UCLA Faces $1 Billion Fine in Trump Administration’s Latest Battle with Higher Education

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore more than $80 million in grants it withheld from UCLA. The ruling comes as the government accuses the university of antisemitism on campus and discrimination in admissions. To resolve the funding freeze, Trump is demanding a $1 billion settlement, which Governor Gavin Newsom characterizes as extortion and UC officials say would “completely devastate” the public university system. We look at how UCLA and other universities are responding to Trump’s pressure campaign. Guests: Jaweed Kaleem, education reporter, The Los Angeles Times Eric Kelderman, senior writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education Siobhan Braybrook, associate professor, UCLA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:46.3	From KQED in San Francisco, this is Forum.
1:06.2	I'm Mina Kim.
1:07.9	A San Francisco federal judge this week ordered the Trump administration to restore some
1:12.3	80 million in science research funding to UCLA.
1:16.2	The ruling comes as the federal government, freezes more than 580 million in grants, and
1:20.9	fines UCLA $1 billion over anti-Semitism claims.
1:25.9	Governor Gavin Newsom has called the move extortion and an attack on academic freedom, while UC officials say it will devastate the system. How UCLA response could have broad implications for other public universities across the country. We take a closer look at Trump's pressure campaign against higher ed. Join us.
1:54.8	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. Bring it on, Gavin. That's how White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt responded this week to the California governor's vow to fight like hell against
2:00.1	the Trump administration's demand
2:01.7	that UCLA pay a billion dollars to resolve the government's claims of admissions discrimination
2:07.5	and anti-Semitism on campus. Trump's officials also froze more than 580 million in federal
2:14.4	research grants late last month. This hour, we take a closer look at the impact
2:18.7	that's having, and the range of responses UCLA is weighing, as Harvard reportedly nears a settlement
2:25.0	with Trump for similar charges. Joining me now is Javad Kalim, education reporter for the Los Angeles
2:30.7	Times. Welcome to Forum, Javid. Hi, thanks for having me.
2:35.0	So tell me, what exactly is the Trump administration accusing UCLA of and demanding that a due?
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