Just a general reminder that if you are interviewing someone for a role, be kind and thankful for their time and your fortune in being on that side of the table or virtual screen, and also for the chance to learn from someone who is trying to show their best to you.

A Christmas story www.bbc.com/news/article...

Cardiff couple invited man in for Christmas, he stayed for 45 years

An arrangement Rob and Dianne Parsons thought would last a few days ended up changing their lives.

bbc.com

New model findings "highlight the irreversible nature of Arctic climate change even under aggressive CDR scenarios." This means we cannot entirely fix our broken climate, even if we could remove nearly a century of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. And *this* means we must end fossil fuels.

Permafrost is melting with emissions of carbon dioxide and methane on a par with Japan’s human emissions. Soon they will overtake India’s. drtomharris.substack.com/p/permafrost... #climatechange #permafrost #cryosphere #melting #emissions #CDR #carbonbudget #tippingpoint #arctic

Permafrost emissions are on track to overtake India’s human emissions

Arctic Amplification, driving temperature increases up to 4x faster than the rest of the world, is melting Permafrost at alarming rates that will soon see it’s emissions eclipse even large countries.

drtomharris.substack.com

🚨 For those interested in Indigenous knowledges within environmental assessments, currently *2* different calls for nominations for workshops due this week: 1 by @ipbes.net here www.ipbes.net/application/... ; 1 on diverse knowledge systems for @ipcc.bsky.social here: www.agu.org/ipcc-nominat...

The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from nearby farms and ranchers. Roughly $660 million that schools and child care facilities were counting on to purchase food has been canceled. This will hurt both kids and small, local farmers.

USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks

States have been notified that they will not receive 2025 funding for schools to buy food from nearby farms.

politico.com

A professor of environmental sciences gives a quick punchy take on the "eye-popping" numbers re. how clean air promotes economic growth. An EPA analysis of 20 years of the Clean Air Act (1970-90) found the economic benefits of the regulations were about 42X greater than the costs. No pay wall.

America’s clean air rules boost health and the economy − here’s what EPA’s new deregulation plans ignore

Clean air has become one of America’s best investments, returning $10 for every $1 spent on regulations, by one estimate.

theconversation.com

🌧️The majority of the world’s food — 66% of all crop production — still comes from rainfed agriculture. Yet, as climate change & deforestation alter local precipitation patterns, farmers will find it increasingly difficult to grow rainfed crops. Get the data: go.wri.org/water-risks #WorldWaterDay

JUST IN: Judge William Alsup declines to stay his order requiring rehiring of probationary employees at 6 federal departments, calls OPM acting chief failure to testify 'violation of this court's order.' Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/25... Earlier: www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

AFGEProbStayOrdDC031525

documentcloud.org

Judge Alsup additionally extends the order to offer reinstatement to *five* other agencies: USDA, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Department of Treasury.

NOW: Judge tears into government counsel over decision not to present OPM head Charles Ezell for questioning at evidentiary hearing. “You will not bring the people in here to be cross examined. You're afraid to do so because you know cross examination would reveal the truth,” the judge said.

EWG just released our updated Tap Water Database for the first time in 3 years. We found > 300 contaminants in public drinking water across the country. The database was re-designed to be extra user friendly; anyone can type in their zip code to find out what's in their water. www.ewg.org/tapwater/

USDA still hasn't hired back all the avian flu researchers that they need, and some that were re-hired still haven't been given their laptops back, so can't work. Not a good sign for this ongoing outbreak. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

POLITICO Pro: Trump administration struggles to rehire fired bird flu employees

USDA supervisors are being asked to justify rehires and some employees still haven’t gotten their laptops back.

subscriber.politicopro.com

NEW: The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would you cut back on the revenue side?” one expert asks. By @andykroll.bsky.social

How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save

The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would…

propub.li

We've been at the Senate nearly every day for the past couple of weeks and are transitioning to a once-a-week schedule (...for now). 📢 TAKE-IT-TO-THE-SENATE TUESDAYS! 📢 Today we succeeded in bringing 100 illegally fired federal workers, contractors, and allies to the Senate. (1/2)

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The New York Times@nytimes.com · last yr.

President Trump has swiftly waged his war on the federal bureaucracy, defying norms and legal limits. He has terminated most of an estimated 200,000 government employees, and more layoffs are expected in the weeks ahead. These are the cuts and temporary removals we've confirmed. nyti.ms/4i6n9w4

‘If they really wanted to know how to use technology to build a more efficient country, they would ask us. But they haven't. They are destroyers. We are the builders.’ www.wethebuilders.org/posts/a-tale... www.theverge.com/news/617014/...

Federal workers launch a new site to share inside information about DOGE

We the Builders aims to explain why DOGE’s data access matters.

theverge.com

I am a scientist because USDA NIFA-AFRI funded my doctoral research, and USDA-ARS funded part of my postdoc research So, so many of us wouldn't be where we are today without federal grants

Robert Mahon@bedform.org · last yr.

I am a scientist because the National Science Foundation funded part of my PhD, and my Postdoc, and my EPSCoR Early Career Research Fellowship. I'm also a scientist because the USGS (also received layoffs this week) funded my M.S. thesis through EdMap.

Same with other US Government extramural science, research, education and extension funding agencies such as USDA NIFA

Jeremy Koster@jeremykoster.bsky.social · last yr.

Recognize that the evaluation timeline for the spring cycle has been greatly condensed. Panels were postponed and need to be rescheduled. To meet the timeline for funding in the fiscal year, recommendations from program officers are typically due by mid-July. The next few months will be intense. (2)

These are public servants, from all 50 US states and territories, hired 1, 2 or 3 years ago. They were ‘probationary’ due to their time in their role. That’s it. Scientists, technicians, grants managers, rangers, national park staff, accountants, IT staff, people who helped you pay your bills

Today, we remember the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were unjustly placed in internment camps during WWII. We honor their resilience and commit to ensuring such injustices never happen again.

Newest EO

FactPost@factpostnews.bsky.social · last yr.

Trump official announces that Trump has signed an executive order claiming that only the president can speak for “what the law is” (This is not how the Constitution works)

Finally, some decent news. Check out this UTSA Today article and video showing Dr. Sara Shields-Menard in action helping undergraduates at UTSA tackle the growing antibiotic resistance crisis as part of our USDA NIFA grant work. www.utsa.edu/today/2025/0... #NIFAimpacts #STEMEducation #DataScience

UTSA students search soil for new antibiotics in innovative STEM project

utsa.edu

This recent paper of mine wouldn’t have been possible without federal funds from NASA, the DOE (JGI), and USDA-NIFA. I don’t think non-scientists understand the extent to which most of us are reliant on the federal funds that are being threatened. We need to do a better job communicating this. 2/2

This project is a part of the USDA NIFA SERA-46 Multistate Project (www.sera46.org), but the opportunity is open to all researchers in MRB states. Sign up with the interest form links above or email Dr. Shannon Speir at slspeir@uark.edu with any questions!

SERA-46

Research

sera46.org

‘Specialists in nutrition, infant formula and food-safety response, including 10 staff members responsible for reviewing potentially unsafe food ingredients, were targets of layoffs, according to the letter.’

Helen Kennedy@helenkennedy.com · last yr.

Food safety chief at the FDA quits saying Trump's mass layoffs make his job "fruitless" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

This. Pay attention please.

Rebecca Nagle@rebeccanagle.bsky.social · last yr.

(1/4) Recent layoffs of federal workers has a disproportionate impact on Native Americans, but is receiving almost no media attention. In Indian Health Services, which provides healthcare to 2.8 mil NAs, 2,200 people were laid off, including 1,400 who provide direct patient care.

😆

The Onion@theonion.com · last yr.

Horrified Taylor Swift Realizes Football Happens Every Year

#rules & #puppies

NPR@npr.org · last yr.

The Puppy Bowl may look like lawless fun. But there are rules to the annual competition, now in its 21st year. Here's what to know as Team Ruff and Team Fluff hit the turf on Sunday.

Registration is open for the AMS 2025 Science Policy Colloquium (www.ametsoc.org/spc) which will occur from June 1-6, 2025 in Washington, DC. ….

Science Policy Colloquium

Join the AMS Policy Program this June in Washington D.C. for an immersive introduction to the realm of science policy. Learn More

ametsoc.org