Global Cyberattack Affects Hundreds of ThousandsA global cyberattack, involving ransomware called WannaCrypt, affected over 200,000 computers in over 150 countries through the weekend, after first emerging on Friday, May 12. The attack exploited a flaw in Windows computers that was originally used by the National Security Agency (NSA) before being leaked earlier this year. A statement from Microsoft highlighted the need for governments around the world to "consider the damage to civilians that comes from hoarding these vulnerabilities and the use of these exploits" and reiterated its call for "a new 'Digital Geneva Convention' to govern these issues, including a new requirement for governments to report vulnerabilities to vendors, rather than stockpile, sell, or exploit them."Trump Signs Executive Order on CybersecurityOne day before the cyberattack, on Thursday, May 11, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critica...
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Let's start with the basics...what exactly is net neutrality? Net neutrality equals internet freedom. It is what stops internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc. from limiting what you can and cannot see online, as well as the speed at which you get it. In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted regulations that preserve net neutrality, i.e. your ability to freely access content on the internet. And for a good video clip, check out what John Oliver has to say about net neutrality.Why it matters to you: Net neutrality impacts everyone - individuals, small business owners, corporations, etc. With net neutrality, everyone has an equal space on the internet. Without net neutrality, internet companies will decide which websites, content or applications succeed.So what's happening now? Trump's new head of the FCC, former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai, wants to reverse net neutrality laws, allowing service providers to turn the internet into somethi...
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BackgroundIn 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice created the National Commission on Forensic Science. It is comprised of scientists, judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and other stakeholders who have an interest maintaining strict, professional, and quality scientific standards for forensic sciences. The Commission's objective was to provide the DOJ advice and recommendations for the following: strengthening the reliability of forensic sciences, enhancing quality assurance and quality control in forensic laboratories, identifying and recommending scientific guidance and protocols for seizing, testing, analyzing, and reporting evidence, and assessing other needs of forensic science communities to meet demands generated by the criminal and civil justice systems. On April 10, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the NCFS would not be renewed for another two-year term once its current term expires on April 23, 2017. The NCFS has been key in addressing issue...
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House Votes to Strip Health Care From MillionsOn Thursday, May 4, Republicans in the House narrowly passed the American Health Care Act ("Trumpcare"), their attempt to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). If enacted into law, this bill would leave 24 million more people uninsured, while cutting $800 billion in Medicaid funding, providing tax cuts for the wealthy, and revoking guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate is drafting its own bill, which is expected to be different from the House version (if it passes the Senate, the two versions would have to be reconciled, so this legislation faces a long, bumpy road ahead).Trump Signs FY17 Spending BillOn Friday, May 5, President Trump signed a bill funding the government through September. The $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill provides a $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), despite cuts proposed by Trump. Read more about scientifi...
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Science Fares Well in Appropriations Deal. Late Sunday, April 30, Congress reached an appropriations deal to avert a government shutdown and fund the government through September (the rest of FY17). This omnibus appropriations bill still needs to be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President this week (the current continuing resolution expires on Friday, May 5). Despite the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump administration, scientific programs actually fared reasonably well. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will see a $2 billion increase (Trump had proposed a cut of over $1 billion). The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will see a $16 million increase (Trump has proposed eliminating ARPA-E). Read more about scientific programs in the appropriations deal here, and more about what's in it more broadly here and here.Climate Science Removed from EPA Website. Just hours before demonstrators filled the streets for the People's Climate March...
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Thousands March for Science Across the Globe. On Saturday, April 22, large numbers of people joined the March for Science in Washington, DC, and over 600 other locations across the globe to express their support for science and defend it against political attacks. Now that the march is over, the organizers are calling for a week of action to continue the process of advocating for science.Trump Targets H-1B Visas. On Tuesday, April 18, President Trump signed a "Buy American and Hire American" executive order, which, among other provisions, directs government agencies to "suggest reforms to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid petition beneficiaries." Changes to the H-1B visa system would likely impact America's tech industry, though the exact effects are unknown since this order does not propose specific changes.Shutdown Threat Looms, Causes Confusion. Congress returns this week from a two-week recess, facing a looming budget crisis and possible...
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An Opportunity For Public Comments at EPAThe Trump administration's drive to roll back governmental protections continues. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week that it is taking public comments on regulatory reform in accordance with Executive Order 13777, "Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda." The agency "is seeking input on regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification." However, this is an opportunity for the public to offer their support for the key role the EPA plays in protecting human health and our environment.In January, President Trump signed a memo that ordered the Commerce Department to solicit public comments on "actions to streamline permitting and reduce regulatory burdens for domestic manufacturers." A recent analysis by The Washington Post of the comments submitted revealed that most came from industry, whose top targets for regulations to change or remove were clean air and water and labor protections--putt...
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Republican Attacks on the EPA and the Environment ContinueLast week was a tough one for science and the environment. The House passed two bills that will make it more difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to incorporate good science in its rulemaking:The Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment ("HONEST") Act (passed March 29) would prevent the EPA from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating any guidance or regulation unless all of the underlying technical data is publicly available and reproducible--a standard that is crafted to sound reasonable but is designed to place an undue burden on scientists and the EPA to slow down the regulatory process. The EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act (passed March 30) would allow industry representatives--even those with financial conflicts of interest--to serve on the body that provides scientific advice to the EPA, but would prevent non-industry scientists (i.e. academic researchers) from serving if they have a grant from...
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Senate Republicans Vote to Eliminate ISP Privacy RulesOn Thursday, March 23, the Senate voted along party lines to eliminate Obama-era privacy rules meant to protect Americans from invasive surveillance by internet service providers (ISPs), such as Comcast and Time-Warner. Republicans voted to apply the Congressional Review Act to eliminate FCC rules that required meaningful notice and opt-in consent from consumers before sharing or selling their data. These rules had also created stricter requirements for cyber security and notification in the event of a data breach. The Senate's action would take these types of privacy related issues out of the hands of the FCC, requiring congressional action to reinstate them in the future. This vote is a blow to consumer privacy and demonstrates how Republicans have aligned themselves with business interests over consumers. As privacy comes under attack from all quarters, lawmakers should be strengthening our rights, not weakening them. The Hous...
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President's Budget ProposalOn Thursday, March 16th, the Trump Administration introduced its initial budget proposal for FY2018, proposing a $54-billion hike in defense spending, while gutting domestic discretionary spending, including scientific programs. The budget landed with a thud on Capitol Hill, and elicited deep concerns from the scientific community. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) warned that "The Trump Administration's proposed budget would cripple the science and technology enterprise through short-sighted cuts to discovery science programs and critical mission agencies alike." Although ultimately Congress sets the federal budget, and much of this proposal stands little chance of being enacted as is, this budget outline provides a clear illustration of the Administration's priorities--and science is apparently not one of them.This so-called "skinny budget" is an initial outline of the President's proposed budget, and a full proposal is expec...