☕️ Harvard sues Trump Administration

Here is today’s riddle: A man goes out for a walk during a storm with nothing to protect him from the rain. He doesn’t have a hat, a hood or an umbrella. But by the end of his walk, there isn’t a single wet hair on his head. Why doesn’t the man have wet hair?

Answer is in the tidbit!

“Is there anyone who is going to think of the [Me Too] movement and think, ‘OK, that’s just something that I have to keep in the back of my mind when I’m deciding this case’? Everyone can put that aside?”
Prosecutor Shannon Lucey in the jury selection process for the rape re-trial of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. A jury of 12 people – seven women and five men – were eventually selected. Weinstein is facing rape and sexual assault charges. He was found guilty in 2020 but the verdict was overruled after it was found he did not face a fair trial. Opening remarks for the re-trial begin on Wednesday.

47,000
The number of leaflets distributed anonymously in the electorate of Wentworth in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, attacking independent MP Allegra Spender for being "weak" on antisemitism. The AEC said it does not know who is behind the distribution of the leaflets and is currently investigating sources.

Bumfuzzle [bum-FUZZ-el]
Definition: To confuse or fluster someone
In a sentence: "I felt a little bumfuzzled with your explanation of go fish."

NSW Police have charged a man with murder following the death of 19-year-old Audrey Griffin on the Central Coast last month.

Police initially said the death was not suspicious, but last week they made an appeal for further information.

Here’s what you need to know.

At 3am on Sunday 23 March, police were notified of the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman last seen in Erina on the NSW Central Coast.

The next day in the afternoon, police found the body of Audrey Griffin in a creek in Erina.

At the time, police said the death was not suspicious.

But yesterday a 53-year-old man was arrested in Surry Hills, Sydney, and charged with murder in relation to the woman’s death.

NSW Police allege the man was involved in “a physical altercation with the victim.”

The two were not known to each other.

Police have confirmed the teenager was walking home after a night out with her friends when the alleged murder took place.

At the police station on Monday, the alleged offender was also charged with 11 other domestic violence matters that were unrelated to this alleged murder.

The man appeared in court yesterday. He did not apply for bail.

Griffin’s family set up a GoFundMe page ahead of her funeral earlier this month. The page said:

“Audrey touched everyone, not just in her community but all over the country. She was the light in many of our lives.

“There is no doubt she brought endless laughter and joy to everyone. She was the kindest soul to walk this earth and will always be in our hearts.”

The 19-year-old’s death marks the 22nd Australian woman to be murdered this year, according to the Australian Femicide Watch.

The tally tracks “every known Australian woman and child killed as a result of murder, manslaughter or neglect”.

1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Harvard University has launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration, following the government’s decision to freeze $US2.2 billion ($AU3.5 billion) in grants.

The funding was cut after Harvard refused to comply with a set of government demands.

In its legal filing, Harvard accused the administration of breaching the school’s “constitutional freedoms”, and attempting to “impose unprecedented and improper control over the university.”

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 diversity, equity and inclusion (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”.

In a letter sent to the University’s President later that week, it notified the institution that it 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.

President Dr. Alan Garber said the demands violated Harvard’s right to free speech and exceeded the Government’s authority.

In response, the White House froze $2.2 billion in funding to the school.

Harvard has now announced it will sue the Trump administration over the funding freeze. The complaint has been lodged in the Federal District Court in Massachusetts.

In a statement, Dr. Garber said: “We filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.”

He added: “The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting.“

In a response to Harvard’s lawsuit, White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields defended the funding freeze, arguing “taxpayer funds are a privilege” that Harvard no longer meets the conditions to access.

“The gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end,” Fields added.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

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🍊 Oscar Piastri has zoomed into the lead of the F1 drivers’ championship.
🍊 The first married couple with matching Stawell Gift wins.
🍊 Robots vs. humans: who is faster over 21km?
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: AFL, NRL, and more…

Community colleges are institutions which offer two-year courses for lower-level qualifications called associates degrees. Graduates can then progress to university or access more jobs.

Alisa Perales, who is home-schooled, is graduating with two associates degrees in science and maths. She told local news she studied the courses because they are “very fun,” and she “enjoys learning.”

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

A pair of Australian identical twins have gone viral after their interview over a carjacking.

Bridgette and Paula Powers told 7 News about their mother being held at gunpoint for her car in Queensland. But it wasn’t the story that has them in the headlines, but their storytelling.

The sisters’ interview shows the pair speaking in unison, finishing one another’s sentences and answering with identical responses. You can watch here.

This isn’t the first time the twins have made headlines for their unique communication style, telling the ABC in 2021: “Our brains must think alike at the same time.”

Reporting by Rosa Bowden.

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Riddle answer: He’s bald.

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has died at 88 of a stroke and a heart attack. His death means a process called the papal conclave is about to begin, where senior Church leaders will gather in the Sistine Chapel, sequestered from the world, to elect a new Pope.

In today’s episode, we’ll explain what we know about this mysterious process, who the contenders are, and why this all comes down to different colours of smoke.