Trump's science advisor, Michael Kratsios, battled House Democrats to a draw over allegations of political interference at NSF at a hearing Wednesday. www.science.org/content/arti...
Jeffrey Mervis
@policyhound.bsky.social
I'm a senior correspondent for Science, trying to explain to scientists how government works.
Your reaction to the new White House vision for science probably depends on what you think about the past 18 months under Trump. Here's why www.science.org/content/arti...
White House report calls for big changes to ‘calcified’ U.S. science system
In Congress today, Trump science adviser Michael Kratsios faced critics of the proposals
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And here's the second story, about an important--but underreported--ruling by a federal judge knocking out the notorious clause the Trump administration has used to terminate grants that, after the fact, don't "effectuate agency priorities." www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. judge rejects Trump’s justification for terminating thousands of grants
States hail decision, but White House may try other ways to end funding
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Here the first of two news stories posting back-to-back. The Commerce Department's decision to ban "noise injection" for the 2030 census and numerous surveys is really about politics, not statistics. www.science.org/content/arti...
Scientists attack ban on adding ‘noise’ to U.S. census data and many surveys
Critics say Trump’s real goal is to sow doubts about 2030 census and add Republican seats in Congress
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How diffrent is NSF's new policy that would prevent its grantees from collaborating with most Chinese research institutions and their scholars? Yesterday's House hearing provided an answer. view.aaas.sciencepubs.org?vawpToken=2E...
view.aaas.sciencepubs.org
New book offers warts-and-all look inside US academic science in hopes of winning over the public. www.science.org/content/arti...
ScienceAdviser: Ancient DNA solves Medici murder mystery
Today in Science and science: Surviving on top of the world, ancient quasars, and more
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NSF falls in line with OMB and congressional Republicans in choosing outright ban on Chinese collaborations as only way to avoid security risks www.science.org/content/arti...
New NSF policy would ban almost all collaborations with Chinese scientists
Agency drops attempt to mitigate risk in favor of outright prohibition on working with most Chinese research institutions
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Should US academics X-out NSF's new XLabs initiative? Here are some key things to know about the $1.5 billion program. www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF makes billion-dollar gamble on research with an economic payoff
New X-Labs initiative aims to develop breakthrough technologies—but academics aren’t sure they are welcome
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Neil Shubin chooses his words carefully, but the new NAS president would like the National Academies to be more forceful in advocating for science. www.science.org/content/arti...
Paleontologist Neil Shubin vows to keep National Academy of Sciences relevant
New NAS president discusses the future of the beleaguered institution and the precarious state of U.S. science under Trump
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If someone doesn't like your research grant, the US government may soon be able to help them sue you. www.science.org/content/arti...
Provision buried in controversial U.S. rule change would help people legally challenge ‘woke’ federal research
White House asserts expanded authority to prosecute any wasteful spending “in the national interest”
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Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say
Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year
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A new NBER paper shows how hard it would be to measure whether young US scientists are voting with their feet to protest Trump's policies--or simply unhappy with their career prospects. www.science.org/content/arti...
ScienceAdviser: Are young scientists really leaving the United States?
Today in Science and science: Laser upgrade sharpens cryo-EM’s view, AIs’ knack for legal loopholes, and more
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New evidence of how biomedical research has become more political under Trump: New executive order reclassifying civil service science jobs as political hits NIH hard www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Weird and capricious’: Experts struggle to understand new list of political jobs at science agencies
NIH programs and leadership are hit especially hard, while other science agencies are barely mentioned
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What Marcia McNutt didn't say in her State of Science farewell address this week at the National Academy of Sciences Sciencehttps://www.science.org/content/article/scienceadviser-octopus-mirror#scienceprudence
ScienceAdviser: The octopus in the mirror
Today in Science and science: Back to basics for string theory, Marcia McNutt says farewell, and more
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Democrats on the House select committee on China move away from panel's stance opposing any research collaborations with China in letter protesting Trump's firing of the National Science Board www.science.org/content/arti...
Democrats on House China committee decry dismissal of National Science Board
Letter also blames Trump for letting China surpass United States in research spending
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NSF uses staffing cuts to strip Inspector General's office of its ability to investigate research misconduct www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NSF watchdog unit is no longer investigating research misconduct
New policy hands universities the reins in probing allegations against faculty
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What if essentially all research collaborations with China were banned? There's a new bill before Congress that would do exactly that www.science.org/content/arti...
Lawmakers propose banning all U.S.-Chinese research collaborations
Critics say bill would weaken U.S. science by cutting flows of ideas and talent
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It's time "to inject" some science into Congress, says Jasmine Clark, whose primary election win in Georgia puts her on a glide path to the US House www.science.org/content/arti...
Meet the microbiologist and science advocate who’s headed to Congress
Jasmine Clark led a March for Science in 2017. She just won a Georgia primary for a safe Democratic House seat
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The political calculus behind whether NSF director nominee Jim O'Neill will testify before Senate HELP committee www.science.org/content/arti...
Research groups want Senate to vet Trump’s nominee for NSF head
A hearing would air questions about James O’Neill’s qualifications to lead the agency
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Microbiologist Jasmine Clark campaigned on her science background--and won. www.science.org/content/arti...
Microbiologist wins Georgia primary for U.S. House seat
Jasmine Clark is set to become the first Black congresswoman with a science Ph.D.
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Here's what the US National Science Board wanted to say about competing with China before its members were fired www.science.org/content/arti...
In unreleased document, fired U.S. science board issues stark warning about keeping pace with China
The National Science Board urges robust response to China’s rise in cover letter to its biennial report on the global research enterprise
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Researching while Chinese: The full story of what is happening to Chinese postdocs--and faculty members--at the University of Michigan and Indiana University www.science.org/content/arti...
Chinese postdocs in U.S. hit with a wave of prosecutions and deportations
The U.S. government has recently convicted multiple postdocs for improper shipments of biological materials. Some see a replay of the 2018 China Initiative
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USDA says it's simply due diligence, but Indiana U. plant biologist who's been locked out of his lab thinks the US government is punishing him. www.science.org/content/arti...
After USDA request, Indiana plant biologist locked out of lab by school
Move comes after Roger Innes complained about the government’s prosecution of Chinese postdocs
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"Panch" defends his former agency in debate over whether science is too conservative but says he won't comment on NSF's current leadership or the impact of Trump policies. www.science.org/content/arti...
ScienceAdviser: Is the scientific enterprise too risk-averse?
Today in Science and science: Aggressive fish mellow out on shrooms, Solar System’s largest moon is unique to its core, and more
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Shirley Meng, a leader in developing next-generation batteries, explains why Trump's opposition to her passion triggered her move from U Chicago to Singapore; www.science.org/content/arti...
Pushed by Trump policies, top U.S. battery scientist is moving to Singapore
Shirley Meng explains why her passion for decarbonizing the global economy required her to relocate
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The FY27 budget process begins in earnest as a House panel proposes spending levels for NSF, NASA, NIST, and Census above Trump's request but below current budgets. www.science.org/content/arti...
House spending panel bumps up Trump’s request for NSF and NASA
Draft bill is an early sign that Congress again thinks Trump has gone too far in cutting research
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Trump removes a thorn in his side by firing all 24 members of the National Science Board, NSF's oversight body. www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump fires NSF's oversight board
Dismissal of the National Science Board is widely seen as latest move to erase NSF’s independence
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Is the GRFP at NSF back on track, or is this year's record class of graduate fellows only a temporary return to normal?https://www.science.org/content/article/nsf-names-record-number-graduate-fellows-rebounding-2025-dip
NSF names record number of graduate fellows, rebounding from 2025 dip
Distribution by field is also closer to the norm than last year’s class
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Trump requests the long-awaited successor to the NB Palmer. But $900 million isn't enough for an Antarctic research icebreaker. www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump seeks to jump-start long-planned Antarctic research icebreaker
White House’s 2027 budget request includes $900 million for NSF to upgrade U.S. academic fleet
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Wondering why NIH and NSF aren't making new grants? We explain what's happening at OMB. www.science.org/content/arti...
Analysis: Why the research money isn’t flowing from NSF and NIH
White House review of agency spending plans for this year is causing delays
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