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Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) dean joined Alan Garber, the university’s president, in condemning the federal government earlier this week after it moved to block the university from being able to admit international students. GSD has a higher proportion of international students compared to the rest of the University’s student body, and Dean Sarah M. Whiting said international students are an integral part of the school. “I join President Garber in condemning the governments illegal action against our school, and in affirming the immense value our international students bring to the GSD community,” Dean Sarah M. Whiting said in a note shared online Saturday. Whiting, who’s also a Josep Lluis Sert professor of architecture, said GSD is “one of the most international schools at Harvard” and that the school’s international makeup “goes back to the founding of the GSD.” Nearly a third of Harvard GSD students are international, which is higher than the 14% of international students who make up of the general student body at large, according to Peterson’s, an educational services company. Six of the school’s eight class of 2025 commencement marshals who represent their disciples at graduation are from outside the U.S. Whiting added that its international student body “is part of our DNAour student body, our faculty, our staff, and the discipline and practice of design all thrive on this internationalism. The extraordinary breadth of experience and perspectives that the international members of our community provide is essential to who we are. The school offers programs through its departments of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design studies, and design engineering. A spokesperson from the school declined to comment for this piece. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from rescinding Harvard’s ability to admit international students on Friday after the Department of Homeland Security revoked its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for admitting foreign students. Now, Trump is attempting to go after the university in other ways, including calls to redirect grants from the university to trade schools and no longer scheduling student visa appointments. Trump said Wednesday Harvard should have a cap of about 15% on international students and accused the university of being antisemitic and a “disaster.” Garber, the university president, told NPR Wednesday that Harvard should “stand firm” to its “commitment to the good of the nation” in the face of Trump’s retaliation over the private university’s policies around admissions, DEI programs, hiring, and international students.
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E-Commerce
Swiss residents were struggling on Thursday to absorb the scale of devastation caused by a huge chunk of glacier that has buried most of their picturesque village, in what scientists suspect is a dramatic example of the impact of climate change on the Alps. A deluge of ice, mud and rock crashed down the mountain on Wednesday, engulfing some 90% of the village of Blatten. Its 300 residents had already been evacuated earlier in May after part of the mountain behind the Birch Glacier began to crumble. However, rescue teams with search dogs were still scouring the area on Thursday for a missing 64-year-old man after an initial scan with thermal drones found nothing. As the Swiss army closely monitored the situation, some experts warned of the risks of flooding as vast mounds of debris almost two kilometers across are clogging the path of the River Lonza, causing a huge lake to swell amid the wreckage. “I don’t want to talk just now, I lost everything yesterday. I hope you understand,” said one middle-aged woman from Blatten, declining to give her name as she sat alone disconsolately in front of a church in the neighbouring village of Wiler. Nearby, the road ran along the valley before ending abruptly at the mass of mud and debris now blanketing her own village. Just a few roofs poked up through the sea of sludge. A thin cloud of dust hung in the air over the Kleines Nesthorn Mountain where the rockslide occurred while a helicopter buzzed overhead. Martin Henzen, another Blatten resident, said he was still trying to process what had occurred and did not want to speak for others in the village, saying only: “Most are calm, but they’re obviously affected.” They had been making preparations for some kind of natural disaster but “not for this scenario,” he added, referring to the scale of destruction. ‘ENORMOUS PLUG’ But the immediate dangers might not be over. “The water from the River Lonza cannot flow down the valley because there is an enormous plug,” Raphael Mayoraz, a cantonal geologist, told Swiss national broadcaster SRF. “The worst case scenario is possible flooding.” Up to one million cubic meters of water are accumulating daily as a result of the debris damming up the river, said Christian Huggel, a professor of environment and climate at the University of Zurich. Matthias Ebener, a spokesperson for local authorities, said some residents of neighbouring villages had been evacuated as a precaution. The incident has revived concern about the impact of rising temperatures on Alpine permafrost which has long frozen gravel and boulders in place, creating new mountain hazards. For years, the Birch Glacier has been creeping down the mountainside, pressured by shifting debris near the summit. Matthias Huss, head of the Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (GLAMOS), pointed to the likely influence of climate change in loosening the rock mass in the permafrost zone, which triggered this week’s collapse. “Unexpected things happen at places that we have not seen for hundreds of years, most probably due to climate change,” he told Reuters. Dave Graham, Reuters
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E-Commerce
The Trump administration has taken another step to limit international students in the United States, threatening action against Chinese nationals in particular. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students. About 277,000 Chinese nationals studied in the U.S. during the 2023 to 2024 school year. The vague statement goes on to explain that this includes individuals connected to the Chinese Communist Party or choosing to study in critical fieldswhatever he decides that means. Rubio also states that future Chinese applicants, including those from Hong Kong, will face updated student visa criteria to enhance scrutiny. The Departments of State and Homeland Security will work together on these aggressive actions. Fast Company reached out to the State Department for additional details. Vague statement immediately reverberates Incoming Chinese students are now scrambling to find a solution. According to Reuters, those who have yet to procure a student visa are scouring for any available appointments, considering deferring their acceptance, or turning to schools in more accessible countries. The announcement follows another blow to international students this week. On Tuesday, the Trump administration reportedly told embassies around the world not to schedule any new interviews for student visa applications until it could determine a social media vetting plan. The order came through a cable signed by Rubio, viewed and first reported by Politico. Once again, Rubio provided no clear guidance on how this vetting will occur or the impact on international students set to begin classes this fall.
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E-Commerce
Lego makes shoes for humans now. The Danish toymaker announced a cobranded bright Lego yellow kids sneaker today in collaboration with Nike. The Nike Air Max Dn x Lego was designed in a Tour Yellow colorway with Lego-style studs on the upper, Lego’s red block logo on the tongue, and hybrid Nike-Lego logo on the back. The shoes will be available for sale in August following a 1,180-piece Lego Nike Dunk set to be released in July that includes a rotatable brick basketball toy. [Photo: Nike; Lego] Together, the shoes and basketball-themed Lego set are the first releases in a joint multiyear partnership between Nike and Lego that the companies announced last year and said would span products, content, and experiences. The LEGO Group says in a study of parents it found 59% of respondents worried their children don’t have sufficient fun activities or playtime. To respond to those concerns, Nike said the partnership would bring to life the many ways sport and creative play can help all kids be the best versions of themselves. Online, reaction to an early look at the Nike x Lego shoe was mixed, but remember, this is a shoe for kids, not grown sneakerheads. It’s about taking an inside toy brand and extending it to physical play, and showing the connection between creativity in play as well as in success in other areas of life. To do that, Nike and Lego tapped A’ja Wilson, the WNBA Las Vegas Aces center and Nike signature athlete, to appear on the brand’s digital channels to promote the partnership. The brands are also opening a pop-up Lego Play Arena at Legoland California Resort from June 7 to 11 to mark International Day of Play. A Nike Dunk Low x Lego collection is to come. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast) “I have loved playing with Lego bricks since I was a kid and know that my creativity and play helped me not only in sports but also at school and in life,” Wilson said in a statement. Lego has made partnerships a central part of its business model by releasing branded sets for outside intellectual property, like Marvel, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, as well as adult sets based on art history and architecture. By collaborating with Nike, these brands extend their reach into new product categories, capturing likely new customer bases. Nike similarlly benefits from attaching itself to a product aimed at young people who will grow into Nike buyers. As Nike aims to increase its market share, it’s doing so, in part, one demographic group at a time. Earlier this year, it announced a new brand in partnership with Skims to puncture the women’s athleisure market. With Lego, kids are next.
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E-Commerce
Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy.His departure, announced Wednesday evening, marks the end of a turbulent chapter that included thousands of layoffs, the evisceration of government agencies, and reams of litigation. Despite the upheaval, the billionaire entrepreneur struggled in the unfamiliar environment of Washington, and he accomplished far less than he hoped.He dramatically reduced his target for cutting spendingfrom $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billionand increasingly expressed frustration about resistance to his goals. Sometimes he clashed with other top members of Trump’s administration, who chafed at the newcomer’s efforts to reshape their departments, and he faced fierce political blowback for his efforts.Musk’s role working for Trump was always intended to be temporary, and he had recently signaled that he would be shifting his attention back to running his businesses, such as the electric automaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX.But administration officials were often vague about when Musk would step back from his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, and he abruptly revealed that he was leaving in a post on X, his social media website.“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed Musk’s departure.Musk announced his decision one day after CBS released part of an interview in which he criticized the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda by saying he was “disappointed” by what the president calls his “big beautiful bill.” The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. Musk described it as a “massive spending bill” that increases the federal deficit and “undermines the work” of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.”Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said.Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.“We’re going to see what happens,” he said. “It’s got a way to go.”Republicans recently pushed the measure through the House and are debating it in the Senate.Musk’s concerns are shared by some Republican lawmakers. “I sympathize with Elon being discouraged,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.Speaking at a Milwaukee Press Club event on Wednesday, Johnson added that he was “pretty confident” there was enough opposition “to slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious” about reducing spending. He said there was no amount of pressure Trump could put on him to change his position.Speaker Mike Johnson has asked senators to make as few changes to the legislation as possible, saying that House Republicans reached a “very delicate balance” that could be upended with major changes. The narrowly divided House will have to vote again on final passage once the Senate alters the bill.On Wednesday, Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future, saying “the House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings.”The White House is sending some proposed rescissions, a mechanism used to cancel previously authorized spending, to Capitol Hill to solidify some of DOGE’s cuts. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the package will include $1.1 billion from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and $8.3 billion in foreign assistance.Musk occasionally seemed chastened by his experience working in government.“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he told The Washington Post. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”He also recently said that he’ll reduce his political spending, because “I think I’ve done enough.”Musk had previously been energized by the opportunity to reshape Washington. After putting at least $250 million behind Trump’s candidacy, he wore campaign hats in the White House, held his own campaign rallies, and talked about excessive spending as an existential crisis. He often tended to be effusive in his praise of Trump.“The more I’ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,” Musk said in February. “Frankly, I love him.”Trump repaid the favor, describing Musk as “a truly great American.” When Tesla faced declining sales, he turned the White House driveway into a makeshift showroom to illustrate his support.It’s unclear what, if any, impact that Musk’s comments about the bill would have on the legislative debate, especially given his departure from the administration. During the transition period, when his influence was on the rise, he helped whip up opposition to a spending measure as the country stood on the brink of a federal government shutdown.His latest criticism could embolden Republicans who want bigger spending cuts. Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee reposted a Fox News story about Musk’s interview while also adding his own take on the measure, saying there was “still time to fix it.”“The Senate version will be more aggressive,” Lee said. “It can, it must, and it will be. Or it won’t pass.”Only two RepublicansReps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentuckyvoted against the bill when the House took up the measure last week.Davidson took note of Musk’s comments on social media.“Hopefully, the Senate will succeed with the Big Beautiful Bill where the House missed the moment,” he wrote. “Don’t hope someone else will cut deficits someday, know it has been done this Congress.”The Congressional Budget Office, in a preliminary estimate, said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would reduce spending by slightly more than $1 trillion over the same period.House Republican leaders say increased economic growth would allow the bill to be deficit-neutral or deficit-reducing, but outside watchdogs are skeptical. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the bill would add $3 trillion to the debt, including interest, over the next decade.
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E-Commerce
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