News Wrap: White House freezes funds meant for Cornell and Northwestern

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• Amna Nawaz:

  In the day's other headlines: The White House says it's frozen nearly $2 billion in federal funds meant for Cornell and Northwestern universities.

  The freeze includes more than $1 billion to Cornell and about $790 million for northwestern. Neither school says it's heard yet from the White House or Department of Education on the basis for the freeze, but the administration says the schools are being investigated for alleged civil rights violations.

  Cornell and Northwestern join other universities, including Columbia, UPenn, Harvard, and Princeton, that have had their federal funds tied to demands by the administration to change school policies.

  Also this afternoon, President Trump signed executive orders that direct the Department of Justice to investigate Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs. Both served as Homeland Security officials in Trump's previous administration and later criticized him publicly. That follows a pattern by Mr. Trump to investigate former officials and perceived political opponents.

  Two federal judges in Texas and New York have barred the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans jailed in those states for being alleged gang members. The move is temporary while the men's lawyers challenge the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act that lets presidents imprison and deport noncitizens during war.

  This comes after the Supreme Court ruled this week that deportations could resume under that 18th century law, but also said potential deportees must be afforded some due process.

  The death toll from a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic has risen to at least 124 with more than 250 people hurt. The roof of the Jet Set nightclub fell in early Tuesday morning, and rescue workers were still searching for survivors more than 24 hours later. The club hosted regular merengue parties that drew well-known artists and celebrities.

  Victims have included a professional baseball player, a politician and musicians. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collapse.

  Beijing today denied Ukrainian claims that Chinese citizens are fighting alongside Russia in its invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released video on Tuesday which he said showed a captured Chinese soldier. He added today that Ukrainian intelligence had knowledge of more than 150 Chinese citizens fighting for Russia. Beijing called Ukraine's claims unfounded.

• Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson (through interpreter):

  This statement is groundless. China's position on the Ukrainian crisis issue is clear and widely recognized by the international community. Ukraine should correctly view China's efforts and constructive role in seeking a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

• Amna Nawaz:

  China added that it's asked its citizens not to get involved in any armed conflict, appearing to suggest that the captured Chinese joined Russia voluntarily.

  The Trump administration has reinstated emergency food aid to at least six impoverished countries. Earlier this week, the U.N.'s World Food Program received word that the U.S. was cutting funding to help feed 14 countries. The State Department has since admitted some of those funds were cut by mistake without elaborating.

  Food funds to Ecuador, Somalia, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria were restored, but cuts will remain for war-ravaged Afghanistan and Yemen. The status of funding for six other unidentified countries remains unclear.

  And every year, the Library of Congress adds new songs, albums, and sounds to its National Recording Registry. This year, 25 new selections joined the hundreds of recordings considered instrumental to American society. Inductees include Celine Dion's Oscar-winning "My Heart Will Go On" from the 1997 film "Titanic."

  Other editions spanned almost a century, from the 1913 Hawaiian song "Aloha 'Oe" to the original Broadway recording of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" in 2015. There were less conventional inclusions too, like music from the "Minecraft" video game and the Microsoft Windows reboot chime.

  For a full list of this year's selections, you can find them at PBS.org/NewsHour.

  Still to come on the "News Hour": a shakeup at the IRS over plans to share personal data with immigration authorities; Michael Lewis' new book on why the work of government employees matters; and the stars of the hit series "The Handmaid's Tale" discuss its sixth and final season.