Empiricists strike back: Midterms propel scientists and physicians to Capitol Hill
A few days before Election Day, The New York Times published a deeply disheartening report on the extent to which Donald Trump is “dismantling America’s scientific research machine,” adding that the president and his team are imposing regressive policies that are “jeopardizing the nation’s advantages in defense, medicine and technology.”
The report was remarkable but not altogether surprising. Indeed, among the most consequential disasters of Trump’s second term is the relentless war the Republican administration has waged on science and research, starting early last year.
It was therefore heartening to see empiricism strike back in the midterm elections. The New York Times also reported:
[Democratic Rep.-elect Daniel Biss of Illinois] is one of several scientists and physicians who was elected to Congress on Tuesday. Like him, most are Democrats and most were elected to the House. They plan, they say, to use their knowledge to combat what they see as the anti-science policies promoted by the Trump administration.
The incoming scientists represent “a real repudiation of what has been two terrible years for science and public health,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action, a group that recruits Democratic doctors and scientists to run for office.
Along with Biss, a mathematician at the University of Chicago, the incoming contingent includes Democratic Rep.-elect Jasmine Clark of Georgia, who will soon become Congress’ only microbiologist.
What’s more, the number of Democrats with medical training who won key contests in the midterms is also striking, and the list includes Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan (a former public health director), Sen.-elect Annie Andrews of South Carolina (a pediatrician) and Gov.-elect Amy Acton of Ohio (a doctor who served as the
Newsom Commutes All 548 Death Sentences in California
On Thursday, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the commutation of 548 death sentences, reducing the sentence of everyone on the state’s death row to life without parole. California has more people sentenced to capital punishment than any other state, but for years there has been a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty. Newsom’s action ensures that the moratorium is…
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Job market showed signs of life in October, in an otherwise disappointing year
Expectations heading into this week showed projections of about 59,000 new jobs being created in the United States in October. As it turns out, according to the new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the totals far exceeded those expectations.
All told, the economy added 165,000 jobs in October, and the overall unemployment rate inched lower, falling from 4.2% to 4.1%. Adding to the good news, job totals from August and September were also revised up by a combined 84,000 jobs.
The news wasn’t entirely encouraging — the BLS report showed more subdued wage growth, which is a problem for consumers trying to keep pace with rising inflation — but overall, this is one of the more promising monthly job reports of the year.
As for the larger context, 10 months into 2026, the U.S. economy has created 861,000 jobs so far this year — a monthly average of roughly 86,000 — which is a deeply underwhelming total that plainly contradicts the White House’s routinely happy talk about current conditions.
All told, the U.S. economy has added 977,000 jobs over Trump’s 22-month second term. Over the previous 22 months, the economy added nearly 3.25 million jobs. To date, the White House hasn’t even tried to explain why the domestic job market worsened after the Republican president took office.
To contextualize the data, I put together this chart to show month-to-month totals since the 2020 election. The blue columns point to Joe Biden’s presidency, while the red columns point to Trump’s.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
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Long-Awaited Climate Change Case Finally Goes to Court in Canada
Climate change gets a rare day in court as 15 Canadian youth accuse the federal government of violating their constitutional rights by failing to adequately address the country’s role in global warming. Although thousands of similar cases have been filed across the globe, legal experts said this long-awaited case is arguably the most consequential to reach trial. The lawsuit is the latest in…
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