Alan Garber, then Harvard University’s interim president, stepped onto a stage in Harvard Yard last May to address thousands of alumni and faculty. As the applause faded, a woman approached the lectern and dumped gold glitter on Garber’s head, shouting about releasing monkeys from Harvard labs.

President Donald Trump's administration said on Friday it sought Harvard University's records on foreign funding going back a decade and on some foreign ties, in the government's latest escalation against the educational institution.