CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — In a high-stakes standoff, President Donald Trump’s administration says it will freeze $2.2 billion in federal research grants for Harvard University, which is pushing back on demands for changes to campus policy.

President Trump is trying to influence which colleges receive federal financial support, a practice that began around the time of World War II.

A laureate professor working on early diagnosis of ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is one of several Harvard University researchers who have received stop-work orders after the Trump administration froze more than $2.

The fight between the Trump administration and the nation’s oldest and most elite university was headed for a showdown that could affect other American institutions. Harvard has rejected the administration’s demands that it make changes to its policies and programs related to diversity hiring and the tolerance of anti-Israel protests.

The Sidebar panel breaks down President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on higher education and explains Harvard's decision to push back.