Colin Duckett
Professor, university administrator
Opinions my own
State Dept. restarts student visa interviews with tougher social media rules
Foreign nationals who seek visas to study in the United States will have to make social media posts public to be scrutinized for hostility toward the U.S.washingtonpost.com#48 in Association of American Universities v. Department of Defense (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-11740) – CourtListener.com
Judge Brian E. Murphy: ORDER GRANTING 13 PLAINTIFFS MOTION FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER...Defendants' opposition to the Motion is due by Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 3 p.m. Plaintiffs may file a re...courtlistener.comFareed’s take: Trump’s war on Harvard is destroying an American strength | CNN Politics
America is made stronger by its top-tier universities that produce world-class research and attract students from across the globe. Fareed says the Trump administration is attacking all of that — and ...cnn.comOpinion | Trump’s war on Harvard is bizarre — and incredibly damaging
He is wrecking American competitiveness.washingtonpost.comTrump administration ending multiple HIV vaccine studies, scientists and officials say
"This is a setback of probably a decade for HIV vaccine research," one scientist said.cbsnews.comTrump Administration Ends Program Critical to Search for an H.I.V. Vaccine
nytimes.comNew HHS document details deep NIH cuts as part of Trump budget request
Budget documents for Congress provide the most detailed look yet at how the Trump Administration hopes to reshape the National Institutes of Health.statnews.comHHS cancels nearly $600 million Moderna contract on vaccines for flu pandemics
HHS has notified Moderna that it is canceling a nearly $600 million contract for vaccines for flu strains that could trigger future pandemics.statnews.comTrump Intends to Cancel All Federal Funds Directed at Harvard
nytimes.comRFK Jr. ends covid shot recommendation for healthy children, pregnant women
Currently the vaccine is recommended for all people over 6 months of age.washingtonpost.comTrump team pauses new student visa interviews as it weighs expanding social media vetting
It’s the latest salvo against universities, many of whom rely heavily on foreign students for funds.politico.comRestoring Gold Standard Science
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 7301 of title 5, Unitedwhitehouse.govOpinion | Harvard Derangement Syndrome
nytimes.comA message from MIT President Sally Kornbluth
YouTube video by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)youtu.beTrump Administration Says It Is Halting Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students
nytimes.com- Really cool study by Debby Silver and her team: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Mice grow bigger brains when given this stretch of human DNA
Finding adds to the bigger picture of how humans developed such large brains.nature.com Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.whitehouse.govExclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.nature.comExclusive: NIH to suspend funds for research abroad as it overhauls policy
Move by US biomedical agency threatens thousands of projects on infectious diseases, cancer and more.nature.comNIH to prioritize human-based research technologies
New initiative aims to reduce use of animals in NIH-funded research.nih.govOpinion | The White House Tech Bros Owe Their Fortunes to the Research They’re Killing
Underlying many investments are breakthroughs in medicine and technology from great universities.nytimes.com- Superb Duke piece on Alzheimer's Research: today.duke.edu/2025/04/how-...
How Public Supported Studies Bring This Researcher and Patient Closer to a Cure for Alzheimer’s | Duke Today
today.duke.edu Exclusive | Elite Universities Form Private Collective to Resist Trump Administration
Separate from the public dissent, a group of school leaders are strategizing behind the scenes about how to respond and push back against the White House.wsj.com- 60 Minutes piece on NIH cuts www.cbsnews.com/news/scienti...
Scientists fear Trump administration cuts to NIH could impact the health of Americans for generations
Former National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, who abruptly left his NIH research lab in February, fears aggressive downsizing could impact Americans' health.cbsnews.com Opinion | Trump is destroying 100 years of competitive advantage in 100 days
Cuts to research and attacks on universities are handing global leadership to China.washingtonpost.com- Required Listening www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/p...
The Conservative Activist Pushing Trump to Attack U.S. Colleges
Christopher Rufo has helped inspire Republican messaging and bills on hot-button issues.nytimes.com - Great Op-Ed by Chris Beyrer on HIV and PEPFAR: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
On going backwards
There are patients you can never forget. Some because you connected unusually deeply with them as people or with their stories—some because you may have seen yourself or a loved one in their shoes, on...thelancet.com How Trump 2.0 is slashing NIH-backed research — in charts
Nature analyses which fields of science and US states are being hit hardest by grant terminations.nature.comDHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | USCIS
Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying imm...uscis.govKennedy pledges to find autism cause by September - Roll Call
The announcement comes amid lingering criticism that Kennedy has offered mixed messaging on vaccination, including whether it causes autism.rollcall.comFDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs
FDA Plans to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirementfda.govTrump Officials Freeze $1 Billion for Cornell and $790 Million for Northwestern
The funding pause amid civil rights investigations into both universities sharply escalates the Trump administration’s campaign against elite colleges.nytimes.com- A really informative visual from Jeremy Berg on grant renewals compared to last year jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
NIH_since_1_20_25
jeremymberg.github.io - NPR article on NIH funding, highlighting Duke University www.marketplace.org/2025/03/24/t...
How federal funding cuts are affecting cancer research at Duke - Marketplace
Research at a Duke University laboratory led to a new breast cancer drug in 2023. Government funding for that lab is now in limbo.marketplace.org - HHS terminated grants tracker taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data...
https://taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data/HHS_Grants_Terminated.pdf
taggs.hhs.gov Johns Hopkins to lose 2,000 jobs after Trump’s $800m cut in USAid funding
University says cut in funding ‘forcing us to wind down critical work’ as academics rally against job lossestheguardian.com- Great resource for tracking federal activity in the research space: research.umich.edu/fed-research...
Fed Research Blog
research.umich.edu On The Record: What funding cap means for Triangle researchers, medical advancement
WRAL goes 'On The Record' with a panel of medical professionals to examine what a recent cap put on NIH funding means for the Triangle's biggest researchers.wral.comUniversities are facing big cuts to research funding. At Duke, it's a time for 'damage control'
Facing the potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, Duke University is preparing for the worst.apnews.comhttps://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2025/03/07/doj-hhs-ed-gsa-announce-initial-cancelation-grants-contracts-columbia-university-worth-400-million.html
hhs.gov- Duke and UNC flying the flag! www.newsobserver.com/news/busines...
Open Source: How NIH under Trump has ‘stopped the wheels from turning’ at Duke, UNC labs
Smaller Ph.D. programs. Impending layoffs. Expired grants. Triangle researchers say the impacts of new federal policies are being felt.newsobserver.com - Trying to understand the difference... www.nih.gov/news-events/...
NIH centralizes peer review to improve efficiency and strengthen integrity
The proposed approach is expected to save more than $65 million annually.nih.gov Live updates: Elon Musk to meet with House Republicans as concerns about DOGE mount
The latest news on President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the new Congress.washingtonpost.com- Declaration in support of AAU lawsuit re F&A rate storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.280623/gov.uscourts.mad.280623.81.2.pdf
storage.courtlistener.com - Speaks for itself: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/u...
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Bid to Freeze Foreign Aid
The move came after Chief Justice Roberts temporarily paused a trial judge’s order requiring the administration to release more than $1.5 billion.nytimes.com - MIT President response www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI4r...
Update from President Kornbluth on MIT’s response to federal actions
YouTube video by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)youtube.com - RFK Jr:"Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons." Whiplash. www.cbsnews.com/news/rfk-jr-...
Vaccine critic RFK Jr. backs measles vaccine amid deadly Texas outbreak
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, is voicing support for the measles vaccine amid a deadly outbreak, mainly in Texas.cbsnews.com As Measles Spreads, Kennedy Embraces Remedies Like Cod Liver Oil
In an interview, the H.H.S. secretary claimed that unconventional treatments were helping patients but did not mention vaccination.nytimes.com- HHS investigating Columbia University, accusing antisemitism. www.hhs.gov/about/news/2...
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2025/03/03/hhs-ed-gsa-announce-additional-measures-end-anti-semitic-harassment-college-campuses.html
hhs.gov Trump says federal funding will stop for colleges, schools allowing 'illegal' protests
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that all federal funding will stop for colleges and schools that allow "illegal" protests and that agitators will be imprisoned or sent back to the country they came from.reuters.com
