Dr. Eric Ecklund

Assoc. Professor of Management at Saint Francis University, @[email protected] Also eecklund at Post/bsky. Opinions my own. Likes/Retweets≠endorsements

[Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR MBA @michael_hoerger]

Police removed diabetes scientists from the convention center here in New Orleans today after they attempted to pass out copies of an editorial from a peer-reviewed scientific journal (impact factor = 16.6) that was critical of NIH.

[The Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle]

Professors at Auburn University were told to sign a form attesting that they didn't teach "divisive concepts" about race and gender. Chaos ensued. https://t.co/sh7YZsVjkk

[Inside Higher Ed @insidehighered]

Auburn Board Takes Full Curricular Control, Dissolves Faculty Senate

The Auburn University Board of Trustees on Friday gave itself complete control over course offerings, curriculum, degree requirements and academic credentials while eliminating shared... https://t.co/zi9CHBa9n6

[The Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle]

Finance Live Updates: After Years of Declines, Drexel U. Says Fall Enrollment Is Up 16% https://t.co/hAn8uM5N4W

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

'Vacations.'

The word is 'vacations.'

[Variety @Variety]

Anthony Head, the British actor best known for his roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” has died at 72.

His daughters shared in a statement that he “passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family.”

https://t.co/TOTGKcKLzx

[Dr. Eric Ecklund @eecklund]

Today's ride marks an 8-day streak for about 136 total miles. Still about 75% normal strength, but I feel good otherwise. Busy tomorrow and some rain in the forecast, so might take a break for a day.

[Mike Young @micyoung75]

Congress passes a funding bill. The money is appropriated. But under the White House's new 400-page regulatory blueprint, a political appointee can now block that money from reaching its destination if it doesn't "demonstrably advance the president's policy priorities."

That is not a metaphor for executive overreach. That is the literal proposed mechanism.

The rule would prohibit grants to any project that "promotes anti-American values" - undefined - or assists in voter registration, advances DEI, or "denies the biological reality of sex." Political appointees, not subject matter experts, would decide what qualifies as "gold standard science." Researchers would face limits on which foreign labs they can collaborate with and which conferences they can attend.

The National Council of Nonprofits represents more than 30,000 organizations that receive federal grants to deliver child care, health services, housing, and other programs on behalf of the US government. Their senior vice president told the Times that many nonprofits may simply decide it is "not worth the risk" to seek funding.

Think about what that means in concrete terms. A legal aid clinic in Gary, Indiana that helps low-income families navigate housing court. A rural health nonprofit in Morgan County providing mental health services in a county with one psychiatrist. A child care provider in Elkhart running on federal grants. None of them make policy. All of them deliver services Congress already funded. Under this rule, a political appointee in Washington can decide their work doesn't advance the president's priorities and cut them off.

Courts have already blocked multiple versions of this same approach. The administration's own lawyer at the American Public Health Association said this is an attempt to "codify" what courts previously rejected. The regulation is aimed at October. That is before the midterms.

[The Debt Collective 🟥 @StrikeDebt]

It's happening 🚨

House GOP representatives are about to introduce a bill that would completely eliminate subsidized student loans.

They are trying to make it impossible to go to college unless you can afford to pay for it upfront.

[Mike Young @micyoung75]

The USPS rule assigns every mail ballot a unique barcode linked to the voter's name - explicitly to "facilitate law enforcement efforts."

American mail voting has never included a mechanism to trace which ballot belongs to which person. That is not a technical detail. It is the foundational protection against using ballot data to identify and pressure voters.

The Trump-appointed judge told the administration to act so plaintiffs could establish standing. The administration acted immediately. The rule is designed to survive long enough to matter before courts can stop it. Five months before the midterms.

[Daniel Dale @ddale8]

Here's some data from Global Energy Monitor as the president claims that China doesn't build domestic wind power and just exports turbines to "stupid people from the United States, the suckers." https://t.co/oD2XHp6WYw

[Marc E. Elias @marceelias]

🚨BREAKING: A lawyer active in lawsuits seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, and later represented the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of killing George Floyd, is the latest attorney to be hired by DOJ’s Voting Section. https://t.co/eJlU2JZObc

[Dr. Eric Ecklund @eecklund]

Today's ride was actually windless for the first half, which was a nice change. Still at about 75% normal strength, so I guess I'm still in recovery from the pancreatitis. Onward and upward!

[Jathan Sadowski @jathansadowski]

Well this is embarrassing! The Pro Vice Chancellor for Quality and Integrity at WSU gets caught using AI to write an op-ed in defense of how universities are embracing AI. And the piece is then retracted for inappropriate use of AI. https://t.co/USEAGHJ1sG

[Ubaka Ogbogu @UbakaOgbogu]

My university provides access to Gemini. A lot of people have jumped on board. What they do not know is that they cannot delete their chat history or turn off their activity. This is hidden in the Terms of Service, which no one reads.

[Dr. Eric Ecklund @eecklund]

@aliciaandrz Thanks!

[Dr. Eric Ecklund @eecklund]

@XianMind I wondered if that jumped out to anyone else.

[Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @NotHoodlum]

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Adults on Medicaid will be required to work 80 hours per month. The Trump administration says people who are sick will have to prove they are too sick to work to be exempt from the new work rules.
https://t.co/lcoumaFJkB