Harvard Newstalk

The Harvard Crimson's podcast Newstalk returns with special guest Jason Furman, who speaks on the Federal Reserve and President Trump's new nominee for Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.

Harvard students awoke to a somber campus following Donald Trump’s reelection to the presidency early Wednesday morning. “My heart dropped a little bit,” one student said.

Some Harvard professors canceled classes. Others tweaked their lesson plans and asked students to care for their mental health. This week on Newstalk, Harvard reacts to Trump's return to the White House.

When you think about election organizing at Harvard, a few words might come to mind. Privilege. Access. Money. 

The Harvard College Democrats are backed by a federally recognized PAC. Student leaders at the Harvard Republican Club have dined with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and pulled off speaking events with multi-billionaire Peter Thiel. 

Talk to them, and you’ll find that the name-dropping is constant, and the access is unparalleled. They’ll also tell you that all of it — the organizing, the networking — is available to any Harvard student who wants...

As we neared the one-year anniversary of October 7 earlier this month, the Harvard Institute of Politics — the largest student organization on Harvard’s campus and its flagship platform for political discourse — saw a high-profile shakeup in its student leadership. 

Citing the Palestinian exception to free speech, a vocal pro-Palestine activist resigned as the chair of one of the IOP’s popular programs on campaigns and advocacy. 

The reason? Closed-door infighting over how to handle the 2024 elections and Israel-Palestine conflict in its programming. 

As concerns about free speech and censors...

If you've been a student at Harvard at any point over the past three years, there’s one thing you’ve probably heard over and over again: intellectual vitality. 

You’ll see it in emails, in videos, from students, from our deans — it’s everywhere. 

And, overwhelmingly, you’ll get the sense that Harvard’s concerned about the state of discourse on campus.

So what is intellectual vitality? A Harvard website says it’s about the college’s attempts to “establish a culture in which all members speak, listen, and ask questions of each other and ourselv...

In 2022, Harvard earmarked $100 Million dollars for an initiative focused on making amends for Harvard’s ties to slavery. Now, that same initiative has faced infighting, a series of resignations, and allegations of attempts to limit the project’s scope. So how exactly did we get here? This week on Newstalk, inside Harvard's Legacy of Slavery Initiative.

Newstalk is co-hosted and co-produced by Yael S. Goldstein and Frank S. Zhou.

Harvard released its admissions demographic data for the Class of 2028 last week. This year more so than many years past, those numbers were a big deal.

Few things at Harvard are as tightly kept a secret as its admissions process. Every year, tens of thousands of applicants around the world hit submit, hope for the best. And then… it’s sort of a black box. The applications get sent off through the portal. Harvard’s admissions officers do their thing. And then on decision day, people get a yes, a maybe, or a no. 

At least...

It’s Harvard’s second week back in class and campus tensions are already back in the headlines.

Two Harvard graduate students charged with assault and battery during a pro-Palestine protest last May face yet another delay in their arraignment date.

A September 5th statement from the University provided updated guidance for those affected by doxing attacks, following months of criticism of its failure to protect students.

On Friday, President Alan Garber met with eight members of Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine in the Smith Campus Center to discuss the Harvard endowment. Outside the...

Alan M. Garber ’76, Harvard’s longtime provost who suddenly became the interim leader as he sought to steer the University through its worst leadership crisis in decades, was officially confirmed as the 31st president, the Harvard Corporation announced on Friday.

Eight months after Garber was appointed interim president, the Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — announced it will delay a formal search until 2026. Garber will serve in the position until June 2027.

Stay on top of the news at thecrimson.com.

For than 100 hours and counting, dozens of Pro-Palestine students and protesters have camped overnight in Harvard Yard, calling on the university to divest from Israel‘s war in Gaza. The encampment has now expanded to 50+ tents stretching across Harvard Yard, some a stone's throw away from Harvard president Alan Garber's office. 

On Newstalk, host Frank S. Zhou '26 and reporters Ellie P. Cassidy '27 and Julian J. Giordano '25 take us inside the encampment to talk to six students demonstrating despite the threat of disciplinary consequences. 

As skepticism of Harvard's governance mounts amid a year of turmoil, a group of prominent Harvard professors is seeking to revive a body that hasn’t existed at Harvard in living memory: a University-wide faculty senate.

Less than 20 years ago, Harvard faculty speaking with a collective voice helped oust a university president. But this proposal marks the first time Harvard's faculties have made a widespread push to unite under one governance body in more than a decade. Reporters Tilly R. Robinson '26 and Neil H. Shah join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss what the move me...

On Friday morning, March 29th, the Harvard Law School Student Government passed a resolution calling on the Harvard Management Corporation to divest from Israel. On Tuesday, April 2nd, a truck displaying the faces of the HLS Student Government co-presidents made its way around campus. 

The “Doxxing” truck, as it’s known, has been a familiar presence on campus since October 7th. As the Harvard Undergraduate Association gears up for its own referendum on divestment, students are left with two major questions: what is Harvard doing to ensure the safety and security of its students, and are political stateme...

Harvard emerged mostly unscathed from its first application cycle since the fall of affirmative action, silencing critics who speculated the University’s recent controversies would deter students from applying to the College. 

This week on Newstalk, reporters Elyse C. Goncalves '27 and Matan H. Josephy '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss the state of Harvard admissions and what the data tell us so far.

As Harvard navigates its way out of a historic leadership crisis, DEI has come under heavy fire. Supporters point to DEI's capacity to support student wellbeing. Critics say it can get in the way of free speech.

Today on Newstalk, two members of The Crimson’s Editorial Board, Tommy Barone ‘25 and Allison P. Farrell ‘26, join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss what critics tend to get wrong, how students feel about expressing their opinions on campus, and ways out of Harvard's DEI dilemma.

Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino — who came under fire for allegations of data manipulation — suggested that Boston University professor and co-author Nina Mažar tampered with her data, according to an internal HBS report.

This week on Newstalk, reporters Benjamin Isaac '27 and Kyle Baek '26 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to break down the Gino saga. 

Earlier this month, Interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 announced that Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82 will serve as the University’s second highest administrator: the University provost. Unlike most top administrators, however, Manning has declined to schedule regular interviews with The Crimson and has proven to be one of Harvard's most media-shy deans. So who is John Manning? 

This week on Newstalk, reporters S. Mac Healey '27 and Saketh Sundar '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss.

Many Harvard students describe a social scene where besides a handful of bright spots — such as Housing Day and the Harvard-Yale game — traditional college revelry characterized by roaring parties, vibrant and frequent tailgates, and school spirit in abundance has been missing at Harvard.

While administrators cite a hands-off approach to social life — and a lack of available funding for College-organized parties and concerts — some students said officially sanctioned social events did not meet the mark.

This week on Newstalk, reporters Natalie K Bandura '26 and Azusa M. Lippit '26 join host Yael S. Goldstein to discuss.

Harvard will release regular decisions for the Class of 2028 later this month. But as tens of thousands of students around the world brace themselves to hear Harvard’s answer on whether they got in, one question remains: will Harvard continue to keep standardized test scores optional in its application? 

After Yale University and Dartmouth College announced they would return to standardized testing requirements, admissions experts are divided on whether Harvard will follow suit. This week on Newstalk, reporters Elyse C. Goncalves '27 and Matan H. Josephy '27 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss what's next. 

House Republicans subpoenaed three top Harvard officials last Friday, demanding internal documents and communications for an investigation into the University’s handling of antisemitism on campus.

This week on Newstalk, reporters Emma H. Haidar '26 and Cam E. Kettles '26 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss the threats the subpoena poses to Harvard; Editorial Board members Saul I.M. Arnow '26 and Lorenzo Z. Ruiz '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss reactions to the subpoena and its implications for higher education.

The tenure of interim Harvard President Alan M. Garber '76 will likely be one of the most consequential for the University in recent history as he looks to heal a deeply divided campus. The longtime administrator has insisted that he is up for the challenge.

This week on Newstalk, reporters Cam E. Kettles '26 and Emma H. Haidar '26 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss Garber's rocky path ahead and potential contenders for the Harvard presidency.

The MBTA Red Line is closed maintenance from Feb. 5 to Feb. 14 as part of a project to reduce slowdowns and increase safety by upgrading track infrastructure. This week on Newstalk, reporters Aisling A. McLaughlin and Madeline E. Proctor join Nyla Nasir '27 to discuss their effect on Boston-area commuters. 

Music in this episode comes from freesound.org.

When longtime Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber ’76 suddenly became interim president earlier this month, the powerful but largely invisible administrator was unfamiliar to most Harvard affiliates.

But not Harvard’s unions. They know Garber well — and they can’t stand him.

This week on Newstalk (Season 2), reporters Aran Sonnad-Joshi '27 and Sheerea X. Yu '27 join host Yael S. Goldstein '26 to discuss Garber’s uneasy relationship with Harvard unions.

Sidechat, a popular social media platform on Harvard's campus, has come under scrutiny for an allegedly increasing amount of antisemitic posts and criticisms of insufficient content moderation. Host Yael S. Goldstein '26 discusses the issue with Joyce E. Kim '26 and Michelle N. Amponsah '26. Music in this episode comes freesound.org. 

National Winner, 2024 Associated Collegiate Press Podcast of the Year 

Harvard’s crisis didn’t end with Gay’s resignation.

As the University faces a federal lawsuit and congressional investigation into antisemitism, Newstalk takes you inside Harvard’s most tumultuous crisis in recent memory.

We take you inside the fallout — from the Capitol building to Harvard’s students and faculty — to break down Gay’s plagiarism allegations, her handling of campus antisemitism, and where the crisis moves next. Crimson reporters and host Frank S. Zhou ’26 bring you the latest from the students who lived — and broke —

Harvard President Claudine Gay will resign Tuesday afternoon, bringing an end to the shortest presidency in the University's history. 

Gay’s resignation — just six months and two days into the presidency — comes amid growing allegations of plagiarism and lasting doubts over her ability to respond to antisemitism on campus after her disastrous congressional testimony Dec. 5.

The Crimson is committed to providing extensive coverage of all this and more. Stay on top of the news by following The Crimson’s website (thecrimson.com) and our multimedia platforms.

Newstalk is hosted by Frank S. Zhou '26. This...

Harvard President Claudine Gay testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce hoping to tell the nation how she was fighting antisemitism at Harvard. By the end of the nearly six hour hearing, she was fighting to keep her job. 

Now, in news scooped by The Crimson, Harvard’s governing boards will allow Gay to stay on as university president. Our reporters were at the capitol, reporting on the testimony that fueled the calls for Gay’s resignation. 

As the fallout unfolds, the reporters who got the scoop — Claire Yuan '25 and Miles J. Hersz...

In the days since Hamas’ October 7 attack against Israel, Harvard has faced division on campus and national backlash over its response. 

Tomorrow, Harvard President Claudine Gay will stand before Congress’s House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Lawmakers will press her on antisemitism at Harvard as top donors continue to fume over the University’s handling of tensions on campus. Some have threatened to pull their funding. Others already have. How will the House committee grill her, and how will she respond?

This week on Newstalk, reporters Miles J. Herszenhorn ’25, Emma H. Haidar ’26, and Cam E. Kett...

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, guest host Yael S. Goldstein ’26 takes us inside the 2023 Harvard-Yale Game. We talk to the players, students, and alumni to hear what it’s like to make the trek to the Yale Bowl in the team’s 150th season, with spirits high and the full Ivy League title on the line. 

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporter Asher J. Montgomery ’26 joins host Frank S. Zhou ’26 to dive deep into a controversial course at the Harvard Kennedy School that some students say has left emotional scars. Also in this episode, Muskaan Arshad ’25, Sally E. Edwards ’26, and Jack R. Trapanick ’26 discuss the results of last week’s elections for Cambridge's City Council and School Committee. 

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, Sex Week president Julia R. Bhuiyan ’25 joins host Frank S. Zhou ’26 to discuss Sex Week at Harvard, a weeklong series of events encouraging students to better explore sex, sexuality, and body. Also in this episode, Jack R. Trapanick ’26 discusses Harvard’s agreement with the cities of Boston and Cambridge called Payment in Lieu of Taxes and why Harvard may not be paying enough. 

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporter Cam E. Kettles '26 joins host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss Harvard's first primarily undergraduate union and its formation with a 99.4% vote amidst a national wave of undergraduate unionization. Also in this episode, Emily R. Willrich '25 and Camilla Wu '26 talk about faculty reactions to previous term course registration, a new system for spring semester classes. 

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Miles J. Herszenhorn '25 and Claire Yuan '25 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss Harvard President Claudine Gay's first 100 days as her administration navigates backlash over the University's response to the war in Israel and Gaza, the fall of affirmative action, and a slew of deans searches. Also in this episode, Thomas J. Mete '26 and Asher J. Montgomery '26 talk about the ongoing hunt for a new dean of the Harvard Kennedy School.

A note before our regular episode this week. In the days following Hamas’ attacks, the war in Israel and Gaza has reverberated across Harvard’s campus. Backlash against student groups. Widespread criticism against the University’s response. A thousand-person rally that stretched across Harvard Yard. The Crimson is committed to providing extensive coverage of all this and more. Stay on top of the news by following The Crimson’s website (thecrimson.com) and our multimedia platforms.

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Ryan H. Doan-Nguyen '25 and Yusuf S. Mian '25 join host Frank S. Zhou '26...

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Muskaan Arshad ’25 and Julian J. Giordano ’25 join host Frank S. Zhou ’26 to discuss the racist, transphobic tweets that sparked a protest and left Cambridge City Council candidates under fire. Also in this episode, J. Sellers Hill ’25 and Nia L. Orakwue ’25 talk about mental health resources at Harvard and why barriers to student trust and understanding persist.

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Michelle N. Amponsah ’26 and Emma H. Haidar ’26 join host Frank S. Zhou ’26 to discuss changes to admissions interviews guidelines for alumni interviewing college applicants. Also in this episode, Rahem D. Hamid ’25 and Elias J. Schisgall ’25 talk about the controversial proposal to merge Harvard's small language programs and the future of the humanities at Harvard.

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Sally E. Edwards '26 and Azusa M. Lippit '26 join Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss the contract impasse between unionized Cambridge Public Schools educators and the school district. Also in this episode, Jasmine Palma '26 and Austin H. Wang '26 talk Harvard astrophysics and cosmology professor Abraham "Avi" Loeb's search for extraterrestial life.

This week on The Harvard Crimson's Newstalk, reporters Julian J. Giordano '25 and Samuel P. Goldston '26 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss the city of Cambridge's elections season and two recent candidate forums. Also in this episode, Thomas J. Mete '26 and Asher J. Montgomery '26 talk Harvard Kennedy School's Dean Douglas W. Elmendorf decision to step down as dean and the controversies that marked his tenure.

National Honorable Mention, 2024 Associated Collegiate Press Podcast of the Year | Winner, 2023 Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards for Conversational Podcast

Fights erupted in Washington D.C. and at Harvard when affirmative action fell. In the crowds, a dozen Harvard student journalists set out to find what the protests — the fights, the fears — were really about.

Dozens of interviews. 10+ hours of tape. A look inside Harvard, from the students who saw it all.

Host Frank S. Zhou '26 joins half a dozen reporters to track down what exactly happened when affirmative action fell...

From The Harvard Crimson: Harvard sophomore Ricky R. Razon IV ’25 recalls his grandmother living off a highway named after Jefferson Davis, the first and only president of the Confederacy.

At Harvard, he's found buildings and institutions with names intertwined with fraught histories. But, those names happen also to be some of the most memorable names of alumni and students' time at Harvard. This week on Newstalk, Nia L. Orakwue '25 and Natalie K Bandura '26 join host Frank S. Zhou '26 to discuss how Harvard navigates its denaming dilemma. 

From The Harvard Crimson: some would say Harvard has an academic freedom problem. That superstar professors censor themselves for fear of blowback, and that the world’s sharpest students are afraid to debate ideas.

But others disagree. This week on The Harvard Crimson’s Newstalk, Rahem D. Hamid '25 and J. Sellers Hill ’25 join host Frank S. Zhou ’26 to discuss the misunderstandings and dilemmas at the heart of Harvard's dance with free speech. What is the state of academic freedom at Harvard, today?

Mosaic news clips in this episode are excerpted from MSNBC, FOX News, and TVO...