Today’s semi-random thoughts – Now is probably not a good time for a university official to be picking a fight with a member of Congress, particularly a Congressman who’s normally on their side, for higher-ed is soon going to need all the help it can get. The NYT has a big story on how higher-ed institutions, which have an outsized presence here in Massachusetts, are bracing for a possible all-out GOP assault on colleges and universities – with potential battles over student-loan policies, endowment taxes, DEI initiatives, research grants, lack of campus ideological diversity, trans-athletes, student protests, etc., etc.  The Chronicle of Higher Education has even dedicated an entire section to what might happen to colleges and universities under a second Trump term. … And what’s David Art, head of Tufts University’s political science department, doing? Playing to type as the out-of-touch Ivory Tower ideologue, he’s threatening to block student internships with U.S. Seth Moulton because the Democratic Moulton dared to criticize trans-athlete policies. Art and Tufts are now in full retreat, thanks to the Globe’s Carine Hajjar’s dogged pursuit of a good story that should never have been a story. … Art’s antics are not exactly the type of academic atonement that David W. Blight’s talking about in this NYT op-ed (“Universities Like Yale Need a Reckoning”) … Blight sort of undercuts his credibility by referring to “alleged leftist ideological purity” on campuses. Alleged? Maybe someone should email Hajjar’s column to him. … But let’s end this post on a positive note about Tufts, i.e. Tufts math professor Loring Tu’s generous gift to the university, as the Globe’s Jon Chesto reports.

Pete Hegseth – the latest Ivy League populist

Speaking of academia, did you know that the rough-and-tough, man-of-the-people Pete Hegseth, the Fox News blabbermouth who Trump has picked to head DoD, graduated from Princeton and got a grad degree from Harvard JFK? … You just knew there had to be a Massachusetts angle. … U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the former Harvard Law School professor, is vowing to go after the Harvard grad. … Donald Trump, JD Vance, Ted Cruz, etc. All of them Ivy League populists. … A graduate of St. George’s School, Tucker Carlson is more of a preppy populist, fyi. 

Connecting the Trump and Wu dots

Speaking of finding a Massachusetts angle to a national story, the Globe’s Shirley Leung assesses whether last week’s presidential race might have an impact on … the Boston mayoral race? Really? The Boston mayoral race? … I know there was a rightward shift in Boston voting last week. But not that big of a shift. … I suppose I could be wrong. I did predict Kamala Harris would win last week , after all.

Reporters in their elements 

These are golden days for reporters who love hectic news days. Check out this Globe story on all the crazy news breaking yesterday in Washington D.C. Great reporting. They’re in their element. … Matt Gaetz as AG? Yeah, that Matt Gaetz. He resigned from the House one step ahead of the ethics committee posse. … Hopefully, a committee staff member has a copy of the report in case the GOP tries to bury it. 

Mass. economy doing just fine

The jobs picture is a little concerning. But a new Mass Benchmarks report, via the UMass Donahue Institute, nevertheless says the state’s economy continues to grow at a decent clip and should continue to do so in the fourth quarter.

Developers win ‘blanket extension’ 

I don’t recall ever seeing something like this before. The BBJ’s Greg Ryan reports that tucked into the $4 billion state economic development bill is a provision that extends approvals for building projects and other permits by two years statewide. Ryan refers to it as a “blanket extension” designed to give developers more time to line up financing now that interest rates are starting to fall. … I guess it’s a good idea. It’s streamling the process. It’s definitely interesting.