Good afternoon,

TGIF 🎉 

Before we get to the news, here’s a taste of what’s ahead for all of us this weekend from our weekly ‘Cheers to the Freakin’ Weekend’ section:

What We’re Watching: 

• Mosh: Paradise ~ Hulu

• Lauren: Bad Bunny: Tiny Desk Concert ~ NPR

• Sari: Adolescence ~ Netflix

What We’re Reading:

• Mosh: Help! My Kid Hats Writing ~ Julie Bogart

  • Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History ~ Chris Whipple

    • Mo News interview available with Whipple for our Premium audience! Sign up today.

• Sari: Didion and Babitz ~ Lili Anolik

• Lauren: The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers ~ WSJ’s Dana Mattioli

What We’re Eating:

• Mosh: Alex’s Honeycomb

• Sari: Lucia Pizza NYC

• Lauren: Hard boiled eggs, decorated for Easter

The Mo News Team

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🚨 ONE LEGAL THING

Trump Threatens To Remove Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status, Ban International Students

The Trump administration battle with the nation’s most prominent college escalated on several fronts this week. The US government is now threatening to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status, as well as its ability to enroll international students, if it refuses to hand over detailed information about its student visa holders. On top of that, the government is demand the school hand over a list of all foreign donations going back to 2020.

The new threats come after Harvard became the first to publicly refuse to adhere to a list of government demands amending the school’s hiring, admissions, and culture.

HARVARD VS. DHS
In a letter sent Wednesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanded the university send details about each student visa holder’s “known illegal,” “dangerous or violent activity” — or risk losing its certification to host foreign students. In the meantime, Noem canceled nearly $3 million in DHS grants to the school — including for violence prevention and public health programs — calling it “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

• Noem accused the university of creating a “hostile learning environment” for Jewish students and emphasized, “It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee.” During the 2024-2025 school year, international students constituted 27% of Harvard’s student body, according to the university.

  • The threat to international students comes as the administration has revoked visas from hundreds of foreign students in recent weeks, as part of its mission to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.

HARVARD VS. EVERYONE ELSE
On Tuesday, Trump also requested that the IRS rescind the university’s tax-exempt status — which the agency is reportedly considering. The day before, the administration pulled more than $2 billion in federal funding to the school after Harvard refused to comply with a list of demands, including ending all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and reforming hiring and staffing processes. Losing that status will take a lengthy IRS investigation which would require it to find Harvard in violation of tax law or political policies.

• Harvard President Alan Garber responded by saying, “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” The government had threatened $9 billion in grants and funding if the university did not comply. Harvard believes it has the law on its side.

WHAT ABOUT THEIR ENDOWMENT?
Harvard is the country’s oldest and richest university, with an endowment of $53 billion. But university officials call it a “common misconception” that the school can use that money to replace the government’s frozen funds.

• More than 80% of the endowment dollars are restricted for specific use. The rest often goes toward operations funding. Government funds typically go to research and programs that benefit the nation.

🚨 ONE THING THAT’S ESCALATING

Maryland Senator Meets With Man Mistakenly Deported To El Salvador

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen met Thursday in El Salvador with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation to the country.

Van Hollen posted a photo of the meeting on X, saying he also called Abrego Garcia’s wife (who is a US citizen) “to pass along his message of love.” Van Hollen landed back in DC Friday, calling the deportation of the man an “illegal abduction,” given courts had explicitly determined in 2019 that he could not be deported to El Salvador due to threats he faces there.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted images of the meeting minutes before Van Hollen shared his post, saying, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.” While the Justice Department has admitted that they mistakenly deported him, they have refused to work to get him back to the US, stating that Abrego Garcia is a members of the MS-13 gang. The White House was defiant in a social media post Friday, declaring that he is “never coming back.”

The administration defiance comes despite a federal appeals court panel reaffirming Thursday that the White House needs to play a more active role in seeking the release of the man. The Supreme Court decided unanimously, 9-0, last week that the government needs to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release due to the error. However, the White House has been defining “facilitate” to mean they only have to provide a plane if El Salvador chooses to release him. The appeals court reinforced yesterday that “facilitate” is an “active verb” as far as they are concerned.

“The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order,” Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote on behalf of the panel. This case will likely go back to the Supreme Court again.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Severe storms expected across Plains, Midwest on Easter weekend (FOX WEATHER)

📌Students at Florida State University gather for memorials after yesterday’s deadly shooting (AP)

📌 Judge restricts DOGE access to personalized social security data (FOX NEWS)

📌 Trump administration announces fees on Chinese ships docking at US ports (REUTERS)

📌 An American citizen held under ICE detainment has been released. (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US, Iran set for another round of nuclear talks this weekend: A preview (CNN)

📌 Rubio says that Trump administration may abandon Ukraine peace talks in days (NBC)

📌 Houthis claim that 72 killed in US strike on Yemen oil port (AP)

📌 Huckabee, new U.S. ambassador for Israel, visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem (NPR)

📌 China and Cambodia forge diplomatic ties amid Trump tariffs (DW)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Google to appeal against part of US court’s decisions in monopoly case (REUTERS)

📌 Trump’s tariffs may start a french fry war 🍟 (BUSINESS INSIDER)

📌 Instagram launches new “blends” feature to let you share reels with friends (THE VERGE)

📌 Planet discovered outside solar system orbiting two stars resembles fictional Star Wars setting (NBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Speaking of a galaxy far, far away…Ryan Gosling set to star in a new Star Wars film, Starfighter, premiering 2027 💫(CNN)

📌 Wendy’s is not apologizing for saying Katy Perry should “go back” to space. (NYPOST)

📌 Bryce James, son of LeBron James, signs with Arizona (USA TODAY)

📌 It’s a bird 🦜…it’s a plane ✈️ …it’s holy? A new report on the religious undercurrents in Superman 🦸 (AP)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it…AS IF!

Bring out your plaid skirts. Clueless is coming back, with Alicia Silverstone reprising the main role of Cher Horowitz.

The new series, a follow-up to the 1995 high school comedy classic, was announced on Thursday. It is currently in production on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service. Silverstone is both starring in and executive producing the series.

The original 1995 film followed Cher Horowitz, a popular and wealthy high schooler with a flair for helping others. The film, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma, became a cult classic for its iconic outfits and quotable lines.