Ellen Kuwana, MS (#AAASmtg #SciComm)

So far the war in Iran has cost an estimated $5.5 billion.

That's roughly $1 billion per day.

$41,666,667 per hour.

$11,574 per second.

People do not want this.

They want a living wage. They want healthcare. They want to be able to afford a home. They want their basic needs met.

Congrats--I'd love to be better able to connect science communications people here.

Wait, but RFK Jr & Drs Bhattacharya, Makary, Oz, Prasad, & Høeg kept saying that they would “rebuild trust.”

They won’t like this survey showing that:

“The public is differentiating the trustworthiness of career scientists in the CDC, NIH, and FDA from that of the leaders of those agencies.”

Health in the Global South: A Call for Stories Image The Pulitzer Center is launching a special call for journalism grants focusing on the effects of cuts to U.S. health aid in the Global South. Journalists are invited to submit proposals by March...

Funding opp! #SciComm #Journalism #SciPolicy #STEM #ScienceWriting #FiredFeds pulitzercenter.org/blog/health-...

Objection: What Happened in Dallas County Was Not a Glitch What happened in Dallas County tonight should scare the hell out of you.

What just happened in Dallas County is one of the most blatant voter suppression operations I've ever seen—and it happened in a *primary*.

In March. Imagine November.

I broke it down here:

open.substack.com/pub/objectio...

YouTube video by FRONTLINE PBS | Official Strike on Iran: The Nuclear Question (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

The documentary produced by our partners includes on-the-ground reporting at strike sites in Iran and exclusive interviews — including with Ali Larijani, the leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxBY...

Is he wearing lopsided sunglasses?

Horrible news.

Our public health infrastructure is not in a good spot…🤦🏻‍♂️

Inflation Is Down, But Americans Still Feel an Affordability Squeeze While inflation has slowed overall, the costs of things Americans often want or need most continue to rise.

Feel as if everything is more expensive since 2020? You're correct. Yes, wages have gone up on avg 30% since 2020, but costs have surpassed that rate. As a freelancer who has to pay for health insurance, I'm feeling the squeeze. #Bloomberg article w great visuals. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

I don't know this person, but I can spare $20...let's help however we feel comfortable. Check out StandWithMinnesota.com for a list of ways to help! #Minneapolis

It’s not just Medicaid funding they’re withholding to MN. It’s food assistance, child care assistance, social services, job training, safety testing, public health, disaster relief. SNAP. Free lunch for kids in school.

They hate us for loving our neighbors, and are collectively punishing us for it.

Vance says Minnesota’s Medicaid funds halted as part of Trump’s ‘war on fraud’ Vice-president makes announcement with Mehmet Oz, who says other states will be next after Minnesota

Let’s be clear: the Trump administration isn’t “pausing” funds to fight fraud. They’re weaponizing Medicaid to punish a state that rejects their extremism. They’d rather see a child lose coverage than see a Democratic governor succeed.

When I was in high school I made watching the State of the Union a big event— to stay up-to-date (pre-internet), do my civic duty, ensure I had no friends among my peers, etc.

Can’t remember the last time I watched it, but hooo boy y’all’s posts make me glad it wasn’t tonight, would prefer the bees

Sorry I was bitchy tonight. I was pissed. Not at you. But ... *gestures broadly* ... at the world. And I couldn't fight with the three guys I wanted to yell at on my TV who I believe are doing constant, lawless, immoral acts.

I know, a tale as old as internet time.

But, nonetheless: APOLOGIES.

Buttigieg: "About $1k is what his tariffs cost the average American household last year. And maybe to him and his billionaire allies, the kinds of people who got most of his tax cuts, that's not a lot of money. But of course to most Americans, $1k is a lot of money. You can't be tricked about that."

Leader of Columbia Brain Institute Quits Over Friendship With Epstein

Breaking:

Richard Axel, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and professor, just announced that he was resigning as a co-director of a flagship neuroscience institute at Columbia University because of his friendship with Jeffery Epstein.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/n...

Reading people. Body language. Knowing how to connect with people totally unlike you and with different backgrounds and beliefs. Defusing tense situations. Gaining trust. High endurance, pain tolerance, and work ethic. Reaction time. Prioritizing order of execution. Anticipating people’s needs. Tons

It's still early in the year, but this headline's gotta be in the running for a best of list.

My mental health will not allow me to voluntarily listen to Donald Trump speak.

via Brian Allen

"I’m reposting this because it matters:

Marjorie Taylor Greene admitted the Epstein files were blocked by Donald Trump himself.

“He fought the hardest to STOP these files.”

Not Democrats.
Not the DOJ.
Not the “deep state.”

Trump.

Receipts don’t expire. 🔥🔥✊🏾"

Does JD Vance think someone is going to come dose his drink? #StateofTheUnion #SOTU

so refreshing to hear complete sentences! #Spanberger #StateOfTheUnion

"He’s enriching himself, his family, his friends.The scale of the corruption is unprecedented...there's the cover-up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over..."
Gov. Spanberger

did you know that #PacificScienceCenter reaches 100,000 students/yr w #SciOutreach? #Seattle #STEM #SciEd

Be the person who brings joy to others!

😕

WATCH: “This administration can’t be trusted… ‘the work’ is not killing 🇺🇸 citizens… The Democratic position in 2026 is we don’t terrorize 🇺🇸 citizens & undocumented people.”

Rep. @justinjpearson.bsky.social doesn’t let Smug Scott Jennings rattle him— as he calls for ICE to be abolished

Jeffrey Epstein Was Vladimir Putin's Wealth Manager, FBI Source Claimed in Newly Released Epstein Files Jeffrey Epstein managed money for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, among other powerful world leaders, one confidential source claimed in FBI testimony

"The FBI's source...claimed in their testimony that Epstein — a wealth manager — "made his money from charging his clients fees to hide their money offshore."

uh, didn't have "PEOPLE has reached out to the Kremlin for comment." on my bingo card. but joke's on me I guess

people.com/jeffrey-epst...

"But thank you."

Someone call the burn unit to the Olympics big air scrum.