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Joel Achenbach

@joelachenbach.bsky.social
689 followers 334 following 50 posts

Still hacking away! Mostly cover science but find the whole world interesting. Will Turn Phrase For Food. Washington Post 1990-present, Miami Herald 1982-1990.

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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Loren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Here's a gift link to our Artemis story out today www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission will go boldly where no one has gone before—thanks to a fully functional toilet they'll take with them around the moon, a first for lunar spaceflight. Nice piece by @krcallaway.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/arte...
scientificamerican.com
Artemis II’s toilet is a moon mission milestone
On their voyages to the moon, NASA’s astronauts are finally getting some creature comforts of terrestrial toilets—such as having a door and being able to pee and poop simultaneously
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
I'm impressed by NASA boss Isaacman and wrote so in Slate. He said what everyone knows, that Artemis program needed to be revamped. A lot depends on this lunar flyby. Taking deep breaths here...https://slate.com/technology/2026/03/nasa-moon-elon-musk-artemis-billionaire.html
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Astronauts Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen are supposed to blast off in about an hour. i hope everyone appreciates their courage, dedication, the years of training. And the risks of Artemis II. NASA's rocket and capsule have never flown a crew anywhere, much less to the moon.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
NASA is about to fling 4 astronauts around the moon. What could go wrong? A reasonable question. Here's my take on @nasaartemis.bsky.social and the new NASA boss Jared Isaacman slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com
It’s the Most Famous Line in NASA History. You’ve Heard It a Million Times. The Future of the Agency Now Depends on Remembering It.
The agency’s new leader is showing promise so far.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
New at @slate.com : My Presidents Day essay on why Trump is no George Washington slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com
Donald Trump and George Washington Have Some Surprising Traits in Common. There’s One Gigantic Difference.
Washington desperately wanted to be a great man, and to be remembered as such.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Shannon Osaka @shannonosaka.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
from the NYT: 'Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post guild, said: “I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.”' www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
nytimes.com
Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Hannah Natanson and colleagues have done amazing Pulitzer-worthy work the past 366 days. Seized materials “contain years of information about past and current confidential sources and other unpublished newsgathering materials."
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
WaPo court filing: "The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting + inflicts irreparable harm.. The government seized this proverbial haystack in an attempt to locate a needle." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Washington Post demands government return materials seized from reporter
The Post demanded in a court filing Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporter’s home.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Philip Bump @pbump.com · 14/01/2026
Gift link to FBI-targeted Post reporter Hannah Natanson's sweeping look at how federal workers have been targeted by Trump. wapo.st/49BQBrh
wapo.st
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Glenn Kessler @glennkessler.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
A new outrage — and an assault on the media. Hannah Natanson has broken scoop after scoop on Trump’s destruction of the US government —> FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Robert Wright @robertwrighter.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
There's nothing quite like a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social, as I am reminded every time I have a conversation with @joelachenbach.bsky.social. You can watch the latest example here or listen to it on the @nonzeronews.bsky.social podcast. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDL...
youtube.com
NASA’s Plans for the Moon and Mars | Robert Wright & Joel Achenbach
YouTube video by Nonzero
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Ed Yong is offline @edyong209.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
I can’t recommend this enough. UNBREAKING, a new project from @lizneeley.bsky.social & co, documents & explains our many concurrent institutional collapses. It’s beautifully executed work, full of intellectual & moral clarity. 3 pages are live, more will come. It’s SO GOOD, & I learned so much.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Rob Pegoraro @robpegoraro.com · 11/12/2025
This piece by my fellow space nerd and ex-Postie launches as a breakdown of why NASA's planned return to the Moon looks like such a mess right now and then ascends on a trajectory to a grand unified theory of why space exploration matters to all of us on the good Earth.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Officially, America is supposed to land on the moon again in 2027. Ask anyone inside NASA under President Convicted Felon, and you will hear a different story: “It’s like we’re tossing the crown jewels in the Thames.” slate.com/technology/2... via @joelachenbach.bsky.social
slate.com
It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.
What happened to NASA?
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Barton Gellman @bartongellman.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
If you're looking for a great read on the state of our space programs -- Moon, Mars, asteroids, robot probes, and don't forget the Oort Cloud -- check out this gem from @joelachenbach.bsky.social: slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com
It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.
What happened to NASA?
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
We're going back to the moon! But...Space is hard. Here's my new essay for Slate on NASA and Artemis and Starship and The Conquest of Space and human destiny and that kinda thing. YMMV. Warning, it's long. slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com
It May Be the Literal Key to Human Destiny. Under Trump, It’s the Greatest Disaster It’s Ever Been.
What happened to NASA?
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
I retired from WaPo but kept typing and here's my first piece, on NASA's IMAP mission, the nature of the heliosphere, and our solar system's journey through the galaxy. paw.princeton.edu/article/imap...
paw.princeton.edu
A Million Miles Away
NASA’s new IMAP mission, developed at Princeton, aims to reveal more about the bubble that protects our solar system
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 21/08/2025
COVID revisionists see the public-health response to the pandemic as a failure. But they fail to get the full picture—and that might leave us even less prepared for the next pandemic, Rogé Karma argues.
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COVID Revisionism Has Gone Too Far
If the center and left succumb to the view that “nothing worked,” no one will remain to defend sensible public-health measures the next time a pandemic comes around.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
'the “White House,” needs work! .. William Henry Harrison took one look at it and decided death was preferable. James Madison presided over some free demolition work that was paid for entirely by Britain." From the great @petridishes.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
theatlantic.com
Extreme Home Makeover: White House Edition
This old, fly-infested building needs some work.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
This is a masterpiece from someone who has written a lot of them. I'll miss seeing DVD columns in the WaPo www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | How a fluke trivia question at age 17 changed the course of my life
An occupation writing sentences as a journalist for 47 years feels like a miracle.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
One of these days I want to see the Andromeda Galaxy with my own eyes. In the meantime this will do: An extraordinary mosaic produced by the Hubble telescope. My colleagues at WaPo crafted this splendid visual story. Take the tour, zoom in, explore: www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...
washingtonpost.com
The Hubble telescope zooms in on the galaxy next door. Explore it like never before.
A decade of observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has produced the sharpest and most detailed images of the Andromeda galaxy. Zoom in and explore.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Sarah Kaplan @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
The world is grim right now, but the universe is still full of wonder. I'm always grateful to @joelachenbach.bsky.social for reminding me of that fact. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
New & scoopy: Documents obtained by WaPo show political appointee overruled NIH career experts after Trump-mandated biosafety review @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @hannahnatanson.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Trump officials halt ‘dangerous’ research, overriding NIH career scientists
The Trump administration’s actions on NIH gain-of-function research have raised concerns among scientists, who argue the move could block experiments that are safe and potentially lead to new treatmen...
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Adam Frank @adamfrank4.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
For another take on this problem beyond my @theatlantic.com piece, here is a great article in the @washingtonpost.com by @joelachenbach.bsky.social nbach.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warn
As the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Our latest story on Trump's cuts to NASA science, as former NASA officials sound the alarm. Plus an ode to the aging hardware that can still get the job done but could soon go silent. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Trump’s NASA budget could cede solar system to China, scientists warn
As the administration slashes spending on science, NASA is running low on new missions.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Behold the universe, courtesy of the Rubin telescope...and our nifty template for pretty pictures. www.washingtonpost.com/science/inte...
washingtonpost.com
See images from the Rubin telescope and world’s largest digital camera
The Rubin telescope, featuring a 3,200-megapixel camera, promises to see more galaxies than ever before.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Semafor @semafor.com · 31/05/2025
🟡 SCOOP: The White House is likely to pull the nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA administrator, just days before he was set to receive a confirmation vote in the Senate.
semafor.com
White House expected to pull NASA nominee Isaacman
Jared Isaacman was set for a vote next week, but now the president may yank his nomination.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis: $9 billion agency, which funds researchers, projects and facilities, is hitting reverse on its mission, by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025... via @washingtonpost.com
washingtonpost.com
Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation in crisis
The $9 billion agency, which exists solely to fund researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters, is hitting reverse on its mission.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Hannah Natanson @hannahnatanson.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
SCOOP: ICE, DOGE are asking to use sensitive Medicare claims data to find the addresses of immigrants the government says are here illegally, as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown intensifies, w/ @rachelroubein.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
ICE, DOGE seek sensitive Medicare data as immigration crackdown intensifies
It’s unclear how many immigrants ICE is seeking addresses for and how much data would be available as Medicare does not cover undocumented immigrants.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
More from NASA statement sent to WaPo: "The planet K2-18 b could potentially be a habitable Hycean planet based on current data from Webb and other observatories. However, the concept of a Hycean planet is very new, and alternative explanations are still being explored."
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
From NASA, to me: "..detection of a single potential biosignature would not constitute discovery of life. We would likely need multiple converging lines of evidence to confirm true biosignatures and rule out false positives, possibly including independent data from multiple mission"
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
SCOOP: Internal budget doc reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts. About 1/3 of HHS discretionary budget. Our story w @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @rachelroubein.bsky.social @joelachenbach.bsky.social @laurenweberhp.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
Internal budget document reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts
HHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one third of its discretionary budget.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Life on planet K2-18b? Worth a closer look, but this is still in the could-be, might-be category. Our story: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Webb telescope detects a possible signature of life on a distant world
A chemical detected on a planet 124 light-years away is produced on Earth by decaying phytoplankton and other microbes. There is no other known source.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Loren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Confirming reports from @sciguyspace.bsky.social and @joelachenbach.bsky.social about proposed cuts to NASA's science budget. It doesn't look good, folks www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
White House Budget Proposal Would Gut NASA’s Science Programs
President Donald Trump’s proposed annual budget for NASA next year would nearly cut in half the agency’s science funding, while potentially cutting off money for other major initiatives like returning...
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
NEW: This is Black Friday for NASA Science, with Trump OMB seeking to cut Science Mission Directorate budget by nearly half. Developing story... www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Massive cuts to NASA science proposed in early White House budget plan
The preliminary version of President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to Congress, known as a “passback,” would cut the agency’s science budget funding nearly in half.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Alexandra Witze @alexwitze.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Intriguing back-and-forth just now between Senator Markey and Jared Isaacman, in which Isaacman would neither confirm nor deny that Elon Musk was in the room when Trump offered him the job of NASA administrator.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
The moon or Mars? NASA is poised to make a big decision on human spaceflight. Jared Isaacman appears tomorrow at Ted Cruz-chaired Senate nomination hearing. Our story: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
NASA at a fork in the road as Trump pick gets hearing for top spot
Which planetary body — the moon or Mars — will be central to its near-term spaceflight strategy?
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Oh, by the way, the universe might collapse someday. Big Crunch. But stay calm: "The DESI observations may be cosmically consequential but do not rise to the level of an action item for us mortals" www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Cosmologists intrigued by signs the universe might stop expanding
The “dark energy” field that has fueled the expansion has been weakening over the past 4 billion to 5 billion years, new data shows.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
It was just Oswald. -30- www.washingtonpost.com/national/spe...
washingtonpost.com
A plaza called Dealey: The birthplace of the JFK mystery that will never die
In a small urban canyon, one president died and 1,000 conspiracy theories were born.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Tracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
So proud of @washingtonpost.com Health & Science reporters, who continue to kick ass every damn day amid trying times. SCOOP by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social & @joelachenbach.bsky.social What a time to be canceling research into vaccine hesitancy, w/more than 200 cases of measles in 12 states.
washingtonpost.com
NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake
The order covers more than 40 awards to researchers around the country seeking to understand why vaccine acceptance has declined.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake: Does anyone still want to claim Mr. Kennedy is not anti-vaccine? www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/... via @joelachenbach.bsky.social @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com
washingtonpost.com
NIH to terminate or limit grants related to vaccine hesitancy and uptake
The order covers more than 40 awards to researchers around the country seeking to understand why vaccine acceptance has declined.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
A deep look inside the last 6 weeks at NIH under Trump - an agency paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, with the future of US science at stake. with @joelachenbach.bsky.social Gift link: wapo.st/4h8aiZx
wapo.st
NIH reels with fear, uncertainty about future of scientific research
The Trump administration’s orders have created more turmoil and damage at the National Institutes of Health than was previously known.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Cosmic inflation! This'll take your mind off the other stuff. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
NASA telescope will study what put the bang in the big bang
The SPHEREx space telescope will explore the universe's origin and gather data on cosmic inflation.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Dan Lamothe @danlamothe.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
As a hard-news journalist at The Washington Post, there's no shortage of important news to cover. I will keep digging in. As I've stated before: Nothing changes. We ask hard questions and hold those in power to account. That's the job, whether those in power like it or not.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
The future of American science is on hold right now. Federal funding occurs through a rigorous, months-long peer review process. A meeting cancellation today may seem minor, but the effect is long-term, endangering the pipeline of future projects. with @joelachenbach.bsky.social wapo.st/4hOuZed
wapo.st
Scientists warn of long-term damage as Trump’s orders slow research
By blocking announcements in the Federal Register, the administration is keeping experts from meeting to evaluate funding proposals.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
That scary Asteroid 2024 YR4 ain't actually scary at all. Probability of it hitting Earth dropped again today, on its way surely to zero www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Odds of recently discovered asteroid hitting Earth drop nearly to zero
Another night of observations revealed there is little to fear from the football field-sized Asteroid 2024 YR4.
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Joel Achenbach @joelachenbach.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
NEW: Uncertainties abound at NASA. DOGE is in the house. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
washingtonpost.com
Under Trump, NASA meetings are on hold and missions are up in the air
Executive orders and feared budget cuts put the government space agency on uncertain footing.
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Reposted by Joel Achenbach
Rick Stengel @rickstengel.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Government is not business. I've been in gov't and I've been in business—they are not the same. Trying to run government like a business sounds good but in fact is not. Moving fast and breaking things may be good in business; it's not in gov't. It just hurts all kinds of people who depend on gov't.
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Dannagal Goldthwaite Young @dannagal.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Great reporting by @joelachenbach.bsky.social and Carolyn Johnson on the unraveling of scientific inquiry and general chaos caused by the administration’s policies. Gift link to @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/3WL5FNJ
wapo.st
Trump policies sow chaos, confusion across scientific community
U.S. scientists, unaccustomed to shock-and-awe political assaults, are reeling from President Donald Trump’s executive orders on DEI, gender and other subjects.
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