I graduated college in 1977 with a BA (with honors) in microbiology. I took courses in virology and immunology, among others. Thus, as a 22 year-old, I was already more qualified to discuss vaccines against polio and COVID than RFK Jr is or will ever be. He’s not the only clown in the Trump clown […]
This is a seven year-old NPR interview with David Honig, an attorney and adjunct professor at Indiana University, where he teaches negotiations. While this discussion dates from the first Trump term, he’s obviously learned nothing about negotiation skills since then: “HONIG: It’s an interesting question. I reread “The Art Of The Deal” today in anticipation […]
Matt Yglesias has a critical piece up on Biden. I am largely in agreement with Yglesias’ take, although I tend to see his failings as due to longstanding character traits, while Yglesias puts more emphasis on Biden’s age. A couple of snippets (the whole thing is worth reading, but not sure if it is public): […]
Truman famously had a desk sign reading “The buck stops here.” That was back when there were grown-ups in the White House. With Trump, the buck stops over there somewhere: “The news, linked above, that the resignations emails were Team Elon’s idea and didn’t have the okay of the White House comes from a Washington […]
“U.S. President Donald Trump’s military deportation flight to Guatemala on Monday likely cost at least $4,675 per migrant, according to data provided by U.S. and Guatemalan officials. “That is more than five times the $853 cost of a one-way first class ticket on American Airlines from El Paso, Texas, the departure point for the flight, […]
“Trump claims his policies will do just that, creating a new “golden age” that will lift most boats and more than make up for what people might lose in government largesse. Low taxes will trigger blowout growth; tariffs on imports will bring back millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs; unshackled workers aided by artificial intelligence will […]
“The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a memo from the Office of Management and Budget pausing federal assistance grants, according to reports from NBC News and The Washington Post. “The memo caused a political uproar and confusion among recipients of federal grants, and it had seemingly set the stage for a constitutional showdown.” I don’t […]
The Trump OMB announced yesterday a pause on government spending. “The memo required agencies to pause all spending, with a footnote exempting “assistance received directly by individuals.” HHS suspended states from drawing down Medicaid funds and tribal facilities from drawing down Indian Health Service Funds. Also suspended were grants that provide funds for Head Start, […]
Let’s do some pessimism. Trump has already made it clear that he does not recognize any legal limits on his behavior – no constitutional limits, and no statutory limits. This is reflected in his effort to halt broad swaths of federal spending for 90 days (which violates both the constitution and the Impoundment Control Act […]
The US has been an international leader in biomedical research for decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to blow that up. “The directive also brings the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) lengthy scientific grant review process to a standstill. “All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities,” […]