Management
USDA Continues Its Descent in Engagement Ratings
The Agriculture Department retained its position as second to worst large agency in the Partnership for Public Service’s annual rankings of Best Places to Work in the Federal Government.
Tech
China Has Increasing Sway in U.S. Science, JASON Report Says
Beijing is using better jobs at home, aggressive intelligence agencies, and a greater financial reach to influence American institutions.
Management
Why When You Eat Might Be as Important as What You Eat
An NIH-funded study showed that participants who limited daily food intake to a 10-hour period lost on average 3 percent of their weight and about 3 percent of their abdominal fat.
Oversight
Texas Chemical Plant Rocked by Multiple Explosions Was Declared High Priority Violator by EPA
The Southeast Texas chemical manufacturing plant, owned by Houston-based Texas Petroleum Chemical Group, has a long history of environmental violations and been out of compliance with federal clean air laws for years.
Management
Viewpoint: Trump’s Attack on Science Is an Attack on Public Health
I spent years doing research to inform policy. Now the Environmental Protection Agency is working to erase it.
Tech
The $11 Million Dollar Medicare Tool That Gives Seniors the Wrong Insurance Information
The Trump administration redesigned the online Medicare Cost Finder for seniors to compare complex health insurance options. But consumer advocates have identified instances when the tool has malfunctioned and given inaccurate plan and price data.
Management
Trump EPA Eases Safety Requirements Enacted after West Explosion
Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the new rules, saying they would make Texans safer. The Obama-era regulation was meant to improve chemical safety practices and prevent tragedies like the deadly 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in the tiny Central Texas town of West.
Tech
NASA's TESS Spacecraft Is Finding Hundreds of Exoplanets – and Is Poised to Find Thousands More
Beyond the outer edge of the Solar System, mysterious, unknown worlds await by the thousands. Astronomers can now finally find them and explore them - but will we find another Earth?
Management
Agriculture Dept. Announces Lease for Permanent Kansas City Location for Science Agencies
Relocation of the Economic Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture still faces potential roadblocks from Congress.
Management
Trump Interior Nominee Fast-Tracked a ‘Deficient’ Drilling Permit
Oil lobbyists’ answer to regulatory roadblocks is “We’ll call Kate” – as in Kate MacGregor, nominee for the No. 2 job at Department of the Interior.
Oversight
Viewpoint: The EPA Disbanded Our Clean Air Science Panel. We Met Anyway – and Found that Particle Pollution Regulations Aren’t Protecting Public Health
Scientists who were appointed to advise the EPA on air pollution kept meeting independently after the agency dissolved their panel. They say current regulations aren't strict enough.
Management
More Than 30 Lawmakers Urge Appropriators to Block Funding for USDA Science Agency Relocations
With most employees at the two research agencies declining to move to Kansas City, Democrats in both the House and Senate are urging appropriators to adopt House-passed language prohibiting spending on the move.
Management
The Forest Service Is About to Set a Giant Forest Fire—On Purpose
A man-made blaze on a remote Utah mountainside could provide valuable insights into the behavior of the powerful wildfires growing more and more common out West.
Management
House Panel Advances Bipartisan Bill to Protect Federal Scientists From Undue Political Influence
Career employees working in science would enjoy an array of new rights under the bill.
Management
Top Commerce Officials Played Key Role in Drafting Hurricane Statement Supporting Trump, NOAA Chief Says
The White House chief of staff was also involved, the administrator told Congress.
Oversight
Employees Report Threatening Anti-LGBT Harassment, Retaliation at National Science Foundation
An outside investigator recently substantiated allegations that a career manager made sexually explicit jokes and bullied LGBT employees.
Management
Trump’s Undermining of Federal Scientists Signals Need for Systemic Overhaul, Bipartisan Group Says
Career federal scientists are increasingly prohibited from doing their jobs freely, report finds, imperiling U.S. democracy.
Oversight
Trump’s USDA Is Letting Factories With Troubling Safety Records Slaughter Chickens Even Faster
Workers are getting injured, but the Department of Agriculture says their safety is not its responsibility.
Management
Repealing the Clean Water Rule will Swamp the Trump Administration in Wetland Litigation
Importantly, EPA does not dispute any findings of the peer-reviewed scientific studies that the Obama administration cited to support its approach.
Management