‘This is life or death': Mass. scientists fear consequences of funding cuts by federal government
Massachusetts is a mecca for cutting-edge science.
New changes in how the federal government plans to fund research are sending a chill through many local laboratories.
Many scientists are trying to figure out if they can continue their work with deep budget cuts.
'My group and I study the evolution of disease, in particular, the evolution of cancers,' said John Quackenbush, Ph.D., the chair of the department of biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 'Our goal is to identify the point in time, the place where those changes occur, with the idea that we can intervene and block cancer from progressing.'
While Quackenbush is usually thinking about curing cancer, he's now trying to think of a way to keep his research alive after a sudden announcement by the National Institutes of Health.
The federal government's leading provider of scientific research funds said they were capping the money institutions could receive for 'indirect costs' at 15%.
'We're all scrambling to try to figure out how we would make this work. Where we would find the additional money. We can't just set up a GoFundMe page.'
Indirect costs cover things like rent, utilities, support staff and grant management.
Quackenbush said the federal government already has stringent oversight.
'The process of determining the indirect cost rate is a rigorous one. Every few years representatives from the government visit the institution. They do a thorough audit.'
'My hunch is that we would be better of with less, and not any government funding, but it's a controversial question. There's not a trivial right or wrong
answer to that,' said Jeffrey Miron, vice president for research at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank that promotes less government.
But that doesn't mean he thinks the Trump Administration's approach is good.
'Because they're not cutting the underlying funding. They're disrupting. They're creating a lot of confusion and anxiety and messiness of the activities, many of which are totally productive, and not having the conversation of, should we be funding this activity in the first place.'
Supporters of Alzheimer's research believe they'd pass any litmus test like that. They've seen big steps forward for the roughly seven million Americans who currently have the disease.
'The scientific progress has been extraordinary,' said Jim Wessler, CEO of the MA/NH chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. 'I've been at this for 27 years and I would say the last five years have just been remarkable.'
That's thanks to better diagnostic tools and the first drugs that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's Disease.
Today, Wessler is worried, particularly for patients currently in clinical trials.
'With therapeutics that are now in phase 2, some even phase 3 clinical trials, and the idea that those would just be frozen for families that are looking for anything that will help their loved ones is extraordinarily concerning.'
Another concern is the regional economy.
The NIH distributed about $3.5 billion to 219 Massachusetts organizations in fiscal 2024.
That's the highest amount per capita in the country.
Every dollar invested in research here creates $2-$3 in economic activity.
'There's no doubt that the uncertainty about these federal NIH grants trickles down to every level of our economy,' said Greg Reibman, the president and CEO of the Charles River Regional Chamber.
'It will impact who's able to go out to eat at a restaurant, who is able to hire a babysitter, who's able to purchase their next car.'
Some of the largest recipients of NIH grants in Massachusetts include Mass General, Brigham and Women's, Boston Children's, and the UMass Medical School in Worcester.
Like many of the cost cutting measures initiated by President Trump and Elon Musk, this one is now being challenged in the courts.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How viral images are shaping views of L.A.'s immigration showdown
As protesters and police officers clashed in the streets of Los Angeles, a parallel conflict raged on social media, as immigration advocates and President Donald Trump's allies raced to shape public opinion on the impacts of mass deportations on American life. The sprawling protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were captured from all angles by cellphones and body cameras and streamed in real time, giving a visceral immediacy to a conflict that led to more than 50 arrests and orders from the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Amateur videographers and online creators shared some of the mayhem's most-talked-about videos and images, often devoid of context and aimed at different audiences. Clips showing officers firing less-lethal rounds at an Australian journalist or mounted police directing their horses to stride over a sitting man fueled outrage on one side, while those of self-driving Waymo cars on fire and protesters holding Mexican flags stoked the other. The protests have become the biggest spectacle yet of the months-long online war over deportations, as Trump allies work to convince Americans that the issue of undocumented immigration demands aggressive action. But immigrant families and advocates have also been winning attention, and seeking public support, through emotional clips of crying families grappling with removal orders, anti-ICE gatherings and young children in federal custody. The messaging war comes at a time of polarized public sentiment over Trump's immigration policies. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in April found that roughly half the country believed Trump's deportations had gone too far, while the other half thought his actions were about right or hadn't gone far enough. 'To advance your side of the story, you need a piece of content that the algorithm likes. You need something that really grabs people's attention by the throat and doesn't let it go,' said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor at Northeastern University's Khoury College of Computer Sciences. 'If you're on the pro-ICE side of this, you need to find visual images of these protests that look really scary, look really dangerous because that's what's going to draw human attention,' she added. But if 'you don't think that ICE should be taking moms away from their families and kids, you're going to have a video that starts with a crying child's face.' A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans, said Trump's digital strategists were following the president's lead by spotlighting images of destruction while insisting that he would always intervene in moments of unrest. The White House, which has said the ICE deportations are necessary to solve a national crisis, on Sunday posted an Instagram photo of Trump and a warning that looters and rioters would be given 'no mercy.' 'We're obviously following the president's direction. He is driving the message through his posts and his comments to the press,' the official said. 'We are definitely playing offense here. We are once again boxing the Democrats into the corner of defending criminal illegal aliens.' The unrest and its online propagation also heightened activity around projects like People Over Papers, a crowdsourced map for tracking the locations of ICE officers. Reports flooded in as the clashes continued, said Celeste, a project organizer in L.A. who spoke on the condition that her last name not be used for fear of government retribution. 'I haven't slept all weekend,' she said. She added, however, that she worried violent imagery from the ground could hurt the protesters' cause. She said she planned to start making Spanish-language videos for her 51,000 TikTok followers, explaining to skeptics that the violence isn't reflective of the protests, which she sees as necessary to counter ICE's agenda. The L.A. unrest followed weeks of online skirmishes over deportations, some of which have been touched off by the White House's strategy to lean into policy fights with bold and aggressive messaging. The White House last month posted a video that it said showed an 'EPIC takedown of 5 illegal aliens' outside a home improvement store and included an ICE hotline to solicit more tips. The clip, recorded by ICE agents' cameras, was liked 68,000 times but also drew criticism from commenters, who called it 'disturbing' and said this 'isn't a reality show.' After a similar ICE raid on Saturday outside a Home Depot in Paramount, a predominantly Latino suburb of L.A., witnesses sent out alerts on social media, and protesters raced to the scene. Within hours, the Trump administration called for the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to neutralize the unrest. On his Truth Social account a week earlier, Trump celebrated the Supreme Court clearing the way for the removal of some immigrants' legal protections by posting a photo of a jet-filled sky with the phrase, 'Let the Deportations Begin!' The White House has also posted stylized mug shots of unnamed immigrants it said were charged with heinous crimes. 'I love this version of the white house,' one commenter said, with a cry-laugh emoji. 'It feels like a movie every day with President Trump.' During the protests, the administration has worked with new-media figures and online influencers to promote its political points. Phil McGraw, the TV personality known as Dr. Phil who now runs the conservative media network Merit Street, posted an exclusive interview with border czar Tom Homan and embedded with ICE officers last week during L.A. raids, as the company's spokesperson first told CNN. Some top administration officials have worked to frame the protests in militaristic terms, with White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Saturday sharing a video of the protest and calling it 'an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.' Others, like Vice President JD Vance, have treated it as a chance for dark jokes. When posters on X said Vance could do the 'funniest thing ever' by deporting Derek Guy, a prominent menswear commentator who discussed how his family had been undocumented after fleeing Vietnam, the vice president on Monday posted a brief clip of Jack Nicholson nodding with a sinister grin. Some far-right influencers urged their followers to identify people caught on camera during the civil unrest. In one X post with more than 29,000 likes, the account End Wokeness shared a video of masked figures throwing rocks at police from an overpass and said, 'These are insurrectionists trying to kill cops. Make them famous.' In more left-leaning online spaces, some posters watching from the sidelines offered advice on how protesters could best position their cause to the rest of the world. On the r/ICE_raids subreddit, some posters urged L.A. protesters to stop carrying non-American flags. It's 'adding ammo to ICE's justification,' one poster said, attaching a screenshot of a Homeland Security post showing masked protesters with Mexican flags. Many accounts, knowingly or unknowingly, shared images that warped the reality of what was happening on the ground. An X account with 388,000 followers called US Homeland Security News, which is not affiliated with DHS but paid for one of X's 'verified' blue check marks, posted a photo of bricks that it said had been ordered to be 'used by Democrat militants against ICE agents and staff!! It's Civil War!!' The photo actually originated on the website of a Malaysian construction-supply company. The post has nevertheless been viewed more than 800,000 times. On Sunday night, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's X account tried to combat some of the misinformation directly, saying a viral video post being passed around as evidence of the day's chaos was actually five years old. Even before the L.A. protests, the increased attention on ICE activity had driven a rush of online organizing and real-world information gathering, with some people opposed to mass deportations tracking the movements of ICE officers with plans to foil or disrupt raids. In one viral TikTok post last week, a Minneapolis protester marching in a crowd outside the site of a rumored ICE raid said he had learned of it from Reddit, where a photo had been posted of Homeland Security Investigations officers outside a Mexican restaurant. The local sheriff's office later told news crews that the operation was not an immigration-enforcement case and that no arrests had been made. Some online creators treated the L.A. clashes as a prized opportunity for viral content. On Reddit, accounts with names like LiveNews_24H posted 'crazy footage' compilations of the unrest and said it looked like a 'war zone.' On YouTube, Damon Heller, who comments on police helicopter footage and scanner calls under the name Smoke N' Scan, streamed the clashes on Sunday for nearly 12 hours. Jeremy Lee Quinn, a photographer who shares protest footage to his social media followers, posted to Instagram on Saturday a video of protesters cheering from a bridge as officers tried to extinguish a burning police vehicle. Quinn, who also documented Black Lives Matter marches and the U.S. Capitol riots, said viewers on the left and right treat viral videos like weapons in their arsenal. Far-left viewers might take away from the videos ideas for militant tactics to use in future protests, he said, while far-right viewers will promote the videos to suggest the other side craves more violent crime. Either way, his material gets seen - including through reposts by groups such as the LibsOfReddit subreddit, which shares screenshots mocking liberal views on undocumented immigrants and transgender people. 'You end up with a far-right ecosystem that thrives on these viral moments,' Quinn said. As short-form video and social media platforms increasingly become many Americans' news sources of choice, experts worry they could also amp up the fear and outrage engendered by polarizing events. The fragmentation of social media and the attention-chasing machinery of its recommendation algorithms helps ensure that 'there are a lot of people talking past each other,' said Northeastern's Edelson, not seeing one another's content or 'even aware of the facts that are relevant to the other side.' Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, said videos can play a uniquely forceful role in shaping people's reactions to current events because they 'encapsulate the emotion of the moment.' 'There's a heavy dose of misinformation,' he added. 'And, you know, people just end up getting angrier and angrier.' Related Content 'He's waging a war on us': As Trump escalates, Angelenos defend their city To save rhinos, conservationists are removing their horns Donald Trump and the art of the Oval Office confrontation
The Hill
39 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump vs. Musk: Should we laugh or weep?
When you know a couple getting divorced, you might face a dilemma as to whose side to take. Such is not the case in the bitter public breakup between President Trump and Elon Musk. It is easy to say, 'A plague on both your houses.' The verbal fisticuffs between the world's wealthiest and the most powerful social media moguls is amusing but delivers nothing of substance to the American people. The brickbats flew when Musk called Trump's 'big beautiful' tax bill a 'disgusting abomination,' urging Congress to 'KILL the BILL.' Then Musk rhetorically polled his flock on X as to whether it was time to found a new political party representing the 80 percent of Americans 'in the middle.' Trump responded on his Truth Social that 'Elon was 'wearing thin'. I asked him to leave… and he just went CRAZY!' Trump in fact didn't fire Musk — Musk termed out, reaching the maximum number of days he could serve as a 'special government employee.' Trump's response was measured: 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the greatest bills ever presented to Congress.' The budget bill would, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, grow the debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade. Despite Trump's exaggerations, he cannot extend tax cuts and impose inflationary tariffs without causing slower growth and higher interest rates (in the process increasing the cost of debt service). There is also the clear and present danger that the escalating debt will trigger a cataclysmic financial crisis. And his beautiful bill leaves almost 11 million Americans without health insurance over the next decade. Musk endorsed a tweet suggesting that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, then attacked Trump's most beloved issue: 'The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year.' The nonpartisan Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development essentially agrees that the tariffs are inflationary and will throttle growth. Musk also dropped a stink bomb: 'Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,' referring to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in a federal prison while facing charges of sex trafficking. The derisive comments represented a stunning turnabout. Less than a week before, Trump gave Musk a key to the White House as an expression of gratitude for his work with the White House's Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. What brought it all on? Trump said Musk was 'upset' that the pending legislation would roll back subsidies for electric vehicles. Musk denied he was even aware of it. While the game may be afoot between the men in the arena, there is more to this lovers' quarrel. The rift involves political risks for both sides. Trump aides promptly reached out to Musk in an effort to deescalate the conflict. There are now signs of an uneasy truce, even though Trump says he has no desire to mend the rift. Musk's posts about Epstein and possible impeachment were deleted, but who knows whether the cease-fire will hold. Before we start dancing and singing, 'Ding Dong, the witch is dead,' it is important to remember that certain salient features of the Trump-Musk regime remain. DOGE post-Musk is still with us, and it has not saved money while doing lasting damage. Nor has it created efficiency — it has thrown the baby out with the bathwater. The Trump-Musk budget (which Musk has now repudiated) cuts research funding to the bone — steps that would make the country less healthy and leave the field to China. For the past 80 years, the federal government has supported scientific research as a national engine of innovation. Support of basic research by the National Institute of Health has accomplished spectacular advances and makes critical contributions to the economy. For fiscal 2025, the total NIH budget is $48 billion, which may not even be fully awarded; the Trump budget for 2026 proposes to chop it by 44 percent to $27 billion. Meanwhile, China has nearly caught up to us in biotechnology and already conducts more clinical trials than the U.S. and Europe combined. Trump has terminated NIH grants before their scheduled end dates, with an inexplicably heavy bias against infectious disease and vaccine research — not to mention his war on our universities, with total termination at Harvard and freezes at Columbia, Brown and Northwestern. The Trump-Musk divorce is a reminder of indefensible policies, not a harbinger of good news. We will still witness (subject to eventual court rulings) Trump's revenge on law firms he doesn't like, arbitrary firings of civil servants and agency officials, and reciprocal tariffs based on specious claims of 'national emergency.' The poster child of the Trump-Musk legacy is the shuttering of USAID, a soft power success for 80 years that won hearts and minds for America globally. Pete Hegseth is still running amok in the Department of Defense, compromising national security with insecure communications of classified material and dismissing seasoned officers because of race, gender or alleged political disloyalty. Kristi Noem's Department of Homeland Security is still illegally deporting individuals without notice, hearing or hard evidence of undesirability. And Pam Bondi's Justice Department will continue to arrest judges, recommend pardons for the criminal faithful and dismiss strong cases against corrupt politicians. Much of what Trump has done is obviously illegal, but we will have to see if the courts stand up to him or water down their rulings to avoid a constitutional crisis. But legalities aside, is any of this sound policy? The Trump-Musk spat may be amusing, but, as Lord Byron wrote, 'And if I laugh at any mortal thing, 'Tis that I may not weep.' James D. Zirin, author and legal analyst, is a former federal prosecutor in New York's Southern District. He is also the host of the public television talk show and podcast Conversations with Jim Zirin.
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Sleeping Naked Can Keep You Cool, but It Might Not Be Right for Everyone
According to a survey of US adults carried out by mattress outfit Casper a few years ago, almost a third of Americans choose to sleep naked. If you're among that number, you clearly aren't alone. But while sleeping au naturel can be a great way to avoid overheating, it isn't always the great idea that it first seems. The problem is hygiene. There are disadvantages to sleeping naked that you should be aware of, especially if you tend to sweat or have sensitive skin. Below, we'll explain why you might want to rethink your bedtime attire and slip into some pajamas this summer. Also, see how to sleep cool without AC and our favorite sleep accessories for beating the heat. 5 reasons you shouldn't sleep naked When it's sweltering outside, sleeping naked might seem like a great way to cool down. While it can certainly offer relief at the moment, try to keep these things in mind before you disrobe this summer. Read more: Best Mattress Hygiene concerns Every night, your sheets, pillows and mattress collect dust, oil, dead skin and sweat (which is why it's important to clean them regularly). You can't prevent this from happening, but you may be able to slow it down by wearing clothes to bed rather than sleeping naked. However, this build-up can be minimal if good hygiene practices are already followed. CNET Need another hygiene-related reason to cover up at night? According to Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon based in Michigan, an average person farts up to 25 times per day, and if it happens at night, the expelled fecal material could get onto your sheets. Wearing underwear, he says, can help prevent these particles from spreading to your bed. (An important caveat: Youn notes that gynecologists sometimes advise women to sleep without underwear for their vaginal health. If that applies to you, make sure to follow your doctor's recommendation.) No matter your nighttime clothing preferences, you'll still want to wash your bedding at least every other week. If you sleep naked, it's better to change your sheets weekly. You can also shower at night to keep your bed cleaner, but make sure to dry your hair first, otherwise, it could lead to fungi and bacteria growth on your pillow. It's also essential to take care of your mattress, particularly if you're a nude sleeper. This means thoroughly vacuuming and scrubbing it twice per year and replacing it every decade or so. Temperature You'd think sleeping in your birthday suit would help keep you cooler, but it can actually work against you. Wearing light and breathable pajamas to bed can help wick away and absorb moisture. By sleeping naked, if you sweat, your moisture has nowhere to go but your sheets and mattress, creating a damp and uncomfortable sleeping surface. However, this can vary from person to person depending on the room temperature, humidity and bedding materials. Cooling sheets can also help keep you temperature-neutral and wick away moisture. BasakAllergies and sensitivities When you sleep in the nude, there's no barrier between your body and your bedding, which can cause a quicker build-up of things like dirt, oil and dead skin. This isn't just gross; it can actually cause health problems if you have certain allergies or sensitive skin. Here's why. As you sleep, your body sheds dead skin cells, which attract dust mites that then feed on this dead skin. If you're one of the 20 million Americans who are allergic to these mites, you might notice symptoms like congestion, coughing and sneezing. Also, depending on your bedding, sleeping with your skin directly against your sheets could lead to uncomfortable side effects like rashes and irritation. Sleeping without clothes on certain types of sheets (such as ones made of polyester or other synthetic materials) isn't recommended if you have conditions like eczema or psoriasis. Instead, experts suggest sticking to breathable, natural fabrics (such as cotton and silk). Difficulty getting to sleep For some people, being in the nude can feel awkward and unnatural. If you go to bed without clothes, but being naked isn't comfortable for you, you might have a hard time settling into sleep. As a result, your sleep quality could decline, which could lead to irritation, trouble concentrating and memory issues. Similarly, if you go to bed in uncomfortable clothing, you could also face sleep problems. When picking out bedtime attire, choose whatever puts you at ease, whether that's an old T-shirt, a matching set of pajamas or a nightgown. Your sleep quality can also be impacted by other environmental factors, such as room temperature, noise and light levels. In addition, behavioral factors like the time you go to bed, using the bed for other activities and poor sleep hygiene can also make it more difficult to fall asleep. External factors and exposure Aside from the hygiene risks of sleeping in the nude, there are other practical concerns to consider as well. First, clothes can also act as a protective barrier against hungry spiders and insects. They might not completely stop you from getting bitten, but they provide an extra layer of defense. On a different note, going to bed naked could land you in some uncomfortable situations if you have roommates, live with your children or parents, travel often or sleepwalk. For instance, things could get awkward if you're on your way to the restroom in the middle of the night and unexpectedly run into someone else in the hallway. Even worse, if there's an emergency, you might not have time to get dressed before taking action. That could be potentially awkward or embarrassing, especially if you have to evacuate your home for a fire or other unexpected long; didn't read Going to bed naked might not put you at risk for serious, life-or-death health problems, but it's worth thinking about the risks involved in sleeping nude. Importantly, sleeping without clothes can increase the build-up of dirt and dust mites, which can trigger allergies and make your bed a less hygienic place to sleep. Ultimately, the decision of what to wear to bed is a personal one. If you're more comfortable sleeping without clothes, there's no real harm in continuing to do so, but you should aim to change your sheets every week to keep them free of dirt, dust, sweat and other nasty bedfellows.
