Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.

Tech billionaire and White House advisor Elon Musk met with the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon today.

NPR's Quill Lawrence reports the White House has denied he was briefed on China.

U.S. officials had told NPR and other media outlets that Musk was scheduled for a briefing in a

secure facility known as the tank, normally used by the Joint Chiefs, and that he'd be informed

of sensitive Pentagon plans regarding China, including by the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Instead, Musk met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in his office to discuss cost-cutting

and innovation, according to Hegseth in his office to discuss cost-cutting and innovation,

according to Hegseth.

Speaking at the White House soon after, President Trump said he would never show U.S.

war planning to anybody, especially a businessman like Musk, with interests in China.

Trump called reports to the contrary false and said they're meant to undermine the relationship

between the Pentagon and Musk.

Quill Lawrence NPR News.

The White House is slashing funding to major universities, citing policy disagreements and compliance issues.

MPR's Windsor-Johnston reports the move is raising concerns about the broader landscape of higher education in the U.S.

The Trump administration has canceled or paused hundreds of millions of dollars in federal

funding to universities. This week, the White House froze $175 million to the University of

Pennsylvania, criticizing its policies on transgender athletes and women's sports.

Earlier this month, the administration canceled $400 million in funding to Columbia University,

accusing the school of not doing enough to address anti-Semitic harassment on campus.

Johns Hopkins University lost $800 million in funding from USAID, which was dismantled by the White House.

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