ASU is one of several dozen universities accused by the Trump administration of allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to run rampant on campus.

Why it matters: President Trump and his allies have long criticized universities for what they've called "wokeness" and "left-wing indoctrination," and now Trump is threatening to pull federal funding from schools that don't rein in progressive activity on campus, including limiting pro-Palestinian protests.

Catch up quick: The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday it sent letters to 60 universities "presently under investigation … relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination​​," including ASU, warning they could lose federal dollars if they fail to protect Jewish students.

Zoom in: ASU would not provide a copy of the letter from the Department of Education, but in a statement to Axios said it was based on a 2023 complaint filed by the editor of Campus Reform, a conservative news organization covering higher education.

• Per Campus Reform, the complaint centered on pro-Palestinian demonstrations allowed to occur on campus in the days after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
• Then-President Biden's Department of Education opened an investigation based on the complaint in 2024, but the Trump administration claims it was allowed to "languish unresolved under the previous administration."

What they're saying: "Arizona State University has a long history of opposing antisemitic rhetoric and acts of intimidation whether they occur on our campuses or in the community," the university said in a statement.

Between the lines: The Anti-Defamation League rated ASU "better than most" universities in its most recent Campus Antisemitism Report Card.

The other side: The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) said the Department of Education's letter sets "a dangerous precedent for silencing political speech on college campuses."

Go deeper

The COVID-19 pandemic began five years ago this week, and during the first six months "Better Call Saul" was the most-searched title in Arizona as we looked for movies and TV shows to help get us through the lockdown.

Zoom in: The "Breaking Bad" prequel topped search lists for Arizona and New Mexico, where both shows were set, according to data from Roku.

• The show tells the origin story of conman-turned-lawyer Jimmy McGill, AKA Saul Goodman, before he became meth kingpin Walter White's attorney in "Breaking Bad."

Zoom out: Nationally, the most searched show was "Yellowstone."

Pandemic binge-watch flashback

Tucson wanted the territorial capital and ponied up to make that happen, but what the city got instead was the University of Arizona.

Flashback: On this day in 1885, the territorial legislature passed the act establishing UofA in Tucson.

Catch up quick: The 13th territorial legislature was known as the "Thieving Thirteenth" because of its lavish spending, which by one account totaled nearly $47,000, 11 times their budget.

• Selim Franklin, a member of Tucson's delegation, later said they violated an act of Congress by giving themselves extra pay, hiring excessive numbers of clerks and "subsidiz[ing] the local press with extravagant appropriations" to keep it all quiet.
• Franklin described it as "the most contentious and most corrupt Legislature that Arizona had had."

The intrigue: Franklin said in a 1922 speech they went to Prescott thinking the town wanted the school.

• When Tucsonans learned delegation member C.C. Stephens was trying to get the university, they sent cattleman and hotel owner Frederick Maish to Prescott with $4,000 to help reclaim the capital.
• Maish met with the Pima County delegation, gave each member $20 to "go out and treat the boys" and assured everyone, "There is another sack where this one comes from."

Yes, but: The House suspended its rules to advance a bill to move the capital back to Tucson but was defeated in the territorial legislature's upper chamber.

• Stephens got a university bill through the upper chamber, and Franklin led the charge to pass it in the House.

More from the Thieving Thirteenth

🚰 Home builders and GOP state lawmakers sued the Arizona Department of Water Resources to overturn a rule requiring housing developments in the Buckeye and Queen Creek areas to have 33% more than the 100-year water supply mandated by state law. (Capitol Media Services)

🐶 Two people were arrested on animal cruelty charges in the highly publicized case of a dog that was abandoned in Surprise. (KTAR)

🏈 The Arizona Cardinals signed former Eagles pass-rusher Josh Sweat to a four-year contract. (ESPN)

👋 Glendale city manager Kevin Phelps is leaving after nearly a decade on the job. (Phoenix Business Journal)

March Madness has arrived, but we're taking it off the basketball court and into our cities' streets this year.

State of play: We're asking you to help determine who gets the crown for the best piece of public art in the Mountain West.

How it works: Each Axios Local city in the region (Phoenix, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, San Diego and soon Boulder) submitted two of their best and weirdest pieces of public art.

Zoom in: We chose the iconic, abstract "Her Secret is Patience" display that hangs above downtown Phoenix and "Hobo Joe" from Buckeye.

What's next: Here's where you come in. Click through the Sweet 16 version of our survey here by tomorrow at 11am and choose which piece of art wins each matchup.

• "Her Secret is Patience" is up against San Diego's "Fallen Star" and "Hobo Joe" is duking it out with Seattle's "Hat and Boots" sculpture.
• The winners will advance to the Elite Eight where voting begins Friday.

Cast your votes