Cornell Reaches Deal With Trump Administration to Restore Research Funds

Looks like I’ll be following through on my pledge as an alum to ignore all donation requests since @cornelluniversity.bsky.social struck this deal.

#shameful

👇👇👇 Academic institution and scientific research under attack in Providence at Brown University.

Hey fellow alumni, it only takes a minute:

president@cornell.edu
(607) 255-5201

Tenure criteria are the levers to change culture You want people to behave differently? Let's change the rewards and the costs.

While everything in science is up in the air, we can (re)build a better community by changing tenure criteria.

scienceforeveryone.science/p/tenure-cri... 🧪

Greta Thunberg Speaks from Aid Ship Heading to Gaza Despite Israeli Threats: “My Moral Obligation” As Gaza faces over three months of Israeli blockade, a group of 12 activists is sailing to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. The Madleen ship was launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and initia...

Greta Thunberg on why it’s essential for climate activists to speak out on Gaza:

"The reason I am a climate activist is not because I want to protect trees. I'm a climate activist because I care about human, planetary well-being and those are extremely interlinked."

You know what was an awesome abundance agenda?

The Green New Deal.

The silence remains deafening.

"Women are PIs on 58% of the canceled grants, although they are PIs on only 34% of all active NSF grants.

Similarly, Blacks are PIs on 17% of the terminated grants, although they make only 4% of the total pool. Hispanic PIs and those with disabilities were twice as likely to lose a grant."

Today, House Republicans are unveiling their plan to increase energy bills and pollution for everyday Americans, just to give billionaires another tax break. A summary of their proposals. THREAD! 🧵

NSF slashes number of ‘rotators’ and well-paid managers as part of restructuring Smaller future budgets will require fewer people, NSF official tells staff

1. After getting some further insight into changes at NSF (thanks to those who reached out), I deleted a previous post where I tried to make sense of Cheatham's memo as reported in the Science story below.

🧪 Ranking member Lofgren and 11 other House dems sent a fiery 7-page letter to acting NSF director today

"The cancelation of these awards suggests instead that NSF is willing to apply political censorship of awards under direction from President Trump and the DOGE teenagers"

Share widely #SaveNSF

It's funny how some folks won't support industrial actions ("strikes") when their department/institution isn't being directly affected...but will be out the door, with placards and raised voices, when they feel their wellbeing is being immediately impacted.

Cross-sector solidarity means something.

A Call for Constructive Engagement | AAC&U A Call for Constructive Engagement

Government overreach and political interference endanger all of academia and society, not just to singular, elite institutions.

While 600+ institutions publicly stand together, it's exceedingly disappointing that certain institutions *cough cough* have not signed on.

www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...

"WE'VE ARRANGED A society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces. Who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people don't know anything about it?" "Science is more than a body of knowledge, it's a way of thinking. A way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we're up for grabs for the next charlatan, political or religious, who comes ambling along."

I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.

Attacks on Judges Undermine Democracy, Warns Ketanji Brown Jackson Speaking to a judicial conference, the Supreme Court justice said attacks were designed to intimidate and influence.

Powerful remarks from Justice KBJ last night. There was tremendous appreciation and gratitude in the room for her willingness to speak to this important issue so candidly and forcefully.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/u...

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science Huge reductions, if enacted, could have ‘catastrophic’ effects on US competitiveness and the scientific pipeline, critics say.

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts for US science in next fiscal year
NASA cut by 24%
NIH cut by 40%
EPA cut by 55%
NSF cut by 56%
Analysis from @maxkozlov.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social @alexwitze.bsky.social and @nature.com team
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

My piece in @rollingstone.com 👇

Say it louder for the folks in the back.

NASA’s annual call for grant proposals is now 68 days late.

It's really personal for him. The 2000 election was a major step on the path to getting us here.

All these people who swore that they “will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” aren’t doing a very good job.

Pope Francis receiving a warming stripes stole. Photo: Vatican Media

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility. Those who will have to suffer the consequences will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility.” — Pope Francis

The NYT wants you to think universities became dependent on government. This is false.

The government invested in the national research infrastructure by competitive grants to universities. The taxpayers built this. It got us to the moon. Won the Cold War. Created Silicon Valley. Made the McRib.

This statement from the NSF is insane.

Science is, in essence, designed to separate the true from the false.

Understanding how falsehoods spread is key to the scientific endeavor. It is not a violation of free speech to be proven wrong.

NSF halts grant awards while staff do second review Action comes after DOGE team arrives at science agency

Holy shit.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has halted the awarding of previously approved proposals to ensure compliance with presidential directives following the arrival of DOGE at the science funding agency.

Pres. Trump just unilaterally implemented what will likely become the biggest tax hike on Americans since World War II. U.S. consumers in all 50 states will have to pay more for Trump’s national sales tax.

Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm (Gift Article) More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

Holy shit. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say they’re trying to kill us all.

“The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists”

Tonight, 217 Republicans voted to betray the needs of ordinary Americans by shoveling over $1 trillion in tax giveaways to the richest 1%.

Instead of working to lower costs, Republicans are charging full steam ahead to abandon their constituents and cut health care and nutrition programs.

"Make them outlaw you, we will stand up with you, I will get arrested with you"

Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut.

This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.

Kindness eases change I started writing this piece after listening to adrienne maree brown read from Parable of the Sower on Instagram.

This is a fabulous piece about kindness and education, by emareena x danielles. A timely reminder that kindness nourishes change traumaresponsive.substack.com/p/kindness-e...