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Larry Summers Steps Down From OpenAI Board After Epstein Emails Surface

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OpenAI and the former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers announced Wednesday that he will step down from the board of the influential artificial intelligence company. The decision comes just days after Congress made thousands of emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein public, revealing Summers as a frequent correspondent.

“In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI,” Summers said in a statement.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company and look forward to following their progress.”

OpenAI’s board confirmed his departure, noting in its announcement, “We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the board.”

The move adds OpenAI to the growing list of institutions now distancing themselves from figures connected to Epstein, the disgraced financier who, according to authorities, died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The recently released trove of more than 20,000 emails referenced a number of high-profile names, including President Trump and filmmaker Woody Allen, thrusting renewed scrutiny on those who interacted with Epstein long after his criminal history was publicly known. Summers told CNBC on Monday that he regrets his actions.

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“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

Summers entered OpenAI’s orbit in 2023, joining the board at a moment of internal chaos after the surprise ouster of chief executive Sam Altman. Alongside directors Bret Taylor and Adam D’Angelo, he played a key role in reinstating Altman and expanding the board to include five independent members.

His presence was intended to bolster the company’s governance as OpenAI evolved from a mission-driven nonprofit hybrid into a major force in the tech industry.

Since then, OpenAI has attracted tens of billions of dollars in private investment and deepened its relationship with federal agencies. Just last month, the company completed a long-anticipated restructuring that formalized its transition into a conventional for-profit entity, a shift designed to support the massive capital requirements of cutting-edge artificial intelligence research. The company’s valuation now exceeds $500 billion.

Over the past week, Summers has rapidly relinquished a series of leadership and advisory positions. He resigned as chair of the Center for Global Development and stepped down from roles at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Yale’s Budget Lab, and the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.

Harvard University, where Summers teaches economics and once served as president, said it would launch a review into his and other officials’ connections to Epstein and “evaluate what actions may be warranted.”

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Despite the controversy, Summers appeared before his class at Harvard on Tuesday, where he directly addressed students about the uproar.

“Some of you will have seen my statement of regret, expressing my shame with respect to what I did with Mr. Epstein. But I think it’s very important that I fulfill my teaching obligations.”

The emails released by Congress show that Epstein and Summers exchanged messages from 2017 to 2019, ranging from personal chatter to political commentary. The correspondence also included disparaging remarks about women’s intelligence and repeated discussions about former President Trump.

In some messages, Summers appeared to seek Epstein’s advice on pursuing a romantic relationship with Keyu Jin, a mentee and former professor at the London School of Economics. Dr. Jin’s father, Jin Liqun, is a prominent Chinese banking executive and former senior Communist Party official.

Summers’s abrupt departure adds yet another twist to a turbulent period for OpenAI, whose rapid ascent has been matched only by the volatility surrounding its leadership.

As the ripples from the Epstein documents continue to spread, institutions around the world are grappling with the implications and Summers, once a towering figure in economic and academic circles, now finds himself at the center of a widening reckoning.

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Judge Restores Harvard’s Funding as White House Plans Immediate Appeal

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Harvard University scored a major courtroom victory this week when a federal judge restored over $2 billion in research funding that was frozen by the Trump administration. But even as the Ivy League giant celebrated, the White House made it clear that the fight is far from over.

Almost immediately after the ruling, the administration vowed to appeal the decision. It’s the latest salvo in a months-long battle pitting the country’s most prestigious university against a White House intent on reshaping federal funding for higher education.

The decision came Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, who flatly rejected the administration’s claim that the funding freeze was necessary to combat antisemitism on campus.

“There is little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism,” Burroughs wrote in her 84-page ruling. “In fact, a review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that Defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”

Burroughs noted that fighting antisemitism remains a crucial goal, but said it should not come at the expense of fundamental freedoms.

“We must fight against antisemitism, but we equally need to protect our rights, including our right to free speech, and neither goal should nor needs to be sacrificed on the altar of the other. Harvard is currently, even if belatedly, taking steps it needs to take to combat antisemitism and seems willing to do even more if need be.”

Ultimately, Burroughs said it was now up to the judiciary to ensure academic freedom remains protected.

“Now it is the job of the courts to similarly step up, to act to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution, and to ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda no matter the cost.”

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For Harvard, the victory was clear. But the road ahead isn’t. The Trump administration is already demanding a $1 billion settlement from UCLA to restore $584 million in frozen funds and is in negotiations with Cornell University and Northwestern University. Whether Harvard’s legal triumph sets a precedent for others, or simply hardens the administration’s stance, remains to be seen.

The administration, meanwhile, signaled it will continue to apply pressure. Even before the ruling, President Trump criticized Judge Burroughs, an Obama appointee, and telegraphed plans to appeal. Within hours of the decision, White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston confirmed that the fight would continue.

“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years. Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars and remains ineligible for grants in the future. We will immediately move to appeal this egregious decision, and we are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick even boasted that the administration was exploring new ways to turn up the heat, including targeting Harvard’s patents.

“I mean, we just have a blast, you know? Because Linda’s hitting Harvard, and she says, ‘What can we do?’ Now we send them a patent letter and hit them again. So we’re having fun together.”

Tyler Coward, lead counsel for government affairs at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said the ruling confirmed that the Trump administration “trampled Harvard University’s First Amendment rights and broke civil rights law,” calling the funding freeze “flatly unlawful and unconstitutional.”

However, Trump has shown little sign of backing down. Just last week, he publicly told Education Secretary Linda McMahon not to negotiate with Harvard for “anything less than $500 million,” insisting, “They’ve been very bad. Don’t negotiate.”

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For its part, Harvard struck a cautious note after the ruling.

“The ruling affirms Harvard’s First Amendment and procedural rights, and validates our arguments in defense of the University’s academic freedom, critical scientific research, and the core principles of American higher education,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement on Wednesday to the university’s community.

“Even as we acknowledge the important principles affirmed in today’s ruling, we will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to expanding, disseminating, and applying knowledge, knowing that our successes will make a real difference for individuals across the country and around the world.”

That “changing landscape” may soon include a settlement. Sources familiar with the talks said Harvard and the White House had discussed restoring federal funding and dropping ongoing lawsuits, including a separate case involving international students. Burroughs previously ruled in Harvard’s favor in that case as well, though the administration could still launch a formal review of the university’s ability to host foreign students and scholars.

This legal standoff comes as the Trump administration grows increasingly aggressive in using executive authority to challenge institutions it sees as adversarial. From tariffs to immigration to higher education, the White House has embraced legal fights as a way to advance its agenda, even if courts sometimes push back.

For now, Harvard has its money back. But with an appeal coming and the administration signaling it isn’t done, the university’s victory may be only one round in a much longer fight over the future of federal funding, free speech, and academic independence.

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Harvard Visa Threat From Trump Administration Could Eliminate Many Sports Teams For The School 

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After the Trump Administration announced that they would be revoking Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, the Ivy League School stated that some of their sports teams would be “virtually wiped out,” according to reports from NPR.

For example, seven out of eight rowers on the men’s heavyweight crew team list international hometowns for the athletes. The team just won the Eastern Sprints title and are heading to the national championships. 

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10 of the 13 men’s squash members and more than half of the women’s soccer and golf teams list foreign hometowns as well. 

Harvard has the most varsity sports teams in the nation, with a total of 42. It was reported last month that 21% of the players on the school’s roster for the 2024-25 season had international hometowns. That’s 196 out of 919 athletes. 

Within the report, however, it was noted that some of those athletes could be US citizens or green card holders that would not require international visas, which is the current issue at hand. 

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students citing that the school has created an unsafe environment on campus. 

The administration is claiming that Harvard is allowing “any-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to specifically assault Jewish students on campus. 

This move could potentially force around 6,800 foreign students to transfer or leave the nation. That’s more than a quarter of the school’s enrollment. 

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Harvard has responded to the action by calling it “unlawful” and they stated they are working to help comfort and provide guidance for the students. 

President Alan Garber, made a statement last month after filing a lawsuit to stop the federal funding freeze for Harvard, that the school “will continue to fight hate with the urgency it demands as we fully comply with our obligations under the law. That is not only our legal responsibility. It is our moral imperative.”

Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey, who actually played basketball at Harvard when she was in college, stated that athletes are a part of 85,000 foreign students who come to the state specifically to “study, conduct research, start businesses, and create jobs and innovations.”

“President Trump is punishing our students and hurting our economy, all as part of his agenda to silence anyone who disagrees with him,” she said. 

“The only ones who benefit from Donald Trump’s actions are China and other countries who are already recruiting these students. It’s the exact opposite of America First.”

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Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Move to Block Its Enrollment of International Students

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Harvard University filed a federal lawsuit Friday morning against the Trump administration less than 24 hours after the Department of Homeland Security declared it would block the school from enrolling international students. The ban threatens thousands of students at one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious universities.

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Harvard Sues Trump Administration as 100+ University Leaders Condemn Federal Overreach

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Harvard University’s lawsuit against the Trump administration marks the beginning of an intense legal battle over issues of academic freedom, federal oversight, and the future of American higher education. The high-stakes dispute is expected to continue for years and may ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court.

The prestigious institution has accused the administration of unlawfully freezing federal funds as part of a broader effort to pressure universities into complying with politically motivated demands.

In March, Harvard first received notice that it was under federal investigation for allegedly failing to “curb or combat” antisemitism on campus. Shortly afterward, the Trump administration sent over a list of demands and ordered immediate cooperation from Harvard in exchange for its continued financial relationship with the federal government.

Similar demands were sent to Columbia University, which made changes to meet the demands, conceding to the administration. Harvard’s public rebuke led the administration to freeze $2.2 billion in funding, followed by threats to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status and block the school’s ability to host international students.

Harvard’s lawsuit, filed in Boston federal court, challenges the administration’s claim that withholding funds is necessary to combat antisemitism.

“The Government has not—and cannot—identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives, foster American success, preserve American security, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation.”

Harvard asserts that the administration’s moves threaten the university’s academic independence and constitutional rights, characterizing them as part of a “pressure campaign” designed to exert control over the university.

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The demands included ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, banning masks at protests, shifting to merit-based hiring, and diminishing faculty power deemed “more committed to activism than scholarship.”

Harvard President Alan Garber described these demands as “unprecedented,” emphasizing that the university “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and Harvard’s chapter of the Hillel student organization, have criticized the administration’s heavy-handed approach.

“Shuttering apolitical, life-saving research; targeting the university’s tax-exempt status; and threatening all student visas…is neither focused nor measured, and stands to substantially harm the very Jewish students and scholars it purports to protect,” the Hillel student organization posted on social media.

This lawsuit represents more than a financial issue; Garber argues the administration’s actions place the “standing of American higher education” at stake. Garber joined over 100 university leaders and presidents, including those from Princeton, Penn, Brown, MIT, Cornell and Tufts, in signing a statement condemning the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” endangering academic institutions.

“The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society. On behalf of our current and future students and all who work at and benefit from our institutions, we call for constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the administration’s actions on CNBC. She emphasized that the federal government’s goal was to ensure campus safety and promote “viewpoint diversity,” a point that Harvard contests as masking political motivations.

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“I made it very clear that these are not First Amendment infractions. This is civil rights. This is making sure that students on all campuses can come and learn and be safe…and that is why we have had these funds either withheld or frozen during this period of time of negotiation.”

Harvard’s substantial $53 billion endowment, primarily earmarked for specific uses like financial aid and faculty support, may temporarily offset federal cuts. However, the university warns that sustained funding disruptions could severely impact its research and educational programs, ultimately forcing Harvard to reduce its graduate admissions and research staff significantly.

Additionally, federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, which provided $488 million of Harvard’s $686 million research budget for fiscal year 2024, have begun withdrawing funds from universities maintaining diversity programs. Garber warned that such sweeping cuts would significantly delay critical research in medicine, public health, and technology, harming patients and weakening America’s global standing in innovation.

The lawsuit asserts that the financial freeze’s impact extends beyond Harvard’s campus, potentially slowing job creation, limiting intellectual property development, and hindering scientific advances nationwide. As the lawsuit underscores, “Harvard is one of Massachusetts’ largest employers,” indicating that the funding freeze could ripple through the broader economy.

“The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting,” Garber said in a statement, which also shared a link to the university’s complaint.

“Research that the government has put in jeopardy includes efforts to improve the prospects of children who survive cancer, to understand at the molecular level how cancer spreads throughout the body, to predict the spread of infectious disease outbreaks, and to ease the pain of soldiers wounded on the battlefield. As opportunities to reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease are on the horizon, the government is slamming on the brakes. The victims will be future patients and their loved ones who will suffer the heartbreak of illnesses that might have been prevented or treated more effectively. Indiscriminately slashing medical, scientific, and technological research undermines the nation’s ability to save American lives, foster American success, and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation.”

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Harvard University Announces Free Tuition For Students From Families Making $200,000 Or Less 

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Harvard University announced this week that undergraduate tuition will be free for students that come from households making $200,000 or less as their annual income. The university said this move is in an effort to offer an Ivy League education to everyone without the worry of a financial burden. 

Harvard will be free for students to attend if their families are making $100,000 or less with the university also committing to cover student housing, health insurance, and travel costs from their home to campus. 

“Putting Harvard within financial reach for more individuals widens the array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives that all of our students encounter, fostering their intellectual and personal growth,” Harvard University President Alan M. Garber said. 

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“By bringing people of outstanding promise together to learn with and from one another, we truly realize the tremendous potential of the University.”

According to Harvard’s financial aid website, undergraduate tuition for Harvard College, an undergraduate institution at the university, was $56,000 this year with a total cost of $83,000 for attendance. 

This recent pledge from Harvard is a part of its Financial Aid Initiative. The initiative was launched in 2004 as a means of making tuition more affordable for students of all economic backgrounds. Throughout the past 20 years the initiative has given students whose families have an income of $85,000 or less free tuition. 

“Harvard has long sought to open our doors to the most talented students, no matter their financial circumstances,” said Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Hopi Hoekstra. 

“This investment in financial aid aims to make a Harvard College education possible for every admitted student, so they can pursue their academic passions and positively impact our future.”

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This specific announcement from Harvard is to entice middle-income families in the US. In the university’s statement, they claimed that 55% of their undergraduates receive some kind of financial aid, with an average family contribution of around $15,000.

“We know the most talented students come from different socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences, from every state and around the globe,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, Harvard College’s dean of admissions and financial aid. 

“Our financial aid is critical to ensuring that these students know Harvard College is a place where they can be part of a vibrant learning community strengthened by their presence and participation.”

The scholarship funding will come from “a variety of sources, including Harvard endowment funds, gifts from alumni, general tuition revenues, and federal and state grants,” according to Harvard’s financial aid website. 

“Our team works closely with each student to ensure full inclusion in the Harvard experience,” said Griffin Director of Financial Aid Jake Kaufmann. 

“The financial aid program is designed so that Harvard students can study, train, research, create, and fully engage in the Harvard experience with minimal constraints.”

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Harvard Professor Found Guilty Of Lying About Ties With China Government

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The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday in a release that Dr. Charles Leiber, a professor and former Chair of Harvard University’s Chemistry and Chemical Biological Department, has been found guilty of lying to federal authorities about his connection with the People’s Republic of China’s Thousand Talents Program and the Wuhan University of Technology (WUT).

Leiber was also found guilty of failing to report the income he received from WUT. Leiber was originally charged on two counts of making false statements to federal authorities, two counts of making and subscribing a false income tax return, and two counts of failing to file reports of foreign and financial accounts (FBAR) with the IRS. Leiber, 62, previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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After five days of testimonies, the trial ended with the jury deliberating for two hours and 45 minutes. Leiber’s — who was arrested in January of 2020 — sentencing will come later at a yet-to-be-scheduled date. Leiber is currently facing up to 13 years in prison, 7 years of supervised release, and fines over $500k.

According to the Justice Department, Leiber became a “strategic scientist” at WUT and a contractual participant for Thousand Talents — a recruitment program for scientific talent to further the country’s scientific, economic, and security endeavors — from 2012 to 2015, which Havard was unaware of. Per Leiber’s Thousand Talents contract, WUT paid Leiber a salary of $50,000 per month, living expenses up to $150,000, and awarded him over $1.5 million to establish a nanoscience research lab at WUT.

Leiber additionally opened a bank account with WUT officials at a Wuhan Bank during a trip in 2012, where he deposited parts of his salary from 2013 to 2015. The DOJ states that U.S. taxpayers are required to report any existence of foreign accounts that hold more than $10,000 at a time, which Leiber failed to do in 2014 and 2015.

Leiber’s defense attorney had priorly stated that prosecutors would be unable to prove Leiber “knowingly, witfully, or intentionally” made false statements regarding his connections to WUT and Thousand Talents, while adding Leiber hadn’t been charged with handing over information or technology to China.

Acting U.S. attorney Nathaniel Mendell said in a statement that there is no question Leiber lied to authorities and Harvard about his involvement, adding that “the jury followed the evidence and the law to a just verdict.”

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As the Associated Press notes, Leiber’s trial is one of the highest-profile cases in the Justice Department’s “China Initiative,” which began back in 2018 under the Trump administration. According to the DOJ, “the initiative focuses on protecting our critical infrastructure against external threats through foreign direct investment and supply chain compromises, as well as combatting covert efforts to influence the American public and policymakers without proper transparency.”

However, the initiative has received backlash for potential harm to academic research, the direction and definition of the program, and racially profiling Chinese researchers. MIT Technology Review reported that 90% of all defendants are of Chinese heritage, while also claiming many of the initiative cases “have little or no obvious connection to national security or the theft of trade secrets.”

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Parag Pathak, An Economist, Is Making Public Education Less Biased

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“Better-off families had learned the system’s inner workings, such as which schools would consider only students who ranked that school first and which good schools were a safe bet. Families who didn’t understand the system simply listed schools in order of preference.”

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Award

Queen Latifah Receives W.E.B. Dubois Black Culture Medal

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Legendary rapper, actress, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist Queen Latifah was honored on Tuesday October 22nd 2019, at Harvard University with the W.E.B. Dubois Medal for her contribution to black history and black culture.

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