Hello Thursday. Today I’m starting with a quiz. Which American political leader said, “The professor is the enemy”?

Right Richard Nixon spoke with Henry Kissinger In an oval office in 1972.

His full quote is even colder. “Never forget, the media is the enemy. Establishment is the enemy. Professor is the enemy. Professor is the enemy. Write it on the blackboard 100 times and never forget it.”

A fascinating list of perceived villains may look like an explosion from the past, except that Vice President JD Vance concluded his 2021 speech Handrails for American universities In the “Professor” section of Nixon’s quote.

And it wasn’t just a one-off. For years, Vance has been the People and Rock Step of Project 2025, clearly and loudly in his desire to destroy higher education in the United States, viewing it as a threat to conservative values ​​and a conservative force.

Vance says that the university “trains” people to hate their families and the country.

“In fact, I think we have to destroy the universities in this country,” says Yale Law School alumni. I said in another interview. “They have too much money. They have too much power. I don’t think they’re doing anything good.”

So, this week’s news is full of Mahmoud Khalil’s horribly authoritarian light-like forms of light, but with a recent Columbia graduate student and green cardholder being detained for his role in the pro-Palestinian protests, there’s a big picture that we can’t lose sight of.

This is not entirely about fighting anti-Semitism (a valuable and important battle), or even completely free speech. This is about the Trump administration, which is trying to destroy universities, wherever possible.

Brian Levin, professor emeritus in San Bernardino, California and a member of the California Committee on Hate, probably says that best. The government’s crackdown on opposition is “part of one punch targeted at some of the country’s most elite universities.

That’s what Levin told me, “Free society is unacceptable.”

The lawsuit against Khalil is shockingly thin, from what we know so far. Halil played a leadership role in the protests in Colombia last year, but later graduated with a master’s degree. He is a permanent resident of the United States who grew up in Syria, married to an American citizen (who happens to be pregnant).

On Saturday, Halil was taken into custody by ice agents Person personally recognized by President Trump According to Halil’s lawyers, he flew to a Louisiana immigration detention center in 2019. Louisiana is in jurisdiction over the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, in contrast to the more liberal Second Circuit, which covers New York. The government claims he is a “prohama” but has not provided evidence.

The case first heard in a New York court on Wednesday, but Halil was not there. His lawyers argued that the case should be returned to New York and said they were unable to have a secret conversation with him. The court ordered his lawyers to be given access and gave the government time to submit that discussion about why Louisiana is the right venue.

Trump has said on social media that Halil’s detention was “the first arrest of many people going forward.”

For now, the case appears to be in court instead of secret detention and deported land, and perhaps legitimate procedures have the way.

In the meantime, Halil’s arrest sparked numerous protests on university campuses, including California. This brings us to part two of the one-two punch that Levin saw.

Also, a few days ago The Trump administration has subtracted $400 million from Columbiaaccused of failing to protect Jewish students on campus.

The administration also sent letters to 60 universities informing them that they are under investigation “It’s linked to anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.”

As my colleagues Jaweed Kaleem and Daniel Miller reported, it includes four University of California campuses (such as San Diego, Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Davis) as well as USC, Pomona College, Stanford, Chapman University, Santa Monica College and Sacramento.

Certainly, there was anti-Semitism on several campuses, including California last year, and Jewish students were afraid to see from afar, “I found certain aspects of these protests completely disgusting,” Levin said.

he”Columbia University’s own report Show the terrible mistakes that have happened regarding the protection of Jewish students. ”

However, Levin also points out that freedom of speech is protecting the most uncomfortable.

He refers to a major incident in 1946. There, Arthur Teminiero, a conservative Catholic priest in Florida.Later he was accused of reliable sexual abuse) He gave a Chicago burning Cen, racist and anti-Semitic speech and was arrested for a violation of peace. At Terminiello vs. Chicago, the Supreme Court abandoned his beliefs.

Speeches are often provocative and challenging. It can conflict with prejudice and preconceptions, and can have a profoundly unsettling effect of seeking acceptance of ideas. That is why, despite its non-absoluteness, freedom of speech is nevertheless protected from censorship and punishment.

In our current context, it may mean saving Palestinians to pro-Palestinians or simply saving murder, at least without the due process, without prohama (terrorist organizations) or simply dangerous labeling.

As American Jewish Commissionone of America’s oldest and most respected Jewish organizations, said in a statement this week:

Still, a new government investigation into the university could lead to similar losses of funds as those hit Colombia. Funding for cancer treatment research and more. It comes soon after other funding cuts by other Trump Grant Freezes, and the university is already shaking.

“This will have the most amazing effect of not only the most malicious of those who exploited the protest, but also the best of the protesters who wanted to stop the conflict,” Levin said.

So what’s at stake is the eruption of US university funding, alongside the creation of a culture of terror that counteracts opposition, for both vulnerable students and the administration. The university is currently undergoing active protests, with government closely monitoring how they handle them and facing losses of money that could cripple them.

That moment is literally beyond how much money our university pays to protect free speech (and how risks our state legislature is taking).

As Vance said, if the goal is to destroy the university, there may not be a price to sacrifice. Perhaps we are ggling mercy and preparing for battle.

Other things you should read:

Must see: Inside Trump’s crackdown on dissent: Unclear law, ice agents and fear
What happened: In Colombia, tensions over Gaza protests hit a breakpoint under Trump
LA Times Special: UCLA launches efforts to fight anti-Semitism, as Trump says more Palestinian activists will be arrested first

Maintaining the golden
Anita Chhabria

PS How powerful is Donald Trump? Apparently, he can decide who is Jewish.

Has this newsletter been forwarded to you? Sign up here Get it in your inbox.