Pentagon says it fails eighth audit, targets 2028 to pass reut.rs/4s7T594

Now up to three separate spots with 100+ gusts in/near Boulder, two within the past hour. Again: It's considerably drier than Wednesday, and the wind started earlier (longer lasting wind event). Hence the extra concern today compared to Wednesday. #COwx

Went back and heard Kendall Powell give tough love advice to #freelancers both for general use, and for pitching to @nature.com (Careers) Great questions from @virginiagewin.bsky.social #SciWri26

US appeals Harvard court victory on $2 billion funding freeze reut.rs/3MDG5In

Household food insecurity rising. "The household food insecurity rate posted the largest increase so far this year, rising from 13.3% in October to 16% in November, according to the latest Consumer Food Insights Report (CFI)." ag.purdue.edu/cfdas/public...

I was interviewed for @theguardian.com by the wonderful @melodyschreiber.com, one of the finest health reporters in the world, about what I called a “neocolonialist” study planned by Danish researchers in Guinea-Bissau, funded by RFK Jr. So many red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Any ideas on what the Friday afternoon announcement will be?

Scientists: I’m looking for sources who think that some (or all?) of the changes to scientific funding, agency research agendas, or STEM training over the last year had merit or were needed reforms. If this is you, I’d like to interview you.

Massive Layoffs at the Dept of #Education Erode Its #CivilRights Division Only five of the agency’s civil rights offices remain nationwide. Those who are still with the department say it will now be “virtually impossible” to resolve #discrimination complaints. www.propublica.org/article/educ...

Hard to overstate how concerning this is. There are over 46,000 people, a school, and a hospital in the flash flood warning area. Washington communities have been bracing for levee failures as another round of atmospheric rivers arrives to full rivers and saturated soils.

“The Trump administration sided with officials from Saudi Arabia, Russia & Iran in a successful effort to block part of a United Nations report about the dire state of the planet because it called for phasing out fossil fuels, switching to clean energy and reducing plastics.”

🎁 "The [UT] campus is no longer led by an academic, but a Republican lawyer. The president has promised curricular changes, and the system is now conducting an audit of all gender studies courses, after a State House bill enshrined in state law that there are effectively only two genders."

The “near-exclusive emphasis on natural causes of climate change on the U.S. EPA’s website is now completely out of synch with all available evidence demonstrating overwhelming human influence on contemporary warming trends,” said UCLA climate scientist @weatherwest.bsky.social.

This is INSANE www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/t... and these are our closest allies!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—the NSWA Best of the Northwest Awards are upon us! Submit your outstanding entries in these three categories: 1) Journalism writing 2) Institutional Writing 3) Multimedia. Award winners in each category will receive a $300 prize and an award certificate.

Reminder: take your Vitamin D!

Making America Poisonous Again.

"Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them."

Happy “Atmospheric River” to all who celebrate! 🌧️

Summoning all of my energy to write this feature. It's gonna be a doozy.

“We are losing so much water that groundwater loss is driving up sea level rise and it is doing more damage than glaciers are in terms of sea level rise. So that’s a new one.” A great conversation with @jayfamiglietti.bsky.social on Water Talk out today www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...

Extremely difficult to understand the end game in risking the lives of infants

Wow! Big news on the investigative journalism funding front! Alicia Patterson Foundation to merge with the Fund for Investigative Journalism.

America’s top vaccines official promised, in a long and argumentative memo to staff, to revamp vaccine regulation after claiming 10 children died from Covid vaccines. But Vinay Prasad offered no evidence for that allegation and scant details on the new approach. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

“Globally, there are 9,919 billionaires this year, up from 2,682 in 2024, UBS found.”

‘A total of 34% of Republican survey respondents between the ages of 30 and 49 answered “I am such person” when asked for their views on individuals who openly express racist views. Only 3% of survey respondents over the age of 65 answered “I am such person.”’ www.newsweek.com/millennial-r...

“The coalition of Democratic states have argued that the data could be used for other policies not related to administering food stamps, including immigration enforcement. The Trump administration contends that the information will be used to root out waste, fraud and abuse.”

Journalists and researchers we have a resource for you! The second part of “How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT” is published! This a step to step guide will show you how to uncover leads on vessels and ports. Read it here 👉 bit.ly/43iCtkt

Soooooo a decimated media ecosystem that requires individual reporters to be their own publishers, editors, and distributors and forces us all to fight for the same shrinking pool of people willing to pay…well. It’s gonna reward some really bad actors.

The National Park Service says it is going to start charging international tourists an extra $100 to enter popular parks. They will be left out of fee-free days, reserved for American residents. n.pr/48CbbII

I always try to talk up the great work of my colleague Jen Lundquist (not on bsky) who developed UMass’ Academic Freedom Crisis Toolkit, as a public resource, especially to help guide faculty who face online harassment, doxxing, weaponized FOIA… www.umass.edu/faculty-deve...

'It's like arguing with robots': negotiators on the state of #COP30 talks - @fionaharvey.bsky.social @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.) RTs appreciated.

Last day to get your @ijnr.bsky.social tee!

"The new vaccine skeptic line claims “studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism,” and alleges health authorities have supposedly “ignored” research suggesting a link."

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: @who.int plans to cut 25% of its staff by mid-2026 — while a massive, unreported “shadow workforce” of 8,000+ consultants continues operating in parallel. 💰 Even with deep staff cuts, WHO still faces a $1.05B funding gap for 2026–27. ✍️ Elaine Ruth Fletcher 📖⬇️ & 🙏🔁

“We did not create this crisis, but we refuse to stand as victims. We call on the global community, especially major emitters, to honor their commitments and safeguard the 1.5 degree threshold for Jamaica. This is survival. It’s about our people and their right to a safe and prosperous future.”

Donald Trump granted 238 pardons and commutations in his first term. In his second, he has issued nearly 2,000. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/24/the-meaning-of-trumps-presidential-pardons

Freelancer journalists: FYI @indiejournalists.bsky.social has a two-day online conference March 5-6, 2026. They are currently offering a $49 early bird registration.

Glimpses of fall🍁🍂🌿

The Treasury Department has its own Epstein file containing thousands of bank records. My investigators reviewed a portion of those records last year. I've demanded the Secretary Bessent produce the file for further investigation. He has refused repeatedly.

Let me tell you about the other Epstein files the Trump administration is STILL HIDING — records that aren’t affected by the bill Congress passed today.

After a bird flu outbreak tore through Midwestern barns, killing millions of chickens and spiking egg prices, the federal government didn’t investigate if the virus was airborne. So ProPublica did. Absolutely terrifying reporting from @natlash.bsky.social: www.propublica.org/article/bird...

Scientists (especially early career researchers): How has your career been impacted over the last year of policy changes and funding cuts? Contact me here or on Signal if you have a story to share.

@sicb.bsky.social’s Public Affairs Committee is running their Student Journalism program again this year and is hosting a cool multimedia science communication workshop with panelists @bigbiology.bsky.social, Sönke Johnsen, @oceanfilly.bsky.social, and @virginiagewin.bsky.social!!

This is why so many scientists won’t speak on the record—> “They said it was nondisciplinary,” she said. “To my knowledge I haven’t done anything wrong.”

If any researchers--particularly early career scientists--would like to share their experiences trying to secure a PhD, postdoc, or asst prof position in the current funding/political environment, please let me know. I'm working on a story to run in January. You can be on the record or anonymous.

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I'm a science journalist attending the @entsocamerica.bsky.social conference in Portland, Oregon--but only for today and tomorrow. #EntSoc25 Since I wasn't able to go to the whole thing, hit me with suggestions! What have been the best talks? What stories need to reach the public?

NSWA showed up at @sciencewriting1.bsky.social conference in Chicago last weekend! The big news—the 2026 NASW conference will be in the PNW. Join us in Corvallis at @oregonstateuniv.bsky.social in October.