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Mark

@markalfred.bsky.social
6.5K followers 74 following 47 posts

White House Reporter & AJI Fellow at NOTUS.org Reach me at: 858 413-7384 (text/Signal)

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Reposted by Mark
Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 10/09/2026
Trump's Qatar-gifted Air Force One plane is getting a new flight simulator that will cost taxpayers $45 million, per a contract doc reviewed by @markalfred.bsky.social of @washingtonsun.bsky.social washingtonsun.com/money/air-fo...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Administration Awards $45 Million Contract for New Air Force One Simulator
The flight simulator for the Qatari-gifted plane is publicly funded and may not be ready for “24-36 months.”
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Reposted by Mark
Michael McAuliff @mcauliff.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Trump's Qatar-gifted Air Force One is getting a new flight simulator. It will cost taxpayers $45 million according to a contract doc reviewed by @markalfred.bsky.social of @washingtonsun.bsky.social
washingtonsun.com
Trump Administration Awards $45 Million Contract for New Air Force One Simulator
The flight simulator for the Qatari-gifted plane is publicly funded and may not be ready for “24-36 months.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Scoop: The Trump Administration is set to spend over $45 million on a new flight simulator for the Qatari-donated Air Force One plane. washingtonsun.com/money/air-fo...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Administration Awards $45 Million Contract for New Air Force One Simulator
The flight simulator for the Qatari-gifted plane is publicly funded and may not be ready for “24-36 months.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Former Speaker of the House Tom Foley lost reelection in 1994 and died in 2013. Despite this, the “Committee to Reelect Tom Foley” is active and trading shares of companies like Meta. My deep dive into politicians who play the markets with campaign cash: www.notus.org/money/stock-...
notus.org
How Politicians Living and Dead Play the Stock Market With Campaign Cash
Opaque investments boost lawmakers’ campaign coffers with little public oversight.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
New: The EPA must administer the Biden-era Environmental and Climate Justice Grants it illegally canceled last year, a federal judge ordered today. The district judge said the agency “is defying” his previous order voiding the cuts. www.notus.org/climate-envi...
notus.org
EPA Must Fund Environmental Grants It Illegally Canceled, Judge Rules
A federal judge said the agency “is defying” his previous order voiding the cuts.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
New: Devin Nunes has a staggering $14.5 million stockpiled in his old campaign account. His lawyer says it’s “for a potential future election.” Comes after federal regulators asked Nunes’ mom (his campaign treasurer) about the campaign cash. www.notus.org/money/devin-...
notus.org
Ex-Rep. Devin Nunes and the Mystery of His $14.5 Million War Chest
The former Trump Media CEO hasn't run for anything since 2020, so regulators looked into why he still has a cash stockpile.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
New: Political groups are still forfeiting money donated by Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX executives years after the crypto exchange’s collapse. Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC alone is expected to return another $1 million in tainted funds. www.notus.org/money/sam-ba...
notus.org
Political Committees Are Still Forfeiting Crypto Kingpins’ Tainted Contributions
Democratic and Republican committees continue reeling from FTX’s legal meltdown — and it’s affecting their bottom lines in 2026.
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Reposted by Mark
Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 09/06/2026
Sam Bankman-Fried has been in the news a bit this week as he seeks a Trump pardon, but as @markalfred.bsky.social of @notus.com writes, a bunch of political committees continue to feel the pain from Bankman-Fried’s crimes here in the 2026 midterms. www.notus.org/money/sam-ba...
notus.org
Political Committees Are Still Forfeiting Crypto Kingpins’ Tainted Contributions
Democratic and Republican committees continue reeling from FTX’s legal meltdown — and it’s affecting their bottom lines in 2026.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Earlier this year, I spent some time talking to rich Americans trying their luck running for Congress. Such campaigns typically fail! Still, several self-funders I talked to insisted they could pull it off. Now it’s time to track their progress, starting with… (1/🧵) www.notus.org/2026-electio...
notus.org
They Can Buy a Superyacht. Can They Afford a Seat in Congress?
Some rich Americans spend millions trying to get themselves elected. Most of them fail.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Every election cycle, dozens of rich Americans spend millions trying to get themselves elected. They have an abysmal track record — but the candidates I spoke to insist it’s worth it to try. “This is God testing me, saying, ‘Put your money where your mouth is.’” www.notus.org/2026-electio...
notus.org
They Can Buy a Superyacht. Can They Afford a Seat in Congress?
Some rich Americans spend millions trying to get themselves elected. Most of them fail.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Scoop: The Treasury Department official leading the agency’s terrorist financing prevention efforts invested in oil & gas, nuclear energy and cybersecurity funds in the week preceding the Iran war www.notus.org/money/treasu...
notus.org
High-Ranking Treasury Official Personally Invested in Oil, Nuclear Funds Days Before Iran War Began
Assistant Secretary Jonathan Burke selected the funds on Feb. 20 after he was required to offload his existing investments.
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Reposted by Mark
Dave Levinthal @davelevinthal.com · 10/04/2026
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford agreed to sell of his millions of dollars in airline stock within 90 days of his confirmation to government service. As @markalfred.bsky.social of @notus.com reports, Bedford was quite tardy. www.notus.org/money/bryan-...
notus.org
FAA Chief Dumps Millions in Airline Stock Months After His Ethics Agreement Deadline
Bryan Bedford held a multimillion-dollar stake in an airline company his agency oversees.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford held onto millions worth of stock in an airline company his agency regulates for his first seven months in the top job. Before starting, he’d signed an ethics agreement promising to fully divest from the company within 90 days www.notus.org/money/bryan-...
notus.org
FAA Chief Dumps Millions in Airline Stock Months After His Ethics Agreement Deadline
Bryan Bedford held a multimillion-dollar stake in an airline company his agency oversees.
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Reposted by Mark
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
SCOOP: The Pentagon failed to warn ships carrying supplies for the US military before starting the war in Iran. The ships got stuck in the Persian Gulf. They’re still stuck. And for a month, they were stuck w/ a group of college students — merchant marine cadets.
notus.org
U.S. Cadets Were Stuck in the Persian Gulf After Trump Bombed Iran
The Trump administration failed to warn vessels with close ties to the U.S. military ahead of the strikes, leaving them trapped in the region.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
NEW: The White House plans to finance Trump’s proposed arch with $15 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The spending plan confirms for the first time that taxpayer dollars will be used for the project. www.notus.org/donald-trump...
notus.org
Trump Will Fund New Archway With $15 Million From the National Endowment for the Humanities
A spending plan confirms taxpayer dollars will be used for the project.
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Reposted by Mark
Em Luetkemeyer @emluetkemeyer.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Scoop: Some Republican lawmakers say they’re working to fund tribal and rural radio stations after the GOP cut public broadcasting funds last year. If lawmakers don’t secure continued funding, many Native American public radio stations say they'll close. www.notus.org/congress/som...
notus.org
Some Republicans Want to Reverse the GOP Cuts to Rural and Tribal Radio Stations
After the GOP-controlled Congress slashed public broadcasting funds, some Republican lawmakers say they’re working to secure money to keep vital tribal and rural stations on the air.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Trump Says He Doesn’t Know Whether the Iran War Is Winding Down or Heating Up “I don’t know. I can’t tell. It depends what they do.” www.notus.org/donald-trump...
notus.org
Trump Says He Doesn't Know Whether the Iran War Is Winding Down or Heating Up
The president intends to dramatically escalate combat operations if a peace deal is not reached by 8 p.m. EDT.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
“This is not making America great again, this is evil,” Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote of Trump’s threat to target civilian infrastructure in Iran www.notus.org/defense/trum...
notus.org
Trump Makes Profanity-Laden Threat to Target Civilian Infrastructure in Iran
Trump said the United States was one day away from securing a peace deal and two days away from potentially “blowing everything up.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
President Trump is requesting a record breaking $1.5 trillion military budget, and is urging Republicans in Congress to cut Democrats out of the process: www.notus.org/donald-trump...
notus.org
Trump Asks for Record-Breaking $1.5 Trillion Military Budget
He paired the increase with a 10% reduction in spending that eliminates several programs aimed at assisting minorities, including the Fair Housing Initiatives Program and the Minority Business Develop...
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Shocking news: This year's World Vaccine Congress had a Weird Vibe www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Vaccine Industry Is Troubleshooting Its Future Existence
Pharmaceutical executives are asking each other: How do they survive MAHA?
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
NASA’s Space Launch System is set to launch four astronauts into lunar orbit this week. The White House tells me Trump is “excited” about the launch. Less than a year ago he unsuccessfully sought to eliminate SLS and cut millions from the lunar program. www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
The Trump Administration Is Championing the Lunar Program Trump Once Sought to Eliminate
Before Jared Isaacman revitalized the Artemis program, Trump pitched gutting it.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Between his lengthy speech to House Republicans and subsequent news conference yesterday, President Trump didn’t use the word war once. Instead, he referred to the conflict in Iran as “a little excursion.” www.notus.org/defense/trum...
notus.org
Trump Tries to Rebrand His War With Iran as a ‘Little Excursion’
The president notably omitted the word “war” from his remarks, despite having described the conflict with Iran that way for more than a week.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Lee Zeldin’s EPA fully embraced DOGE and made serious errors during its race to gut environmental programs. From the EPA “accidentally” axing tens of millions of dollars worth of grants to its chief overstating cuts by millions, the errors kept piling up: www.notus.org/policy/doge-...
notus.org
Inside DOGE’s EPA Team and Its Multimillion-Dollar Mistakes
Internal emails paint the clearest picture to date of the Environmental Protection Agency’s full-throated embrace of DOGE and its subsequent stumbles.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
One longtime Department of Agriculture leader complained that cutting millions worth of federal awards “actually requires opening up every single grant” and asked to use AI. The 25-year-old DOGE staffer she reported to said he planned to make it happen. www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
How A 25-Year-Old DOGE Staffer Set Policy at USDA
New court documents show how an effort to slash climate-related funds played out at one agency.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Exclusive: Internal White House emails I obtained detail the Trump administration’s scramble to strip millions from the University of Pennsylvania after a senior official told staff that “POTUS wants to see more action against universities.” www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
Trump Wanted ‘More Action Against Universities.’ His Staff Scrambled to Punish Penn.
Internal White House emails reveal a frenzied campaign to strip federal funds from Penn — and target another university the administration never publicized.
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Reposted by Mark
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
DOGE Has Cut Tens of Thousands of Awards. Musk’s Companies Haven’t Lost a Dime in Federal Funds. @markalfred.bsky.social reports www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
DOGE Has Cut Tens of Thousands of Awards. Musk's Companies Haven’t Lost a Dime in Federal Funds.
Trump threatened to turn DOGE on to Musk’s companies. They’ve been immune to the cost-cutting effort until now.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
New: DOGE has cut tens of thousands of awards. Despite Trump’s threats, Elon Musk’s companies haven’t lost a dime in federal funding yet. www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
DOGE Has Cut Tens of Thousands of Awards. Musk's Companies Haven’t Lost a Dime in Federal Funds.
Trump threatened to turn DOGE on to Musk’s companies. They’ve been immune to the cost-cutting effort until now.
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Reposted by Mark
Claire Heddles @claireheddles.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
DOGE’s Victory Lap Overstates Its Own Work and Contradicts Its Own Estimates w/ @markalfred.bsky.social www.notus.org/trump-white-...
notus.org
DOGE’s Victory Lap Overstates Its Own Work and Contradicts Its Own Estimates
A list of more than a hundred “wins” from the White House celebrating Elon Musk’s work includes claims that contradict DOGE’s current estimates.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
DOGE said it saved $660 million from real estate cuts. Then it said $500 million. Then $400 million, then $291 million and so forth.  My look at how DOGE spent two months walking back lofty savings claims, and still takes credit for cuts it didn’t make. www.notus.org/policy/doge-...
notus.org
DOGE Vastly Overstated Its Real Estate Cuts — Then Spent Two Months Backtracking
DOGE took credit for more than $600 million in real estate savings but has repeatedly cut back its own claims.
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
“What’s the benefit for me if I give my favor to you?” A story about the online musings of a self-described “senior advisor” to the health secretary: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
‘What’s the Benefit For Me’: A Kennedy Ally Suggests She Can Help Make Connections, For a Return
Angela Stanton King has posted about her ties to RFK Jr., and what that could mean for her consulting clients. “I'm like a child to Bobby. I'll always have access to him,” she told NOTUS.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
DOGE is touting lease cancellations across the country. Several facilities actually began to close under the Biden administration — including the largest building on DOGE’s list. www.notus.org/policy/doge-...
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
DOGE went weeks without updating its webpage. Then, just after midnight on Tuesday, it removed nearly a billion dollars worth of previously claimed “savings.” www.notus.org/policy/doge-...
notus.org
Nearly a Billion Dollars in DOGE ‘Savings’ Disappeared Overnight
In a late-night update to its webpage, DOGE removed hundreds of previously claimed cuts and altered scores of others to boost the items’ claimed “savings” values.
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Reposted by Mark
Emily Kennard @emilykennard.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Some Republican lawmakers don't agree with Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s calls for states to stop fluoridating water. I talked to GOP former medical professionals in Congress — including four dentists, all of whom are House Republicans — about fluoride. www.notus.org/congress/con...
notus.org
Three Out of Four of Congress’ Dentists Agree: Fluoride Should Stay in Drinking Water
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for states to remove fluoride from their water, claiming it’s dangerous despite evidence that it improves oral health outcomes. Some Republican medica...
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
It’s not just Michael Waltz. We found the Venmo accounts of over three dozen White House officials, including Stephen Miller, Sean Duffy and Karoline Leavitt. Almost all had open friends lists. Some had open transactions, which is its own security risk. www.notus.org/congress/peo...
notus.org
The People Running the Government Are Letting It All Hang Out on Venmo
NOTUS easily identified Venmo accounts tied to more than three dozen Trump administration officials and more than 50 current members of Congress. Their transactions are revealing — as are their friend...
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Reposted by Mark
San José Spotlight @sanjosespotlight.com · 02/04/2025
San Jose Rep. @liccardo.house.gov raised nearly $1.5 million in his first quarter as a member of Congress, according to a source familiar with the Liccardo camp — a hefty sum for a freshman lawmaker. ✍️ @reesegorman.bsky.social, @markalfred.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social
sanjosespotlight.com
First-term San Jose Congressman Liccardo raises eye-popping $1.5M - San José Spotlight
San Jose Congressmember Sam Liccardo raised nearly $1.5 million in his first quarter as a member of Congress, according to a source familiar with the Liccardo camp — a hefty sum for a freshman lawmake...
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
NEWS: DOGE has directed HHS to cut 35% of all contract spending -- a category that includes everything from equipment maintenance to laboratory staff. "It will be like another reduction in force," one NIH employee told me. W/ @markalfred.bsky.social: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
DOGE Orders HHS to Cut 35% of Contract Spending
In one email obtained by NOTUS, NIH employees were told they could not “use mission criticality as a justification to not make cuts.”
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Reposted by Mark
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
In one email obtained by NOTUS, NIH employees were told they could not “use mission criticality as a justification to not make cuts.” via @margaretmanto.bsky.social & @markalfred.bsky.social
notus.org
DOGE Orders HHS to Cut 35% of Contract Spending
In one email obtained by NOTUS, NIH employees were told they could not “use mission criticality as a justification to not make cuts.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
DOGE is directing sweeping contract cuts at HHS — and making it difficult for employees to defend programs. “We cannot use mission criticality as a justification to not make cuts,” NIH employees were told. with the best on the beat @margaretmanto.bsky.social www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
DOGE Orders HHS to Cut 35% of Contract Spending
In one email obtained by NOTUS, NIH employees were told they could not “use mission criticality as a justification to not make cuts.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
DOGE terminated billions of dollars worth of contracts for work across the country. The vast majority of cuts are in districts represented by Democrats. My story for @notusreports.bsky.social: www.notus.org/policy/doge-...
notus.org
DOGE’s Multibillion-Dollar Contract Cuts Are Hitting Blue Districts Hardest
It’s not even close.
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
State health departments are already feeling the impact of DOGE's cuts to HHS grants. One state has already lost 25 employees, including epidemiologists and public health nurses. More here: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
DOGE is Slashing HHS Personnel and Health Projects. States Are Already Feeling the Strain.
State and local officials told NOTUS they’re losing critical funds.
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
DOGE personnel have been firing NIH employees on sight for leaving their computers and ID cards unattended, multiple employees told me. More here: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Department of Health and Human Services Is Facing Major Cuts — And DOGE Is Already at NIH
Ahead of a reported HHS restructuring, DOGE has been visiting the NIH and firing staff members on sight, employees told NOTUS.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
NEWS: As HHS begins to pull billions from states health agencies and ~100 universities, pandemic preparedness efforts are getting axed. Also cut: —Millions for mental health/substance abuse care in most states —Grants to cancer centers —More HIV research www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
HHS Said It’s Pulling Billions in Leftover COVID-19 Funds. The Cuts Go Far Beyond the Pandemic.
DOGE is touting cuts to pandemic prevention research, mental health support, substance abuse prevention and grants for cancer research centers.
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Reposted by Mark
Alice Miranda Ollstein @alicemiranda.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
"Many of the NIH cuts were listed as yielding little or no savings. One UC Irvine grant supported research into HIV stigmas. Its cancellation saved the federal government 94 cents, NIH data shows." www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
HHS Pulled Funds for HIV Research at 22 Universities
The Trump administration pulled around $34 million in HIV-related grants.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
NEWS: Trump’s administration pulled millions in funding for HIV and PrEP-related research projects at 22 universities www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
HHS Pulled Funds for HIV Research at 22 Universities
The Trump administration pulled around $34 million in HIV-related grants.
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Reposted by Mark
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Scientists, research technicians, even administrators - contractors make up nearly half of the NIH's workforce. The agency has been quietly letting their work orders expire. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The NIH Is Quietly Laying Off Contract Workers
Contractors make up nearly half of the NIH’s total workforce. Losing them would “completely hobble so many programs,” said one NIH employee.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
NEWS: DOGE is reversing course on half of its cuts to Social Security Administration offices across the country. www.notus.org/policy/socia...
notus.org
DOGE Reversed Course on Half of Its Social Security Lease Terminations
The shift means several rural areas around the country are likely to keep local offices DOGE was set to close, preventing older adults from driving hours to access services.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
NEW: Trump canceled grants funding cancer and Alzheimer’s research at Columbia University. DOGE then listed the millions of dollars from those terminated grants on its “savings” page. My story for @notusreports.bsky.social www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Trump Administration Cut Cancer and Alzheimer’s Research Funding at Columbia University
His administration terminated a $5 million grant to the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center — and listed the exact dollar amount among DOGE’s “savings.”
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
DOGE’s directives are being felt across California, home to the most federal workers of any state. Layoffs across Veterans Affairs and the national parks. The axing of offices that oversee offshore drilling and other safety programs. And lots more: www.notus.org/california/d...
notus.org
DOGE Is Changing California — And Democrats Worry It’s Just the Start
“I have seen a lot of devastation, and it seems like they’re just getting started,” Rep. Jared Huffman told NOTUS.
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Reposted by Mark
San José Spotlight @sanjosespotlight.com · 12/03/2025
California is being hit particularly hard by Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Democratic lawmakers in Washington are incensed. ✍️ @markalfred.bsky.social, @notusreports.bsky.social
sanjosespotlight.com
DOGE is changing California — and Democrats worry it’s just starting - San José Spotlight
California is being hit particularly hard by Department of Government Efficiency cuts. It is home to more federal workers than any other state.
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Mark @markalfred.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Lawmakers of both parties say they’re dead set on continuing NASA’s Space Launch System — and some are preemptively making the case against Elon Musk’s Starship acting as a replacement. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Congress Doesn’t Want Trump to Scrap NASA’s Moon Rocket for Musk’s Starship
Lawmakers of both parties are staunch advocates of NASA’s Space Launch System. It makes Elon Musk “feel sad.”
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