When DOGE arrived at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the operatives had no real background in nuclear issues. They boxed out experienced hands, forcing resignations and massive exodus of talent. Over 400 people have since left or been forced out. Our full story: https://propub.li/3OBQMwk

While we're talking percentages, let's talk about the proposed cuts to NASA's science budget. NASA is currently 0.36% of US federal spending. www.planetary.org/space-policy... The proposed budget cuts NASA science by 47%. NASA science is already on a shoestring, and that string is about to break

This report came out today by minority staff of the House science committee on how three NASA missions were aborted due to NASA illegally following the FY26 president's budget request instead of congressionally approved budget. Very important reading. 🔭🧪 democrats-science.house.gov/staff-report...

Not enough people are talking about how hard it is to provide a nutritious, home-cooked dinner at a consistent, reasonable hour when you work a full-time job.

I didn't realize how awful the White House's proposed cuts were for the USGS - almost a 1/3 reduction in Natural Hazards funding?? Elimination of ecosystem science?? This may be just a proposal, but we need to ensure Congress doesn't taker up anything so drastic. Geologists, spread the word!

Told ya: those concentration camps are for anyone they don't like.

My economic vibes are bad because ever landlord in Arizona was benefiting directly or indirectly from this:

Dems backed Chris Taylor, a former Planned Parenthood lawyer, legislator and bold progressive, for WI Supreme Court. Against the GOP’s pick, Taylor preached economic, social and racial justice, and WON A LANDSLIDE — carrying 42 or 72 counties. There are huge lessons here for Dems and progressives.

i firmly believe that kennedy wants preventable diseases to rip through american communities since, in his warped mind, those who survive without vaccines will have proven themselves “healthy.”

Until Hegseth starts a nuclear war, Kennedy will be the Cabinet Sec that kills the most people.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my entire life,” Rep Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) said, fighting back tears. The Tucson Democrat described the way people were laying down inside as “like sardines.” “It is frightening in there,” Grijalva said. “It is disgusting.”

APRIL 2026

NASA isn't why the US doesn't have universal healthcare, or a social safety net. The US doesn't have those things because politicians with the power to provide them choose specifically not to (with varying levels of support from voters). Enthusiasm for human spaceflight doesn't drive that choice.

NASA is 0.35% of the federal budget. In the ENTIRE HISTORY of NASA it has cost about the same as just the last 2 years of the DoD budget

The Trump admin muzzling the Holocaust Memorial Museum, while giving the largest grant in the history of the National Endowment to the Humanities, makes the strategy clear. They want to turn academic Jewish Studies into a ward of the state.

Remember that MLK said America suffers not just from "the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."

It's impolite to call Musk a genocidal white nationalist because "civility" in American discourse functions not as a neutral procedural norm but as an asymmetric weapon to shield the powerful from accurate moral characterization while policing the tone of those who object.

Devastating if enacted.

It's nice to see a Senator talking about the need to Do A Nuremberg on the current folks in charge.

The Artemis II launch as seen by NOAA!

🤬🤬🤬

ok, dennis overbye, you win this one.

Need to catch up on #ArtemisII science ahead of today's launch attempt to the MOON? See our explainer at @nature.com 🧪🔭 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Love a simple bowl

Just gorgeous

tl;dr: NIH is running at about 60% of pre-Trump levels and NSF is running at about 20% of pre-Trump levels of funding-outlays (some directorates far below even that). Utterly catastrophic. An unforced disaster for U.S. society, and the world

For #NSF and #NIH watchers, Grant Witness now has interactive data on numbers of grants and total funding obligations, broken down by institute and directorate, new awards and non-competitive renewals. The stranglehold on new awards is still a disaster. grant-witness.us/funding_curv...

💯💯💯

I think it’s frustrating that millions of Americans can come out in opposition to fascism and the media refuses to even acknowledge that substantive charge

I don't think people fully appreciate how apocalyptic things are for US science. I haven't had any new funding since 2024, but I'm still ok since typical grants are for three years. This means next year I will be completely out of funding and will have to fire everyone in the lab. It's not great.

Deploying ICE at airports is to normalize their transition from being a special operation targeting immigrants to being an entity that polices all. This is the production of the American Gestapo, one institution at a time.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety officials discovered Ku Klux Klan items while cleaning out a closet to move to the department’s new headquarters

Whenever I hear about the leaky pipeline, I recall an interview I saw when I was an undergrad with a woman in STEM who said "I'm all for getting more women into the pipeline but people don't realize that the pipeline is full of acid." NIH and other grant terminations exacerbate this situation.

This is now the LOST generation for all doctoral research, from engineering to public health, from literature to psychology, from religion to economics. Some programs will suffer more than others, but this is a tremendous loss to the future. This is ALL on #RussellVought #DonaldTrump #JDVance.

@simonmaechling.bsky.social #medsky

Private money cannot replace public funding of science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

This attitude is directly in keeping with the many PIs who resent having to teach their graduate students anything, despite this notably being the foundation of their jobs! If you don't want to teach students, the job for you is research scientist, not professor.

Inspirational words by Jeremy Hansen: "I do believe, still, with all my heart, that collaboration across the globe needs to be our stated goal" Who is Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian tapped by NASA to fly around the moon? canadiangeographic.ca/articles/who...

nearly a 50% cut in basic science, which underpins everything no Wright brothers, no Apollo mission

This month I discuss the current semester, reinvesting in friendship, and a boatload of TV shows. Take a break from the existential dread!

The 2026 National Science Foundation budget is $8.75 Billion.

“In this moment, it’s important to soberly recognize what we are up against. Trump is not interested in our safety. On the contrary, he is more than willing to exploit a terrorist attack at home to further consolidate his power.” www.americaamerica.news/p/the-threat...

SHOULD THE U.S BLOT OUT THE SUN AND USHER IN AN AGE OF ETERNAL DARKNESS? - Gallup 2/20/26-3/5/26 NO - 41% YES - 38% UNSURE - 21%

“.. Asked whether Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks at home, Trump acknowledges the possibility. ‘I guess,’ he says. .. ‘Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” @time.com time.com/7382697/trum...

Primary voters on Trump’s war. Bet they’re looking for candidates who will stand up to Trump. That’s the mood of the country right now. We’re done with middle-of-the-road types.

Every major disaster in this country over my lifetime has been self inflicted by right wing ideologues with just enough complicit or inert Democrats to enable or ratify them. That's why we've been on this doom trajectory for the last ~50 years and it'll keep getting worse if that doesn't change

To any Democrat who ever said about any issue, "Maybe if we agree with Republicans just this far, they'll stop there," remember that you were wrong, it was obvious at the time, and you really should never believe that again about any issue, ever.

In competitive authoritarianism (US right now) there's often a "loyal opposition" that's essential to the regime. They are so wedded to "decorum," they go along with rites & rituals that help regime prop up veneer of normalcy, undermining clear view of regimes actions & aims.

Some day we'll all regret this & we'll hold hearings & rend garments & pledge "never again" & we'll be just as full of shit as we were last time.