Federal Scientists Are Worried About Policies That Harm America's Most Vulnerable Populations
In an anonymous survey, government scientists expressed concerns about plans to reduce focus and research on racial and sexual minorities and the poor.
Francie Diep
Francie Diep is a staff writer at Pacific Standard, where she specializes in health and drug policy and the intersections of culture and science. Previously, she covered science, health, and science policy for Scientific American, Popular Science, and Smithsonian.
Oregon Considers Ending Coverage of Opioid Painkillers for Chronic Pain
Officials hope to curb overdoses that they think are caused by the overprescription of opioid painkillers to chronic pain patients.
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A study shows that people feel differently about "overdose prevention sites" and "safe consumption sites."
A Gas Company Settles for $119.5 Million for the Biggest Methane Leak in U.S. History
The leak, which began in October of 2015, led to the release of an estimated 109,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere.
The Trump Administration's Science Budget Memo Leaves Out Climate Science
Every similar pre-Trump memo that Pacific Standard found from the last 15 years identified climate science as a top priority.
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As Groups Gear Up to Challenge Roe v. Wade, Advocates Say All Pregnant Women's Rights Are at Risk
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California's Carr Fire Is Already Among the State's Most Destructive in Recent History
Wildfires in the state are getting bigger and more costly.
Trump Picks a Meteorologist for the White House's Top Science Position
Trump has announced he is nominating meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier to direct the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Google Lets Addiction Treatment Ads Back Onto Its Search Results Pages
Google began notifying addiction treatment providers last week that they're allowed to buy ads on the search engine's results pages.
In a Hearing About Addiction Treatment Companies' Sketchy Advertising Practices, CEOs Ask for More Regulation
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One More Thing That Lowers People's Trust in the News: Seeing Others' Ratings of Articles
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The Government May Have Deported 463 Migrant Parents Whose Children Remain in the U.S.
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Sixty Percent of Americans Believe Russia Interfered in the 2016 Election
New polling shows that the majority of Americans now believe Russia interfered in the last presidential election.
Thirteen Million American Kids Went to Schools Last Year Where Officials Found Elevated Levels of Lead in the Drinking Water
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Opponents Show Up in Force at a Hearing for the EPA's Controversial 'Secret Science' Rule
The rule's architects aren't really seeking better science, opponents argue.
After a Report Criticizing Obamacare Removals From Medicaid.gov Starts to Circulate, the Law Gets a Boost on Medicaid's History Page
The update was totally unrelated to the report, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman says.
A Turtle Scientist Loses His Award After He Shows 'Scantily Clad Female Students' in His Acceptance Lecture
The rescinded award comes hot on the heels of a grassroots push, among scientists on social media, to get scientific awards removed from alleged harassers.
Medicaid Officials Explain Why They Removed Obamacare Pages
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman says the scrubbing was part of "routine updates and maintenance."
China Accuses the U.S. of 'Slander' for Saying It Engages in Unfair Trade Practices
A week after the United States and China began their trade war, the Chinese embassy is accusing the U.S. of "slander" for saying China engages in unfair trade practices that harm Americans.
Information About Obamacare Disappears From Medicaid.gov
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The EPA's New Leader Promises a More Conventional—but No More Strongly Regulated—Future
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'Climate Change' Has Been Scrubbed From More Government Documents
These alterations are just the latest example of government agencies removing the term from their websites and reports.
A Recent SCOTUS Decision on Labor Might Actually Strengthen Unions
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A New ICE Report on Undocumented Immigrant Crime Lacks Hard Statistics
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What Health Ad Researchers Think About the White House's New Anti-Opioid Campaign
The ads capture attention and may help spread awareness. But will they change how anyone acts?
The DEA Tightened the Rules for Legal Opioid Sales. Did That Drive the Market to the Dark Web?
After the 2014 rule change, sales of prescription painkillers went up among U.S. sellers on dark Web marketplaces.
Harassment Is Rife in Science Labs—and University Policies Aren't Helping
Meanwhile, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is struggling with its own controversy over whether it properly punishes member harassers.
Puerto Rico Releases Records Suggesting a Higher Death Count After Hurricane Maria
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Trump Commutes the Life Sentence of the First-Time Drug Offender Backed by Kim Kardashian
President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who has already served 21 years of a life sentence for charges of cocaine possession and money laundering.
Boeing Flight Line Workers Vote to Unionize in South Carolina
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Obama's Science Adviser on Science in the First Year of the Trump Administration
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Is the Trump Administration Hindering Asylum Seekers by Making It Harder to Tell Who Qualifies?
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The Environmental Protection Agency made a splash on Tuesday for barring journalists from three news outlets from attending, in person, a summit about contaminants in drinking water.
The Trump Administration Is Set to Cut Off Federal Funding to Clinics That Offer Abortions
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Transparency Advocates Log the Disappearance of Obamacare Information From Government Websites
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Dispatches: What It's Like to Report on Your Parents' Former Union
News and notes from Pacific Standard staff and contributors.
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