BY COLLIN BINKLEY

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is close to reaching a deal with Harvard University, which it has targeted with a series of investigations and billions of dollars in funding cuts as it presses for changes to its policies and governance.

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A truce with the country’s oldest and wealthiest college would end a clash that has tested the independence of America’s colleges.

Trump came into office saying he would cut funding for schools that defied his agenda, vowing to eliminate “wokeness.” His pressure campaign zeroed in on the Ivy League institution after it rebuffed his demands.

Trump initially said a deal had been reached but then said officials were “close to finalizing” the agreement. “We haven’t done it yet,” he said at the White House.

Harvard and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A deal would open the door to a resolution of sanctions that have included cuts to more than $2.6 billion in Harvard’s research grants, losses of federal contracts, and efforts to cut off the school’s ability to enroll foreign students.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area was the focus of what officials termed a “first of its kind” operation to be expanded nationwide targeting people fraudulently seeking immigration benefits.

Operation Twin Shield kicked off Sept. 19 and wrapped up Monday, leading to multiple arrests, officials said at a joint press conference by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Citizen and Immigrations Services Director Joseph B. Edlow.

“I want the American people to know we are declaring war on immigration fraud,” he said. “We will continue to pursue those who seek to abuse our immigration system using every tool at our disposal.”

Operation Twin Shield is the first phase, he said.

“If you seek to commit immigration fraud in this country, you will find yourself meeting with our officers at USCIS,” he said. “You will meet officers within our federal partners at ICE, CBP, FBI, DEA, whoever is working with us. And you will find yourself not only without benefits but you will find yourself prosecuted.”

The agencies Edlow cited refer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

When asked why the Twin Cities was chosen for the first operation, Edlow said it was based on data.

“When you look at what we are seeing as concerning patterns of fraud, we’re seeing good cooperation here, especially among our field office, working with our federal agents. It just makes sense to start it in a city where we have a sense of what’s going on and where we can try to make an impact,” he said. “So it was really based on reviewing data. Like I said, this is not the only city where this is going to be, this is the first of many.”

Hundreds of cases

The operations efforts focused on site visits to verify information people had submitted for immigration benefits such as marriage and family-based petitions, employment authorizations and certain parole-related requests. The operation looked at 1,000 possible fraud cases and involved more than 900 site visits and in-person interviews. Out of those, there was evidence of 275 suspected fraud cases.

Asked by the Pioneer Press how many arrests had been made, officials said they don’t get into specific numbers but that there had been “multiple” arrests.

A press release said that, as of Tuesday, four people had been apprehended but that the number might increase as investigations are completed.

In addition, in 42 instances, people were issued notices to appear or referred to ICE.

Examples

Edlow gave a few examples of the fraud cases that had been discovered:

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• One person admitted to paying $100 for a fake death certificate to falsely claim a marriage had been terminated.

• Another man who previously had engaged in marriage fraud had overstayed his visa and was the son of a known or suspected terrorist.

• A woman admitted to authorities that she had committed marriage fraud.

• In a fourth case, a man had engaged in marriage fraud with an elderly U.S. woman, abusing and exploiting her.

“Hundreds of bad actors will be held accountable,” said Edlow. “Immigration fraud undermines the integrity of our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law and poses risks to national security and public safety.”

Cheryl Reeve regrets not being able to coach in Game 4 of the WNBA’s Western Conference semifinals Sunday, an 86-81 loss to the Mercury in Phoenix that ended the Lynx’s season.

But she doesn’t necessarily regret the outburst that led to the suspension that had her watching the game on TV from her hotel room.

“That’s not life,” Reeve said Tuesday.

After a Phoenix steal led to an ankle injury to star forward Napheesa Collier in Game 3, Reeve stormed the court and had to be held back by assistant coaches while berating the game’s referees.

Collier said Tuesday she has torn ligaments in her left ankle, and that her calf muscle was pulled away from her shin.

Afterward, Reeve told reporters the quality of officiating in the WNBA is “malpractice.” The comments earned her a $15,000 fine and a suspension that ended her season one game before her team was knocked out by Phoenix.

“I will never apologize for being me,” Reeve said. “I do think it’s important to grow and understand consequences of actions, for sure. But I will always stand up for our players’ health and safety, and the fair treatment of our organization.”

It was a disappointing end for the Lynx, who matched a WNBA record for regular-season wins with 34 and advanced to semifinals with a first-round victory over Las Vegas. Last season, the Wild lost to New York in Game 5 of the finals.

“Sixty-four wins in two seasons is pretty incredible,” Reeve said.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve stands on the court during a timeout in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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By JIM GOMEZ

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An offshore earthquake of magnitude 6.9 jolted the central Philippines and collapsed the walls of buildings late Tuesday, killing at least six people, injuring several more and sending residents scrambling out of homes into darkness as the intense shaking cut off power, officials said.

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The earthquake was centered about 10 miles northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people in Cebu province, and struck about 10 p.m. local time.

Six people, including three coast guard personnel, a firefighter and a child, were killed in San Remigio town, south of Bogo, the town’s vice mayor, Alfie Reynes, told the DZMM radio network without elaborating how the victims died.

Reynes appealed for food and water, saying San Remigio’s water system was damaged by the earthquake. Heavy equipment may be needed to deal with damage in mountain villages in the area, Reynes said.

In Bogo, the quake damaged concrete walls of houses, a fire station and concrete and asphalt roads, firefighter Rey Cañete said.

“We were in our barracks to retire for the day when the ground started to shake and we rushed out but stumbled to the ground because of the intense shaking,” Cañete told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that he and three other firemen sustained cuts and bruises.

A concrete wall in their fire station collapsed, Cañete said. He and fellow firefighters provided first-aid to at least three residents, who were injured by falling debris and collapsed walls, including an elderly man with head injuries who they took to a nearby hospital, he said and added that more residents may have likely been injured due to the intense shaking.

Damage outside the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Cebu City is shown on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, after strong offshore earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 shook the central Philippines. (Vince Sylvan A. Toring via AP)

Hundreds of terrified residents gathered in the darkness in a grassy field near the fire station and refused to return home hours after the earthquake struck in Bogo. Several business establishments visibly sustained damages and the asphalt and concrete roads where they passed had deep cracks, Cañete said, adding that an old Roman Catholic church in Daanbantayan town near Bogo was also damaged.

Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said an unspecified number of houses and a hospital were damaged in Bogo and elsewhere and that emergency medical teams were being deployed to treat residents who were pinned and injured. The extent of the damage and injuries would not be known until daytime, she said.

“We’re sending already a trauma team there, doctors and nurses are on the way,” Baricuatro told the DZMM radio network. ”We need medicine, food, medical teams.”

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning and advised people to stay away from the coastlines in Cebu and in the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran due to possible waves of up to 3 feet.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the institute, told The AP that the tsunami warning was later lifted with no unusual waves being monitored.

Central Philippine provinces were still recovering from a storm that hit on Friday, leaving at least 27 people dead mostly due to drownings and falling trees, knocking out power in entire cities and towns and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean. The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year.