Geoff: Welcome to the news hour.

A federal judge has blocked trump administration's move to prevent Harvard university from enrolling international students.

The judge is decision came hours after Harvard filed a lawsuit in response.

Amna: It affects 6800 students at immediate risk of losing their international status.

Harvard has been at the center of the administration's battle over higher education including multiple investigations, canceling or freezing millions of dollars in so porridge.

On more regarding what this means I'm joined by Lara Meckler from the Washington post.

This is focusing on the battles over higher education.

Welcome back to the news hour and thank you for joining us.

For the moment the administration is blocked from revoking Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students but how big is this a threat to Harvard should it go into affect the reputation only but also academically?

- -Economically?

>> It affects thousands of students that would not be able to join them this fall.

Can you replace those students so quickly?

Harvard has a lot of people that want to go there but it is not entirely clear that you can completely replace those students if it came to that.

There are some implications when it comes to things like tuition and that sort of thing.

There is a bigger issue of how Harvard sees itself.

It sees itself as attracting the best and the brightest throughout the world and the people there are learning from each other and people that have come from different cultures and if those students were not there, that would take away something from how the university is and what sort of a place it is to study.

Amna: We know international students often play -- often pay higher tuition in some places.

Is that true at Harvard?

>> There are many schools that will charge international students for right whereas a U.S. Student can get financial aid.

At Harvard they do offer financial aid to international students as well so it is not the same disproportionate hit you would have it another university.

But it doesn't mean they aren't paying anything.

It is still revenue to the school.

This is less about revenue and the tuition but about a big operation with a lot of students and a large endowment and more about who will decide what sort of policies they can have and who is going to allow the trump administration to impose its political agenda under the university.

Harvard has a lot at stake in trying to resist that.

Amna: The white house has issued a statement saying if only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of antisemitic pro terorrist agitators they would not be in this situation to begin with.

The president made in and said - - >> Millions of dollars have been paid to Harvard.

And to have 52 billion dollars as an endowment.

They have $52 billion and this country is paying billions and billions of dollars and student loans.

Harvard is going to have to change its ways.

Amna: Why has Harvard in particular come into the president's sites in this way?

>> It depends who you ask.

Some would say it is because they have a real problem with antisemitism on campus.

Even Harvard has said there are things they need to do to better address anti-semitism on campus.

The administration would say they are there to try to fix the problem.

They would also pwn to point too dei issues.

But Harvard is almost synonymous with elite education in this country so there is a symbolic path with getting into a fight with Harvard.

And this has been escalating for several week.

It started with threatening to pull money, pulling money, threatening to revoke their tax-exempt status.

There have been a variety of pieces that have built on this and Harvard filing suit to try to stop some of the earlier efforts by the administration.

This has been a fast boy all that has developed in a short time since Donald Trump returned to office.

Amna: In another statement the Harvard president condemned the move calling it unlawful and unwarranted and that it serves as a warning to countless other colleges and universities throughout the country.

Is there a broader impact here beyond just Harvard?

>> Absolutely.

What this is is a war not just on Harvard but on higher education more broadly.

It comes amid what used to be called a rift but is now a rupture between the Republican party, conservatives and higher education from specifically elite higher education.

Whereas colleges and universities were once out of -- were once thought of as the crown jewel of the country.

The federal government was happy to invest in groundbreaking research and other fields but now it is viewed differently and that has implications for everyone.

It is viewed as a place where conservative thought is not welcome to.

They are ugly looking down at -- they are elite looking down on other people in the country.

This is not just a fight with Harvard right now but a much bigger question about how does this country view higher education and will the Republican party continue to support research and educational opportunities that these colleges and universities provide.

Amna: That is Lara Meckler from the Washington post joining us tonight.

We appreciate your time.

>> Thank you for having me.

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