logo
Alarmed by Trump Cuts, Scientists Are Talking Science. For 100 Hours.

Alarmed by Trump Cuts, Scientists Are Talking Science. For 100 Hours.

New York Times30-05-2025

Before he started livestreaming a presentation on the history of climate research at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies from its New York City office, David Rind gave viewers a small heads-up.
'If you hear any noise in the background, this place is literally being torn apart with us still in it,' he said.
Researchers were told to vacate the office and transition to remote work after NASA said it had ended the lease, as a result of vast federal cuts in recent months by the Trump administration.
Dr. Rind's presentation was the first of many in a planned, 100-hour-long livestream organized by a group of climate scientists and meteorologists from across the United States designed to protest cuts to weather and climate science and call out potential risks to weather forecasts. The livestream started on Wednesday and is scheduled to run continuously through June 1, the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Since January, the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to climate and weather research, including firing hundreds of scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, ending federal monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and dismissing authors of the National Climate Assessment, the United States' flagship climate report.
'Having reliable weather forecasts and climate projections is something that I think the American public has been able to take for granted for a very long time,' said Margaret Duffy, a climate scientist and an event organizer. 'These funding cuts directly affect the research that underlies those forecasts.'
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Major US Government Website Could be Shut Down After Mass Layoffs
Major US Government Website Could be Shut Down After Mass Layoffs

Newsweek

time10 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Major US Government Website Could be Shut Down After Mass Layoffs

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A central U.S. government website that educates the public about climate science may soon cease to publish new material following a mass firing of its content team, says The Guardian. Newsweek contacted the NOAA for comment on The Guardian's report via email, outside of standard working hours on Thursday. Why It Matters is one of the most widely used climate science resources online, receiving hundreds of thousands of visits monthly, The Guardian noted in its report. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) logo is seen during a NOAA media day at the Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, on May 6, 2025. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) logo is seen during a NOAA media day at the Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, on May 6, 2025. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images The reported layoffs are the latest in a wave of cutbacks by the Trump administration that have already targeted numerous government departments and agencies, including the Department of Education, Food and Drug Administration, and NOAA. What To Know The content production team at operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was abruptly terminated at the end of May, a former contractor among those terminated told the paper anonymously. Newsweek has not verified the anonymous sources. Other former staff said decisions to eliminate their positions appeared not to be based on performance but rather were targeted by political appointees within the Trump administration. "It was a very deliberate, targeted attack," Rebecca Lindsey, the former program manager of the website, told The Guardian. Lindsey, who was fired in February despite receiving what she described as "stellar" performance reviews and a bonus, said the site's funding was stripped during contract negotiations due to pressure from higher-level officials. The 10 or so content staff were supported by NOAA scientists. The site was housed in the agency's science wing rather than its public affairs division, and was designed to maintain political neutrality and scientific accuracy, she told the outlet. "We operated exactly how you would want an independent, nonpartisan communications group to operate," Lindsey said. "It does seem to be part of this sort of slow and quiet way of trying to keep science agencies from providing information to the American public about climate." Tom Di Liberto, a former spokesperson for the NOAA who was fired earlier this year told the outlet: "It's targeted, I think it's clear." "They only fired a handful of people, and it just so happened to be the entire content team for I mean, that's a clear signal." What People Are Saying Former NOAA spokesperson Tom Di Liberto told The Guardian: "My bigger worry, long-term, is I would hate to see it turn into a propaganda website for this administration, because that's not at all what it was." What Happens Next While the site may continue to host some prescheduled updates through June, there are no confirmed plans for future content, The Guardian reported.

Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary
Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A chartered spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary's first astronauts in decades has been delayed indefinitely because of leak concerns at the International Space Station. NASA said Thursday that it wants to monitor the cabin pressure on the Russian side of the orbiting lab before accepting visitors. Officials stressed that the seven astronauts currently at the space station are safe and that other operations up there aren't affected. SpaceX was supposed to launch four private astronauts this week on a 14-day space station mission, but bad weather and SpaceX rocket trouble delayed the flight. Then the station leak issue cropped up. The Russian Space Agency has been dealing with a cabin pressure leak at the station, and recent repairs resulted in what NASA calls 'a new pressure signature.' Additional details were not immediately available. The three Russians aboard the space station recently inspected the inside walls of the aging Zvezda service module, which was launched in 2000. They sealed some areas and measured the current leak rate. 'Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure,' NASA said in an online update. The private mission's delay provides extra time for NASA and the Russian Space Agency 'to evaluate the situation' and determine whether more repairs are needed. The chartered flight was arranged by the Houston company Axiom Space, and was to be Axiom's fourth trip to the space station with paying customers since 2022. 'This is the right thing to do,' Axiom Space's executive chairman Kam Ghaffarian said in a written statement. 'We will continue to work with all of our partners to finalize a new launch date.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary
Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

Hamilton Spectator

time14 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Space station leak concerns will delay visit by astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A chartered spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary's first astronauts in decades has been delayed indefinitely because of leak concerns at the International Space Station. NASA said Thursday that it wants to monitor the cabin pressure on the Russian side of the orbiting lab before accepting visitors. Officials stressed that the seven astronauts currently at the space station are safe and that other operations up there aren't affected. SpaceX was supposed to launch four private astronauts this week on a 14-day space station mission, but bad weather and SpaceX rocket trouble delayed the flight. Then the station leak issue cropped up. The Russian Space Agency has been dealing with a cabin pressure leak at the station, and recent repairs resulted in what NASA calls 'a new pressure signature.' Additional details were not immediately available. The three Russians aboard the space station recently inspected the inside walls of the aging Zvezda service module, which was launched in 2000. They sealed some areas and measured the current leak rate. 'Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure,' NASA said in an online update. The private mission's delay provides extra time for NASA and the Russian Space Agency 'to evaluate the situation' and determine whether more repairs are needed. The chartered flight was arranged by the Houston company Axiom Space, and was to be Axiom's fourth trip to the space station with paying customers since 2022. 'This is the right thing to do,' Axiom Space's executive chairman Kam Ghaffarian said in a written statement. 'We will continue to work with all of our partners to finalize a new launch date.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store