Jonathan Lambert

Trump order gives political appointees vast powers over research grants Researchers are alarmed that the move might upend a long-standing tradition of peer-review for grants.

There are a lot of details in yesterday's sweeping executive order, but the bottom line is that it gives political appointees immense power over scientific grants, which have until now been stewarded by career civil servants and experts.

My reporting:
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

With $1K in cash aid, he built a life-changing barbershop. Now cash aid is under fire This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.

Cash aid was poised to go mainstream, after years of skepticism from big aid players like USAID.

Then came the cuts. Can this evidence-backed model of lifting people out of poverty survive the Trump administration?

My latest:
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

A Memorial for a Beloved Tree Celebrating the life of an ancient oak.

It seems strange to have a memorial for a tree. But what if we took a moment to say goodbye to the natural world more often?

My latest for @earthislandjournal.bsky.social

www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...

How Many Times Can Science Funding Be Canceled? Whether or not Congress cuts NIH’s budget, the Trump administration has devastated its ability to operate.

"In the United States, government agencies need Congress to fund them, but the executive branch still runs them. The Trump administration is no longer allowing the NIH to function as an agency that can handle a $47 billion budget."
By @katherinejwu.com
www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

With $1K in cash aid, he built a life-changing barbershop. Now cash aid is under fire This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.

This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.

With $1K in cash aid, he built a life-changing barbershop. Now cash aid is under fire This man in Mozambique is one of many who've received a cash sum with no strings attached. The Trump administration has criticized and curtailed the practice. Advocates are pushing back with evidence.

Cash aid was poised to go mainstream, after years of skepticism from big aid players like USAID.

Then came the cuts. Can this evidence-backed model of lifting people out of poverty survive the Trump administration?

My latest:
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon This is the first major agency effort by the interim NASA administrator, who is also the Transportation secretary and a former Fox News host.

Politico: Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon

www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

A single-source (or 1.5 source) story that begs for critical reporting, see also: thespacereview.com/article/5028/1 for some recent background this area.

Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.

"They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases."

NPR's ‪@rhersher.bsky.social‬ on Trump administration plans to potentially destroy satellites‬.
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...

Truly astounding.

Covered the jobs report for years and to be clear, the people over at BLS are numbers people. You never called them thinking you’d get a partisan answer.

In fact they NEVER for example offered interpretations. Ever. It’s just “here are the numbers.”

To speak or not to speak: Why many aid groups are silent about the Trump cuts Charities usually like to talk to the public about their good works. In the wake of the Trump aid cuts, there's a new approach: "anticipatory silence." It's controversial.

Why are so many non-profits not speaking out more in the face of devastating aid cuts? "Anticipatory silence" and fear of retaliation.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Every Scientific Empire Comes to an End America’s run as the premiere techno-superpower may be over.

"Trump’s interference in the sciences is something new. It shares features with the science-damaging policies of Stalin and Hitler ... But in the English-speaking world, it has no precedent ... 'This is an unparalleled destruction from within.'"
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Their NIH Grants Are Back. But Nothing Is Back to Normal. Researchers say that picking up where they left off is complicated — scientifically, financially, and logistically.

NEW: Their NIH grants are back, but nothing is back to normal.

In June, a judge ordered the restoration of 900+ terminated grants. So how's that going? Scientists say they're happy, but also it's been a bumpy road—and they're afraid their funds will get cut again. www.chronicle.com/article/thei...

The NIH budget will INCREASE by $400 million — not slashed by 40%, as Trump proposed — according to a proposal by Senate appropriators, says Sen Murray.

"Some have asked if there will even be an NIH by [2029]. The commmittee's resounding message is yes—Congress has your back", she says.

Trump Administration Scraps Effort to Pause Health-Research Funding The administration halted and then restarted billions in new research grants flowing from the National Institutes of Health.

UPDATE: The pause was scrapped Tuesday evening after intervention by top White House officials. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

The EPA proposes gutting its greenhouse gas rules. Here's what it means for cars and pollution The Trump administration has effectively eliminated two rules designed to promote cleaner cars. Now, as the EPA suggests not considering carbon dioxide to be pollution, the last is poised to fall.

The Trump administration has effectively eliminated two rules designed to promote cleaner cars. Now, as the EPA suggests not considering carbon dioxide to be pollution, the last is poised to fall.

NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker Imminent termination of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer shocks polar scientists

My latest: Polar scientists warn that the White House and NSF are planning to terminate the Nathaniel Palmer, the only US research icebreaker capable of handling Antarctic extremes, this October.

So far the plan has seen minimal pushback from Congress.

Screenshot from Reddit. User is zensnapple, posting 6 months ago. Thread says "How to turn off Google AI Overview in Chrome SOLVED Open Chrome and put chrome://settings/searchEngines in the search box. A tab will open which brings you to Search Engine > Manage Search Engines and Site Search. Click on the Add button by the Site Search update. A box will open. Fill in the form with the following: Name: AI Free Web Shortcut: @web URL: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14 You’ll now see AI Free Web in the list of search engines. Click on the three stacked dots on the right side of AI Free Web on the list. Select Make Default. From now on, google functions pretty much like it did back when it was good. Good luck out there."

A while ago, we started a #FixItFriday tradition. We keep a running list - large & small, digital & analog, anything broken or annoying - and work on it together.

Today's 30-second fix: to remove AI "preview" from search results, here's the setting for Chrome users: www.reddit.com/r/techsuppor...

If you need a pick-me-up, read Sabrina's wonderfully bizarre and strangely touching story about chimps sticking blades of grass up their butts.

Innovation Strikes In The Field Of Chimpanzee Rectum Adornment | Defector Fifteen years ago in a sanctuary in Zambia, inspiration struck a chimpanzee named Julie. She plucked a stiff blade of grass, stuck it inside her ear, and left it there. There the grass dangled as Juli...

I blogged about fashion
defector.com/innovation-s...

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Internal Agency Memo Calls for Political Reviews of Solar, Wind Projects The widely circulating document lists more than 68 activities newly subject to upper-level review.

Huge: An internal Interior Department memo that I’ve reviewed shows the agency may soon subject *any* activities related to wind and solar to heightened levels of political review.

It threatens to delay renewables projects across the country, including those not on federal lands.

#greensky

Clawing back foreign aid is tied to 'waste, fraud and abuse.' What's the evidence? As the Senate prepares to vote on a bill to rescind $40 billion in promised foreign aid, critics of the measure say a thorough governmental review of targeted programs did not actually take place.

Was there a thorough review of USAID programs for “waste, fraud and abuse”?

No. Instead it was the same kind of keyword search reviews that have led to scientific grant cancellations. By Fatma Tania.

www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Iconic Brazil nut crop plunges after extreme drought, skyrocketing prices A vital Amazonian superfood suddenly vanishes, leaving thousands of Indigenous and extractivist families reeling.

Communities in the Amazon reported severe cuts of up to 80% of Brazil nut crops.

Sold worldwide, the Brazil nut’s price soared fourfold, prompting experts to warn of market instability if buyers abandon it, urging recognition of their ecological value and continued inclusion in product lines.

OMB Director Russ Vought says that the PEPFAR cuts will not be included in the final recissions package

Will Congress cut funds to NPR/PBS and foreign aid this week? The Trump administration has asked Congress to rescind funds for NPR/PBS and foreign aid. Congress has until the end of the week to approve the cuts.

The Trump Administration has asked Congress to rescind funds for NPR/PBS and Foreign aid. Congress has until the end of the week to approve the cuts.

Exclusive: NIH to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers to align with Trump priorities The move would undo years of work, leaving advisory councils understaffed, and without the full expertise needed for reviews.

NEW: In an unprecedented move, the NIH will soon disinvite dozens of scientists about to take positions on advisory councils that make final decisions on grant funding.

NIH staff were told to select others aligned with the Trump administration and told to expect placements by political appointees.

Seconding Young Joni being great! Ate their last month, very bummed they're closing in September.

Next time you see a vulture picking over a carcass, say 'thank you!' Large scavengers like vultures and hyenas do an important job in protecting human health. But studies show these creatures are on the decline, allowing for the emergence of disease.

On why you should thank vultures (and other scavengers!) for protecting human health, and be concerned about their decline worldwide.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Subcommittee Markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

🧪 BREAKING (good news): Senate subcommittee says NO! to Trump's proposed slashes to NASA & NSF funding.

Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.

See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.

🧵 1/3

Get your National Climate Assessment from archive -dot- org: web.archive.org/web/20250629...