Latest news with #Trumpadministration
CNN
an hour ago
- Health
- CNN
A researcher with hearing loss got a grant to study restoring hearing. The Trump administration cancelled it because of DEI
Dr. Uri Manor feels like much of his early life was blessed by fate. Born with genetic hearing loss that enables him to hear only about 10% of what others might, Manor was diagnosed at age 2, when he happened to be living in Wichita, Kansas – the home of what he describes as 'one of the most advanced schools for children with hearing loss, maybe in the world.' 'It wasn't clear if I would ever learn language, if I would ever be able to speak clearly,' said Manor, now 45. 'So I was very lucky, really weirdly lucky, that we were living in Wichita, Kansas, at the time.' Working in Wichita with experts at the Institute of Logopedics, now called Heartspring, Manor learned to speak. That same sort of serendipity led Manor into an unexpected career studying hearing loss himself, first at the US National Institutes of Health and, now, leading his own lab at the University of California, San Diego, where his research into ways to restore hearing was supported by a major five-year NIH grant. But that's where Manor's luck ran out. His grant was terminated in May by the Trump administration as part of its policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives; Manor's funding had been awarded through a program that aimed to promote workforce diversity, for which he qualified because he has hearing loss. Now, Manor's research is in limbo, like that of thousands of other scientists whose work is supported in large part by the federal government and who've been affected by grant terminations. And the halt comes as research into hearing loss, which affects as many as 15% of American adults and 1 in 400 children at birth, had recently shown signs of rapid advancement. It was intense curiosity about the world that led Manor into a career in science, where early on, fate seemed to strike again. As a researcher at the NIH and Johns Hopkins working toward his Ph.D., Manor hoped to find an adviser interested in how magnetic fields could influence cells – an obsession that stemmed from a fascination with animals' ability to navigate using magnetic fields of the Earth. 'I was describing that to a physicist PI [primary investigator] at the NIH, and he goes, 'Yeah, I can't support that project, but what you're describing sounds a lot like the hair cells of the inner ear. You should go talk to this PI, who studies hair cells,'' Manor recalled. Despite spending much of his time at the audiologist's office, he said, 'I'd never thought about the ear.' That PI, Dr. Bechara Kachar, showed him microscope images of hair cells in the inner ear, which enable us to hear, and Manor remembers being stunned. 'I fell in love with the hair cell, these mysterious cells in our ear, because the system was so amazing, how it all comes together and how it all works,' Manor said. 'I got goosebumps. I have hearing loss, and I never thought about studying it. But now I was in this room falling in love with this system. I was like, 'What if this is like my destiny? What if this is what I'm supposed to be doing?'' In 2023, Manor received his first R01 grant from the NIH, a major five-year award that would support his lab's work on ways to restore hearing. Again, serendipity had struck; the R01 grant process is intensely competitive, funding only a fraction of the applications the biomedical research agency gets. Young researchers are advised to apply to research funding programs where they may have a unique edge, to improve their odds, Manor said. There was one that seemed a perfect fit; he was encouraged by mentors to apply to a program at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that aimed to promote workforce diversity. It was specifically designed to support early-stage researchers 'from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups,' such as people with disabilities. Manor qualified because he has 'congenital severe-to-profound hearing loss,' he said. 'It felt right.' Even at the time, Manor said, he acknowledged the risk that government initiatives supporting DEI may not always be popular. His biggest concern, though, was that he might not be able to renew his grant through the same program after its five years were up. But his luck turned. In late May, he received notification from the NIH that, only two years in, his five-year grant had been canceled. The reason: The Trump administration was targeting programs promoting DEI. 'Research programs based primarily on artificial and non-scientific categories, including amorphous equity objectives, are antithetical to the scientific inquiry, do nothing to expand our knowledge of living systems, provide low returns on investment, and ultimately do not enhance health, lengthen life, or reduce illness,' the notice read. 'It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize such research programs.' No more funding would be awarded, it continued, and all future years on the grant had been removed. 'No one ever imagined that a grant could be canceled in the middle of an award period,' Manor said. 'It might be naïve and incorrect, but when you get a five-year grant from the NIH, that's a five-year contract, and you make plans based on five years. … That's really kind of rocked our world.' A spokesperson for the NIH told CNN: 'The study itself has value, however unfortunately it was funded under an ideologically driven DEI program under the Biden Administration. In the future, NIH will review, and fund research based on scientific merit rather than on DEI criteria.' Manor spent the next two weeks sleeping two to three hours a night, writing new grant proposals to try to replace the lost funds. But the termination meant his lab had to stop experiments, some of which had taken years to set up. Manor took that measure in an attempt to avoid having to lay off staff members – which he ultimately had to do as well. Hearing loss affects more than 30 million people in the US, with prevalence rising as people age. Recently, the field has taken leaps forward, with trials of gene therapies, which deliver working copies of genes to make up for mutated ones that cause deafness, helping children hear for the first time. 'We're at the threshold of a brave new world, so to speak,' said Dr. Charles Liberman, a senior scientist and former director of the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear, one of the largest hearing research laboratories in the world. 'It's pretty incredible, the progress that's been made in the last 10 or 15 years, on understanding what goes wrong in the ear and having a pretty good handle on what kinds of approaches might work to cure sensorineural hearing loss.' Liberman anticipates breakthroughs in the next five to 10 years in slowing age-related hearing loss as well and, 'perhaps farther in the future, to actually reverse age-related hearing loss.' Liberman said Manor – with whom he's collaborated in the past – is contributing to the field's advancements. 'He has not been in the field for terribly long, but he's already made a big impression because of the incredible sort of computational approaches he takes to analyzing data from the inner ear,' he said. 'His grant got cut because it was a diversity initiative,' Liberman continued, 'but Uri's research is top quality, and I'm sure it would have been funded just on its own merit.' Manor's was one of thousands of NIH grants cut by the Trump administration, amounting to almost $3.8 billion in lost funding, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Others canceled under the banner of combating DEI ideology include those focused on HIV, where researchers reported receiving notification identical to Manor's. But recently, Manor's fortunes seemed to have changed again. A federal judge ruled in June that it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants in areas including racial health disparities and transgender health. Manor's is among the grants included, and he received notice that the funding should come through. Still, he said he worries about whether that decision will hold through future court challenges. And he, like so many other scientists affected by the administration's drastic cuts to research funding, warns about the effects on scientific progress. 'No matter what your political leanings are, you have a 1 in 400 chance of having a child with hearing loss,' he said. Anyone dealing with medical conditions 'will benefit from the amazing advances of science and our biomedical research force.' But he also emphasized the importance of recognizing that research like his is supported by taxpayers, some of whom 'are struggling to pay their own bills, who are struggling to pay their kids' doctors bills.' 'And some of their taxpayer dollars are coming to my lab,' he said. 'That's a huge responsibility and privilege, and we have to make sure we're doing good with it. For me, that's a really powerful motivating factor, and I would like to believe that we're doing it.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Police open fire on hungry refugees in Kenya as US aid cuts trigger food shortages
Police opened fire on hungry refugees in northern Kenya on Monday amid a worsening food crisis triggered by the abrupt withdrawal of US humanitarian funding. At least two people were reportedly killed after angry protesters attempted to storm a United Nations facility in Kakuma, a settlement housing more than 300,000 refugees. Aid workers have warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Kenya's refugee camps after the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to slash rations when the Trump administration cut foreign aid. Until January, the United States funded 70 percent of WFP's programme feeding more in the Kakuma and Dadaab camps, which house more than 800,000 refugees who have fled conflict and natural disaster from more than a dozen countries in Africa and beyond. But shortly after Donald Trump's inauguration, the State department halted contributions, leaving WFP unable to provide more than 30 per cent of the minimum daily calories needed to stay healthy. Assistance is usually split between direct food aid and cash handouts, designed to give refugees choice and support small businesses in the camps. But ration cuts have left many families skipping meals, with child and adult malnutrition rising sharply. The crisis is most acute at Kalobeyei, an experimental settlement within Kakuma where more than 70,000 refugees relied almost entirely on cash transfers. Handouts stopped altogether at the end of June, collapsing local businesses and driving many into debt. Ironically, Monday's protest, which was centred on Kalobeyei, was sparked by news that the programme would resume – but only partially. Refugees were divided into four categories, with the most vulnerable receiving just £3-£6 a month, while the rest would get nothing. Hundreds gathered outside a WFP storage facility at dawn to denounce what they called 'differentiated assistance'. As crowds swelled, the protest turned violent, witnesses said. 'They broke down the doors and were attacking people with knives and stones,' said one refugee, injured by a rock and trapped inside with WFP staff. 'We managed to escape in WFP vehicles but a number of people were hurt.' Witnesses said demonstrators set fire to an empty warehouse before police opened fire, killing two people and wounding several others. Kenyan police and UN officials declined to comment on casualties but The Telegraph was able to confirm the death of one protester, shot in the back of the head. WFP said it was investigating. 'The World Food Programme (WFP) can confirm that a fire broke out at its storage facility in Kalobeyei Settlement in northern Kenya on Monday 28th July,' a WFP spokesperson said. 'WFP and the local authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding this incident and assessing any damage or losses. 'WFP's priority is the safety and well-being of the people we serve, and our staff.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Pause': Kaiser stops gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19
( — Kaiser Permanente has announced it will be pausing gender-affirming surgeries for patients who are under the age of 19. Kaiser became the latest health care provider to change its gender-affirming care policy starting August 29, in response to efforts by the Trump administration to restrict access. 'After significant deliberation and consultation with internal and external experts, including our physicians, we've made the difficult decision to pause surgical treatment for patients under the age of 19 in our hospitals and surgical centers,' a Kaiser spokesperson told 'All other gender-affirming care treatment remains available.' Kaiser says there has been a huge focus by the federal government on gender-affirming care, especially for those who are under the age of 19. Ring app users report unauthorized access to their accounts 'We continue to meet with regulators as well as our clinicians, patients, their families, and the community with the goal of identifying a responsible path forward,' Kaiser officials said. According to the hospital, this includes an executive order that instructs federal agencies to take actions to reduce access and restrict funding for gender-affirming care, and hospital inquiries by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and changes to coverage and border federal agencies review, which includes the Federal Trade Commission. A recent subpoena has also been issued by the U.S. Department of Justice to doctors and clinics that provided care to minors. 'We recognize that this is an extremely challenging and stressful time for our patients seeking care, as well as for our clinicians whose mission is to care for them,' Kaiser said. 'We will work closely with each patient to support their care journey.' State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) stated this is 'straight up denial of care' to those who are under the care of a physician and parents who have permitted the treatments. 'Trump has declared war on trans people and trans kids and their families in particular,' Wiener said. 'Now is the time to have these kids' and these families' backs, not to fold under pressure from the most homophobic and transphobic Administration in modern history — an Administration that won't stop until LGBTQ people are entirely erased from public life.' reached out to some Republican senators and congressmen, but did not hear back in time for this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Iraq's prime minister seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay
BAGHDAD: The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the US and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran — and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and — as he seeks a second term — why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. Staying on the sidelines as Israel and Iran traded blows After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firing missiles at Tel Aviv, armed groups in Iraq attempted to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and at bases in Iraq housing US troops, Al-Sudani said. But they were thwarted 29 times by Iraqi government 'security operations' that he did not detail. 'We know that the (Israeli) government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region,' Al-Sudani said. 'Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.' Al-Sudani said his government also reached out to leaders in Iran 'to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations.' The future of the US presence in Iraq is in flux The US and Iraq last year announced an agreement to wrap up the mission of an American-led coalition in Iraq fighting the Islamic State — and in March Al-Sudani announced that the head of IS in Iraq and Syria had been killed in a joint Iraqi-US operation. The first phase of the coalition's drawdown was supposed to be completed by September 2025, but there has been little sign of it happening. Al-Sudani said the US and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to 'arrange the bilateral security relationship' between the two countries. He also hopes to secure US economic investment — in oil and gas, and also artificial intelligence — which he said would contribute to regional security and make 'the two countries great together.' A variety of militias sprung up in Iraq in the years after the 2003 US invasion that toppled former autocratic leader Saddam Hussein. And since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, sparking regionwide conflicts, an array of pro-Iran armed factions have periodically launched strikes on bases housing US troops. Al-Sudani said the presence of the coalition forces had provided a 'justification' for Iraqi groups to arm themselves, but that once the coalition withdrawal is complete, 'there will be no need or no justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state.' The fate of Iran-backed militias in Iraq is unclear One of the most complicated issues for Al-Sudani is how to handle the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that formed to fight IS. This coalition was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016, although in practice it still operates with significant autonomy. The Iraqi parliament is discussing legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington. The State Department said in a statement last week that the legislation 'would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty.' Al-Sudani defended the proposed legislation, saying it's part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. 'Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,' he said. Indications of weak state authority In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks have targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish regional authorities accused groups in the PMF of carrying out the attacks. Authorities in Baghdad disputed this, but haven't assigned blame. Al-Sudani called the attacks a 'terrorist act' and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Just as the drone attacks have called into question Baghdad's control over armed groups, so has the case of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who went missing in Iraq in 2023. Her family believes she is being held by the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, and there have reportedly been US-mediated negotiations to negotiate her release. Al-Sudani did not name the group responsible for Tsurkov's kidnapping, but he pushed back against the idea that his government has not made serious efforts to free her. He said his government has a team dedicated to finding her. 'We do not negotiate with gangs and kidnappers,' he said, but the team has been in discussions with political factions that might be able to help locate her. Rebuilding relations with Damascus Relations between Iraq and the new government in Syria have been tenuous since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December, after a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgents. Syria's interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa was formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al-Golani. He once joined the ranks of Al-Qaeda insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. Al-Sharaa still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. Al-Sharaa has since broken with Al-Qaeda and has fought against the Islamic State. Al-Sudani said his government is coordinating with the new Syrian government, particularly on security matters. 'We and the administration in Syria certainly have a common enemy, Daesh, which is clearly and openly present inside Syria,' he said. Al-Sudani said his government has warned the Syrians against the mistakes that occurred in Iraq after Saddam's fall, when the ensuing security vacuum spawned years of sectarian violence and the rise of armed extremist groups. In recent weeks, sectarian violence in Syria has shaken the country's fragile postwar recovery. Al-Sudani called for Syria's current leadership to pursue a 'comprehensive political process that includes all components and communities.' 'We do not want Syria to be divided,' he said. 'This is unacceptable and we certainly do not want any foreign presence on Syrian soil,' apparently alluding to Israel's incursions into southern Syria.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Iraq's prime minister seeks closer US ties while keeping armed groups at bay
BAGHDAD (AP) — The prime minister of Iraq has kept his country on the sidelines as military conflicts raged nearby for almost two years. This required balancing Iraq's relations with two countries vital to his power and enemies with each other: the U.S. and Iran. The feat became especially difficult last month when war broke out between Israel, a U.S. ally, and Iran — and the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites. Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he used a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups aligned with Iran from entering the fray. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he plans to keep these groups in check going forward and — as he seeks a second term — why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration, even as he maintains strong ties to Iran-backed political parties that helped propel him to power in 2022. Staying on the sidelines as Israel and Iran traded blows After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran and it responded by firing missiles at Tel Aviv, armed groups in Iraq attempted to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and at bases in Iraq housing U.S. troops, al-Sudani said. But they were thwarted 29 times by Iraqi government 'security operations' that he did not detail. 'We know that the (Israeli) government had a policy — and still does — of expanding the war in the region,' al-Sudani said. 'Therefore, we made sure not to give any justification to any party to target Iraq.' Al-Sudani said his government also reached out to leaders in Iran 'to urge them toward calm and to make room for dialogue and a return to negotiations.' The future of the US presence in Iraq is in fluxThe U.S. and Iraq last year announced an agreement to wrap up the mission of an American-led coalition in Iraq fighting the Islamic State — and in March al-Sudani announced that the head of IS in Iraq and Syria had been killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation. The first phase of the coalition's drawdown was supposed to be completed by September 2025, but there has been little sign of it happening. Al-Sudani said the U.S. and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to 'arrange the bilateral security relationship' between the two countries. He also hopes to secure U.S. economic investment — in oil and gas, and also artificial intelligence — which he said would contribute to regional security and make 'the two countries great together.' A variety of militias sprung up in Iraq in the years after the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled former autocratic leader Saddam Hussein. And since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, sparking regionwide conflicts, an array of pro-Iran armed factions have periodically launched strikes on bases housing U.S. troops. Al-Sudani said the presence of the coalition forces had provided a 'justification' for Iraqi groups to arm themselves, but that once the coalition withdrawal is complete, 'there will be no need or no justification for any group to carry weapons outside the scope of the state.' The fate of Iran-backed militias in Iraq is unclear One of the most complicated issues for al-Sudani is how to handle the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite, Iran-backed militias that formed to fight IS. This coalition was formally placed under the control of the Iraqi military in 2016, although in practice it still operates with significant autonomy. The Iraqi parliament is discussing legislation that would solidify the relationship between the military and the PMF, drawing objections from Washington. The State Department said in a statement last week that the legislation 'would institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq's sovereignty.' Al-Sudani defended the proposed legislation, saying it's part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. 'Security agencies must operate under laws and be subject to them and be held accountable,' he said. Indications of weak state authority In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks have targeted oil facilities in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region. Kurdish regional authorities accused groups in the PMF of carrying out the attacks. Authorities in Baghdad disputed this, but haven't assigned blame. Al-Sudani called the attacks a 'terrorist act' and said his government is working with Kurdish authorities and coalition forces to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. Just as the drone attacks have called into question Baghdad's control over armed groups, so has the case of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who went missing in Iraq in 2023. Her family believes she is being held by the Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, and there have reportedly been U.S.-mediated negotiations to negotiate her release. Al-Sudani did not name the group responsible for Tsurkov's kidnapping, but he pushed back against the idea that his government has not made serious efforts to free her. He said his government has a team dedicated to finding her. 'We do not negotiate with gangs and kidnappers,' he said, but the team has been in discussions with political factions that might be able to help locate her. Rebuilding relations with Damascus Relations between Iraq and the new government in Syria have been tenuous since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December, after a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgents. Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He once joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Al-Sharaa still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. Al-Sharaa has since broken with al-Qaida and has fought against the Islamic State. Al-Sudani said his government is coordinating with the new Syrian government, particularly on security matters. 'We and the administration in Syria certainly have a common enemy, ISIS, which is clearly and openly present inside Syria,' he said. Al-Sudani said his government has warned the Syrians against the mistakes that occurred in Iraq after Saddam's fall, when the ensuing security vacuum spawned years of sectarian violence and the rise of armed extremist groups. In recent weeks, sectarian violence in Syria has shaken the country's fragile postwar recovery. Al-Sudani called for Syria's current leadership to pursue a 'comprehensive political process that includes all components and communities.' 'We do not want Syria to be divided,' he said. 'This is unacceptable and we certainly do not want any foreign presence on Syrian soil,' apparently alluding to Israel's incursions into southern Syria.
