内容摘要：The three are clearly friends. Two of them, Sufian Ali and Atif Shahzad, are cousins from rural Pakistan.

The three are clearly friends. Two of them, Sufian Ali and Atif Shahzad, are cousins from rural Pakistan.

We asked the USAID Office of Inspector General about the grant but it did not respond to us.While Doge may have cut a significant amount of government spending, the lack of evidence provided for its biggest claimed savings makes it impossible to independently confirm exactly how much.

Doge does not have a press office but BBC Verify has contacted the White House to ask for more evidence of these claimed savings.The world could see hugely damaging sea-level rise of several metres or more over the coming centuries even if the ambitious target of limiting global warming to 1.5C is met, scientists have warned.Nearly 200 countries have pledged to try to keep the planet's warming to 1.5C, but the researchers warn that this should not be considered "safe" for coastal populations.

They drew their conclusion after reviewing the most recent studies of how the ice sheets are changing - and how they have changed in the past.But the scientists stress that every fraction of a degree of warming that can be avoided would still greatly limit the risks.

The world's current trajectory puts the planet on course for nearly 3C of warming by the end of the century, compared with the late 1800s, before humans began burning large amounts of planet-heating fossil fuels. That's based on current government policies to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels and other polluting activities.

But even keeping to 1.5C would still lead to continued melting of Greenland and Antarctica, as temperature changes can take centuries to have their full impact on such large masses of ice, the researchers say.And opinion aside, the practicality of achieving such a fundamental reordering of America's system of higher education, even with all the tools at the federal government's disposal, is a daunting task.

According to Mr Wolfson, however, repairing what he says is the damage being done to academic independence will be equally challenging.A growing number of members of the American Association of University Professors fear the consequences of expressing political views or conducting disfavoured research.

"The destruction is real," argues Mr Wolfson. "Even if the courts step in, there will still be a massive undermining of the higher education project in this country due to Trump's reckless, reckless moves."Mr Hess, who has pushed for conservative education reform for years, is less concerned. He believes that Trump's chaotic, scattershot approach - including last week's comments - could end up less effective than a more methodical restructuring of American universities.