America
US mulls mandatory social media checks for all foreign student visa applicants

The US administration is evaluating a proposal to mandate social media reviews for all foreign students applying to study in the country.
In preparation for this potential requirement, a memorandum dated Tuesday and reportedly signed by Senator Marco Rubio, instructed US Embassies and consulates to suspend scheduling new interview appointments for student visa applicants.
A State Department directive mentioned in the memorandum states, “In preparation for the expansion of necessary social media screening and review processes, consular sections should not increase visa appointment capacity for student or exchange program participants (F, M, and J) until further instruction by septel, which we expect to be issued in the coming days.”
“Septel” is an abbreviation used by the State Department for “separate telegram.”
The administration had previously introduced some social media screening requirements, primarily targeting returning students who might have participated in protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The document does not explicitly state what future social media audits will target but references presidential decrees aimed at “keeping out terrorists” and “combating antisemitism.”
According to POLITICO, many State Department officials have privately complained for months that past instructions on screening students—for example, those who might have participated in campus protests—were vague.
For instance, it remains unclear whether sharing a Palestinian flag on an X account would subject a student to additional review.
State Department: Every sovereign country’s right
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce avoided direct comment on Rubio’s reported directive, stating that no public announcement had been made.
Bruce said, “Every sovereign country has the right to determine who is trying to enter the country, why they want to enter, who they are, what they have done, and at least within that framework, what they will do here. This is not new. And we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to assess who is coming here, whether they are students or not.”
Halting or even slowing visa applications would affect hundreds of thousands of students globally and numerous educational institutions in the US, which increasingly rely on attracting international talent.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Cleveland-based immigration lawyer David Leopold suggested that such a move by the administration could be “devastating, even catastrophic” for both international students and the US universities dependent on them. Leopold emphasized that the economic and cultural impacts would be enormous.
International students: A vital financial resource for universities
International students constitute 5.9% of the approximately 19 million total US higher education population. In the 2023-2024 academic year, over 1.1 million foreign students came to the US, with India sending the largest number, followed by China.
Most international students in the US pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Approximately 25% study mathematics and computer science, while one-fifth choose engineering.
Foreign students typically pay full tuition fees. According to the Open Doors Report, supported by the State Department, New York University, Northeastern University, and Columbia University host the largest numbers of foreign students, each with over 21,000.
The decision concerning student visa interviews on Tuesday followed by a few days an attempt by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent Harvard University from enrolling international students. A federal judge quickly issued a temporary halt to this initiative.
White House reportedly aims to terminate federal contracts with Harvard
The administration is also reportedly moving to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard, valued at approximately $100 million.
The Trump administration is allegedly pressuring federal agencies to terminate their contracts with Harvard.
The General Services Administration (GSA) asserted that Harvard engaged in racial discrimination in admissions and other aspects of campus life. In a letter sent Tuesday, the GSA requested assistance for agencies in “reviewing for termination or transition of federal government contracts” with Harvard.
Josh Gruenbaum, Commissioner of the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, wrote in the letter to federal procurement officials, obtained by POLITICO, “We recommend that your agency terminate, as appropriate, any contracts it has identified as not meeting its standards and transition contracts that could be better served by an alternative counterparty to a new vendor.”
The GSA has asked agencies to report their plans regarding contracts with Harvard by June 6.
University of California next in ‘antisemitism’ investigation sights
As the White House intensifies its scrutiny of higher education, the Trump administration has pledged to expand its investigations on university campuses beyond Ivy League institutions to other schools, including the University of California (UC) system.
Leo Terrell, identified as head of the Justice Department’s “combating antisemitism” task force, stated that the UC system should expect “large-scale lawsuits,” adding that universities on the “East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest” could also face legal action.
Rachel Zaentz, senior director of strategic and critical communications for the UC president’s office, contended that the University of California “condemns antisemitism” and is working to eliminate it system-wide.
Zaentz added that the institution is cooperating with the Trump administration, stating, “The University is fully focused on strengthening our programs and policies to eliminate antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.”
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Terrell remarked, “We are pursuing all our activities in the courtroom. Trump will not back down.”
Terrell also warned that they would target universities in ways that “will hurt them very financially.”
The advisor specifically cited federal hate crime charges and Title VII lawsuits, which focus on discrimination in hiring, as potential tools the administration might use.
America
Trump halts foreign student entry to Harvard

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning foreign students from entering the US to study at Harvard University.
Announcing the executive order on Wednesday, President Trump also stated he has authorized Secretary of State Marco Rubio to initiate the revocation of visas for the university’s foreign students.
Trump stated in the announcement that this decision was prompted by the university’s refusal to share information regarding “known illegal activities” committed by its international students.
The order was issued even though a federal judge in May had granted a preliminary injunction. This injunction prevented the administration from barring Harvard’s enrollment of international students, as part of an effort to penalize the school over allegations of “antisemitism and civil rights violations.”
The university states that it is working to resolve these issues on its own.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on X, “Admission to study at an ‘elite’ university in the United States is a privilege, not a right. The Department of Justice will vigorously defend the President’s decision to suspend the entry of new foreign students to Harvard University on national security grounds.”
In response, Harvard Spokesperson Jason Newton contended, “This is another illegal retaliatory step by the administration that infringes upon Harvard’s rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”
Trump’s feud with the university began in April when Harvard rejected the White House’s demand to revise its admissions and disciplinary policies, citing violations of free speech rights. The White House responded by withholding more than $2 billion in federal grants.
In early May, Trump announced plans to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status. Later that month, he proposed distributing the university’s $3 billion endowment to vocational schools.
International students make up approximately 27% of Harvard’s student population. The White House first requested in late May the cancellation of the university’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which allows universities to enroll foreign students. Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security, and a federal judge immediately granted a temporary restraining order.
During a hearing last week, US District Judge Allison Burroughs indicated her intention to issue a preliminary injunction. Such an order would bar the Trump administration from taking further punitive measures against Harvard as the lawsuit concerning the foreign student matter proceeds.
Although the Trump administration opposes any such injunction, it requested that the Department of Justice and Harvard lawyers agree on the wording for a potential court order. The two sides have not yet responded to the judge.
America
Pentagon to shift Greenland oversight to Northern Command

The Pentagon is preparing to make a symbolic move that will more closely align the Arctic island with the US by transferring control of Greenland to the US Northern Command (Northcom).
This shift in command, which could take place as early as this week, may also serve to expand US radar capabilities and strengthen its missile defense network.
A Department of Defense official, along with two sources acquainted with the plans, has indicated that Greenland is set to move from the European Command’s (Eucom) area of responsibility to that of the Northern Command (Northcom), the body charged with ensuring North American security.
This development represents the most tangible outcome of the Trump administration’s months-long efforts to secure Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
The integration of Greenland into Northcom is anticipated to provoke significant discussion in Denmark and throughout NATO. Concerns have been fueled by the Trump administration’s sustained efforts to assert control over the island, including its unwillingness to rule out military options for acquisition.
Denmark and the semi-autonomous Faroe Islands will remain under Eucom’s authority, creating a symbolic and operational demarcation between these territories and Greenland.
A source close to the developments remarked, “Geographically, the move is logical. Politically, though, it’s clear this decision will raise concerns in Europe.”
This shift in command authority is a component of the Pentagon leadership’s ongoing review of the Unified Command Plan. This plan delineates the areas of responsibility for the department’s six geographic combatant commands.
While Greenland’s reassignment would not necessitate a major leadership overhaul, other proposals—such as merging Northcom with Southern Command or integrating Africa Command into the Germany-based Eucom—would significantly impact the number of three- and four-star officers in the military and the allocation of assets to various global regions.
For months, the Trump administration has emphasized Greenland’s strategic importance to US security. It argues that the island’s North Atlantic location is critical for enhancing missile defense programs and for monitoring Russian and Chinese maritime activities in the Arctic.
Such a change would pave the way for deploying more missile defense radar systems in Greenland and broadening this sensor network, thus integrating the island more tightly with Canadian and US regional defense frameworks.
Northcom is responsible for the protection of US territory. Its duties include overseeing southern border security, air and missile defense, and collaborating with Canada and Mexico on shared security concerns.
Bringing Greenland under Northcom’s umbrella will effectively elevate the island’s profile in policy debates at the Pentagon and the White House, distinctly positioning it relative to Denmark.
A source indicated that the Danish government has not yet been formally notified of the impending transfer.
The US has maintained a military presence on the island for an extended period. In March, individuals named as Vice President JD Vance and then-national security advisor Mike Waltz are said to have visited Pituffik Space Base. This facility, possessing the Pentagon’s northernmost deep-water port, has long functioned as a strategic site for monitoring Russia and China.
While in Greenland, Vance is reported to have encouraged the island’s leaders to “make a deal” with Washington, allegedly stating, “I believe it would be far more advantageous for you to be under the US security umbrella than under Denmark’s.”
In January, the Danish government committed to an additional $2 billion for Greenland’s security initiatives, a move partly aimed at appeasing the Trump administration’s security concerns.
The Trump administration’s remarks on the Arctic’s significance have also captured the attention of NATO leaders. Mark Rutte, the alliance’s secretary general, noted last week, “As NATO, we are increasing our engagement in Arctic security matters.”
Rutte also described the Trump administration’s focus on Russian and Chinese activities in the region as a positive development.
In a recent NBC interview last month, Trump affirmed he had not discounted the possibility of acquiring Greenland by military means, commenting, “I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but I’m not ruling anything out. We need Greenland very much.”
America
AI’s potential ‘white-collar massacre’ sparks debate on job future, says Amodei

Anthropic’s billionaire CEO, Dario Amodei, stated in an interview with Axios that artificial intelligence could eliminate 50% of all white-collar, entry-level jobs within the next one to five years, potentially raising unemployment rates to 10% to 20%.
Anthropic recently launched its new AI model, Claude Opus 4, which was reported to have “threatened” an engineer during testing.
Amodei also claimed that AI companies, like his own, will increase income inequality as they make large sums of money, calling on the US government to start taxing the sector. The Anthropic executive even proposed a “symbolic tax” requiring AI companies to pay 3% of the revenue generated from each use of their models to the government, suggesting this tax could be reinvested into programs like “worker retraining.”
On the other hand, critics argue that the “white-collar massacre” rhetoric is part of the “AI hype machine.” For example, Mark Cuban suggested Amodei should calm down, recalling that past technological advancements and automation displaced workers like secretaries for a time but ultimately created new industries and jobs.
Nevertheless, fears that AI will take white-collar jobs may be justified. According to a recent report from the New York Fed, the unemployment rate for new graduates rose to 5.8% last quarter, reaching its highest level since 2021. Data shows that unemployment has particularly increased in technical fields where rapid advancements in AI are being made. Earlier this month, Microsoft announced it would lay off 3% of its staff, including many engineers. Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike laid off 5% of its workforce (500 people), citing AI’s reshaping of the sector.
However, AI is not yet fully ready. A few weeks ago, Klarna reversed its decision after switching to AI customer service representatives and started hiring humans again.
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