The Trump administration's settlement with Columbia clarifies the stakes for anyone weighing whether to fight its demands or concede.

The White House is pushing Harvard for a major financial settlement in negotiations to restore more than $2 billion in frozen funds, according to a person familiar with the talks — and demanding that Harvard cough up even more than Columbia University did earlier this week.

Some acknowledge that the university had no choice and that the deal could be worse, but many fear that it sets some dangerous precedents.