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The Brian Lehrer Show

The Latest on Columbia University and the Trump Administration

The Brian Lehrer Show

WNYC

Politics, News, News Commentary, Wnyc, Radio, Npr, Arts, New, Lerer, Media, Bryan, Nyc, Daily News, York, Public

4.61.5K Ratings

🗓️ 27 March 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Columbia University agreed to the Trump administration's demands David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic, reports on the latest in the school's relationship with the administration.

Transcript

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0:00.0

It's the Brian Laris show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. David Graham is with a staff writer at the Atlantic

0:17.0

and an author of The Atlantic Daily Newsletter. He's also author of the book,

0:21.5

The Project, How Project 2025, is Reshaping America. We'll talk mostly about two things. David Graham

0:28.1

is writing about the accidental release to the Atlantic's editor, his boss, Jeffrey Goldberg,

0:33.8

of the Pentagon's attack plans for the recent bombings of the Houthis in Yemen via text messages

0:39.2

and the commercial app signal, not a government-level secure platform. And he had a piece

0:44.9

last week called A Warning for Columbia University, surrendering to the Trump administration's

0:51.5

$400 million ransom demand would be a disaster for higher education

0:56.0

and for the United States. David, thanks for coming on. Welcome back to WNYC. Thank you for having me.

1:02.9

On Columbia, want to summarize your warning as you use that word? Yeah, I mean, I think the warning

1:09.1

is, although there may be things that people

1:11.5

are troubled about at Columbia, trying to find accommodation with the Trump administration,

1:16.9

trying to do something that will sort of get them off of your back, is never a good deal.

1:21.9

It's only a start. They will keep coming back for more. And so once you start giving up

1:26.4

independence and you start giving up independence and you start giving

1:28.3

up control, you have opened up the door to more from Trump. And your article reminds us of some of the

1:36.1

basics. In a letter earlier this month, the Trump administration sought to dictate how the

1:40.9

university disciplined students involved in pro-Palestinian protest last year,

1:46.0

structures its disciplinary process, handles masking on campus, and runs its admissions.

1:51.8

It also demands that the university begin the process of placing its Department of Middle Eastern,

1:56.4

South Asian, and African Studies under, quote,

1:59.8

academic receivership for a minimum of five years,

...

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