US universities

Linda McMahon suggested university research and funding should align with Trump's political agenda, but critics warn the stance threatens academic freedom.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon's CNBC response inspired ridicule online as critics dubbed President Donald Trump's cabinet "The I Don't Know Administration."

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said universities can keep federal research funding only if they align with Trump administration goals.

Officers also detained several people at Fordham University in New York and cleared an encampment set up inside a school building, officials said, and law enforcement were on standby at Columbia University across town after mass arrests the previous evening.

The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but they have since spread rapidly across the country.

Spiraling pro-Palestinian protests that are rocking universities across the United States spread to more campuses Wednesday, triggering suggestions from House Speaker Mike Johnson that the National Guard could be brought in. More than 20 people have been detained.

The protests, which began last week at Columbia University with a large group of demonstrators establishing a so-called "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on school grounds, have spread to other campuses, including Yale, MIT and others.

This decision will not only affect thousands of foreign students attending universities or participating in training programs, but also non-academic or vocational studies students.