The Week’s Worth: Harvard’s Ban, Hip-Hop Fallout, and Haliburton’s Game-Winner
Welcome to The Week’s Worth — your weekly breakdown of what actually mattered in politics, culture, sports, and beyond. On today’s episode, we’re unpacking a major policy shift at Harvard that’s sending shockwaves through academia, diving into a heated exchange between Young Thug and Kid Cudi amidst the Diddy trial, and recapping a playoff game that had us all on the edge of our seats. Let’s get into it.
📰 Harvard’s International Student Ban: A Political Power Play?
Harvard University has lost its certification to enroll international students. This move, executed by the Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration, cites vague allegations of antisemitism and unverified connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to The New York Times (May 22), this revocation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification affects roughly 6,800 students who now face uncertain futures—some scrambling to transfer, others facing deportation.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the decision stems from national security concerns and claims that Harvard has failed to manage campus unrest and anti-Israel sentiment.
Harvard fired back, calling it “a politically motivated attack on higher education and academic freedom,” and has initiated legal action. The move is seen as part of a broader culture war, with elite academic institutions in the crosshairs over diversity, free expression, and perceived elitism.
International students contribute over $30 billion annually to the U.S. economy, according to NAFSA. Their departure is not just Harvard’s loss—it’s America’s.
Immigration attorney Fiona Hill commented to CBS News Boston: “This is academic hostage-taking. And it’s sending a chilling message to every university in the country: ‘Get in line, or we’ll come for your students next.’”
Sources:
New York Times – "Shock at Harvard After Government Says International Students Must Go"
CBS News Boston – "Trump bans foreign international students at Harvard"
📱Young Thug Labels Kid Cudi a 'Rat' on Twitter Amid Diddy Trial Testimony
Young Thug sparked backlash with a tweet that read: “Dam cudi a rat lol,” directed at Kid Cudi following Cudi’s testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s federal trial. The tweet, quickly deleted, ignited a larger conversation about loyalty, trauma, and truth in hip-hop culture.
.
Fans weren’t having it. On Complex's Instagram, comments ranged from disappointment to outright frustration:
Social media pushed back. Fans on Complex’s Instagram highlighted the misplaced outrage:
“Taking back my Free Young Thug comments.”
“This no snitching culture is tired and weird.”
“Let’s stop normalizing protecting abusers because of a ‘street code.’”
This episode reignites the longstanding tension between cultural loyalty and real-world justice. As Justin Tinsley of Andscape notes: “Hip-hop has always had a code. But codes evolve—or they calcify into cages.”
Sources:
Quote from Justin Tinsley, Andscape
🏀 Pacers vs. Knicks: Round 2 Tonight @ 8!
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals gave us everything. The Knicks blew a 14-point lead in the final three minutes, and the Pacers capitalized, finishing with a buzzer-beater by Tyrese Haliburton.
As The Athletic put it, the Knicks “forgot how to operate” in crunch time. Five turnovers, missed assignments, and breakdowns defined their collapse.
The Pacers? They’ve been clutch all season, leading the NBA in fourth-quarter efficiency. Their playoff crunch-time offense: 160.5 rating. Not a fluke. A system.
Haliburton said postgame: “We hold each other accountable.” Indiana isn’t here to play spoiler. This wasn’t just a loss for New York. It was a wake-up call. And for Indiana, a defining moment of a season built on resilience.
Sources:
⚡ Quick Hits
1. Summer House Finale Delivers
Bravo’s Summer House closed with emotional reunions, a bizarre Halloween party, and Jesse/Lexi drama. The reunion airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST.
Source: Vulture
2. Penguin Poop vs. Climate Change
Scientists found that ammonia in penguin guano helps form cooling clouds. Unexpected eco-hero alert.
Source: ABC News
3. Taylor Swift Subpoenaed
Taylor Swift was subpoenaed in a sealed legal case possibly involving past contracts. Fans are waiting for clarity.
Sources: Variety, Billboard
📰 🧠 Final Thoughts
Across politics, pop culture, sports, and reality TV, one thread tied this week together: presence matters.
From Harvard’s legal defense of its students to Kid Cudi’s brave courtroom testimony, Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beater resilience, and the women of Summer House rallying around each other—this week reminded us that showing up still counts.
These moments aren’t just headlines. They’re signals of a cultural shift—toward transparency, accountability, and emotional honesty. And in an era where silence often equals complicity, presence might just be the most radical act.
If you appreciate sharp, unbothered, and culturally rooted commentary, follow me:
Instagram: @theweeksworth
Everywhere else: @jazzenai
Substack: jazzenai.substack.com