Laid-Off Battery Plant Workers Pin Blame on Ford, not Trump, for Lost Jobs

12 February 2026 at 05:02

Ford Motor shut down a battery factory and laid off 1,600 workers after President Trump and Republicans gutted government support for electric vehicles.

Four States Sue Administration Over Loss of Public Health Funds

NYT: Science

By:Apoorva Mandavilli

11 February 2026 at 19:45

The states, all led by Democrats, claim the cuts were intended as retribution and will harm efforts to control H.I.V. and other sexually transmitted infections.

The headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The agency administered block grants for H.I.V. prevention that were allocated to public health departments in California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota.

He Built a Server to Protect Indigenous Health Data

NYT: Science

By:Katrina Miller

5 February 2026 at 10:00

Joseph Yracheta was in charge of a repository that compiled and protected tribal health data. Then its funding was cut.

H.H.S. to Expand Faith-Based Addiction Programs for Homeless

NYT: Science

By:Ellen Barry

2 February 2026 at 20:33

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said addiction is a “spiritual disease” that calls out for the involvement of religious organizations.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, said the federal government would open funding opportunities to faith-based organizations that hold to evidence-based standards.

Kennedy Overhauls Federal Autism Panel in His Own Image

NYT: Science

By:Azeen Ghorayshi

29 January 2026 at 19:32

The new panel, which advises the government on research and service priorities for people with autism, includes many members who have argued that vaccines cause the disorder.

Although the panel only serves an advisory function, many longtime autism advocates and researchers were alarmed by some of the new panel members.

Energy Dept. Says It Is Canceling $30 Billion in Clean Energy Loans

NYT: Science

By:Brad Plumer

22 January 2026 at 17:41

Many of the cancellations had been known for months, but the announcement underscored the drastic change in the energy landscape under President Trump.

The Energy Department canceled a partial loan guarantee to Sunnova Energy, a residential solar panel installer that was experimenting with a novel way to link home solar and battery systems.

Trump Administration Cuts Off Funding for Fetal Tissue Research. Again.

NYT: Science

By:Roni Caryn Rabin

22 January 2026 at 16:10

The prohibition halts support for projects both inside and outside the N.I.H. President Biden had restored funding after an earlier ban by President Trump during his first term.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the N.I.H. director, said that the agency will look to make additional investments in “validated emerging technologies” that could “reduce or potentially replace reliance on human embryonic stem cells.”

Trump’s Steep Science Budget Cuts to Be Turned Back by Congress

NYT: Science

By:William J. Broad

12 January 2026 at 16:04

After the White House called for billions of dollars in funding reductions, senators and representatives said they wanted to safeguard and even boost funds for basic research.

Each year, the president submits a budget request to Congress in advance of the annual appropriations process, but only Congress has the power of the purse.

Optimism About Nuclear Energy Is Rising Again. Will It Last?

NYT: Technology

By:Ivan Penn

6 January 2026 at 12:36

Companies like Kairos Power are building new types of reactors with the encouragement of the Trump administration, but their success is far from assured.

Kairos Power, which is developing a new kind of nuclear reactor, makes many of its parts at a facility in Albuquerque, N.M.

Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut.

NYT: Science

By:Carl Zimmer

2 January 2026 at 05:00

Brenna Henn had a long-term grant to study the genetic diversity of Africans and people of African descent. Then her N.I.H. funding was cut.

Research Library at NASA’s Goddard Space and Flight Center to Close Friday

NYT: Science

By:Eric Niiler

31 December 2025 at 17:58

Holdings from the library at the Goddard Space Flight Center, which includes unique documents from the early 20th century to the Soviet space race, will be warehoused or thrown out.

The NASA Goddard Information and Collaboration Center in Greenbelt, Md. The 100,000 volume library will close Friday.

Before Electric Vehicles Became Political, There Was the Toyota Prius

NYT: Technology

By:Lawrence Ulrich

27 December 2025 at 05:00

The political polarization of battery-powered cars may have started when Toyota released its first hybrid model 25 years ago.

The marketing for the Toyota Prius may have inadvertently started the culture war around hybrid and electric vehicles by characterizing them as a way to save the planet, some experts say.

Trump Media Merger With Nuclear Fusion Firm Raises Ethics Questions

NYT: Technology

By:Rebecca F. Elliott and Brad Plumer

19 December 2025 at 14:03

Trump Media plans to merge with a company developing nuclear fusion technology, putting the president’s financial interests in competition with other energy companies over which his administration holds sway.

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