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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday threatened to cut billions in state funding from the University of Southern California if it complies with a Trump administration request to impose the president’s political priorities on campus.

USC was one of nine public and private universities across the country that received offers of preferential access to federal funds from the White House Thursday in exchange for agreeing to a wide variety of policy directives, many of which align with conservative demands of higher education.

Newsom responded with his own ultimatum: sign the White House request, and “instantly” lose state funding, including CalGrants, the $2.4 billion in annual state-funded scholarships for California

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