What's going on: Class is in session, and President Donald Trump wants colleges to follow his lesson plan. In a letter sent to nine universities, including MIT and Vanderbilt, Trump outlined a series of terms that could lead to preferential treatment for federal funding. Under the proposed “compact,” colleges would have to shake up their operations — and shut down departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.” Also on the list: a 15% admissions cap for international undergrad students, a tuition freeze for five years, and a ban on the use of gender or race in admissions or hiring processes. If universities agree, not only will they be on Trump’s dean list, but they’ll also get first dibs on federal educational grants. If they don’t? They risk missing out on those grants and invites to the White House.
What it means: Education experts say this type of agreement between the federal government and higher education institutions is unprecedented. It also marks the Trump administration’s latest move in an ongoing fight with universities over funding, campus protests, DEI, and accusations of antisemitism. Critics say the deal raises free speech concerns, and they question how the administration will decide what terms have been met. Any school that signs on and then violates the deal must repay the federal funds. For now, only the University of Texas at Austin has indicated it plans to participate. The other eight schools are staying quiet for now.
What's going on: Sam Altman singing on a toilet. Ronald McDonald robbing a bank. An affable giraffe strolling through the suburbs with a zebra. These are just a few of the AI-generated videos popping up on OpenAI’s new app, Sora. Part social platform, part creativity tool — it’s not all fun and games. The app lets users make high-def videos based on simple text prompts (like that’s never gone wrong). It can even mimic the likeness of users, friends, foes, or anyone who signs off. Within a day, it shot to the top of the iOS App Store’s photo and video category. Naturally, there are already problems.
What it means: Critics worry the app has the potential to further blur the line of what’s real and not. Deepfakes are a huge concern. In tests by The Washington Post, Sora created fake videos of real people dressed up as Nazi generals, plus fake historical footage starring John F. Kennedy. The app is also a copyright infringement minefield, and OpenAI hasn’t clearly indicated what data trained the system. Politicians from Trump to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) already use AI-generated videos, and now the tech feels unstoppable. The tools are so advanced, reality has never been blurrier.
What's going on: What do you get when you cross America’s top comedians with what some consider to be one of the most repressive governments on earth? A comedy festival that pays like a Vegas residency and sparks global outrage. More than 50 US comics, including Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr, accepted between $375,000 and $1.6 million each, according to The New York Times, to perform in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Chappelle blasted US “cancel culture” during his set, even citing Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension — but said nothing about Saudi Arabia’s years-long crackdown on critics. Not every comic took the gig: Atsuko Okatsuka boycotted, citing contracts that barred jokes about the royal family, religion, or anything that could “embarrass” the kingdom.
What it means: The festival — running through Oct 9 — is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, which critics consider a bid to swap oil wealth for cultural influence. While American comics cracked jokes about free speech, Human Rights Watch reminded everyone that Saudis can still go to jail (or worse) for speaking out. Rights groups and fellow comics accused the performers of “artwashing” a regime that murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi and imprisons women’s rights activists (some female comics took the gig). Burr and others defended their sets as free-speech outreach, but critics argue the real exchange was cash for credibility.
