‘State of the science' under Trump? National Academies president plays it safe.
Those were the grim highlights of the second annual State of the Science address Tuesday by Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences.
But the country can change course, she said, by funding education, pursuing international collaborations and advancing national research strategies.
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Despite her stark warnings, McNutt took an understated approach to the chaos consuming U.S. research.
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Europeans and Iran meet in Istanbul as the return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock
The return of sanctions, known as a 'snapback' mechanism, 'remains on the table,' according to a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. 'A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and that they address concerns about their highly-enriched uranium stockpile,' the diplomat said. European leaders have said sanctions will resume by the end of August if there is no progress on containing Iran's nuclear program. Advertisement Tehran, meanwhile, has said the U.S., which withdrew from the 2015 deal during President Donald Trump 's first term, needs to rebuild faith in its role in negotiations. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran's engagement was dependent on 'several key principles' that included 'rebuilding Iran's trust – as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States.' In a social media post Thursday, he also said the talks shouldn't be used 'as a platform for hidden agendas such as military action.' Gharibabadi insisted that Iran's right to enrich uranium 'in line with its legitimate needs' be respected and sanctions removed. Advertisement Iran has repeatedly threatened to leave the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which commits it to refrain from developing nuclear weapons, if sanctions return. Friday's talks were being held at the deputy ministerial level, with Iran sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. A similar meeting was held in Istanbul in May. The identity of the E3 representatives were not immediately clear but the European Union's deputy foreign policy commissioner was thought to be attending. The U.K., France and Germany were signatories to the 2015 deal, alongside the U.S., Russia and China. When the U.S. withdrew in 2018, Trump insisted the agreement wasn't tough enough. Under the original deal, neither Russia nor China can veto reimposed sanctions. Since the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, which saw American B-52 bombers hit three nuclear sites, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the E3 of hypocrisy, saying they failed to uphold their obligations while supporting Israel's attacks. Against the backdrop of the conflict, which saw Iran respond with missile attacks on Israel and a strike on a U.S. base in Qatar, the road ahead remains uncertain. While European officials have said they want to avoid further conflict and are open to a negotiated solution, they have warned that time is running out. Tehran maintains it is open to diplomacy, though it recently suspended cooperation with the IAEA. A central concern for Western powers was highlighted when the IAEA reported in May that Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% – just below weapons-grade level – had grown to over 400 kilograms (882 pounds). Advertisement In an interview with Al Jazeera that aired Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is prepared for another war and reiterated that its nuclear program will continue within the framework of international law while adding the country had no intention of pursuing nuclear weapons. A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Thursday the country's nuclear industry would 'grow back and thrive again' after the recent attacks by Israel and the U.S. Vahdat reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writer Stephanie Lichtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Gaza Talks Stall as Israel, US Pull Negotiators
00:00 Earlier this week, there was some optimism that maybe we'd get a breakthrough on these ceasefire discussions. But there was no break for it. And in fact, it seems as though the talks once again have collapsed. So tell us the latest and why we think these these negotiations were not successful Yes, I think this definitely is a setback for these talks. There was a lot of optimism that if we weren't going to get a ceasefire announced this week, then then at least there would be a big breakthrough. And Donald Trump's main U.S. main envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Europe. And the expectation or the hope, at least among many people, was that he would travel to Qatar, where the key the key negotiators for Israel and Hamas are. And if he did, that would be a sign that a ceasefire was imminent. But he hasn't gone there. And then last night, Israel said it was recalling its negotiators in the U.S. with doing the same. It's a little bit unclear, but obviously what what happened was that Israel studied Hamas's latest response, which came on Wednesday, and it wasn't satisfied. And some Israeli media are saying that Hamas upped its demands for the number of Palestinians that must be released from Israeli jails as part of the 60 day truce that they're negotiating. So that could have been a stumbling block. We did have one person involved in the mediation tell us that this doesn't mean the talks have collapsed completely. And we also had an Israeli official expressing some optimism that they could still go on. But clearly, this this you know, this is yet another instance of these of these talks stalling. Yeah, a setback Yesterday, the French President Macron made a big statement saying that France will move to recognize Palestinian statehood as soon as September over in the UK. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is also under pressure to do the same. Why? Why now? What is it with this timing in particular? It's it's a good question. I think the bigger picture is that there's growing anger among world powers, especially in Western Europe. Well, in places like Western Europe and the Arab world over the continuation of the of the war in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian situation there, we had roughly 25 to 30 countries, including the UK and France and Japan and Norway and Australia, putting out a joint statement on on Monday in which they called for Israel to end the war immediately. And they said that the situation regarding supplies of food and and medicine to Gazans was and was horrific. And that's starvation was was growing. So that's the bigger picture. I think there's a lot of frustration in the rest of the world. Israel's relations with a lot of European countries have been severely damaged in recent months because because of all this and when it comes to Emmanuel Macron, he has been sort of among, let's say, key world powers, sort of at the forefront of saying he wants to recognize a Palestinian state and he's putting pressure on Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, to do the same for Israel in the U.S. This is that very kind of frustrated by this move and they say it will threaten Israel's security.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A look at details of the settlement between Columbia University and the Trump administration
A deal between Columbia University and the Trump administration calls for the Ivy League school to pay more than $220 million to resolve multiple federal investigations into alleged violations of federal antidiscrimination laws. The agreement announced Wednesday clears the way for the school to keep billions of dollars in federal research money, including more than $400 million in grants canceled earlier this year. In return, the deal calls for a number of reforms in areas such as admissions, campus protests policies and its curriculum, including a number of changes the school agreed to previously in March. It is a document President Donald Trump's administration is calling a road map for settlements with other colleges accused of not doing enough to address campus antisemitism. Columbia University's acting president, Claire Shipman, said it protects the school's values and autonomy. Here's what's in the settlement: Financial payout The university will pay the federal government $200 million over three years. It will also pay $21 million to settle alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. A pledge to end diversity programs The university agreed to end programs 'that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotes, diversity targets or similar efforts.' Columbia, as part of the agreement, must also issue regular reports to an independent monitor assuring that its programs 'do not promote unlawful DEI goals.' The agreement pushes Columbia to limit the consideration of race even beyond the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending affirmative action. That decision left open the possibility that universities could consider an applicant's discussion of how their race affected their life, including in college application essays. The agreement says: 'Columbia may not use personal statements, diversity narratives, or any applicant reference to racial identity as a means to introduce or justify discrimination.' Faculty and curriculum changes Columbia agreed to review its Middle East curriculum and appoint new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies who will 'contribute to a robust and intellectually diverse academic environment.' To further support Jewish students on campus, the agreement calls for a new administrator to serve as a liaison on antisemitism issues. Reporting on international students Columbia University agreed to new vetting for prospective international students. The agreement calls for introducing 'questions designed to elicit their reasons for wishing to study in the United States' and establishes processes to make sure all students are committed to 'civil discourse.' The university also promised to provide the government with information, upon request, of disciplinary actions involving student-visa holders resulting in expulsions or suspensions. 'In several instances, the agreement codifies other practices or policies already in existence, or reviews already underway. We must always comply with government regulations regarding the international student visa program, for example,' Shipman said. The agreement says Columbia also will 'examine its business model and take steps to decrease financial dependence on international student enrollment.' International students make up about 40% of the enrollment at Columbia. Abiding Trump's interpretation on sex discrimination The agreement requires full compliance with the administration's interpretation of Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in education. Trump officials have used the law to force the removal of transgender athletes from women's sports. Campus protest policies The deal calls for Columbia to abide restrictions it agreed to on campus protests, including a ban on face coverings used to conceal demonstrators' identity. It says protests inside academic buildings are not acceptable under the university's code of conduct. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
