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Columbia and Penn Made Trump Deals. More Universities Could Be Next.

Trump officials hope deals with two Ivy League schools create a template that others, including Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Cornell and Northwestern, will follow.

© Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times

The University of Pennsylvania reached an agreement with the Trump administration in which, among other things, it agreed to comply with White House demands on the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports.
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In Virginia, the Attack on University Presidents Widens

Gregory Washington, the first Black president of George Mason University, is under fire for his promotion of campus diversity.

© Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Gregory Washington, the president of George Mason University, had promoted what he called an “antiracism” agenda.
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When Getting Fired Is Only the Beginning for Federal Workers

One thing is clear from a reporter’s conversations with laid-off federal workers this year: The cuts have been anything but straightforward and efficient.

© Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Martin Basch was initially laid off from his federal job in February, but the move wasn’t official until May.
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Sol Stern, Lapsed Liberal and Conservative Heretic, Dies at 89

A writer, editor and political adviser, he broke with the left over its criticism of Israel and what he saw as its anti-Americanism. But he also became a critic of Donald Trump.

© Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times

The writer and editor Sol Stern at his Manhattan apartment in 2008. A liberal turned conservative, he was known for his largely nonideological judgment and his willingness to change his mind.
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Senate Approves First Judge of Trump’s Second Term

The pace of judicial confirmations is lagging compared with the president’s first stint in office, but more are in the pipeline.

© Nathan Howard/Reuters

Whitney D. Hermandorfer during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June.
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Inside the Conservative Campaign That Took Down a University President

The Jefferson Council had called for eliminating D.E.I., without much success. But a new lawyer with ties to the group took on the cause for the Trump administration.

© Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

For years, the Jefferson Council had criticized the university’s president, James E. Ryan, for his support of D.E.I.
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Inside the Conservative Campaign That Took Down the U.Va. President

The Jefferson Council had called for eliminating D.E.I., without much success. But a new lawyer with ties to the group took on the cause for the Trump administration.

© Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

For years, the Jefferson Council had criticized the university’s president, James E. Ryan, for his support of D.E.I.
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From Science to Diversity, Trump Hits the Reverse Button on Decades of Change

President Trump has moved aggressively to reopen long-settled issues and to dismantle long-established institutions as he tries to return to what he considers better times.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

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