Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Outcome-driven investigations. Threats of dizzying fines. Broad claims of rampant, unchecked antisemitism. The Trump administration’s playbook against higher education is familiar by now, and it always presents universities with the same stark choice: Pay up or face a potentially yearslong legal battle with an extremely powerful adversary. Washington insiders and judges say Trump’s tactics are legally dubious at best, breaking with procedural rules and even violating the U.S. Constitution. But will any of that matter in the end?
Related Reading
The Shakedown: How Trump’s Justice Department pressured lawyers to ‘find’ evidence that UCLA had tolerated antisemitism (chronicle.com/article/the-shakedown) (The Chronicle/ProPublica)
The Improbable Warrior: Why the unlikely leader of Trump’s antisemitism task force may be the perfect man for the job. (chronicle.com/article/the-improbable-warrior) (The Chronicle/ProPublica)
Trump Wants $1 Billion From UCLA for Its ‘Hostile Environment.’ What Is That? (chronicle.com/article/trump-wants-1-billion-from-ucla-for-its-hostile-environment-what-is-that) (The Chronicle)
Guests
Peter Elkind (propublica.org/people/peter-elkind) , national investigative reporter at ProPublica
Katie Mangan (chronicle.com/author/katherine-mangan) , senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
Outcome-driven investigations. Threats of dizzying fines. Broad claims of rampant, unchecked antisemitism. The Trump administration’s playbook against higher education is familiar by now, and it always presents universities with the same stark choice: Pay up or face a potentially yearslong legal battle with an extremely powerful adversary. Washington insiders and judges say Trump’s tactics are legally dubious at best, breaking with procedural rules and even violating the U.S. Constitution. But will any of that matter in the end?
Related Reading
The Shakedown: How Trump’s Justice Department pressured lawyers to ‘find’ evidence that UCLA had tolerated antisemitism (chronicle.com/article/the-shakedown) (The Chronicle/ProPublica)
The Improbable Warrior: Why the unlikely leader of Trump’s antisemitism task force may be the perfect man for the job. (chronicle.com/article/the-improbable-warrior) (The Chronicle/ProPublica)
Trump Wants $1 Billion From UCLA for Its ‘Hostile Environment.’ What Is That? (chronicle.com/article/trump-wants-1-billion-from-ucla-for-its-hostile-environment-what-is-that) (The Chronicle)
Guests
Peter Elkind (propublica.org/people/peter-elkind) , national investigative reporter at ProPublica
Katie Mangan (chronicle.com/author/katherine-mangan) , senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/collegematters) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
