Howard Kurtz

Dear Commons Community,

Howard Kurtz spent the final few minutes of the media criticism show he created by thanking his “loyal audience,” his family, and Fox News, which he said had given him “extraordinary independence” and allowed him to be critical of both the right and the left during his time hosting the program.

“The show begins right here in the brain area each week,” Kurtz said while pointing to his temple. “I don’t have to clear it with anyone. I’ve worked at a lot of places, and that’s rare.”

Kurtz, who first hosted the show on Sept. 7, 2013, said he was proud the show would speak to anyone, from The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro on the conservative side to director Rob Reiner on the liberal side.

“So much television today is about picking a team and denigrating anyone with opposing opinions,” Kurtz said — painting his show as an alternative to that.

Kurtz said he also enjoyed that he was called both pro-President Donald Trump and anti-Trump, “often for the same comments.”

There are numerous recent examples of Kurtz criticizing the president. Last month, he said “not much was accomplished” by President Trump’s Alaskan summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and in July, he said the president’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal was drawing more attention to the report he penned a “bawdy” letter to Jeffrey Epstein.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is also getting a new program and  Tomi Lahren’s role is expanding to be the permanent co-host of The Big Weekend Show, alongside Johnny “Joey” Jones.

The 72-year-old host also thanked his fans for making the show number one in its time slot for the past 12 years, and he also thanked his wife and four daughters “for putting up with all those lost weekends over the years.”

Kurtz’s farewell came a few days after Fox News announced a number of changes to its weekend lineup. Those changes include giving White House correspondents Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich a new hour-long show, The Sunday Briefing, which will air at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sundays — the time slot that has been occupied by Kurtz.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is also getting a new program and  Tomi Lahren’s role is expanding to be the permanent co-host of The Big Weekend Show, alongside Johnny “Joey” Jones.

Kurtz noted he will remain at Fox News for at least the next few years, writing columns, hosting the MediaBuzz podcast, and offering political and media analysis. But he wanted the audience to know he appreciated his 12 year stint hosting the TV program — as he said so long.

“I’ve had a pretty long run in a pretty tough business, and well, time marches on,” Kurtz said. “I appreciate you being such a loyal audience. Our Sunday get-togethers have been a privilege. Thanks for watching.”

One of the few Fox News people who attempted to be “fair and honest.”

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade has issued an apology for comments he made last Wednesday about the mentally ill homeless when discussing the death of Iryna Zarutska.

During the Wednesday broadcast, Kilmeade was having a discussion with co-hosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt about Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian woman was stabbed and killed on a train in North Carolina in August. The assailant reportedly had former convictions and a record of mental illness.

During their conversation, Jones addressed public money being spent to attempt to help mentally ill homeless people and suggested that those who didn’t accept the offered services should be jailed. Kilmeade then added, “Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill ‘em.”

Kilmeade’s comments sparked controversy, leaving the host to speak out about them during Sunday’s broadcast. In his apology, Kilmeade referred to his comments as “callous.”

“In the morning, we were discussing the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina and how to stop these kinds of attacks by homeless, mentally ill assailants, including institutionalizing or jailing such people so they cannot attack again,” he said. “Now during that discussion, I wrongly said they should get lethal injections. I apologize for that extremely callous remark. I am obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion.”

The Justice Department has charged Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of fatally stabbing the Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month. As reported by the Associated Press, the case has sparked a debate over whether cities such as Charlotte are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety.

“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream – her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement of the murder. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence – he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”

Any self-respecting network would have asked Kilmeade to resign for his disgusting comments about killing mentally ill homeless people!  WHY do we have violence in America?

Tony

Cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Panama failed to emerge this year.

Dear Commons Community,

Scientists have spotted something dramatically unusual in the ocean, and it could be a warning sign of things to come.

Warm air dances with cold air; cold water chases warm water. It’s all a part of a predictable, stable dance of currents and climate patterns that naturally happen all across the Earth. Until it doesn’t.

For the first time since records began 40 years ago, the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Panama failed to emerge this year. Scientists aren’t sure if it’s a fluke or a new normal.

Specifically, the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has consistently delivered cool, nutrient-rich waters via northerly trade winds every January–April for at least 40 years. But not this year.  As reported by USA Today.

“Time will tell if this is a real life example of a climate tipping point – if the failure of upwelling continues in future years,” said Tim Lenton, of the University of Exeter in the U.K., a tipping point expert who was not involved in the new research.

The findings were reported last week in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

What are ‘tipping points’?

Scientists have long feared that some major features of the Earth’s climate could dramatically come undone if human-caused climate change continues. It’s the premise behind the science fiction movie “The Day After Tomorrow,” which is (very) loosely based on a real concern that a major ocean current could relatively rapidly collapse in a warming world.

Researchers have chronicled a host of similar climate change tipping points. While the Gulf of Panama isn’t one of those tipping points, it does bring concerns about coral reefs that are a part of the conversation.

“Whether it is a tipping point or not it is bad news for a different tipping point that is underway – the loss of coral reefs, linked to extreme warmth of tropical sea surface temperatures – as much needed cooling from the upwelling has not happened this year,” Lenton said.

“The change could also trigger tipping points in the open ocean ecosystem and associated fisheries as there will be much less primary production this year.”

What is upwelling?

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Tropical Research Institute, which led the study, during the dry season in Central America (generally between December and April), northern trade winds generate upwelling events in the ocean waters of the Gulf of Panama.

Upwelling is a process that allows cold, nutrient-rich waters from the depths of the ocean to rise to the surface. This dynamic supports highly productive fisheries and helps protect coral reefs from thermal stress. Thanks to this movement of water, the sea along Panama’s Pacific beaches remains cooler during the “summer” vacation season.

However, researchers recently recorded that in 2025, this vital oceanographic process did not occur for the first time. As a result, the typical drops in temperature and spikes in productivity during this time of year were diminished.

Further research is needed

What are the likely causes of this upwelling suppression? “The prime suspect is a reduction in winds,” said Aaron O’Dea, the Smithsonian’s lead scientist on the project. “Upwelling typically occurs every year when the trade winds blow over the Isthmus. That didn’t happen as frequently or as strongly as normal years, so it makes sense.”

“The more important question is, why did the winds not blow? We currently do not know why and deciphering this will take a little more time,” he told USA Today.

It’s not clear if human-caused climate change played a part in the upwelling suppression this year.

Regardless, this study reveals how climate disruption can quickly alter fundamental oceanic processes that have sustained coastal fishing communities for thousands of years, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Still, further research is needed to determine a more precise cause and its potential consequences for fisheries.

What’s next?

According to O’Dea, “We’re monitoring it daily through various means including satellite and direct measurements. We also have a cruise planned to sample the sub-surface waters early next year to see if the same thing happens or not.”

“To better understand what happened and why, and predict if it will happen again, we have gathered a team of collaborators from the Smithsonian and the Max Planck Institute to analyze atmospheric and ocean data together more rigorously and apply high-resolution modelling approaches for future predictions.”

“One of my hopes for this paper was that it spurs interest and directed research into this and events like this in tropical waters that have always been assumed to be reliable but which in fact, may no longer be so reliable. I think we have now ignited that interest and the next, and more challenging task, will be to sift through data and figure out the details. At least we have started!” O’Dea told USA Today.

If this becomes the new normal, it is not good news!

Tony

Brian Kilmeade

Dear Commons Community,

“Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade suggested this week that homeless people suffering from mental health issues who refuse help should simply be killed.

Kilmeade and fellow co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones were discussing the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee whose grisly killing on a North Carolina train was caught on surveillance video.

The trio argued that the suspect, who had a litany of previous arrests and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, should have been taken off the streets long ago. The conversation then shifted to a more general discussion of homelessness and the mental health crisis in the United States.

“This is happening all across the country, and it’s not a money issue,” said Jones, adding that “a lot” of homeless people “don’t want” to get necessary help.

“You can’t give ’em a choice,” Jones went on. “Either you take the resources that we’re going to give you, or you decide that you gotta be locked up in jail. That’s the way it has to be now.”

That’s when Kilmeade floated a more extreme idea.

“Or uh, involuntary lethal injection. Or something,” he said. “Just kill ’em.”

The other two hosts barely react to his remark before continuing their discussion.

Though the segment aired on Wednesday, it went viral on social media Saturday morning. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has received heaps of criticism for his own policies on homelessness, responded with a biblical quote: “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”

Kilmeade and Fox and Friends co-hosts show their idiocy over and over again!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

CVS Health plans to start offering expanded access to updated COVID vaccines in New York under Governor Kathy Hochul’s executive order issued Sept. 5.  Pharmacists at CVS Health are now allowed to order and administer the new COVID vaccines in New York, a CVS Health spokesperson told USA TODAY. 

The national drugstore chain was the first to confirm it was taking action under Hochul’s order, which declared a state of emergency in an attempt to expand access to COVID shots. The order, in part, took the unprecedented step of allowing pharmacists to prescribe COVID vaccines themselves. The order applies to New Yorkers ages 3 and older.

Previously, many pharmacies in New York had been holding off on offering the new COVID shots this fall, citing uncertainty surrounding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Food and Drug Administration’s guidance that aimed at restricting COVID-19 vaccines to those over 65 and younger people with existing health problems.

How to get updated COVID vaccines in New York

While CVS Health confirmed it was planning to begin offering the new COVID vaccines under Hochul’s order, some details remained unclear. For example, as of 4 p.m. Sept. 8 the company’s online portal for scheduling shots in New York still required patients to declare they have an underlying health condition before allowing them to book a shot.

Wegmans on Sept. 8 told the USA TODAY Network that the updated COVID vaccine was now available at its pharmacies. But it didn’t immediately clarify if its pharmacists would be prescribing the shots themselves to all ages 3 and older under Hochul’s order.

The online vaccine scheduling portal for Wegmans still noted that the new COVID shots were limited to people age 65 and older and younger people with certain health conditions or risk factors.

Are updated COVID vaccines still free in NY?

At the same time, the federal policy changes could limit health insurance coverage for the vaccines, leaving some people paying up to $200 out-of-pocket for the shot. CVS Health, for instance, noted on its website that select vaccines are available at no cost to patients with “most insurance,” while noting eligibility varies by patient and insurance plans.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage of COVID vaccines overall suggested New Yorkers should check with their pharmacy and health insurance company to obtain further details about any potential costs for COVID vaccines.

New Yorkers interested in getting further details about receiving the updated COVID vaccines could also contact their local county health department, or they can reach out to the state Health Department’s Division of Vaccine Excellence at 518-473-4437 or by email at [email protected].

What does the Kathy Hochul COVID vaccine order say?

Hochul’s executive order on Sept. 5 includes the language to:

Allow physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe and order a patient-specific or non-patient-specific regimen for pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to patients age three or older.

Authorize pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to patients age three or older pursuant to a patient-specific or non-patient-specific order.

Allow pharmacists to prescribe and order COVID vaccines for patients age three or older — a new authority that enables them to prescribe off-label.

The state Health Commissioner, Dr. James McDonald, on Sept. 5 issued a standing order for the updated COVID vaccine made by Moderna. The Health Department also issued guidance Sept. 5 regarding the immunizing children with updated COVID vaccines, including those made by Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax.

In sum, get vaccinated!

Tony

Utah Governor Spencer Cox offering words of healing.

Dear Commons Community,

At a news conference in the days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox took to the podium to deliver updates about the case — and to urge Americans to find a way, together, out of this dark moment.  As reported b NBC News.

“There is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable,” Cox said. “And yet, all of us have an opportunity right now to do something different.”

“We can always point the finger at the other side,” Cox added later, “and at some point we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.”

Kirk’s assassination has sparked national mourning but also vitriol, with some Republican leaders including President Donald Trump blaming the “radical left” for the shooting.

But Cox has stepped forward as healer-in-chief.

In days filled with division, disparagement and calls for revenge by some other politicians and public figures, Cox’s civil but sober tone brought moral clarity to a moment of angst and broke through the rancor, members of both parties said in interviews.

“That’s who he is,” said Lincoln Shurtz, a partner at Utah-based lobbying firm Lincoln Hill Holdings who has known Cox, a Republican, for two decades. “He thinks we can disagree but still collaborate on things we do disagree on.”

After the 31-year-old Kirk was shot and killed at a public event on a college campus in his state, Cox stepped into the lead role in televised news conferences during and after the ensuing manhunt. He commanded the stage as top national law enforcement officials like FBI Director Kash Patel looked on.

In addition to providing updates on the case, Cox used his speaking time to urge Americans to look in the mirror and seek their better angels. He told them to shut off their social media, which he referred to as a “cancer,” and instead hug a family member and “touch grass.”

“Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture very different than what we are suffering through right now, not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations,” Cox said, directing his remarks to younger people.

“I hear all the time that words are violence, words are not violence,” Cox added. “Violence is violence.”

Even as Trump took on a partisan, anti-left approach in the immediacy after Kirk’s death, it was notable that no one from the White House or law enforcement moved to diminish Cox’s role, allowing lengthy remarks each day, even as they clashed with aspects of Trump’s message. A senior White House official told NBC News they felt Cox has done a “tremendously good job” handling the aftermath of Kirk’s killing.

Members of both parties have offered accolades for Cox, saying he offered refreshing ideas as the nation’s political discourse has turned increasingly toxic. That included Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat and friend of Cox who spoke to the Utah governor by phone after the tragedy and told NBC News they share some important values.

“I pray for Governor Cox as he leads his state following a heinous act of political violence. Even though we belong to different parties, he and I share a common vision for this country — one where we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box and strive to work together, regardless of ideology,” Moore said in a statement to NBC News. “I know he will do everything in his power to bring leadership, comfort, unity, and justice in this moment, as we seek healing.”

Cox has had an evolving relationship with Trump. He endorsed Marco Rubio during the 2016 presidential race, when Cox was Utah’s lieutenant governor, and then backed Ted Cruz when Rubio dropped out. At the time, Cox criticized Trump’s “decorum.”

Cox has said he did not vote for Trump in either of his first two campaigns, but he did support the president in 2024.

Cox has long sought opportunities to inject a bipartisan approach into politics, including launching an ad campaign in 2020 in which he and his Democratic opponent for governor both agreed they’d accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has partnered with Sen. Chris Murphy to tackle social issues like the loneliness epidemic and social media’s impact on children. He also launched a “disagree better” campaign that aimed to keep opposing sides talking to each other.

Through it all, he remained politically popular in his state. In July, Morning Consult polling found that he had a 54% approval rating among all registered voters in Utah, a number that jumped to 74% with the state’s Republicans.

Cox is broadly viewed as a consistent Republican, but has done things that have angered the party’s right flank.

Most notably, Cox vetoed legislation in 2022 that banned transgender students from playing girls’ sports, saying that he wanted to be on the side of acceptance. He cited statistics showing that out of 75,000 high school students participating in athletics, just one was a transgender student who played girls sports.

“I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do,” he said at the time. “But I want them to live. And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly.”

The veto was later overturned by the Utah’s Republican-dominated state legislature.

Those kinds of positions have created pockets of conservative opposition to Cox, even though he is generally well-regarded in his party.

“Through the national lens, Spencer Cox is a conservative Republican, but in Utah politics it would put him within the party he is in on the moderate side,” Shurtz said. “Among Republicans in the state he is seen as widely successful and well-supported. But there are factions in the base that feel like he is maybe not as forceful on, and — these are my words — fringe issues.”

“It’s when the governor does stuff like he did today,” he added of Cox’s unifying tone. “There are some folks on the right who don’t like that. Their answer is always ‘go kick them in the teeth.’”

In that vein, Steve Bannon, a conservative commentator and an architect of Trump’s first run for office, expressed anger and disappointment at Cox on Friday, calling him “woke” and a “governor who’s also known to be, I think, particularly obnoxious.”

“We don’t need a governor, a political figure, to step up … and give us a political pep talk and a rally and ‘let’s all come together,’” Bannon said on his War Room podcast on Friday, saying that Kirk was killed “in cold blood.”

Still, there is some hunger in the Republican Party for a leader who doesn’t stoke anger.

“A leader should be seeking unity, not retribution,” former Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in an interview before Cox’s appearance at the Friday morning news conference. “And it’s unity in opposing all political violence. It’s a tragic situation. But out of the tragedy comes an opportunity to make this point clearly on both sides: We need to change the trajectory.”

Portman, who after retiring from the Senate in 2022 launched a center at the University of Cincinnati that focuses on finding civility and common ground in government, said Trump’s initial response to the crisis might have been colored by the “personal anguish and sorrow” of losing a friend.

Democrats also chimed in to praise Cox’s remarks.

“I know this guy is a Republican and all but I swear you could win all the electoral votes with this message in 28,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he appreciated Cox “calling for moral clarity at a time of uncertainty.”

And Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reached out to Cox to offer any assistance he could, a person familiar with their conversation said.

“I think his words have been healing,” Shapiro told CBS News. “I think you can contrast not just with the president’s words, but with some of the dangerous rhetoric that we’ve seen online, the dangerous rhetoric we’ve seen some from some elected leaders.”

Republicans and Democrats can use a few more leaders like Cox.

Tony

Tyler Robinson is suspected of shooting and killing Charlie Kirk.  Utah Governor’s Office via Associated Press

Dear Commons Community,

Authorities announced yesterday that Utah officials have detained a 22-year-old man suspected of killing right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at Utah Valley University after a family member helped turn him in.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) confirmed the arrest in a press conference.  As reported by various news media.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We got him,” Cox began.

The suspect, Tyler Robinson, was not a UVU student and lived in southwest Utah, some 250 miles from the site of the shooting. He was charged with state felony offenses including aggravated murder — which carries the possibility of the death penalty — along with obstruction of justice and discharge of a weapon causing serious bodily injury, per The Associated Press.

Robinson, 22, a Utah native who had been living with his parents “for a long time”, authorities said.

Robinson was taken into custody on 12 September after a family member recognized him in surveillance images, a development investigators described as pivotal in ending a nationwide manhunt.

That family member was apparently Robinson’s father, who encouraged him to turn himself in, the BBC’s US partner CBS News has reported, citing two law enforcement sources. The father then reportedly contacted a family friend who informed the sheriff’s office.

At a press briefing on Friday announcing the arrest, FBI officials declined to discuss Robinson’s background, political leanings, or possible motive, saying the investigation was ongoing.

“We are confident we have the right individual in custody,” an FBI spokesperson said, “but we are still working to establish the full picture of who he is and why he acted.”

Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a family member interviewed by investigators stated that Robinson had become “more political” in recent years.

The relative also said that during a dinner conversation before the attack, Robinson had discussed Kirk’s upcoming event at Utah Valley University, according to Cox.

“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said referring to the conversation.

Public records reviewed by the BBC suggest Robinson had in the past registered as an unaffiliated, or nonpartisan, voter in Utah. His parents, Matthew Carl Robinson and Amber Denise Robinson are registered Republicans, according to state records.

Robinson was not enrolled at UVU, the site of the shooting.

In a statement, the Utah Board of Higher Education said Tyler James Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship programme at Dixie Technical College.

“He previously spent one semester at Utah State University in 2021 and earned concurrent enrolment credits through Utah Tech University while in high school between 2019 and 2021,” it added.

Social media accounts indicate Robinson’s father runs a kitchen countertop and cabinet installation business, while his mother is a social worker. The family is Mormon and active in the local church.

Robinson’s upbringing appears to be typical of a Utah suburb. He was awarded a scholarship to Utah State University but only attended for one semester in 2021, according to CNN and a statement from the school. A neighbor told NBC News that Robinson was “smart,” “quiet” and “never caused any problems.”

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Phie Jacobs, a general assignment reporter for Science,  has an article this morning entitled, “Harvard court victory leaves scientists feeling vindicated but uncertain.”  It is a good review of the issues Harvard faces in the aftermath of its recent judicial victory. Here is her  piece. 

Harvard University scored a major victory in its battle against President Donald Trump’s administration last week, as a federal judge ruled the government violated the U.S. Constitution and broke the law when it halted billions of dollars in research grants to the school. But the White House is vowing to appeal, signaling that Harvard’s fight to regain its funding is far from over.

“While this is an important legal victory, there are many steps to go,” says David Walt, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital who when the spending was cut was told to immediately stop work on his project developing diagnostics and treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Although Walt is “delighted” by the new ruling, he notes that “the only way we will be able to restart the project is when funds arrive from the feds.” 

The funding fight began in April, when the Trump administration accused Harvard of failing to address antisemitism on campus and demanded the university change its hiring and teaching practices and grant the government control of some operations. After Harvard refused to comply, the federal government froze—and later terminated—nearly $2.2 billion in research grants to the university.

In an 84-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs found those actions violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights. The administration, she wrote, “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”

The ruling “is very vindicating,” says Harvard epidemiologist and former attorney Scott Delaney, whose research on how environmental factors affect people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases was also halted. He hopes the ruling will inspire other universities targeted by the Trump administration to continue to fight back, rather than capitulate to its demands.

In July, Columbia University agreed to pay more than $200 million in order to unfreeze its National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding—drawing mixed reactions from researchers. Brown University has reached a similar settlement, in which the school agreed to hand over data on admissions and diversity efforts, and not to perform gender-affirming treatments on minors, among other concessions. These institutions “lost a lot,” Delaney argues, “and not just money.”

Harvard was said to be open to a settlement, reportedly to the tune of $500 million. But university President Alan Garber told faculty in August that such a deal was not imminent. Walt notes that, even if funding is eventually reinstated, certain labs will have a much harder time getting back on track than others. For some studies, “particularly those that involved patients who were being treated and followed, there will be no chance to recover from the funding gap without starting over completely.”

Any restoration of funding will come too late for Delaney, who was laid off after the grants that supported his salary were terminated. But in his view, last week’s ruling still represents a major victory—for both the rule of law and for science. “Even if folks like me won’t be around to do the research, most of my colleagues will be, and they’re still as good and productive as they ever have been.” The government will likely appeal last week’s decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which Delaney says will probably uphold it. After that, the case is presumably headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, where the outcome is far less certain. Last month, in an emergency stay, the justices allowed NIH’s abrupt termination of hundreds of grants to stand for now.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that some of the funds might eventually be reinstated, but there’s still a ways to go before that becomes a reality,” says Harvard neuroscientist Samuel Gershman. Even if Harvard ultimately prevails in court, he is concerned that the government will find other ways to disrupt research at the university. The White House has, for example, attempted to block Harvard from enrolling international students, and Trump has threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

Fighting back against this administration, Gershman adds, can feel like “a game of Whac-A-Mole.” He still thinks, however, that Harvard should avoid a settlement: “In the big picture, it’s more important that the university protect itself from political interference and retain its status as a haven for independent intellectual thought.”

Tony

Trump and Charlie Kirkl – Josh Edelson

Dear Commons Community,

Charlie Kirk became one of Donald Trump’s closest allies by taking the Maga movement to university campuses and delighting in facing down liberal activists while picking apart their world views.

More than that, the Turning Point USA founder is a key Trump world insider, close to anyone important within the inner circle and with the US president himself.  

After Mr Trump won the 2024 election, he huddled at Mar-a-Lago for weeks helping build the new administration and vetting potential appointees.

It did not matter that he was only 31 and had never held elected office, Mr Kirk was there.

It makes Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday at a university campus event in Utah a deeply personal affair for the president and his team.  As reported by The Telegraph.

“The great, and even legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the heart of the youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” the president posted on Truth Social

“He was loved and admired by all, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

By his own count, Mr Kirk visited the White House more than 100 times during the first term and developed a close relationship with Donald Trump Jr.

At an inaugural ball in January, the president’s son described Mr Kirk as a “true rock star” of the movement that propelled his father to power.

And he has been a frequent visitor again this year, according to a former White House official.

“Charlie is incredibly close with the president and really the entire administration” he said. “He was a trailblazer for movement and his leadership was resounding.”

Insiders say Mr Trump’s bluff public persona hides a sentimental side. He frequently asks staff to see pictures of their children and checks up on their relatives when they are sick.

A former Trump official said Mr Kirk’s killing would hit the president particularly hard, coming so soon after the attempt on his own life at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.

Mr Kirk was addressing a crowd beneath an awning when he was shot. Mr Trump was minutes into his rally speech when the sound of gunfire erupted, and a bullet flicked through his ear.

“Every public event always carries a risk,” said the former official. “It won’t be lost on the president that this happened in such similar circumstances.”

As well as the personal, the day brings political consequences.

The shooting will reignite fears that America’s febrile political environment, coupled with liberal gun laws, put the nation on the brink of a new wave of violence.

It puts Mr Trump’s law and order agenda front and centre as he mulls sending in troops to a string of Democrat-led cities.

Mr Kirk himself was a strong supporter of the push, using his podcast – with an audience of almost six million people each month – to back the use of the National Guard to deliver law and order.

“I guarantee the crime’s gonna go… Way down,” he proclaimed. “And then the media will say, oh, it’s only going down because he brought in the military. Exactly.

“We need full military occupation of these cities until the crime desists. Period.”

Mr Trump first deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles in June in response to protests against immigration raids.

Next came Washington, DC, where the president railed frequently against homeless encampments, drug abuse and crime.

At each step he has faced legal challenges and opposition from Democratic state or city administrations.

But that is not the point. Once again Mr Trump has demonstrated that his political antennae are attuned to his public, identifying an issue where he can make headlines and keep Democrats on the back foot.

This week, his White House focused on the horrific stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee. The case of Iryna Zarutska initially received little national coverage, before right wing influencers asked whether it simply did not fit a media narrative that played up black deaths but not white ones.

Mr Kirk was one of the first influencers to highlight her death. “America will never be the same,” he posted.

The focus on crime has helped nudge the president’s approval rating upwards in a string of polls, as he sets the terms of the debate for next year’s midterm elections and Democrats struggle to counter the messaging.

Now, the assassination of Mr Kirk gives the president a political and deeply personal justification to push ahead with his crime crackdown.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

In the weeks and months after 9/11, as funerals and memorial services were held for those who perished in the attack, especially the 343 firefighers, bagpipes were heard playing Amazing Grace.

Tony