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SOFREP Evening Brief: Trump Lashes Out at Harvard Over Foreign Students, US Citizen Arrested in Embassy Bomb Plot, Langley on Edge

BY Guy D. McCardle

As Trump wages war on Harvard, a would-be embassy bomber gets cuffed, Iran edges closer to weapons-grade uranium, and the CIA warns the real threat might already have a badge—welcome to today’s national security gauntlet.

When federal funding meets foreign enrollment, expect fireworks. Image Credit: Mint

Donald Trump has once again taken aim at Harvard University—this time over its enrollment of international students. In what’s quickly becoming a full-blown political and legal showdown, the president has accused the Ivy League school of harboring too many foreign nationals, some from countries he claims are “not at all friendly to the United States.” According to Trump, these students’ home governments contribute “nothing” toward their education, leaving American taxpayers and Harvard itself footing the bill.

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At the heart of the dispute is Harvard’s sizable international student population, which accounts for roughly 27–31% of its student body. Trump isn’t just griping from the sidelines either. His administration, through Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, attempted to revoke Harvard’s federal certification to enroll foreign students. That move would have effectively forced thousands of students to leave the country. The reason cited? Harvard allegedly failed to turn over records on student visa holders—records the administration wanted to include disciplinary files and documentation tied to campus protests.

Trump didn’t stop there. He demanded that Harvard publicly disclose the names and national origins of its international students, arguing that transparency is warranted given the billions in federal support the school receives. He also insisted that Harvard dip into its own $52 billion endowment to fund operations, rather than relying on taxpayer dollars, especially while refusing to comply with his administration’s demands.

Harvard, for its part, has pushed back—hard. The university filed a lawsuit, claiming the administration’s actions amount to political retaliation, particularly after Harvard resisted federal interference in its internal governance and admissions processes. A federal judge agreed—at least for now—issuing a temporary injunction to block the move against Harvard’s foreign student program while the case plays out in court.

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This isn’t just about Harvard. Colleges and universities across the country are watching closely, fearing that they could be next in line for similar treatment. International students, who often pay full freight in tuition, play a vital financial role at many institutions. Critics of Trump’s move argue that pushing them away would hurt not only higher education’s bottom line but also America’s global standing.

Trump’s latest offensive fits neatly into his broader campaign against elite academia. From protests on campus to DEI programs and now international enrollment, he’s zeroing in on universities he sees as out of step with American interests. Whether this strategy holds up in court remains to be seen—but it’s clear Trump isn’t backing down.

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And he… pic.twitter.com/amFMH4Djd9

— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) April 17, 2025

Dual Citizen Arrested After Attempted Firebombing of U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv

A dual U.S.-German citizen has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to firebomb a branch office of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Joseph Neumayer, 28, reportedly arrived in Israel in April and showed up outside the embassy on May 19 carrying a backpack loaded with three Molotov cocktails. These makeshift incendiary devices were intended to start fires—an unmistakable act of violence aimed at a key American diplomatic site.

Before the attempted attack, Neumayer allegedly posted a series of unhinged rants on social media, urging others to help him “burn down the embassy” while spewing anti-American rhetoric. His posts included “Death to America” and threats against President Donald Trump. When he reached the embassy, Neumayer confronted a security guard, spit on him, and then fled the scene—leaving the backpack behind. Upon inspection, security personnel found the firebombs inside.

Israeli authorities quickly tracked him to a hotel nearby and placed him under arrest. Neumayer was later deported back to the U.S., where FBI agents took him into custody at JFK Airport in New York. He now faces federal charges for attempting to destroy U.S. government property with fire or explosives, along with making threats against the President. If convicted, he could be looking at a minimum of five years and up to 20 years behind bars.

U.S. officials aren’t taking the incident lightly. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel issued strong statements condemning the attack, vowing that any threat to U.S. interests—especially one this brazen—will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In a world already on edge, one thing is clear: attempting to torch an embassy and threaten a sitting president is a fast track to federal prison.

 

Iran Threatens Higher Uranium Enrichment if U.S. Ramps Up Sanctions

Iran is rattling its nuclear saber again, warning that it’s ready to crank up uranium enrichment beyond its already eyebrow-raising levels if the United States tightens sanctions any further. Right now, Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity—a massive leap from the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 nuclear deal and dangerously close to the 90% threshold needed for weapons-grade material. In plain terms, they’re just a few technical steps away from having the ingredients for a bomb.

Tehran’s message is blunt: they’re willing to entertain temporary restrictions as part of nuclear talks, but their right to enrich uranium is off the table. Nonnegotiable. Meanwhile, negotiations with the U.S. remain stalled, and Iran has been steadily building up both its enrichment capacity and its stockpile. Experts estimate Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for multiple nukes in as little as two weeks if they decide to go for it.

This threat to push enrichment even further is part of a familiar pattern. Iran is trying to strong-arm Washington and its allies into loosening economic sanctions or coughing up better terms at the negotiating table. It’s a high-stakes game of nuclear chicken, and Tehran seems convinced that ramping up the pressure will force the West to blink first. Whether that gamble pays off—or backfires—remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the clock on Iran’s breakout time keeps ticking closer to zero.

 

Langley on Edge: CIA Memo Warns of Growing Insider Threats

The CIA is sounding the alarm over insider threats following a recent attempted attack on a U.S. embassy, according to a leaked memo out of Langley. While the memo itself hasn’t been made public, reports suggest CIA leadership is deeply concerned about the potential for compromised personnel working from the inside—especially in the aftermath of high-profile security incidents.

The warning isn’t coming out of thin air. A cybersecurity report from earlier this year showed that 95% of all data breaches in 2024 were linked to insider activity—whether that’s intentional sabotage, stolen credentials, or just plain user error. The CIA’s own assessments back that up, highlighting the need for tighter internal controls and better counterintelligence to keep America’s secrets from walking out the front door.

Recent threats at CIA facilities, coupled with an overall spike in attempted security breaches, have only added fuel to the fire. The agency is now reassessing its internal protocols and reinforcing its vetting processes to make sure the next breach doesn’t come from within. The message from Langley is clear: the danger isn’t just out there—it might be sitting at the next desk over. In an age where cyber warfare and real-world violence intersect, watching your six has never been more important.

 

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