An excellent op-ed by #ArneDuncan and #DavidPressman: "Universities are sending #Trump a dangerous message."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/09/colleges-universities-trump-administration-political-interference/
(#paywalled)

"By conditioning federal research grants on ideological conformity — and threatening investigations, funding freezes and intrusive oversight — the Trump administration has turned money meant to cure disease and advance knowledge into political ransom. Yet with only a handful of notable exceptions, the academy’s leadership has responded with timidity, silence or preemptive concession."

They offer five important recommendations for institutions with courage.

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The litigation to restore the endangerment finding has begun.
https://www.edf.org/media/epa-sued-over-illegal-repeal-climate-protections

"A broad coalition of health and environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (#EPA) today [Feb 18] over its illegal determination that it is not responsible for protecting us from climate pollution."

Here's the official complaint:
https://library.edf.org/AssetLink/h3f286t8xt043h8k2404vfvva3866bh5.pdf

Here's the impressive list of plaintiff orgs:
American Public Health Association, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Lung Association, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Clean Air Council, Clean Wisconsin, Conservation Law Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Citizen, Rio Grande International Study Center, Sierra Club, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

#Climate #Environment #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The #EPA endangerment finding is gone.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/12/trump-epa-rollback-pollution-regulation-endangerment-finding

"The Trump administration has revoked the bedrock scientific determination which gives the government the ability to regulate climate-heating pollution. The move was described as a gift to 'billionaire polluters' at the expense of Americans’ health…Environmental advocates have condemned the move as illegal. A slew of green groups have promised to take EPA to court over the rollback."

#Climate #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

The Federal Depository Library Program (#FDLP) is calling for public comments on a draft new #preservation policy for US govt public information.
https://fdlp.gov/news/request-comments-draft-preservation-policy

PS: This is especially important when the #Trump admin is taking down public info, including publicly-funded research, and private data-rescue projects struggle to capture it all.

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Libraries #RFI #Takedowns #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics #USPol #USPolitics

"One year after the #Trump administration tried to cap reimbursements for indirect research costs, federal agencies have halted their plans."
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/02/09/congress-courts-stymie-trumps-effort-cap

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #Funding #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

While the #Trump #EPA starts repealing #climate regulations…
https://fediscience.org/@petersuber/114909337147971539

…the Federal Judicial Center (#FJC) is removing the chapter on climate science from its "reference manual" advising federal judges on scientific issues. The removal was recommended by 27 #Republican attorneys general.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/02/us-court-agency-pulls-climate-change-from-science-advisory-document/

PS: The FJC manual is prepared with the National Academies of Science (#NAS). But I can't tell whether NAS acquiesced in this move. Does anyone know?

Thanks to RealClimate.org for posting the deleted 91-page chapter on climate science.
https://www.realclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/Reference_Guide_on_Climate_Science_RMSE_4th_Ed.pdf

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Update. The repeal of the endangerment finding is based on a recommendation from Trump's Climate Working Group. Less than two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that the group violated federal law by failing to represent a balance of viewpoints (all five members were hand-picked skeptics) and failing to hold public hearings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/climate/energy-department-climate-ruling.html

Clearly "the decision to change the policy was made ahead of assembling scientific evidence to support that decision."
https://blog.ucs.org/science-blogger/internal-doe-documents-confirm-climate-report-was-created-to-justify-administration-policy/

PS: There will be legal challenges to the EPA repeal of the endangerment finding, and those challenges will cite the procedural violations in the operation of the Climate Working Group. But it's not yet clear how far those violations will undermine the EPA action.

#Climate #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Federal Data Is Disappearing."
https://www.notus.org/trump-white-house/federal-data-is-disappearing

"Since retaking office, the Trump administration has transformed how the government collects data, cut access to previously-public data and stopped collecting some data altogether. This overhaul has left significant holes in data on everything from substance use to maternal mortality…Researchers estimate that well over 3,000 data sets have been removed from public access."

#Censorship #Data #DefendResearch #OpenData #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Happy first birthday, #DataRescueProject (@datarescueproject.org)!
https://www.datarescueproject.org/a-year-in-data-rescue/

"In a single year, we have rescued over 2500 datasets from over 90 government agencies. This work was supported by over 900 volunteers."

#Censorship #Data #DefendResearch #OpenData #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Update. Billionaire #MarcRowan was the driving force behind the #Trump compact with universities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/us/billionaire-marc-rowan-trump-deal-universities.html

It helps to know that Rowan is the owner of the for-profit University of Phoenix...
https://www.republicreport.org/2025/billionaire-behind-trump-pressure-campaign-on-colleges-owns-predatory-university-of-phoenix/

...which has paid hundreds of millions to settle more than a dozen claims of fraud.
https://vetsedsuccess.org/university-of-phoenix-recent-actions-and-concerns/

Now we learn that Rowan has a history of talking business with #JeffreyEpstein.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/business/dealbook/epstein-files-business.html

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

Key indicator of what's happening to US higher ed:

"Despite Harvard's victory [in court, against the Trump admin], more schools agreed to deals."
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/29/nx-s1-5559293/trump-settlements-colleges-universities

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Some 10,109 [Ph.D.s] in science and related fields left their jobs last year as President Donald Trump dramatically shrank the overall federal workforce." www.science.org/content/arti... #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

U.S. government has lost more ...

"Some 10,109 [Ph.D.s] in science and related fields left their jobs last year as President Donald Trump dramatically shrank the overall federal workforce."
https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-government-has-lost-more-10-000-stem-ph-d-s-trump-took-office

#DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

"Health Databases Have Gone Dark Under Trump: ‘The Consequences Will Be Dire’."
https://www.404media.co/dozens-of-cdc-health-databases-have-gone-dark-under-trump-the-consequences-will-be-dire/

"Nearly half of routinely-updated CDC databases have experienced delays or shutdowns in 2025, with vaccination-related systems disproportionately affected, according to a new study."

Primary source: "Unexplained Pauses in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Surveillance: Erosion of the Public Evidence Base for Health Policy."
https://www.404media.co/dozens-of-cdc-health-databases-have-gone-dark-under-trump-the-consequences-will-be-dire/

#Censorship #Data #DefendResearch #Medicine #OpenData #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

New survey from the American Council of Education (#ACE): "Seven in 10 senior higher education leaders [in the US] say they are concerned about government interference in academic freedom and institutional autonomy."
https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Pulse-Point-Survey-Higher-Education-Federal-Policy.aspx

Serious question: Who are the 30% who are not concerned?

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

"#NASA quietly ends financial support for planetary science groups."
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-quietly-ends-financial-support-for-planetary-science-groups/

#DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

"When data disappears: The impact of cancelled federal studies on student financial aid research."
https://www.pellinstitute.org/news-impact/blog/when-data-disappears-what-the-cancellation-of-federal-studies-means-for-financial-aid-research/

"In March 2025, the U.S. Department of Education made a quiet yet profoundly consequential decision to abruptly terminate major research contracts and lay off dozens of staff and contractors, [undermining] the nation’s ability to access credible, comprehensive data on college affordability, student success, and postsecondary outcomes."

#Academia #AcademicMastodon #Data #DefendResearch #Education #Funding #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

"US science after a year of Trump. A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce."
https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-026-00088-9/index.html

#Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

Update. There are good political reasons to observe, record, and protest #ICE agents, even with no expectation that you'll change their behavior. But it turns out there's empirical evidence that this kind of observation reduces violence.

From sociologist #NicoleBedera: "The vast majority of men are only willing to engage in public violence if they feel like the people around them will approve of — and reward them for — that violence. #ICEWatch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭…There are countless videos from ICE Watch observers that show agents leaving without detaining anyone after they encounter resistance."
https://www.ms.now/opinion/minneapolis-ice-watch-protesters-violence-research

#LittleBrother #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

"Trump’s #USDA Is Hiding the #Data on #FoodStamp Cuts."
https://www.motherjones.com/food/2026/01/trump-rollins-usda-snap-food-insecurity/

"In normal conditions, said Tufts University food economist Parke Wilde, policymakers and government workers would ask, 'What are the consequences of policy changes…so that we can calibrate and improve the program in the future?’ We won’t be able to do that this year."

#Agriculture #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #SNAP #Takedowns #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics