Lyssa Freese

Southern California air board rejected pollution rules after AI-generated flood of comments The opposition appeared overwhelming: Tens of thousands of emails poured into Southern California's top air pollution authority as its board weighed a June proposal to phase out gas-powered appliances...

They were going to pass rules to phase out gas stoves, until they received 20,000 public comments against the regulations. Except, oops, it turns out the comments were generated by AI.

Private money cannot replace public funding of science Who should pay for American science? In the current political climate, many are looking to the private sector to compensate for cuts in public funding. At the Harvard School of Public Health—particula...

"Private money cannot replace public funding of science"
Thank you @naomioreskes.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🧪 🌊 ⚒️ #scipol

White House stalls release of approved US science budgets The US Congress rejected sweeping cuts to science agencies. But the NIH, the NSF and NASA have had their spending slowed.

Congress rejected massive cuts to US science budgets for 2026, but much of the money still isn’t flowing to researchers.

The culprit? The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quietly slow-walking the release of funds. 🧵👇

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide.

This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. While the Goddard Library is being dismantled, OMB is also not giving allocated money to NASA, NIH, or NSF (at least). NASA Science Mission Directorate has been instructed to not spend 2026 appropriated funds for a number of projects.

YouTube video by The Weather & Climate Livestream We ❤️ NCAR - Let's Save It!

Last December, weather and climate scientists sat down with us to tell us why they loved the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and why it benefits us all. Last night, the NSF began dismantling it. Listen to what they have to say, and why it's urgent that we #SaveNCAR wclivestream.com/act

RFK Jr. made promises to get his job as health secretary. He's broken many of them In his confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators that he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation's official vaccine recommendations. He did both.

In his confirmation hearings, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators that he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation's official vaccine recommendations. He did both. n.pr/46QDn9p

The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review The announcement comes just days after NPR revealed the administration had secretly rewritten safety and environmental standards.

NPR: The Trump Administration exempts new nuclear reactors from environmental review www.npr.org/2026/02/02/n...

Trump’s biggest climate rollback stalls over fears it will lose in court Trump officials have delayed finalizing the repeal of the agency’s “endangerment finding” over concerns the proposal is too weak to withstand a court challenge.

Article updates on the repeal of the endangerment finding for CO2. The administration is worried that their case is not strong enough to withstand legal challenges.

Gift link (courtesy of @donboesch.bsky.social): www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

FACT CHECK: Wind turbines do not freeze when properly weatherized.

Wind power overperformed in Texas during Winter Storm Fern and was a major reason why the state did not suffer the same blackouts as it did in 2021.

Meanwhile, natural gas prices increased by 60%. 🤔

The govt lying about the killing of a U.S. citizen at the hands of the state, is by itself, a front page a story, worthy of drumbeat coverage, resignations, and impeachments.

Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge's warrant, memo says An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant.

BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.

‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.

This is so grim. Science isn’t just something nerds do, but the foundation of the modern world. What the Trump regime has done to US science will harm Americans for generations.

Senator Susan Collins killed the amendment to protect the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) -- perhaps the world's premier research center for work on #weather, #climate, models, and remote sensing. Remember that.

🚨 @aguscipolicy.bsky.social shares via email that the Senate may vote on a #SaveNCAR amendment TODAY 🚨

"By the end of this week, we may have a bill funding NSF that includes a safety net for NCAR."

Use our call script to contact your Senators: wclivestream.com/act/

This is unbelievably stupid. By doing this, the EPA would completely run away from its mission to protect human health and the environment. Reducing air pollution saves lives, plain and simple.

Proud to build and lead a bipartisan coalition with Rep. Jeff Hurd and @bennet.senate.gov & @hickenlooper.senate.gov — joined by more than 80 of our colleagues in the House and Senate — to protect NCAR in the FY26 NSF appropriations bill.

We will not stop until NCAR is protected — period.

The nutty bit: it'll take dozens of actual scientists hundreds of hours to debunk the nonsense generated by these five 'contrarians' and their LLM.

Save NCAR from being dismantled today! The Trump Administration has vowed to dissolve the center that provides critical extreme weather and climate data for our nation.

The Trump Administration's plan to dismantle the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social is senseless & dangerous.

It would weaken weather forecasting, climate research, & the science that keeps people safe.

We urge that this plan be abandoned.

Call Congress to #SaveNCAR today. buff.ly/7ka1BQA

Save NCAR from being dismantled today! The Trump Administration has vowed to dissolve the center that provides critical extreme weather and climate data for our nation.

AGU has a Congressional email and call script up on NCAR:

Scientists skip key US meetings — and seize on smaller alternatives Researchers are devising creative ways to get together as Trump’s policies curb travel to US gatherings.

Attendance at US-based science conferences is bouncing around this year but generally down. #AGU25 has ~10k fewer this year! I explored these trends for @nature.com — including solutions to keep conferences local & productive:

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

🧪

We love to say "costs fall X% every time capacity doubles." This paper looks at 87 technologies and says: actually, no. Past learning rates are not reliable predictors of future learning.

This paper did not get that much attention when it came out, but it deserves more. Welcome to "Climate Nowcasting" as a new term in the lexicon...

iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...

You probably saw videos of a nighttime raid in Chicago. Agents rappelling from a helicopter, bursting down doors, questioning brown-skinned immigrants.

We investigated -- and found little evidence to support the government’s claims about Tren de Aragua.

www.propublica.org/article/chic...

Take a Deep Breath? How Bad Air Affects Your Marathon Finish Time

Startling new research finds marathon times go up when there's more fossil fuel pollution in the air. Los Angeles Marathon has it worst. Even elite runners suffer. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/c...

This program now accounts for 5% of the faculty hired in the system, and those hired after completing these postdocs have a 97% tenure rate - obviously exceeding baseline tenure statistics.

UC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc Program Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.

A devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...

Yes, you weenies: a war on cars Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon join me to discuss their new book and why a future with fewer cars is a happier one.

Today on Volts: You know what sucks? Cars. They screw up cities, degrade our health, make us mean & selfish, induce terrible public policy, on & on. I talk with Doug Gordon & Sarah Goodyear, hosts of the unapologetic @thewaroncars.bsky.social podcast, about their new book & life after cars.

Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).

The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.

Trump aims to give preferential funding treatment to universities that meet demands The Trump administration is urging a group of nine universities to sign a 10-point compact that would have sweeping implications on campus in exchange for a funding advantage in federal grants. &nb…

So now they're just prioritizing funding University research based on loyalty pledges?

thehill.com/homenews/edu...