spent a lot of time trying to understand what retribution was like in his first term and how he may use his power to his political ends when he came back to office. The thing about Trump's attempts to use power in his first term is that while he does have some success, it's really success through blunt force.

Before Trump came back to office, I spent a lot of time trying to understand what retribution was like in his first term and how he may use his power to his political ends when he came back to office. The thing about Trump's attempts to use power in his first term is that while he does have some success, it's really success through blunt force.

He basically jumps up and down until his rivals are investigated. And the government doesn't always do what he wants, even when he demands it. And I often said to myself, I've never seen Trump do a three-point turn. Everything he does is sort of through blunt force. But in the second term... particularly through the law firms and through Harvard.

He basically jumps up and down until his rivals are investigated. And the government doesn't always do what he wants, even when he demands it. And I often said to myself, I've never seen Trump do a three-point turn. Everything he does is sort of through blunt force. But in the second term... particularly through the law firms and through Harvard.

We've seen a sophistication to his retribution that goes beyond certainly what I thought he was capable of. Someone somewhere in the administration has found the different pressure points that they can hit on Harvard.

We've seen a sophistication to his retribution that goes beyond certainly what I thought he was capable of. Someone somewhere in the administration has found the different pressure points that they can hit on Harvard.

Even if you have the best lawyers and the law on your side and a significant portion of the country behind you, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have success when you're fighting back against an administration that is audaciously using its power. And if there is a victory for Harvard, it will not be a clean, clear-cut thing that is resolved in court.