Monthly archives: July, 2025

NIH-funded science must now be free to read instantly: what you should know

Nature: “From 1 July, researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be required to make their scientific papers available to read for free as soon as they are published in a peer-reviewed journal. That’s according to the agency’s latest public-access policy, aimed at making federally funded research accessible to taxpayers. US …

Subjects: Education, Freedom of Information, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Medicine

How the Billionaires Took Over

The New Republic: “Yes, Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. But the far bigger menace is the monstrous growth in wealth concentration over five decades that made a Trump presidency possible—and maybe inevitable. Here’s how we let it happen. Donald Trump is America’s first billionaire president. He entered the White House in 2017 with …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, Legal Research, Social Media

Saving bees to feed the world

[Not an endorsement – this is an example of how AI is applied to a specific environmental disaster] “The increasing loss of bee colonies around the world poses a threat to approximately 75% of pollination-dependent crops that humans consume, as well as to the pollinators themselves. At Beewise, our business model is intrinsically linked to …

Subjects: AI, Climate Change, Environmental Law

ICEBlock app for anonymously reporting ICE sightings goes viral overnight after Bondi criticism

“ICEBlock, an iPhone app that allows users to anonymously report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, has rocketed to one of the coveted top spots in Apple’s U.S. App Store rankings. The upshot: Criticism from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi helped get it there. Most of ICEBlock’s users — about 20,000 — …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Social Media

White House works to ground NASA science missions before Congress can act

Ars Technica: “In another sign that the Trump White House is aggressively moving to slash NASA’s science programs, dozens of mission leaders have been asked to prepare “closeout” plans by the end of next week. The new directive came from NASA’s senior leadership on Monday, which is acting on behalf of the White House Office …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Nation’s top climate science assessments removed from federal websites

UPI – “The Trump administration has quietly shut down a major federal website that hosted congressionally mandated national climate assessments, which were the U.S. government’s preeminent reports on climate change impacts, risks and responses. The disappearance Monday of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s website marked an unexpected loss in public access to the most …

Subjects: Censorship, Climate Change, E-Government, Environmental Law

What is a democratic socialist?

Corey Robin: “Now that Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral primary, the New York Times is asking the question, “Zohran Mamdani Says He’s a Democratic Socialist. What Does That Mean?” The article doesn’t provide much of an answer. Instead, it trots out my old bête noire, Sheri Berman, who offers up crisp …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Black Swans and Financial Stability: A Framework for Building Resilience

Black Swans and Financial Stability: A Framework for Building Resilience, Daniel Barth and Stacey Schreft, June 2025. Federal Reserve Board. This article refines the concept of black swans, typically described as highly unlikely and catastrophic events, by clearly distinguishing between knowable and unknowable events. By emphasizing that black swans are “unknown unknowns,” the article highlights …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Legal Research