American Association for the Advancement of Science
Rush Holt is chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the executive publisher of the Science family of journals. He is a former Democratic Congressman representing New Jersey's 12th District.
The politics of science and America's future Tomorrow's Earth Day March for Science , which will be held in Washington and 400 other cities across the country, was scheduled before President Trump formally proposed massive cuts in federal funding for research in medicine, public health, energy and the environment. That's complicated the original goal of March organizers: to stress the vital importance of what they do without being perceived as another unhappy, partisan interest group. Many scientists are alarmed about losing the benefits of their work — and America's advantage over other countries that might never be recovered. But others fear that public protest will politicize work that needs to be free of partisanship to be most effective.
Closing a Chapter on the 2001 Anthrax Scare At a news conference yesterday, the Justice Department said Dr. Bruce Ivins was the only person with access to the strain of anthrax that killed five and panicked the nation after September 11. It claimed FBI evidence would have proven him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt if he'd lived long enough to go on trial instead of committing suicide. Is the case against Ivins believable? Why did it take seven years? If Ivins suffered from mental illness for so long, why was he working with deadly toxins in a government laboratory?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?