Anti-Israel law students at Harvard conspired to smear numerous law firms that have stood opposed to anti-Israel efforts on college campuses, an investigation by the conservative Washington Free Beacon found.

Harvard's student-led chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, a left-wing legal advocacy group with chapters around the country, held a "Big Law, Big Secrets: Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon" earlier this month on campus. The event, led by a student with a reported history of anti-Israel activity, was meant to "gather data to edit the Wikipedia pages of Big Law firms to reflect cases they have recently argued." 

Two days later, over a dozen law firms that have been critical of antisemitism at Harvard and other college campuses, including some that rescinded job offers from Harvard law students over it, saw their Wikipedia pages amended. 

The changes were done by a Wikipedia account linked to another Harvard law student with a history of anti-Israel advocacy, the Free Beacon found, and the changes effectively sought to make the law firms look bad in the eyes of liberals. Some changes also sought to soften language critical of campus antisemitism.

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For instance, a section on the Wikipedia page for the firm Davis Polk, which describes cases it has worked on, was changed from "Race Relations" to "Defense of Segregation." The firm's page also saw the addition of a lengthy section about its "Representation of Purdue Pharma," a pharmaceutical company blamed by Democrats for playing a part in the opioid crisis.    

In 2023, Davis Polk rescinded a job offer it gave to a Harvard student over the student's leadership in organizing anti-Israel protests on campus. It was also among 100 law firms that sent a November 2023 letter to Harvard urging it to clamp down on campus antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against innocent Israelis. 

Jones Day, which also signed the letter, had its Wikipedia page changed to include additions about it defending Walmart against allegations of overprescribing opioids, Second Amendment rights and "racial gerrymandering."

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Latham & Watkins, another signer, saw a section about its work on a case related to the Chevron deference principle changed to say the firm "eroded agencies' abilities to protect civil rights, human health and the environment, and other critical public functions." 

Jenner & Block, another signer of the November letter, saw a criticism about its representation of Uber in a suit over whether its drivers should be considered full-time employees or contractors added to its page.

Meanwhile, the edit history for some of the firms that signed on to the letter, such as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, showed efforts to dull language about what occurred on college campuses after Hamas' attacks. For instance, the Harvard law student-linked account changed "amid a wave of antisemitism in the United States," to "amid a wave of Gaza war protests in the United States" on the firm's page. Additionally, "antisemitic incidents at elite U.S. law schools" was changed to "pro-Palestine protests at elite U.S. law schools."

Overall, 14 law firms saw changes such as these, according to the Free Beacon's investigation. When reached for comment, Harvard University spokesperson Jeff Neal said the Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon was organized by a student-run organization "and does not represent the views of Harvard Law School." 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the National Lawyers Guild's Harvard chapter and its national organization but did not receive a response. 

Earlier this month, the Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism froze over $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard. The administration has indicated it could take away as much as $9 billion if Harvard does not meet its requirements on antisemitism and other federal directives from Trump.

The Trump administration is also looking at ways to strip Harvard's tax-exempt status after the school said it would not comply with a number of the president's demands related to campus antisemitism, DEI and other policy priorities the president has laid out during his first 100 days in office. 

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• The share of borrowers applying for adjustable-rate mortgages has increased to its highest level since November 2023.
• ARMs often come with lower interest rates than fixed-rate loans. But they're also riskier.
• While an ARM can save you money, it may be safer to get a fixed-rate mortgage if you plan to stay in the home long term.

As mortgage rates rise, more borrowers are looking for ways to keep their homebuying costs down. Could an adjustable-rate mortgage be the way to do that?

On Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that for the week ending April 11, 2025, the share of borrowers applying for ARMs rose to its highest level since November 2023.

"Given the jump in rates, more borrowers are opting for the lower initial rates that come with an ARM, with initial fixed rates closer to 6% in our survey last week," Mike Fratantoni, MBA's SVP and chief economist, said in a press release.

MBA's data also showed that the average fixed 30-year mortgage rate increased 20 basis points to 6.81%. So it's possible that borrowers could get a significant discount by opting for an adjustable-rate loan. But is that a good idea?

Why more buyers are shifting to ARMs

"Generally, ARM rates are lower than fixed mortgage rates, however, how much lower depends on market conditions," says Jennifer Beeston, executive vice president of national sales at mortgage lender Rate.

Beeston says that ARMs have trended closer to fixed rates in recent years, but that they're starting to diverge more.

Because ARM rates are typically lower than fixed mortgage rates, they can help buyers find affordability when rates are high. With a lower ARM rate, you can get a smaller monthly payment or afford more house than you could with a fixed-rate loan.

How does an adjustable-rate mortgage work?

With a fixed-rate mortgage, your interest rate remains the same for the entire time you have the loan. This keeps your monthly payment the same for years.

As the name suggests, adjustable-rate mortgages work differently. You'll start off with the same rate for a few years, but after that, your rate can change periodically. This means that if average rates have gone up, your mortgage payment will increase. If they've gone down, your payment will decrease.

5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage example

The most popular type of ARM is the 5/1 ARM. We'll use it as an example to show how these types of mortgages work.

The first number tells you how long you'll keep the rate you were initially given. So, say you get a 5/1 ARM with a 6.20% interest rate.

For the first five years you have the mortgage, your rate will stay at 6.20%.

The second number tells you how often the rate will adjust after the initial fixed-rate period is over. With a 5/1 ARM, the rate adjusts once a year. If over those first five years market conditions cause interest rates to rise, you'll likely end up with a higher rate when it comes time to adjust.

Five-year ARMs also come in a 5/6 variation, which means that after the five-year fixed-rate period your rate will adjust once every six months.

Are adjustable-rate mortgages risky?

Because your monthly payment can go up over time, these types of mortgages are risky.

"Personally, I am not a huge fan of ARMs unless the borrower is educated on the risks and has a firm understanding," Beeston says.

ARMs do come with some limits on how much they can change each time they adjust. When you apply for an ARM, your lender will give you a loan estimate that spells out those limits and tells you how high your payments could ultimately go.

Don't assume you'll be able to refinance your way out of an ARM if your monthly payments go too high, Beeston warns.

"People always assume if that happens, they can refinance, but if rates overall are higher or if they do not qualify to refinance, they can end up in a bad financial position," she says.

Is an ARM better than a fixed-rate mortgage in 2025?

ARMs tend to be popular with borrowers who don't plan to stay in their homes for a long time. If you sell your house before the initial fixed-rate period is over, you won't have to deal with a changing mortgage payment.

If you plan to stay in your home for longer, Beeston recommends going with a classic 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

"A 30-year fixed is fantastic for risk-averse borrowers," she says. "Not all countries have 30-year fixed loans. We are very lucky in America to have the ability to lock the rate of our loan for the life of the loan."

How much can an ARM save you right now?

How much you could save by opting for an ARM depends on your mortgage lender and your finances.

Say you get quotes from a lender that show you can get a 5/1 ARM with a 6.20% interest rate or a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 6.80% interest rate on a $300,000 loan.

For the first five years, the monthly payment on the ARM (not including taxes and insurance) would be $1,837, while the monthly payment on the fixed-rate mortgage would be $1,955.

This is just an example. ARM rates can vary a lot, so if you're interested in seeing if an ARM could save you money, your best bet is to talk to a lender.

You can also keep an eye on Business Insider's daily mortgage rate coverage for the most up-to-date info on current ARM rates and how they compare to fixed-rate options.