Trump news at a glance: Harvard threatened with more cuts as foreign universities seek to attract students

Former Harvard president urges people to ‘speak out’ against threats to US democracy

A recent former president of Harvard University has urged people to “speak out” in defence of “foundational threats” to values such as freedom, autonomy and democracy in the US.

Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard, also warned of US constitutional checks and the rule of law being “at risk” under the current administration, even as Donald Trump issued a fresh threat against the elite university as it seeks to repel his assaults on its independence and funding.

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Hong Kong targets ‘top talent’ as Harvard faces international student ban

Hong Kong’s education bureau has called on the city’s universities to “attract top talent” by opening their doors to those affected by the Trump administration’s attempt to ban Harvard from enrolling international students.

Harvard has launched legal action against the ban but done little to assuage concerns among students thrown into limbo. Experts have warned the US the ban could be a boon for foreign institutions looking to attract talent.

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Trump peppers Memorial Day speech with boasting and partisan attacks

Donald Trump honoured the sacrifices of US military veterans in the traditional presidential Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery, but also peppered his address on Monday with partisan political asides while talking up his own plans and achievements.

The US president laid a wreath and paid tribute to fallen soldiers and gave accounts of battlefield courage as tradition dictates. But Trump also veered off into rally-style personal boasting and brief partisan attacks during the solemn event.

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Tourists from countries badly hit by Trump tariffs are staying away from US

Holidaymakers in countries hit the hardest by Trump’s trade tariffs are taking the US off their list for trips abroad, according to online travel booking data.

Hotel search site Trivago has seen double-digit percentage declines in bookings to the US from travellers based in Japan, Canada and Mexico. The latter two countries were the first on Trump’s tariff hit list when he announced tariffs of 25% on 1 February.

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Trump and Pete Hegseth inspiring Islamic State recruitment propaganda

Experts have told the Guardian that Islamic State is capitalising on Trump’s dismantling of the international order, his affinity for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel, and most of all his appointment of Pete Hegseth as Pentagon chief, in its recruitment propaganda.

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What else happened today:

• Former government officials have told the Guardian that Trump’s quid pro quo approach to foreign policy has more in common with his predecessors than it first appears. Where he does differ, they argue, is in his shameless abandonment of moral leadership and use of the US presidency for personal gain.

• Cuts to AmeriCorps – the US agency for national service and volunteerism – were among the harshest doled out by Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge). Those cuts are already disrupting LA wildfire recovery.