The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they happen.
Trump administration informs Harvard of freeze on billions in grant funding
The US Department of Education has informed Harvard University that it’s freezing billions of dollars in research grants and other aid until the elite university concedes to a number of demands from the Trump administration, a senior department official says.
Michigan prosecutors drop felony charges against anti-Israel campus protesters
ANN ARBOR, Michigan — State prosecutors dropped felony charges against seven people accused of trespassing and resisting police a year ago during the break-up of a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan.
Attorney General Dana Nessel says she believes the cases are strong but suggests her office was worn down by criticism and other factors. She notes that a judge in Washtenaw County still hasn’t decided whether to send the cases to a trial court despite multiple hearings.
“Baseless and absurd allegations of bias have only furthered this divide,” says Nessel, a Democrat, who adds that “distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere.”
The camp on the Diag, a traditional site for campus protests, was cleared by police in May 2024 after a month. The university said the camp had become a threat to safety, with overloaded power sources and open flames.
Defense attorney Amir Makled says Nessel is trying to turn free speech into a crime.
“We sent a clear message to both Lansing and to Washington, that the people still rule, and that public pressure compels the rule of law to be upheld,” Makled says.
Protesters had demanded that the school’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. The university insisted it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel.
Anti-Israel singer Kehlani has Central Park concert nixed after pressure from NYC mayor’s office
A concert in Central Park for the anti-Israel singer Kehlani is canceled after pressure from the New York City mayor’s office.
Kehlani was supposed to perform next month at a show called “Pride with Kehlani,” during the city’s LGBTQ Pride month. The show was hosted by the City Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that partners with the city’s department of parks and recreation and receives public funding.
Kehlani has said, “Fuck Israel,” “Fuck Zionism,” “Dismantle Israel,” and shared other calls for Israel’s destruction on social media. Last year, she put out a music video that flashed the message, “Long live the intifada.”
The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams pressured the foundation to cancel the show, citing security concerns, The New York Post reports.
The foundation canceled the show following a letter from the mayor’s office, the report says.
Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, says on X, “We are grateful to the City Parks Foundation for responding to our concerns and canceling the Kehlani concert in Central Park.”
New York Rep. Ritchie Torres also pushed for the show’s cancellation.
“Antisemitism becomes unacceptable only when we, as a society, have the courage to reject it,” Torres says after the show’s cancellation.
Cornell University in upstate New York canceled a Kehlani performance last month, due to her anti-Israel rhetoric.
IDF says it targeted Hezbollah weapons manufacturing, storage site in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley
The IDF confirms carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon this evening, saying it targeted infrastructure at a Hezbollah “strategic weapons” manufacturing and storage site in the Beqaa Valley area.
The strike was carried out after the military says it identified that Hezbollah was working to restore the facility, which had been targeted in the past.
Additionally, the IDF says it struck several more Hezbollah sites in the Srifa area of southern Lebanon this evening.
The Hezbollah activity and the presence of weapons in the targeted areas “constitute blatant violations of the understandings agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF adds.