The Trump administration has added seven countries, including five in Africa, to the list of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for visas to enter the United States. Thirteen countries, all but two of them in Africa, are now on the list. It makes the process of obtaining a visa unaffordable for many but U.S. officials say it is an effective deterrent to prevent foreigners from overstaying their visas. The State Department last week quietly added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia and Turkmenistan to the list. Those designations took effect on Jan. 1. It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten requirements for visa applicants.

The State Department says it's investigating whether Harvard University will remain part of a government program that allows foreign nationals to take part in cultural and education exchange programs. The move Wednesday is the latest in a series of inquires by the Trump administration targeted the Ivy League school. Harvard already has filed a lawsuit challenging $2.6 billion in federal funding cuts. And the school accuses the administration of waging a retaliation campaign after Harvard rejected demands from a federal antisemitism task force in April. The State Department isn't saying why it's investigating Harvard's eligibility to take part in the Exchange Visitor Program.