On campus: Soybean Innovation Lab reopens
Soybean Innovation Lab Director Peter Goldsmith announced Thursday that the SIL is now “up and running” after an anonymous nonprofit donated $1 million to the lab.
A Trump administration executive order issued in January froze funding for the United States Agency for International Development, which funded roughly 99% of the SIL’s work, according to Goldsmith. In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the lab’s closing.
The $1 million donation will allow a reduced staff to continue operations on a project for one year.
On campus: Federal newsletter addresses university lawsuit, ICE rumor
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The Federal Updates Steering Group released their weekly federal updates newsletter to the University community on Friday.
The letter details information on the Trump administration’s actions toward higher education — including funding changes, student rights and further readings.
This week, the newsletter detailed the University joining a lawsuit against the Department of Energy for cutting facilities and administrative costs related to federally funded research.
The plaintiffs argue the DOE’s policy mirrors a recent effort by the federal government to cap the indirect cost rates of National Institutes of Health-funded research. A federal judge ruled the NIH indirect cost rate cap unlawful in March.
Friday’s newsletter also refuted rumors of Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement officers on campus. The University said it found no evidence of any ICE presence on campus this semester.
In CU: Fire at Pointe Apartments
Emergency vehicles were dispatched Thursday evening to The Pointe Apartments in Urbana when a caller reported a “heavy fire” at the community’s business and office building. The Urbana Fire Department reported that no one was seriously hurt.
UFD Chief Demond Dade told The Daily Illini the fire was under control by 6:15 p.m. – 25 minutes after emergency vehicles were dispatched. First responders forced entry to the interior of the building, where the fire had spread after starting outside.
UFD is still investigating the cause of the fire, according to Dade.
In the US: Sen. Van Hollen visits mistakenly deported Maryland man
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) visited El Salvador Thursday evening to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was deported despite an immigration court order explicitly barring his removal to El Salvador due to fears of persecution from local gangs.
The White House alleges Abrego Garcia is a member of Mara Salvatrucha, an international criminal gang otherwise known as MS-13.
In March, Abrego Garcia, who was living with his wife and three children in Maryland, was mistakenly deported to his native country, El Salvador. There, he was held at the Terrorism Confinement Center, a high-security prison built during the country’s ongoing campaign against gangs.
Abrego Garcia is now being held at a different detention facility, he told Van Hollen.
The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, along with Trump’s top advisers, said there was no basis for bringing Abrego Garcia back into the United States.
The case has sparked conversations about tensions between the White House and the Supreme Court and ignited controversy about the administration’s immigration enforcement practices. As of now, the fate of Abrego Garcia’s case remains unclear.
In the US: Trump suspends $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard
The federal government announced its freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts for Harvard University on Monday.
The decision comes after Harvard refused to abide by the Trump administration’s demands to limit campus activism and make adjustments to curricula, hiring and admissions processes.
Before the freeze, Harvard President Alan Garber addressed the Harvard community in a letter, announcing the university would not surrender to the administration’s pressure. The Trump administration announced the hold on Harvard’s funding hours after the letter’s release.
The funding freeze is set to induce work stoppages, halt research and imperil student financial aid.
On Tuesday, the administration increased pressure by threatening Harvard’s tax-exempt status — a threat that, if carried out, could eventually cost the university billions.
On Friday, Trump’s administration furthered their demands, calling for leadership reforms and the replacement of Harvard’s standing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives with a “merit-based” system.
Worldwide: Israeli military cites ‘professional failures’ in killing of Gaza medics
Israel’s military released findings Sunday from its investigation into a March 23 attack that killed 14 Palestinian rescue workers and a United Nations staffer in Rafah, Gaza.
The probe identified multiple “professional failures,” including violations of orders and a failure to properly report the incident, stated the BBC. The military said they will dismiss a deputy battalion commander and reprimand the brigade commander.
Initial Israeli claims that the vehicles lacked emergency signals and were “advancing suspiciously” were contradicted by cellphone footage obtained by The New York Times. The footage shows clearly marked ambulances with flashing lights and medics in reflective gear.
The Israeli military buried most of the bodies in a mass grave and bulldozed the U.N. and emergency vehicles on the scene, according to the NYT. Israel said removing the bodies “was reasonable under the circumstances,” but said the decision to crush the vehicles was wrong.
Worldwide: Russia-Ukraine Easter truce collapses amid mutual accusations
A 30-hour Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin ended Sunday with Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of repeated violations, according to CNN and the BBC.
Ukrainian officials said Russian forces continued shelling and launched ground assaults during the truce. Russian defense officials, meanwhile, said Ukrainian troops carried out drone strikes and artillery attacks across the front lines.
Each side denied wrongdoing and claimed the other had failed to honor the ceasefire agreement.
The pause in fighting followed a U.S.-backed proposal for a longer, 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine accepted. Russia supported the proposal in principle but indicated the terms needed further work before it could be adopted.
Rubio warned the U.S. could withdraw from peace negotiations “within days” if progress isn’t made.
