Science, Policy, and Other News that Caught My Eye

Or blew my mind the week of May 4th - May 10th

Greetings, SciLight readers. What a week! Hard to keep up with the chaos. Let’s start off here with some good news: Judge Blocks Unconstitutional Reorganization of Federal Government - Democracy Forward!! More on that here.

And now, per usual, below is a smattering of other news items that caught my attention or disrupted my equanimity this past week. What caught your eye? Tell us in the comments.

And be sure to scroll down for some fun news. Because we can all use some levity in these challenging times.

· Trump picks conspiracy theorist ‘wellness influencer’ Casey Means with no medical license to replace Fox contributor as Surgeon General | The Independent. Good Grief! Not licensed to practice medicine, but the nation’s Surgeon General??

· Trump Drops Nominee for U.S. Attorney, Ed Martin, After Republicans Balk - The New York Times

· Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden - The Washington Post. She got this note: “Carla, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” See and hear from her here

· Seriously?? Trump says, ‘I don’t know,’ when asked if he’s required to uphold Constitution

· Trump’s Inevitable Betrayal of His Supporters - The Atlantic

· Trump's First 100 Days Have Been an Absolute Disaster for Workers - In These Times

· Really, Mr. President, have you no shame, taste, or compassion?….Catholic leaders recoil from Trump’s pope post - The Washington Post

· In marked juxtaposition to our nation’s leader, the new Pope (Leo XIV) calls for peace, unity, social justice, and charity. Here’s how the first U.S. pope Robert Prevost is making history. Read reflections from his brother here

· “History shows that thriving countries can collapse from the very top.” Opinion | Bad leaders who destroyed their countries (Be sure to read the last sentence).

· Trump administration offers to pay $1,000 to immigrants who ‘self-deport’ - The Washington Post. Our tax dollars at work….

· Judge warns Trump administration against Libya deportations - The Washington Post

· Carney Tells Trump Canada ‘Is Not for Sale’ During White House Visit - The New York Times

· Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs - The Boston Globe

· Trump administration shuts down federal advisory committee on infection prevention | CIDRAP

· Characterization of Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health | Allergy and Clinical Immunology | JAMA | JAMA Network

· EPA plans to dismantle key offices overseeing climate and air pollution regulation - The Daily Climate

· The Trump administration has all but stopped enforcing environmental laws | Grist

· Trump admin ends extreme weather database that has tracked cost of disasters since 1980 | CNN

· A historic rollback of Clean Air Act Protections. US Senate votes to ease regulations on toxic air pollution from industry - EHN. Full article here

· 20 state attorneys general sue Trump admin to restore health agencies

· Supreme Court Lets Trump Enforce Transgender Troop Ban as Cases Proceed - The New York Times

· EPA shifts scientists from research to chemical approvals, raising alarm over independence - EHN

· Worker safety agency NIOSH lays off most remaining staff - CBS News

· As Trump Targets Researchers, Europe Makes a Pitch to Attract Scientists - The New York Times

· Rising climate anxiety is reshaping the mental health of young people - The Daily Climate

· Scientists move forward with climate assessment work despite federal dismissals - The Daily Climate

And Just for Fun or Entertainment

· Peel Away the Blues: How Citrus Could Boost Your Mood - Public Health Post

· Your brain is biased to negativity. Here’s how to be more positive. - The Washington Post

· New ‘Picasso’ snail looks like a work of art

· The Brood XIV Zombie Cicadas Are Coming | Scientific American

· Scientists Use Ancient Chinese Poetry to Study Endangered Yangtze Porpoise | Scientific American

That’s it for today - Thank you so much for reading SciLight!

If you enjoyed today’s post, please like it or share it with others. You can also support the work we do to shine a light on the politicization of science by becoming a paid subscriber!

If you want to share today’s post as a web page with your network, click this button:

If you have suggestions, questions, comments, or want to drop us a line - send it all to scilightsubstack@gmail.com