University of Virginia president resigns amid pressure from Trump administration, NYT reports
(Reuters) -The president of the University of Virginia, James Ryan, has informed the board that oversees the school that he will resign his position, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing three people briefed on the matter.
Ryan was facing pressure from the Trump administration to step aside in order to resolve a Justice Department investigation in to UVA's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the newspaper said.
The Times reported on Thursday that the department had demanded Ryan's resignation as a condition to settle a civil rights investigation into the school's diversity practices.
The University of Virginia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
In a warning issued last week, the department said the government had concluded that the use of race in admissions and other student benefits were 'widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution,' according to the Times.
Ryan's resignation has been accepted by the board, two of the Time's sources said, although it's unclear exactly when he will leave his post.
The Trump administration has undertaken a campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion and targeted colleges and universities that it has claimed are pushing antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and "radical left" ideologies.
Universities have said that Trump's attacks are threats to freedom of speech, freedom of academics and the schools' very existence.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
At least 34 people killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza as ceasefire prospects inch closer
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 34 people were killed across Gaza by Israeli strikes, health staff say, as Palestinians face a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ceasefire prospects inch closer. The strikes began late Friday and continued into Saturday morning, among others killing 12 people at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, which was sheltering displaced people, and eight more living in apartments, according to staff at Shifa hospital where the bodies were brought. Six others were killed in southern Gaza when a strike hit their tent in Muwasi, according to the hospital. The strikes come as U.S. President Donald Trump says there could be a ceasefire agreement within the next week. Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office Friday, the president said, 'we're working on Gaza and trying to get it taken care of.' An official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, will arrive in Washington next week for talks on Gaza's ceasefire, Iran and other subjects. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Talks have been on again off again since Israel broke the latest ceasefire in March, continuing its military campaign in Gaza and furthering the Strip's dire humanitarian crisis. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half of them believed to still be alive. They were part of some 250 hostages taken when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the 21-month-long war. The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children. There is hope among hostage families that Trump's involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, and he could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners oppose. Hamas has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has rejected. Meanwhile hungry Palestinians are enduring a catastrophic situation in Gaza. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May. Efforts by the United Nations to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. Palestinians have also been shot and wounded while on their way to get food at newly formed aid sites, run by the American and Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Gaza's health officials and witnesses. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Israel's military said it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bank of America says tariffs might spark a ‘reshoring' boom—but experts say it might be a double-edged sword for the economy
Evidence of a U.S. manufacturing slowdown is mounting, according to the Bank of America Institute. Tariffs could help reduce that slowdown and bring more advanced production back stateside, but improving productivity might happen without increasing employment. President Donald Trump has been adamant his tariffs will bring factory jobs back to American shores. Higher import taxes will likely push manufacturers to move operations back to the U.S., according to Bank of America economists, but so-called reshoring might incentivize firms to put more robots than humans on the assembly line. A lack of skilled labor and high costs remain big impediments as companies come home, BofA warns. Automation might be the key to unlocking reshoring, potentially boosting the sluggish productivity of American manufacturers without meaningfully increasing employment. Evidence of a slowdown in the sector is mounting, according to a recent report from the Bank of America Institute. New orders for manufactured durable goods fell in April, while the famous manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index has signaled a contraction since March. Focusing on small businesses, BofA's internal client data shows deposit growth from manufacturers has also declined. 'It's possible, right, that these [tariffs] could support momentum going forward and potentially reverse some of that slowdown, especially for certain subsectors within the industry,' the report's author, BofA economist Taylor Bowley, told Fortune. 'But tariff costs and labor issues do exist.' Reshoring has been all the rage in corporate America after Trump's first trade war with China—and the COVID-19 pandemic—highlighted risks to global supply chains. The Biden-era CHIPS and Inflation Reduction Acts, meanwhile, heavily subsidized companies willing to make semiconductors and clean energy technology in the U.S. While U.S. manufacturing accounts for just 8% of total employment, reshoring has created 2 million jobs in the past 15 years, according to a May note from BofA economists. Half of those new positions have been created in the past five years, they noted, though the trend has slowed since peaking in 2022. In a survey of 56 analysts across the bank, covering roughly 1,200 firms worth over $38 trillion in market cap, roughly 60% said production will continue to move back to the U.S.—at least modestly—if tariffs remain high. Those following industrials and manufacturing expect the greatest shift to the U.S. There are still obstacles to coming back stateside, though. In the BofA survey, 54% of the analysts said issues finding skilled workers would be a significant impediment for companies. Higher labor costs are one of the primary reasons manufacturers shifted away from the U.S. in the first place, Bowley said. While a 2024 survey from the Cato Institute found 80% of Americans think the country would benefit from increasing manufacturing employment, just a quarter believe they would be better off individually working in a factory. If firms struggle to fill positions, Bowley said, they are forced to figure out how to improve productivity without hiring people. 'And that's where this conversation around automation and productivity comes in,' she said. Two-thirds of respondents to the BofA survey said any production shift to the U.S. would require significantly more automation than an offshore factory. That makes more advanced industries the best candidates for moving back to the U.S., BofA economists said, like auto assembly and high-end furniture. 'Millions and millions of human beings screwing in little, little screws to make iPhones,' as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested? Not so much. Meanwhile, Lutnick's ability to continue making trade deals might matter most to small businesses. They account for 98% of American manufacturing, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, and many rely on cheap imports. 'A lot of them depend on a specific part—for example, to complete their manufacturing process—that simply isn't made domestically,' Bowley said. Therefore, for smaller manufacturers, tariff uncertainty makes planning capital expenditures especially difficult, even if their products become more competitive domestically. With profit margins and productivity lagging other industries in the U.S., passing price hikes on to consumers is the obvious response. However, if firms need to absorb some of the cost to keep customers, Bowley said, reducing inventories, operations, or headcount are other potential options. 'Reshoring in that aspect for smaller firms is kind of a double-edged sword,' she said. Nonetheless, sales are expected to grow in the coming months, Bowley said. But businesses might start feeling the squeeze, she added, when inventories start running low in the second half of the year. This story was originally featured on Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Thai protesters call for Prime Minister Paetongtarn's resignation
BANGKOK, June 28 (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as her government faces rising anger over a border row with Cambodia. The rally, the largest anti-government protest since her Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023, increases pressure on Paetongtarn, 38, who is battling to revive a faltering economy and keep a fragile government coalition together ahead of a potential no confidence vote next month. Protesters waved flags beside Victory Monument, a war memorial at a busy intersection, in a demonstration organised by the United Force of the Land, a coalition of largely nationalist activists who have rallied against other Shinawatra-backed governments over the last two decades. While the past protests did not directly cause the downfall of those governments, they built up pressure that led to judicial interventions and military coups in 2006 and 2014. The political turmoil in Thailand threatens to further damage the country's struggling economic recovery. Paetongtarn said on Saturday that she was not concerned about the protest and had instructed authorities to ensure the gathering was peaceful. "It's within people's rights and I will not retaliate," she said. The prime minister, who now controls a slim majority coalition following the exit of former partner Bhumjaithai Party last week, could face a no confidence vote when parliament reconvenes next week. Bhumjaithai Party last week withdrew its support for the government citing the risk of a loss of Thai sovereignty and integrity after a leaked phone conversation between Paetongtarn and Cambodia's former premier Hun Sen. During the call, Paetongtarn appeared to seek to appease the veteran Cambodian politician and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised for her comments. The prime minister also faces judicial scrutiny after a group of senators petitioned the Constitutional Court and a national anti-graft body with a wide remit to investigate her conduct over the leaked phone call. Decisions from either bodies could lead to her removal. Hun Sen, a former ally of the Shinawatras, made an unprecedented public attack on Paetongtarn and her family in an hours-long televised speech on Friday, calling for a change in government in Thailand. The Thai foreign ministry described the speech as "extraordinary" while insisting that Thailand prefers to use diplomacy to resolve the escalating bilateral dispute.
