SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " committee " 1,463 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
City of Martinez Set to Explore Entertainment Zone
The City of Martinez is set to explore the idea of creating a Downtown Entertainment Zone in subcommittee on Monday, June 22.
Senate Panel to Consider Mark Cruz for Indian Health Service Director Post
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a nomination hearing on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT to consider Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, for the position of director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) within the Department of Health and Human Services. The White House announced on Monday, […]
MU Health Care officials cite financial challenges amid layoffs, clinic closures
The MU Board of Curators Public Health Affairs Committee held a meeting on Thursday, one day after it was announced that 74 employees were laid off.
PAHO Executive Committee concludes 178th session with key decisions to strengthen health across the Americas
Washington, D.C., 18 June 2026 (PAHO) – The 178th Session of the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) concluded today after four days of discussions on the Region's most pressing public health priorities, with Member States approving a series of strategies, plans of action and resolutions that will help strengthen health systems, improve preparedness for health emergencies, and expand access to essential health services across the Americas.
Raskin demands full list of Trump medications, doctors’ names
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is reupping his probe into President Trump’s health records, less than a week after the president celebrated his 80th birthday. In a letter to the…
House Health Policy Hears Testimony on Behavioral Health Transport Legislation
Legislation addressing behavioral health transport received testimony in the House Health Policy Committee during the week of June 15, while other key healthcare bills advanced in the Legislature.
Protect College Sports Act passes Senate committee amid continued Big Ten, SEC opposition
The next step for the bipartisan college sports bill would be a vote on the Senate floor
Protect College Sports Act moves out of committee, with SEC and Big Ten still opposed
Senate Majority Leader John Thune can now bring the bill to the floor for a vote, but changes can still be made before it gets there.
Senate panel advances bipartisan college sports bill
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Thursday advanced a bipartisan measure to regulate college sports, sending it to the Senate floor. The panel moved the Protect College …
Protect College Sports Act headed to Senate for full vote
The Senate Commerce Committee voted 19-9 on Thursday morning to move the Protect College Sports Act forward to a full Senate vote.
House lawmakers tuck into budget a $36K raise for longtime Boston politician
Ways and Means Committee Chair Aaron Michlewitz says it's to keep the $156,000 pay "competitive" for Suffolk register of deeds. But the Legislature also wants to consider consolidating registries across the state.
Legislation overhauling college sports faces major test in Senate
The bill has support from several athletic conferences and the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, but the SEC and the Big Ten have not endorsed it
Legislation overhauling college sports faces major test in Senate
The bill has support from several athletic conferences and the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, but the SEC and the Big Ten have not endorsed it
‘Dear ACSWP’ webinar focuses on GA items of business with a focus on social witness policy
LOUISVILLE — “Dear ACSWP: Advice, Counsel and Social Witness Policy” was the name of a Wednesday webinar offered ahead of the 227th General Assembly by members and staff of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy. More than 60 people attended.
ICYMI—Hagerty JoinsMornings With Maria on FOX Business to Discuss the Proposed Peace Deal with Iran
Washington—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Banking Committees, joined Mornings With Maria on FOX Business to discuss the president’s interim memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran, the CLARITY Act and Reconciliation 3.0. *Click the photo above or here to watch* Partial Transcript Hagerty on the U.S.-Iran MOU: I just want […]
Sen. Rand Paul leads hearing considering 11 nominees
The committee's top Democrat criticized Paul, saying the process was needlessly rushed and the packed lineup hurts transparency.
Using AI Tools in Graduate School: Virtual Workshop: APSA Status Committee on Graduate Students in the Profession | Friday, June 26, 2026 -
“Using AI Tools in Graduate School” Friday, June 26, 2026 12:00 PM (ET) / 9:00 AM (PT) | Run Time 75 minutes Register Here Artificial intelligence’s rapid adoption and growing technological power affect nearly all aspects of the political science graduate student research process. Join the [...]
NC Senate eyes involuntary commitment bill targeting mental health, crime
A Senate committee is expected to review a House-approved proposal to shift some mental evaluations out of emergency departments and expand the number of people who can conduct them.
NFL, NBA unions applaud efforts on bill designed to fix college sports in letter obtained by the AP
The NFL Players Association and National Basketball Players Association teamed up on letter to leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee, applauding their efforts on a recently introduced Senate bill designed to fix college sports. The unions wrote that they support the bill for provisions that guarantee NIL rights and provide medical and healthcare benefits. “We encourage continued meaningful stakeholder engagement and negotiations to further strengthen the bill as it moves through Congress to ensure college athletes are protected and empowered,” read the letter addressed to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Merchants of Doubt and the attacks on Extreme Event Attribution science
Last week, I attended a meeting at Columbia University on attribution science and climate law, hosted by the Sabin Center. It was a fantastic event, bringing together scientists and legal experts working at the intersection of extreme event attribution and climate law. Subscribe For those unfamiliar with it, extreme event attribution attempts to quantify the contribution of climate change to an extreme event. For example, several groups analyzed the impact of climate change on Hurricane Harvey’s enormous rainfall totals over Houston, Texas and they found that climate change increased rainfall by 15 to 38%. One thing that came up again and again was how terrified fossil-fuel interests are of extreme event attribution science. They are acutely aware that this research could land them in court. And losing those cases would leave them legally liable for billions of dollars in climate damages. Because the legal stakes are so high, the blowback has turned ugly. I spoke with several scientists at the meeting who are facing ongoing harassment over their work. This blowback is a coordinated campaign to make the entire field look suspect. The goal is to create the impression that attribution science is too uncertain, too political, or too conflicted to be useful in court or in public policy. The strategy is not based on actual science or evidence of misconduct, but on the generation of doubt. The new Merchants of Doubt We’ve seen this before. In fact, not that long ago: We only have to go back a year to the Department of Energy (DOE) Climate Working Group (CWG) report to see an example of using doubt as the tool to push back against well-established science. This strategy is laid out in an email from a member of the CWG, Dr. Roy Spencer, that was released during litigation over the Climate Working Group process. The key quote is: About all I can hope is that what we write will provide sufficient “reasonable scientific doubt” regarding the science claims in the 2009 TSD [technical support document], based upon almost 2 decades of new science, to call into question the original reasoning for the EPA Administrator’s decision that CO2 presents a threat to human health and welfare. This statement is strong evidence that at least some members of the committee were working to support a particular policy outcome: revoking the Endangerment Finding. The email also explains how they planned to do it: by attempting to generate “reasonable doubt”. This is going to be hard, Spencer implies. Despite falsely claiming that “2 decades of new science” weakens the case, Spencer explicitly acknowledges that the actual peer-reviewed science of climate change overwhelmingly rejects his position: But if the science argument is decided upon by a vote, or by the number of published citations, we lose the science argument. We can go back even further: This CWG email shares unmistakable DNA with the infamous 1969 tobacco memo that declared: “Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the mind of the general public. It is also the means of establishing a controversy.” The tobacco memo also acknowledges the limit of this strategy: Like the CWG, they knew the science was not on their side. Share The new new Merchants of Doubt The people attacking the IPCC chapter on extreme event attribution are the newest iteration of the Merchants of Doubt. Their goal, like all Merchants before them, is to introduce doubt into the process. Because the report is not even out yet, they cannot attack its conclusions. So they are attacking the authors instead. Here is a press release from the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee: In the letter, the Chairmen express concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving members of the Attribution Committee, stating that “publicly available information suggests a troubling pattern” in which committee members are affiliated with nonprofits that support climate accountability lawsuits, “raising the appearance of impropriety and member bias.” To be clear, this is just innuendo. There is no actual evidence of bias. And given the robust process that these reports go through, including multiple lines of peer review, it seems very unlikely that significant bias can survive into the report. When the report comes out, critics will have the opportunity to make legitimate criticisms of the report — if any exist. If none do, however, they’ll still make criticisms, but they’ll be bogus, simply designed to generate doubt. We’ll see. A note to the press: Fix your frame To any journalists reading this: The public debate over extreme event attribution science is not going away. The science is simply too dangerous to fossil-fuel interests for them to stop fighting it. You very well might be assigned to write an article about this area of research in the future. When you do, do not automatically adopt the framing that climate misinformers want you to use. They want you to frame the story around questions like: Are climate scientists trying to put their thumb on the scale to achieve a predetermined, politically motivated result? Are climate scientists improperly letting their politics invade the science of the IPCC? That frame is a trap. Instead, you need to view this through the historical lens of the Merchants of Doubt. How does the ecosystem of doubt operate? Who funds it? What methods do they use to misrepresent science and slime researchers? What scientific results are they trying to keep people from understanding are legitimate? Ultimately, you instead need to focus your article on the generation of doubt as a way to maintain the fossil fuel industry’s social and legal license to keep burning oil, gas, and coal. If you treat the misinformers’ frame as a legitimate, good-faith scientific critique, you are helping them produce doubt. Don’t do it. Don’t be a Merchant of Doubt. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe other stuff The Staying Curious Substack has an interesting post about the different flavors of climate sensitivity. This is crucial information if you want to understand how scientists think about how much warming the Earth will experience. I’d be grateful if you could hit the like button ❤️ below! It helps more people discover these ideas and lets me know what’s connecting with readers.
Harassment order requested in Knox County GOP dispute
On May 14, several members of the county executive committee wrote to Heather Sprague to say they disagreed with several assertions she was making about other committee members.
Ranking Member of House Armed Services Committee: ‘The war was really stupid’
PAHO Executive Committee opens 178th session with focus on key health priorities and financing challenges in the Americas
Washington, D.C., 15 June 2026 (PAHO) — The Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today opened its 178th session, where Member States will address the Region’s main health priorities in a context marked by financing challenges and the need to strengthen preparedness for health emergencies.
Aderholt bill funding health, education includes millions for Alabama hospitals
A U.S. House Committee passed a bill to fund domestic spending on health and education programs, including millions for Alabama hospitals.
Science, Natural Resources Committee Democrats Demand Trump Administration Cease Illegal and Expensive Scheme to Dismantle NSF Ocean Observation System
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Leader of California Assembly elections committee defends state's process
The leader of the California Assembly’s Elections Committee defended the state’s elections system despite criticism this week from some voters, the President and various national media outlets including the New York Times.
Opinion: When the Science Committee doesn’t science
A New Hampshire House committee's resolution on weather modification was based on bad science and ignored evidence. The resolution passed anyway.
Sharon O'Keefe
As president of the University of Chicago Medical Center and chief operating officer of the 1,286-bed University of Chicago Medicine health system, Sharon O’Keefe oversees a clinical enterprise with annual operating revenue of $2.21 billion. In the past 18 months, UChicago Medicine opened an expanded adult emergency department—a $39 million investment—and an adult trauma center. Since 2011, the system has generated annual growth of nearly 5 percent in revenue and 4 percent in patient admissions. O’Keefe previously was president of Loyola University Medical Center and executive vice president and chief operating officer at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She serves on the Illinois Hospital Association finance and audit committee and is on the American Heart Association’s Midwest affiliate board.
Senate panel sets markup on college sports bill
The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled the markup of a bipartisan measure that proposes sweeping changes to collegiate athletics and has the backing of President Donald Trump. The panel is expected to take up several amendments at the markup on June 18, including one aimed at protecting non-revenue sports. Some athletics departments in recent years […]
ICYMI: Chairman Cruz Hosts Roundtable on the Protect College Sports Act - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
Click here to watch a video recap of the roundtable. WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) hosted a roundtable with coaches, student athletes, and university presidents to discuss the Protect College Sports Act. Chairman Cruz emphasized, “The Protect College Sports Act is […]
Behavioral Health Screening Legislation Advances
The House Health Policy Committee advanced legislation addressing preadmission screening assessments for behavioral health patients, as other healthcare bills advanced in the legislature during the week of June 8.
House committee votes to halt prior authorization pilot impacting radiology services
Lawmakers have opted against authorizing funding for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, citing concerns it will overburden patients and providers.
Texas Republicans press for local control over spread of AI data centers on first day of convention in Houston
The proposed language by the party’s Legislative Priorities Committee appears to have strong support from rural delegates, but it potentially stands at odds with the priorities of Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders.
Politics: West Virginia’s children deserve better
A couple of state senators spoke in preparation for this weekend’s interim committee meetings and site tours at Canaan Valley State Park about what they hope to see addressed by the state and their colleagues. Both Sens. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, and Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, told WV MetroNews they are hoping for work toward reform of […]
College sports bill authors making pitch to Black caucus
The authors of a Senate bill that would overhaul college athletics warned this week that a lack of congressional action this year could financially wreck historically Black colleges and universities and could reduce chances for college educations for minority students. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said they […]
White House polices hitting small business contractors hard, Senator says
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), ranking member of the small business committee, found more than 6,500 small firms have left the federal market in the last 15 months.
Farm stress program warns funding gaps can disrupt mental health services for farmers
An extension educator says consistent funding would provide better mental health resources for farmers. Remington Rice with Michigan State University Extension’s Managing Farm Stress Program recently testified during a Michigan House subcommittee hearing about increasing demand for the program. “If we want a strong agricultural system, we have to support the people who make that system work,” […]
Tuffy Latour Elected Vice President of Sport on IBSF Executive Committee
SALZBURG, AUSTRIA (June 11, 2026) – During the ongoing 2026 International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) Congress, USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS) is proud to celebrate the election of longtime coach and leader Tuffy Latour to the IBSF Executi...
ICYMI: Chairman Scott Highlights Clarity Act, Previews Senate Banking AI Hearing on Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria
The Official website of The United States Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
New Jersey Citizen Action’s Political Action Committee Endorses Candidates for 2026 General Elections
New Jersey Citizen Action’s Political Action Committee (NJCA-PAC) has endorsed US Senator Cory Booker, and Democratic Congressional candidates Zack Mullock (CD2), Rebecca Bennett (CD7), and Dr. Adam Hamawy (CD12) for the General Elections in November. In a press statement today, New Jersey Citizen Action Executive Director Dena Mottola Jaborska said: “At a time when Washington is prioritizing tax breaks for billionaires while working families struggle to afford healthcare, housing, and everyday necessities, we need lawmakers who will fight for[...]
Smullen says political experience and Republican support can win him NY-21
Smullen has been endorsed by the state Republican Party and 12 of the 15 county GOP committees across the 21st District.
http://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/pallone-opening-remarks-subcommittee-hearing-health-care-transparency
Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks at a Health Subcommittee hearing on "Lowering Health Care Costs for All Americans: Examining Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency:"
AAI Statement on House Appropriations Committee Markup of FY 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services Bill
AAI statement in respose to the House Appropriations Committee’s markup of the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
Examining the Sports Broadcast Act: Rep. Fitzgerald on backlash against NFL's TV deals
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform and Antitrust chairman Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss details of the hearing today examining a special exemption provided to the NFL from the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.
Chairman Griffith Delivers Opening Statement at Subcommittee on Health Hearing to Examine Policies to Increase Health Care Transparency for Patients and Employers
The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee.
Lawmakers continue to discuss potential Wyoming Business Council reforms
During the second meeting, the committee moved to revive the consensus block grant funding program. Plus, the Legislative Service Office (LSO) was directed to draft a bill based on agency recommendations for reforms and removal of underutilized WBC programs.
Pro-Israel Group Pushes for Haley Stevens in Michigan Senate Race
The main super PAC tied to the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee released its first ads backing Ms. Stevens, a moderate congresswoman locked in a tight three-way primary.
Democratic National Committee: Local small businesses continue to suffer under Trump and his cost-spiking Republicans, forcing them to raise prices on families and cut jobs for workers
According to new data released today by The National Federation of Independent Business, small businesses throughout America continue to suffer under Donald Trump and his cost-spiking Republicans. With everything — from food and utilities to gas and building materials — becoming more...
Bay Area Host Committee Celebrates Opening of Sports for All Hub at LIFE Academy and United for Success Academy in Oakland
New fully renovated field brings transformative investment to Fruitvale neighborhood, continuing BAHC's commitment to equitable sports access across the Bay Area Oakland, CA – June 9, 2026 – The Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) celebrated today the official opening of its Sport
Mejia Appointed to U.S. House of Representative Committee on Small Business
Today, upon the recommendation of the U.S. House Democratic Sterling and Policy Committee, Congresswoman Analilia Mejia (NJ-11) was appointed to the U.S. House of Representative Committee on Small Business. This is her second committee assignment in addition to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Throughout her entire[...]
Mejia named to Small Business Committee, her second committee seat
Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge) received a second committee assignment today, taking a seat on the House Small Business Committee. Mejia, who won a
Bob Buckhorn PC raising $215K in most recent reporting period, the first as an official mayoral candidate
Buckhorn’s total haul to his political committee now sits at more than $2M
Rep. Thanedar Introduces Bill to Crack Down on Misleading and Political DHS Communications
The Official Website of the House Committee on Homeland Security
Charlie Crist grows fundraising haul to $1.6M, rolls out major vote-by-mail effort
The Crist campaign and its allied committee raised more than $330,000 from March 1 through May 31.
New Jersey Democrats advance bill criminalizing interference with abortion, transgender healthcare
New Jersey Assembly committee advances bill that would criminalize interference with abortion services and transgender healthcare access statewide.
New Jersey Democrats advance bill criminalizing interference with abortion, transgender healthcare
New Jersey Assembly committee advances bill that would criminalize interference with abortion services and transgender healthcare access statewide.
Texas’ health care workforce has increased 123% in 30 years. State officials say it isn’t enough
Health care is the largest and fastest growing industry in Texas — but the workforce isn't growing fast enough to meet increasing demand. Workforce shortages are getting worse, according to testimony from state officials during a House Committee on Public Health hearing.
Texas’ healthcare workforce has increased 123% in 30 years. State officials say it isn’t enough
Healthcare is the largest and fastest growing industry in Texas — but the workforce isn't growing fast enough to meet increasing demand. Workforce shortages are getting worse, according to testimony from state officials during a House Committee on Public Health hearing.
Gretchen N Miller
Scope of work: Miller co-chairs Greenberg Traurig’s products liability and mass torts practice, overseeing nearly 100 attorneys worldwide. She was recently named co-chair of the firm’s Chicago litigation practice, leading more than 50 attorneys.Significant case: She co-leads Albertsons’ defense in nationwide opioid litigation, challenging public nuisance claims, including a recent dismissal in Alaska. She secured summary judgment for Lockheed Martin in a groundwater contamination case involving 45 plaintiffs.Other contributions: Miller has held leadership roles in the Defense Research Institute, recently chairing the Products Liability Committee and winning its Outstanding Committee Chair Award, and is on the Good Sports Chicago advisory board.
Gil M Soffer
Scope of work: A former federal prosecutor, Soffer became chairman of Katten in 2024, leading 1,500 attorneys and professionals. Previously, he was Chicago managing partner and co-chaired the firm’s litigation practice.Significant case: He serves as a five-year independent monitor in a global opioid settlement and was previously a DOJ/SEC-appointed corporate compliance monitor in a major Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case.Other contributions: Soffer is on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois' Racial Justice Diversity Committee, is WLS-TV/Channel 7's chief legal analyst and headed the Chicago Bar Foundation Investing in Justice Campaign that raised $1.4 million for pro bono services.
Hilda S Renteria
Scope of work: Renteria oversees the firm's audits and attestation engagements, focusing on governmental and nonprofit sectors. She is responsible for completing financial and single audits, implementing new financial reporting standards and driving the firm's audit services growth.Biggest professional win: In 2023, she was featured in Illinois CPA Society's Insight Magazine for her role in expanding the firm's audit practice, surpassing growth targets and introducing new technologies.Other contributions: Renteria co-founded the Prado & Renteria Foundation in 2014 to support Indigenous communities and first-generation college students. She serves on the Illinois CPA Society Government Report Review Committee and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs.
Seminole EMS Director testifies before Texas House Committee on Public Health
Seminole EMS Director Carly French testifies before the Texas House Committee on Public Health, asking the legislature to consider changes to rules surrounding a grant that helps rural EMS agencies purchase new ambulances.
Health System Board hears presentations on Ehlers-Danlos center, at-home patient care
HSB is a Board committee composed of seven Board members that oversee the operations of the University’s Medical Center and provide strategic oversight for the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing and U.Va. Community Health.
http://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/americans-face-brunt-republicans-disastrous-health-care-cuts
House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) today released their latest report monitoring the terrible impact of Donald Trump and Republicans’ health care agenda, with a focus on the fallout of the Republican Big Ugly Bill.
Fecteau orders Maine House investigation
The committee last met in 2021 when it voted to reprimand former Paris Rep. John Andrews, who at the time was a Libertarian, for refusing to wear a face covering on the House floor.
SEC names five new members of small business advisory committee
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has appointed five new members to its Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.
U.S. House panel seeks DOJ probe of ex-Miami Beach Mayor after Jeffrey Epstein accusations
House Oversight Committee members emphasized that Congress is not determining guilt, but said the allegations warrant review by federal investigators.
House health panel advances bills to combat elevated blood lead levels, fetal alcohol syndrome
The Michigan House Committee on Health Policy voted on Wednesday morning to advance two packages of bills to combat childhood lead exposure and fetal alcohol syndrome. Two of the three bills on lead exposure were not reported, however, and were instead referred to the House Committee on Rules. House Bill 4864, would alter Michigan’s definition […]
Rubio torches Democrat after bizarre hearing questions about his shoes: 'Is this a circus?'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing "a circus" after Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs questioned him about shoes gifted by Trump.
Rep. Al Green tells Homeland Security Sec. Mullin to 'shut up' after calling him a racist at hearing
Rep. Al Green called Homeland Security Sec. Markwayne Mullin a racist during a House committee meeting on funding and repeatedly told him to shut up.
Senators urge quick action to halt college sports decay
Senators and college officials on Wednesday urged swift action on a bipartisan measure that aims to overhaul college athletics system they say hemorrhages money and hinders student-athletes — even as two powerful conferences said they would seek changes. During a much-anticipated Senate Commerce Committee hearing, both the bill’s authors — Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and […]
WATCH: Rubio scorches claim Trump weighed finances in Iran decisions: ‘Not even for a millisecond’
Secretary of State Rubio calls allegations that Trump considered personal finances in Iran decisions "completely false" during heated House hearing.
Elections to top science bodies test Croatia’s gender equality in research
Croatia’s track-record on gender equality in science has been both questioned and lauded in recent months, following both bad and good news on the topic. On the one hand, a senior awards committee was announced without a single woman researcher included. On the other, the national science academy welcomed its first cohort of fellows with more women than men.Members of the committee, which gives national awards recognising scientific achievement, are proposed by the ministry of science and endorsed by the parliament. The current line-up does include a woman, but she is culture minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek rather than a researcher. Even then, she didn’t make it into the photograph released to announce the appointments on April 16. “The image speaks a thousand words,” says Tanja Rudež, a science journalist for Jutarnji List newspaper. “I am surprised that none of these men, all well-known scientists, saw a problem with the fact that there was not a single successful female scientist on the committee,” she told Science|Business.Ivan Đikić, a prominent Croatian biochemist based at Goethe University Medical School, commented on LinkedIn that the news illustrated a “sad truth” about the state of science in Croatia.“It [. . .] reveals a system where women, despite contributing a substantial share of high-quality, internationally competitive science, are systematically excluded from the very processes that determine recognition and influence,” he wrote. Some 60% of researchers in Croatia are women, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, and they perform well in international competitions. For example, of the 12 European Research Council (ERC) grants awarded to Croatian researchers, seven went to women.“So how is it possible that decision-making bodies are still dominated by men over 60, while not a single female ERC laureate is involved in the selection process?” asked Đikić. “This is not a marginal oversight; it is a structural failure.” The ministry of science did not reply to a request for comment. The awards committee is not unusual. For example, a scientific advisory body announced by the ministry of demographics in April comprises 35 men and five women. The board of the Croatian Science Foundation, newly appointed by the parliament, is a little better, with five men and two women, but still unequal. “This is especially significant because such bodies do not merely distribute prestige. They shape research priorities, funding allocation and long-term scientific development,” Marija Lugarić, chair of the parliament’s committee on gender equality, told Science|Business. “Representation here matters not only symbolically, but materially.”Referring to the awards committee and the board of the science foundation, Lugarić says that while both bodies were appointed by parliament, neither met the minimum 40% gender balance threshold that Croatian law and EU guidelines expressly recommend for public bodies.Đikić wants to see EU institutions put pressure on the government to ensure basic standards of fairness, transparency and democratic governance in science policy are met. “Meaningful change will not come without pressure,” he wrote. “It must intensify both within Croatia and at the level of European institutions. Anything less undermines the credibility of Europe’s commitment to excellence and inclusion in science.”Rudež also underlined the importance of talking and writing about this topic, “because public opinion in Croatia does influence changes in the status and visibility of women in science.”The European Commission has not yet responded to a request for comment.Good news from the academyA more positive story came from the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts on 21 May, with the announcement of seven new women fellows and five men. This is the first time in the academy’s 165-year history that women have outnumbered men in a new intake.One of the new fellows, two-time ERC grantee Iva Tolić, credits the academy leadership with trying to be more modern and inclusive, representing the whole community better. “The academy is really aware that so far, before this election, there were very few women,” she told Science|Business. “So, they are actively trying to make this more equal.”Related articlesExplained: How the MSCA is close to achieving gender balanceCall for EU to leverage academic freedom in global talent raceRudež is more cautious, noting that despite the academy’s “breakthrough this year [. . .] it is still a predominantly male institution, with only 18% women.”This reflects a wider imbalance in Croatia’s research landscape. “The key levers of power in science are still in the hands of men,” she went on. “For example, all 14 rectors of private and public universities are men.”Similarly, Lugarić says a structural glass ceiling still exists in Croatian science, which is “most visible precisely where power is exercised.”She cites data from the Commission’s She Figures 2024 report, which shows that Croatia ranks second in the EU for gender equality in research and innovation overall, with an equality index of 79.6 out of 100. It is in the top five for women’s career advancement, participation in research; representation across all research sectors and for scientific publications.In stark contrast, it ranks second to last when it comes to women in decision-making positions in science. “This is not a coincidence,” Lugarić says. “It is a structural pattern.”Informal barriersThe persistent under-representation of women in the highest structures of Croatia’s academies, boards, award committees and leadership positions is not down to formal barriers, Lugarić says, but arises from more subtle obstacles such as “informal networks, persistent expectations regarding traditional gender roles and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities.”Tolić would like to see more support for young women in terms of affordable housing and child support, and higher salaries. Currently, she says, salaries in science stay low for the first 10-15 years, while housing and spaces in kindergarten are limited and expensive. “You have to work a lot, you get very little money, so it’s not great to have a family in this situation,” she says.But despite the challenges, Tolić is optimistic, saying that gender equality in research in Croatia is “definitely improving and going in the right direction.” The situation is particularly promising in biology, she adds, where most full professors, heads of department and deans of faculties are women. Lugarić, too, see the glass ceiling “very slowly, cracking,” and cites the academy election as an example that structural change is possible. Yet the situation in the national awards committee is a “stark reminder that without a conscious, systemic commitment to gender balance, progress will remain slow and uneven.”
Palantir Contracts Have Become ‘An Unacceptable Point of Weakness,’ UK Politicians Warn
A government committee says that the country’s growing dependence on the data analytics company is a serious liability.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refuses to commit to following court orders
Mullin faced the Senate Appropriations committee amid scrutiny over the agency's budget and immigration enforcement ahead of the World Cup.
WTAS: Advocates Commend Introduction of Chairman Cruz’s Protect College Sports Act - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Intercollegiate conferences and universities across the country are praising the introduction of the Protect College Sports Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at ending the uncertainty and disorder facing college athletics. The legislation was formally introduced today in the U.S. Senate by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.). Chairman Cruz will convene a full committee hearing tomorrow, June 3, at 9:00 a.m. ET on the legislation. Witnesses are Nick Saban, Pete Bevacqua, Gordon Gee, Teresa Gould, and […]
U.S. Senate committee makes new trans athlete allegations against USA Hockey
The Senate Commerce Committee accuses USA Hockey of facilitating competitions where trans athletes compete against female players in sanctioned leagues.
Nistler College of Business and Public Administration dean search unsuccessful, to be relaunched
Provost Eric Link said in an update letter that he and the search committee will work out a timeline for relaunching the search after the committee chose not to select any candidate for the position.
Exclusive: House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over sexual misconduct allegations, sources say
The House Ethics Committee is investigating Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez over allegations of sexual misconduct, three sources told CNN.
How Science Works
The 2nd Weather and Climate Livestream is now underway. It is organized by a group of early-career researchers concerned about declining funding for the field and eager to demonstrate how weather and climate research makes a difference in our lives. Last year’s event was a great success, drawing terrific press coverage including a piece in the NY Times. This year features a strong lineup of talks aimed at a general audience — I highly recommend tuning in. Share I gave a talk yesterday about How Science Works in Three Steps. You can see the short presentation here (I’ve appended a transcript below): And please tune into the livestream here. It runs through tomorrow at 6 pm ET. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe Cleaned up transcript: Thank you, and thanks to everyone tuning in. I want to talk about something I think a lot of people don’t really understand: how science actually works. Arguments over any scientific topic — climate change, vaccines, you name it — revolve around competing claims. For climate change, the claims are: Is the Earth warming? Are humans to blame? What will the impacts be? Over the last 150 years, the scientific community has developed a remarkably robust method for sorting out which claims are true and which aren’t. That method is what I want to walk through. So how does science generate knowledge? If you ask a high schooler, they’ll give you the version they learned in ninth grade: an individual scientist forms a hypothesis, runs an experiment, and draws a conclusion. That’s more or less what happens at the individual level, though in practice it’s more iterative — you design, test, and refine all at once, landing on a slightly different idea each time until you reach a conclusion about whatever hypothesis you’ve ended up with. But this isn’t science. It’s only step one. Any individual scientist can make mistakes — scientists are human. Maybe there’s a bug in the code, maybe there’s an error in the experiment. Just because someone ran an experiment and reached a conclusion doesn’t mean it’s right, and scientists don’t treat a single result as settled truth. Step two is peer review, the first layer of quality control. The scientist writes up what they did and submits it to a journal, which sends the paper to other experts in the field. Those experts judge whether the methods are sound, whether it properly references prior work, and whether the conclusions actually follow from the data. Ask any scientist and they’ll tell you peer review is miserable — the comments come back brutal, often harsh, and you have to revise and resubmit, sometimes multiple times, before an editor finally accepts the paper. Peer review catches an immense amount of bad science, but it can’t catch all of it. Reviewers get sloppy or overworked, they miss obvious mistakes, and they can’t catch hidden errors — a bug in the code, a misread instrument. So a peer-reviewed paper making it into a journal doesn’t mean the paper is right. Nobody treats a single paper as the final word. That’s where step three comes in: the crucible of science. Important results get retested by the broader community. If you publish something interesting, it gets dissected. Sometimes people try to reproduce your work directly but more often they test its implications. If someone claims X is true, and that implies that Y is also true, then scientists will go check Y. If a claim survives this gauntlet long enough, it becomes accepted. That’s how we generate knowledge. Let me give an example: the ozone hole. In 1985 — and I doubt many people watching were around then, but I remember it well — Joe Farman and his colleagues published observations from Antarctica showing that a huge chunk of ozone was disappearing every year. This was shocking because most atmospheric chemists had expected ozone loss to occur at mid-latitudes and high altitudes, not over the South Pole. When scientists see something they don’t understand, they rush to explain it, and several competing hypotheses quickly appeared in the peer-reviewed literature. One pointed to chlorine chemistry from chlorofluorocarbons. A second blamed nitrogen chemistry, possibly driven by solar proton events — meaning the sun was responsible. A third argued it wasn’t chemistry at all but dynamics: winds were carrying naturally low-ozone air from the lower atmosphere up into the stratosphere. Then the community went to work testing which theory could survive the crucible. Aircraft flew into the ozone hole and found no nitrogen, ruling out the nitrogen theory. Measurements showed the air in the polar vortex was descending, not rising — which would bring high-ozone air down, eliminating the dynamics theory. Meanwhile, those same flights measured enormous amounts of chlorine, strongly correlated with exactly the regions where ozone was being destroyed. That became known as the “smoking gun” paper, and it established that chlorine chemistry was the cause. Through this process, a consensus emerged. And it’s worth being clear that this consensus is organic. There’s no vote, no poll, no meeting where it gets decided. Scientists go to conferences, talk to one another, and independently arrived at the same answer. It’s the ultimate free market of ideas. After the consensus was established, the peer-reviewed literature doesn’t even mention the rival theories — it simply takes chlorine chemistry as given. That’s what a consensus looks like. It doesn’t mean every single scientist agrees, but it does mean there’s no longer any legitimate debate. So where can you see what scientists actually think? It’s all in the peer-reviewed literature, which contains the entire historical record of the argument: the discovery, the competing theories, the debate, the testing, and finally the community coalescing around one answer. But there’s a lot of room for misrepresentation. You can dig up an old paper claiming the ozone hole was caused by dynamics and wave it around as if there still was a debate about the cause of the ozone hole — without mentioning that the idea was disproven long ago and that even its own authors no longer believe it. There’s a bigger problem, though: the peer-reviewed literature is written in a language I call “nerd.” It’s extremely hard to read — honestly, some of it is hard for me to follow. It takes graduate students years to work through the literature in a single field, so we can’t expect policymakers or ordinary people to do it. This is where scientific assessments come in. The most famous is the IPCC — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The job of an assessment is to read and summarize the peer-reviewed literature, synthesizing what’s settled, what’s been disproven, and what remains genuinely debated. To ensure the assessments accurately summarize the peer-reviewed literature, assessments are written by large teams, which are far less prone to bias than individuals and which dilute the influence of any one scientist with an axe to grind. The teams are deliberately assembled to avoid stacking the deck, and the reports themselves go through multiple rounds of peer review. That rigorous process is exactly why you can trust them and why people consider the IPCC to be the gold standard of what we know about the climate system. An assessment produced through a different process may well not be credible. You can even watch the consensus evolve across assessments. Take the attribution of warming. The 1990 IPCC report said the observed warming was broadly consistent with model predictions but also comparable to natural variability — in other words, we don’t know whether humans are responsible. By 1995, it concluded that the balance of evidence suggested a discernible human influence — a sentence only a committee could write, and one that barely commits to anything. By 2001, most of the warming over the previous 50 years was judged “likely” due to greenhouse gases; by 2007, “very likely”; by 2013, “extremely likely.” The 2023 report says essentially the same as 2013 — there’s not much stronger language available. So, to wrap up: science is our ultimate tool for deciphering the universe — the most successful method we’ve ever developed for determining what’s true and what isn’t. Our understanding is written into the peer-reviewed literature, so if you want to know what scientists think, that’s where to look. And for those of us who don’t speak nerd, scientific assessments are the Rosetta Stone — they translate nerd into English. Let me open the floor to questions. Thank you.
WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies on Capitol Hill for the 1st time since start of Iran war
The Republican former senator will sit before House and Senate committees to make the State Department's annual budget request. But the focus is likely to shift quickly to the already unsteady ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which has been further tested in recent days by back-and-forth attacks.
Tennessee Realtors say funds from political action committee attacks communities, violates ethics
Tennessee Realtors Rodney Tate, Jr. and
'Surging enthusiasm': Byron Donalds' campaign through May raises upward of $81 million
More than 35,000 individual donors have now givien to his Friends of Byron Donalds committee.
Congress summons Roger Goodell to testify about NFL’s TV deals
Federal attention towards the NFL’s broadcast deals is not going away. On Monday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell asking him to testify at a June 10 committee hearing regarding the league’s media rights practices, according to a report by Dan Murphy of…
Public Services Committee moves forward with rezoning for east Cheyenne business parks
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Over 1,600 acres of commercial land on the eastern side of Cheyenne is one step closer to rezoning for smaller commercial development
City Public Service Committee seeks to recommend business park rezoning, more in Monday meeting
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Cheyenne City Council’s Public Services Committee is prepared to conduct third readings of multiple proposed ordinances today,
Global health Student Advisory Committee cohort for 2026–27
The Harvard Global Health Institute has announced its 2026–2027 cohort of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC), a 13-member undergraduate leadership group that will serve from fall 2026 through spring 2027.
New revitalization committee aims to foster new business, community spirit in Harrison
Carly Deskins grew up in Harrison in the late 1990s, when she remembers it as bustling. She remembers the Heights Plaza when it was “the place to be.” “I experienced firsthand the benefits of a community built on strong local businesses,” Deskins said. “After watching that vibrancy deteriorate, I want
GOP’s Bill Cassidy faces new decisions on bucking Trump
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) finds himself in a unique position: scorned by President Trump and out of the running for reelection, but still in charge of the highly influential Senate health committee…
Colorado Republicans elect software engineer Craig Steiner to fill vacant state chairman position
The Colorado Republican Party on Saturday elected Craig Steiner to fill the party’s vacant state chair position at a state central committee meeting in Buena Vista, just over a week before primary ballots go out to voters and five months before the general election. The former Douglas County GOP chair takes over from Eric Grossman, […]
State Airfields Receive Funding
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, has reported that 24 municipal airfields in Mississippi have been awarded just over $20 million for facility improvements. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the third round of FY2026 Airport Improvement Program grants, which meet Airport Safety and Resilient […]
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi hails Trump admin's 'justice and transparency' on Epstein files
In a prepared statement for her interview with a House committee, former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Trump administration's release of the Jeffrey Epstein files .
Bondi defends DOJ’s handling of Epstein probe in long-sought interview on Capitol Hill
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a robust defense of the Justice Department’s handling of the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files as she arrived on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a long-sought interview with the GOP-led House Oversight Committee.
Ranking Member Lofgren Slams Trump Administration for Plan to Politicize Research Funding Process, Undermine Expert Review
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
Bondi to face closed-door questioning from House committee over Epstein files
Lawmakers to have fresh chance to dig for information on Trump’s administration’s handling of issue by grilling former attorney-general
Key things to know ahead of Pam Bondi’s interview with House committee about her handling of the Epstein files
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to give a closed-door interview Friday over her handling of the federal government’s investigation into the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Crossing party lines: Shad Khan, Mori Hosseini, Patrick Zalupski on host committee for Donna Deegan fundraiser
A serious opponent for the Duval Democrat has yet to emerge.
Clean Water, Hospital Construction Among Tribal Health Concerns at Senate Budget Hearing
Health care was the focus of last week’s Senate Indian Affairs Committee budget hearing as lawmakers pressed agency leaders on Indian Health Service funding cuts. While the FY 2027 budget requests $9.1 billion in discretionary funding for the IHS, the budget cuts several key programs, including sanitation facilities, special diabetes programs and scholarships for health […]
Former U.S. Senator Richard Burr on his political career, politics now, and his new focus on K-12 education strategy
Burr spent 28 years in Congress — serving first in the U.S. House, before ascending to the upper chamber. Once there, he chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Crooked Letter Sports: Mississippi is a Diamond state, and not just baseball
Softball joins baseball in the Mississippi sports spotlight this week. Mississippi State stunned proud Oklahoma to reach the College World Series for the first time. Belhaven won its Super Regional and will play in the Division III World Series. Southern Miss, State, and Ole Mis all play in NCAA Baseball Regionals this weekend. All that and lots more, including a visit from Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain who is on the NCAA Baseball Committee.