Portside

More than 440 college presidents and other officials signed a letter Tuesday protesting the “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” that higher education is facing under the Trump administration.

Divestment won’t move Exxon Mobil directly — that’s impossible; the company is dug in, and someone else will simply buy the stock when it’s sold. But divestment will undercut the industry’s political power, just as happened a generation ago when the issue was South Africa.