Kathleen YouTube video by Josh Ritter - Topic

Ha! Yes, ugh. And the song is "Kathleen," one of his most popular songs. And seemingly one of his favorites, too, as he plays it live pretty frequently. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9_H...

There’s a great, similar lyric by Josh Ritter that I think you’d both love —

All the other girls here are stars
You see the northern lights
They try to shine in through your curtain
You’re too close and too bright…

Successes like Artemis II are only possible because of decades of stable funding for American research science. That’s now at risk.

Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.

BREAKING: In response to huge cuts in Trump's budget request, NSF is shuttering its SBE directorate. Staff will be transferred to other parts of the agency and "grants that align with Administration priorities" will be maintained.

That & more w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social & @edwrdchen.bsky.social

Masala Mac and Cheese A unique twist on a classic American comfort food

We used to make this ALL THE TIME. I'd consider significantly upping the spices but otherwise it's quite good! thefoodiephysician.com/dining-with-...

Congress refused to ratify similarly steep cuts last year, and for good reason.

Would it surprise you to learn there are fountain pen stains on the cover?

I've carried a pocket Constitution, in jacket pocket or backpack, since law school!

Happy Passover to everybody celebrating tonight. And may we all find ourselves in freedom next year.

1. SCOTUS is going to have a hard time ruling for Trump on birthright. He did himself no favors today.

2. Our birthright citizenship rule is a universal one, designed to prevent Trump from doing what he's trying to do now -- deciding who's American and who isn't.

3. SCOTUS? Still a major problem.🧵

Trump officials cite white supremacists in bid to end birthright citizenship An argument heading to the Supreme Court is built in part on a post-Civil War campaign that scholars say was steeped in anti-Black and anti-Chinese racism.

The headline says it all…

One clarification: Do you mean OMB has to sign off on the allocations? (My impression is Congress's role is done, until the next round of approps, or unless they decide to exercise some oversight function here...)

FWIW I still saw the note when I checked yesterday but I know the appropriations website can lag.

I was about ask — am I right that NSF appropriations still have a “spending plan needed” footnote and so haven’t been released?

A graph from the from page of the NIH Reporter website showing the number of extramural awards award by month for fiscal years 2022-2026. The curve for fiscal year 2026 lies below the other curves.

My NIH update

Let me start by saying again how glad I am that NIH is now posting these curves on the Reporter front page.

It is satisfying that leading by example from outside has led to this change and (I hope) reflects a commitment for NIH_leadership™ to hold itself accountable for this.

1/6

Maryland Could Be Next to Pass a Clean Slate Law The state’s proposal to automatically limit access to some criminal record information follows the example of more than a dozen states across the country.

Last week, the Maryland Senate passed the Clean Slate Act, a bill that would make the state’s criminal justice system fairer while streamlining government and strengthening the workforce. Here's why the bill matters and what's next.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Very generous to create this public resource! While some detractors disagree, their arguments are best left by the wayside. See Smith, "Indefensibly Erroneous Scholarship."

Trump delivers farmers another financial blow with Iran war Some of President Trump's policies, the latest being the war in Iran, are testing his support among farmers who are being burdened with higher costs.

Wrote about how Trump policies keep stacking up problems for farmers...

-tariffs made machinery more expensive and made China buy fewer soybeans
-deportations thinned out the labor force
-Iran war raised prices of fuel AND fertilizer

www.npr.org/2026/03/24/n...

Definitely a bright idea

Was just offered a soggy half eaten pirate booty chunk and almost choked up with pride

In toddler culture, it’s considered a high honor to be offered a half-eaten string cheese covered in ranch dressing.

I have an election law joke but I can't recount it.

Dibs on “crime solving monk with eager apprentice”

NIH, NOFOs, and the scientific community Transparency is good, and so is democratic decision-making

NIH has long engaged the scientific community in a democratic way. That's a good thing, and it's under attack.
Watch out.

New post by me, about why NIH's peer review process and advisory panels are pretty unique across gov't, and why they're so important.

[Dissertation pitch] Moorsmaxxing in Wuthering Heights: How Emily's Setting Enviromogs Her Sisters

Did I catch that OMB approved NIH apportionments essentially... during that hearing? But no word on NSF? @jeremymberg.bsky.social

(This is a rush AI generated transcript)

Gladiator 3 (it’s just me trying to brush a toddler’s teeth)

Provides some insights into what is happening (or rather what is not happening) with regard to federal science grant making.

Elite failure + exogenous shock + [c] is the reducible revolutionary formula in my mind, where [c] is a constant that captures the randomness and contingency of history

Jeff, your work is indispensable. Looking forward to following it wherever it appears.