Category: What We’re Reading

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Senate Impeachment Trial: Despite recent revelations of possible damaging evidence from Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to President Trump, it appears Senate Republicans will move to swiftly acquit President Trump as early as Friday afternoon or Saturday. The key question has been whether or not Republicans could muster enough votes to block witnesses, which they seem to now be able to do. Updates at Washington Post.

Scientists Working to Understand Coronavirus: Less than two weeks after coronavirus emerged from Wuhan, China, scientists worldwide are making significant headway to understand the virus, including its genetic profile. The global collaboration is being lauded as more potential cases emerge. Meanwhile, the CDC has elevated its travel alert recommending against nonessential travel to all of China and the Department of State has advised travelers not to visit China. Global airlines are also canceling flights to and from mainland China. Global panic has increased as the death toll exceeds 200. More at Inside Higher Ed and Washington Post .

Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant Dies: Kobe Bryant, a basketball star and American pop culture icon, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday with his daughter and several other people. More at NYT.

Supreme Court Lifts Green Card Injunction: In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court lifted an injunction barring the Trump Administration from enforcing a “public charge” test to issuing green cards. The test will consider the applicant’s age, level of education, English proficiency, among others. USCIS is expecting to release more information shortly. Full story at Reuters.

Brexit is Happening: At 11:00pm GMT on Friday, January 31st the UK will officially leave the European Union after a years-long and vicious debate over the terms of exit. There is still much work to be done to reconcile domestic divides in the UK and ensure a smooth transition for people and businesses. More at Associated Press.

Below is a selection of articles the federal relations team has read this week.

Impeachment Goes to the Senate: The House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate. Seven House Democrats were selected as prosecutors in the case, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The Senate trial began when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts and all 100 United States Senators were sworn in. The White House has already indicated they expect it to be quick, although there has been no official decision as to whether witnesses will be called. Live updates at the Washington Post.

Russian Government Resigns: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the Russian Parliament resigned abruptly in an effort to “facilitate” sweeping constitutional changes proposed by President Vladimir Putin. The changes would extend term limits for the President, shift power to the lower house of Parliament, increase the number of children born in Russia, and give tax breaks, among many other changes. Limited details have been made available, but updates continue at BBC.

Report Shows US Scientific Enterprise Falling Behind: A new report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, an agency within NSF, revealed that the US is losing its footing as the global dominant player in science. Specifically, the US continues to fall behind powers such as China. The report notes that while the US outspends every other country in fundamental research, we are not spending as much in “experimental development” of technologies. Full story at Washington Post.

College Still Pays Off: A report from the College Board, a nonprofit agency, revealed that college graduates still enjoy a higher employment rate and significantly higher earnings compared to those who did not attend college. Read at Inside Higher Ed.

DoE Pondering Foreign Risk Matrix: The Department of Energy is apparently developing a risk matrix which would restrict certain sensitive technologies from being shared with researchers from four countries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It is unclear how the matrix would actually be deployed, or what the restrictions would be. The DoE says it wants to work closely with other federal agencies and the White House interagency council to develop uniform policies. More at Science Magazine.

Congress Back: Congress is back in session for 2020 as of January 7th. Catch live updates at Roll Call.

Trump Battling Iran: Tensions with Iran escalated over the past few days after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at military bases in Iraq which housed US troops. Live updates at CBS.

Ukraine International Airlines: A Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran bound for Kiev. The US and Canada both announced that they had evidence the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile. President Trump and Canadian PM Trudeau both expressed that it was likely unintentional. More than 60 of the passengers were Canadians, and dozens had ties to Canadian universities. Read on at Washington Post.

New York Beer Tax Could Help State Schools: New York State politicians are considering a levy which would increase tax on beer and direct the revenue towards the State Universities of New York. It is estimated to raise $50 million per year. Details at Bloomberg.

Impeachment: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not yet turned over articles of impeachment to the Senate, as she explains she is waiting to know what the “terms of engagement” will be. Top Democrats are concerned because Republican Senate leaders have expressed a desire to coordinate closely with President Trump in executing his own trial. However, Congresswoman Pelosi did signal that impeachment could move forward soon. More at WSJ.

Florida State Begins Probe into Foreign Academic Ties: The Florida State Government has began an investigation into researchers in the state who failed to disclose ties to China’s Thousand Talents program. The investigation mirrors efforts at the national level from federal agencies and law enforcement. More at Science Magazine.

Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Articles of Impeachment: The House Judiciary Committee has approved two articles of impeachment against President Trump, one for Obstruction of Congress and one for Abuse of Power. After a 14 hour debate lasting well into Thursday night, the Committee voted to send the articles to the full House. Republicans argue the articles are rushed and biased, while Democrats argue impeachment is their constitutional duty. If the full House votes to approve the articles next week, President Trump will be the third US President to be impeached. Live updates at CNN.

Defense Bill to Include Foreign Influence Provisions: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is set to be passed imminently, will create two new bodies aimed at preventing the theft of sensitive research. One body will be based at the White House and will work to protect research from foreign threats. Meanwhile, another body will be based at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and will bring together academics, industry leaders, and government officials to discuss how best to protect American research. Full story at Science Magazine.

Brits Go to the Polls: The UK General Elections were on Thursday, December 12th. The Conservative Party led by PM Boris Johnson won a major victory. Updates at BBC.

America Needs Rural Physicians: A special issue of Health Affairs featured research analyzing the trend of rural students entering medical colleges. In a time when rural physicians are desperately needed, the less students from rural areas are applying to medical school. The article notes students from rural areas are more likely to return to practice in their hometown and bring new perspective to medical school classes. Full story at Reuters.