Extreme Commanders

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration

The Trump administration on Friday secured perhaps the most significant victory in its pressure campaign on higher education, forcing the resignation of the University of Virginia’s president, James E. Ryan, over the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The extraordinary wielding of federal power to oust the 58-year-old college president showed the unusual lengths the administration would go to pursue President Trump’s political agenda and shift the ideological tilt of academia, which he views as hostile to conservatives.

Mr. Ryan’s resignation also presents new challenges for other colleges negotiating with the government, including Harvard, whose officials have been repeatedly attacked by Mr. Trump and his allies. While the administration has stripped billions of dollars from universities in pursuit of Mr. Trump’s policy goals, Mr. Ryan’s departure marks the first time a university has been coerced into removing its leader.

The reaction to Mr. Ryan’s resignation was immediate and emotional on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville. Faculty leadership held an emergency meeting to adopt a resolution opposing the change, and hundreds of students and faculty members gathered for an impromptu march to Carr’s Hill, the college president’s residence.

Mr. Ryan emerged from the residence after a few minutes of the crowd chanting, “We want Jim,” and “Death to tyrants,” a rough version of the state motto, sic semper tyrannis.

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90 deals in 90 days, right?

'We have all the cards' - Trump says he is ending Canada trade talks

US President Donald Trump has said he is cutting off trade talks with Canada "immediately" as the country looks to start enforcing a tax policy targeting big tech companies.

The latest move, which he announced on social media, comes as the neighbouring nations had been working to agree a trade deal by mid-July.

Both countries have imposed tariffs on each other's goods after Trump sparked a trade war earlier this year and threatened to annex Canada using "economic force".

On Friday, the US president said he was ending talks due to what he called an "egregious tax" on tech companies and added he would announce new tariffs on goods crossing the border within the next week.

"We are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," he wrote on social media.

"We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period."

Later in the Oval Office, President Trump told reporters that the US has "all the cards".

"Economically, we have such power over Canada. I'd rather not use it," he added.

In brief comments to reporters, Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested that talks would grind on.

"We will continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interest of Canadians," he said.

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