Trump Tech Aide Calls for ‘Creative' R&D Push After Budget Cuts
White House science and technology director Michael Kratsios said the US will need to make 'smart choices' with public research funding to stay competitive in areas like artificial intelligence as the Trump administration's sweeping budget cuts spread to research organizations.
'We must be more creative in our use of public research and development money and shape a funding environment that makes clear what our national priorities are,' Kratsios told technology leaders on Monday at the Endless Frontiers retreat in Austin, his first public remarks since his Senate confirmation in March. Kratsios added that federal dollars for research proposals should be deployed 'more rapidly' and said similar approaches proved valuable during the Covid pandemic.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Final decision due on Porton Down science labs
A decision is finally expected on whether to move hundreds of government science jobs out of Wiltshire to Essex. The Health Security Agency at Porton Down researches how to tackle the world's most infectious diseases, and prepare the UK for future pandemics. Over the last 15 years plans have been worked up to relocate its 900 workers to new facilities in Harlow, but the estimated costs have spiralled - ministers expect a final decision in Wednesday's government spending review. The MP covering Porton Down - Conservative John Glen - said: "It's taken 10 years to still be in doubt whether this should still happen and the costs have gone up six-fold." The National Audit Office reported the cost of the whole project is estimated to be £3.2bn, a figure more than 500% higher than the initial forecast of £530m. When it was officially announced in 2015 that the labs would move to Harlow, Essex, the MP there at the time said he was pleased and it would "bring thousands of jobs". Speaking to the BBC this week, Mr Glen said the new build would be "dressed up" as a world-class hub. "But Porton Down already is world-class," he said. "We've already got the world's best scientists doing amazing collaborative work." More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire He added staff get paid to do work for other countries, including the US, and when unions asked workers there several years ago, most did not want to move. He said: "There's an established pattern of activity there. We do need more investment but not the extent of building and refurbishing an unsuitable lab in Harlow." Scientific work has been going on at Porton Down for 100 years, but much the infrastructure is old. However, Mr Glen said there had been "additional investment" because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the government needs to "be realistic". "This is an opportunity to save money, to reverse George Osborne's ambitious decision but still invest in science and an established rhythm of work," he said. No construction work has started at the Harlow site, which is being maintained by staff to keep it secure. The government said it had been considering options and whether building a new facility is still viable. It estimates if the Harlow centre is built, it will not open before 2036 - some 15 years behind schedule. When Health Secretary Wes Streeting was asked about the possible move in March, he said: "[This] has been running around the system so long that it is now used in a case study for senior civil servant recruitment," he said. "The worst decision is indecision. "It has plagued us for too long and I hope we can soon report back to the house with a decision on that for everyone's benefit." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Deadly pathogen research hub remains unbuilt despite £400m spend Work paused on dangerous pathogens research facility Site purchase promises thousands of jobs Public Health lab move confirmed Can this laboratory help stop the next pandemic?
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Factbox-Los Angeles, progressive beacon at center of anti-Trump backlash
By Costas Pitas LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Protests in Los Angeles against raids on suspected undocumented immigrants have turned into the strongest domestic backlash against President Donald Trump since he took office in January. Here is how the Democratic-leaning city and state of California vary from Trump's Republicans and his support in the U.S. heartland. PARTY POLITICS Nationwide, Trump won around 2.5 million more votes than his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November presidential election but in Los Angeles, Harris won by a margin of roughly two to one. Of the 50 U.S. states, California backed Harris by the fifth largest margin. California is also home to several top-level Democrats, including Harris herself, and long-time former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Governor Gavin Newsom is a Democrat, as is the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass. Both have complained about Trump's tactics this week. The party raises millions in the state from wealthy donors and grassroots supporters, sometimes in a single day. DEMOGRAPHICS At 27.3%, California has the highest foreign-born population of any U.S. state, compared to 13.9% of the total U.S. population, according to a 2024 Census report. Nearly half of Angelenos are Hispanic or Latino and some 35% of the city's total population is foreign-born, according to the American Community Survey, with many cultural and business ties to Mexico, which is only about a two-hour drive south. ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS Faced with persistently bad air quality, especially in cities with strong driving cultures such as Los Angeles, California has developed some of the strictest environmental regulations in the country, opposed by many Republicans. A landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 in California is in the crosshairs of a battle between its Democratic leadership and the Republican-run federal government, also because many other states replicate California's first-in-the-nation action. In May, the Republican-run Senate in Washington voted to ban the plan and it is now awaiting Trump's signature. He is expected to sign it this week, according to industry officials. HOLLYWOOD American movies and television are one of the most visible U.S. exports, emanating from an LA-based industry that had been hailed by liberals for boosting diversity but criticized by some conservatives for creating films that include LGBT stories. In May, Trump suggested a tariff on movies produced in foreign countries to protect a domestic industry that he said was "dying a very fast death." But when China retaliated by saying it would curb American film imports, he prompted laughter at a cabinet meeting by a response that signaled his derision for Hollywood: "I think I've heard of worse things."
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Five of six potential candidates meet signature requirements for Senate District 4 special election
A campaign sign in a North Providence front yard supports Stefano Famiglietti in the race to fill the vacant Rhode Island Senate District 4 seat. Famiglietti has the endorsement of the district Democratic committee. (Photo by Janine Weisman/Rhode Island Current) Four Democrats and one Republican are still in the running to fill the open Rhode Island Senate District 4 seat, having met the signature requirements ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline, according to the Rhode Island Secretary of State website. A potential sixth contender, and the only independent candidate for the race, Stephen Tocco, withdrew his declaration of candidacy on Monday, Faith Chybowski, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State, confirmed in an email. Tocco, a retired chief of Rhode Island Capitol Police and former Smithfield Town Council member, said he decided to withdraw after seeing the number and quality of other candidates. 'I figured, why become a spoiler and hurt one of the two candidates in the general election,' Tocco said in an interview Tuesday. 'I might have gotten 6-10% and that could have hurt either candidate. I didn't want to do that. We need good people out there in the public arena. The seat spanning parts of North Providence and Providence became vacant after the death of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio on April 21. Ruggerio, a Democrat, had held the seat since 1984. The four Democratic candidates seeking the seat will compete in a primary election on July 8. Candidate Stefano Famiglietti, a North Providence City Councilor, will appear first on the ballot, having secured the endorsement of the Senate District 4 Democratic Committee. The Secretary of State's Elections Division will hold a lottery Wednesday to determine the order in which the remaining candidates will appear on the primary ballot. They are Lenny Cioe, a registered nurse; former state Rep. Marcia Ranglin-Vassell; and Manny Taveras, brother of former Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. The lottery will also decide the order of the Republican or Democratic Party candidates on the general election ballot. As the only Republican candidate, Alexander Asermely, a lawyer, automatically advances to the Aug. 5 general special election. The winner of the election will serve the rest of Ruggerio's two-year term, through 2026. State lawmakers are paid $19,817 a year. The registration deadline for the July primary was Sunday, July 8. Registered voters have until June 17 to apply for a mail ballot. Early voting runs from June 18 to July 7. More information for candidates and voters is available online. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
