☕️ Harvard's funding is frozen

Here’s your Wednesday riddle:

If I have two of these, I have two.

If I have one of these, I have none.

What are they?

Answer is in the tidbit!

“I think our household’s no different to many households where we want our kids to work hard, to save, and we’ll help them with a deposit at some stage.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton answering a question from media yesterday about whether he would help his kids buy a house. It came a day after his son, Harry Dutton, revealed it is "almost impossible" for him to buy a home in the near future under current circumstances.

12 million
The number of people who have fled their homes since Sudan’s civil war began two years ago this week, according to the UN’s International Observatory for Migration.

Ostentatious [oss-tent-AYSH-us]
Definition: Showy, flashy, or excessively ornate.
In a sentence: The decor of his mansion is ostentatious.

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Hungary’s Parliament has cracked down on LGBTQIA+ rights with two major changes to the country’s constitution.

The Government will now have constitutional powers to block LGBTQIA+ events from going ahead.

Another amendment passed on Monday (local time) means the country will only legally recognise two genders, male and female, and only a person’s gender assigned at birth.

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Hungary’s capital city, Budapest, to protest the vote over the weekend ahead of its passage.

Hungary has been ruled by right-wing populist party Fidesz, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, since 2010. Fidesz won a two-thirds majority at that year’s election.

Changes to Hungary’s constitution require a two-thirds majority, which enabled Fidesz to create a new constitution in 2011.

In the ensuing years, Orbán and Fidesz have been accused of corruption, controlling the media, and being anti-democratic.

Orbán has led a crackdown on LGBTQIA+ people in Hungary since becoming PM.

For example, in 2021, the Parliament passed a law blocking any depictions of homosexuality in media made for under-18s.

Last month, Hungary’s Parliament passed a law banning Pride events and allowing authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees.

That law has now been upgraded to a power in the country’s constitution by a two-thirds vote.

Another amendment passed on Monday includes the recognition of two sexes, male and female, and blocks the “possibility of changing birth sex,” according to local media.

Authorities will also now be able to strip dual citizens who break certain rules of their Hungarian citizenship.

The changes passed parliament with 140 votes for and 21 against.

A Government spokesperson said the vote reinforces “Hungary’s identity, stability, and constitutional clarity”.

The Opposition have not publicly commented on the outcome of the vote.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

The Trump administration has cancelled $US2.2 billion ($AU3.46 billion) in grants to Harvard University, after the institution refused to comply with a list of demands relating to its staff and students.

The move follows weeks of Government pressure on U.S. universities to adopt measures targeting antisemitism and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in hiring and admissions practices.

Officials warned that non-compliance could cost institutions billions in federal funding.

Harvard is one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Its alumni and faculty have earned more than 160 Nobel Prizes, most recently in 2024.

In 2024, the Government supplied 68% of Harvard’s outside research funding.

Since coming to power, the Trump administration has launched investigations into several universities, including Harvard, over claims of antisemitism, and DEI hiring and admissions practices.

The effort, led by a federal task force, was spurred by 2024 pro-Palestine protests at U.S. colleges. Universities said at the time they were seeing increased antisemitism on campuses.

Separately, in a June 2023 ruling, the Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in college admissions, overturning a precedent that had stood since the 1970s.

DEI and antisemitism probes have already led to hundreds of millions in federal funding being cancelled or frozen at several top universities.

On 31 March, the White House announced a review of Harvard’s federal contracts and grants, “to combat antisemitism”.

Then, on Friday, the administration sent a letter to Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber, saying the university had “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment,” and detailed a list of demands.

These included requiring Harvard to hire independent auditors to ensure its departments have diverse viewpoints, and are not antisemitic.

The Government also demanded oversight of hiring, promotions, and admissions, and the rejection of applications from non-U.S. citizens deemed “hostile to American values.”

To retain funding, Harvard would also need to report any international student accused of breaking university rules to the Government.

Dr. Garber argued the demands violate Harvard’s right to free speech and exceed the Government’s authority.

“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,” he said.

In response, the White House announced it had frozen more than a quarter of Harvard’s federal research grants and contracts.

Reporting by Joe Casey.

Alright, who’s heading overseas this year?

For those that raised their hands, we know there’s nothing quite like the feeling of experiencing new cities, embracing new cuisines, and the satisfaction of mastering a new phrase or two.

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Plus, if you’re a sucker for a discount code, they’re offering a 15%* discount on travel insurance to TDA readers with the promo code 15TDA (until May 31 2025). *T&Cs apply.

🍊 An Aussie has been named as the sixth WNBA draft pick. Who is she?
🍊 A cycling tour attendee handed himself into police. Why?
🍊 TDA Sport interviews Olympic skateboarder Chloe Covell.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: cricket, soccer, and more…

Members of the squad have been displaced since the Taliban assumed power in 2021. The sport’s governing body is partnering with the cricket authorities of Australia, England, and India to set up a fund and high-performance program to help Afghan women continue their pursuit of being world-class cricketers. Several members of the Afghan women’s cricket team are currently living in Australia. The ICC said the announcement is aimed at “ensuring every cricketer has the opportunity to shine, regardless of their circumstances”.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Everyone loves a pudgy pup — but do we know how those extra kilos affect their health and happiness?

That’s what researchers at the University of Queensland are hoping to find out through a new 28-week study focused on overweight golden retrievers and labradors.

They’re calling on owners of dogs on the “curvier side” to take part. Successful participants will undergo a “gentle health assessment,” including physical exams, blood and poo samples, and cognitive tests.

For the owners who love talking about their fur babies, there’ll be surveys to help researchers understand the dogs’ behaviours and quality of life too.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Riddle answer: Choices.

The story of an IVF mixup that led to a woman giving birth to a stranger’s baby has made global headlines this month. The Brisbane fertility clinic at its centre has launched an investigation, blaming the bungle on “human error”.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll explore what happened, the legal questions raised by this story, and what it could mean for the future of Australia's assisted fertility industry.