Overview

• Linda McMahon’s May 5 letter informed Harvard it would no longer receive federal research grants, citing alleged legal and ethical violations by the university.
• The letter was widely criticized for its grammatical and stylistic errors, leading to public mockery and viral red-ink corrections shared on social media.
• Independent fact-checkers confirmed that the red-marked corrections did not originate from Harvard but were created by social media users.
• Harvard continues its legal challenge against the Trump administration’s freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding, calling the actions unlawful and harmful to research and innovation.
• The dispute highlights broader tensions over government oversight of higher education and raises concerns about academic freedom and institutional autonomy.