DarkHorse Podcast Can Trump Make Harvard Great Again? The 298th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying
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Oct 22, 2025 Harvard is facing scrutiny as it cuts graduate programs, claiming financial hardship despite a hefty revenue. Trump proposes trade schools run by the university, sparking debate on education's future. Paul Offit reveals the complexity of natural versus vaccine-induced immunity, raising ethical concerns about public health messaging. Plus, a lawsuit against Google highlights the dangers of AI fabricating criminal histories. Finally, the transparency of mail-in ballots in California raises alarms about election security.
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Harvard As A Brand, Not A True University
- Harvard has been transformed into a brand and grant-extraction machine rather than a stable educational institution.
- Graduate programs funded by federal grants reveal education is often subcontracted to universities, hollowing out institutional knowledge.
MD‑PhD Cohort Funding Cut
- A Harvard MD-PhD trainee reported NIH funding termination that abruptly removed millions from cohorts and halted training grants.
- Students discovered their PhD seats evaporated when federal grants were canceled, upending expectations.
Watch For Adjunct Replacement Trends
- Expect universities to hire cheaper adjuncts and exploit excess PhDs to run undergraduate teaching.
- Monitor faculty governance and push to preserve tenure and institutional knowledge to prevent hollowing out.