Hello friends,
This country is celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence: our semiquincentennial.

Today is a federal holiday. I used to be so proud about not taking time off, but I stopped that nonsense when I realized what it cost labor organizers to secure the working conditions I was taking for granted. It reminds me of the feeling I often get as I’m grocery shopping: when I think about all the hands and all the hours it took to bring me this particular bag of grapes today, for example, and then the countless people and long history that shaped the system that makes this happen, I feel this heady combination of gratitude and awe. I had that same feeling as I read an unexpectedly charming essay about international law and Independence Day. “From the weather forecast to the fireworks, the day [rests] on the international legal architecture that facilitates peace, trade, and cooperation,” Megan Corrarino writes. The moments that matter most are small and personal, and yet they are “made possible by systems that connect you to people thousands of miles away, and across decades.” Lovely.

To celebrate, instead of a regular newsletter, I’m just going to share a round-up of eleven links I found helpful this week. More analysis than news here: I hope it’s stimulating.

• Have people stopped trusting science? The data tell a surprising story. “Some say there’s a global crisis of trust — but research reveals where the real problems lie.” (Nature)
• Provision buried in controversial U.S. rule change would help people legally challenge ‘woke’ federal research. “White House asserts expanded authority to prosecute any wasteful spending ‘in the national interest’” (Science)
• Vought: Trump admin won’t do DOGE after-action report.“OMB Director Russell Vought says there are no plans to do a closing report on DOGE's controversial, cost-cutting blitz across government.” (Federal News Network)
• Censorship Lawsuit Tossed by Federal Court. The end of a federal lawsuit against researchers who study misinformation. More perspectives from the defendants in threads by Kate Starbird and Renee DiResta. (Bloomberg Law)
• U of Tennessee to Pay $1.9 Million to Prof Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments. “Shirinian will not be reinstated.” (Inside Higher Ed)
• Marburg outbreak is reported in Uganda, threatening to complicate Ebola response in region. “The outbreak is said to be localized.” (STAT)
• Experts say US weather forecasts will worsen as DOGE cuts mean fewer balloon launches. “The National Weather Service is eliminating or reducing vital weather balloon launches in eight northern locations.” (AP)
• The Faculty Workload Myth. “Politicians think faculty members don’t teach enough. Here’s what the data says.” (Chronicle of Higher Ed)
• Are MAGA and MAHA Heading for Divorce? “RFK Jr. promised ambitious plans to make Americans healthier. But insiders say as soon as he was named health secretary, the problems between the coalitions began.”(Rolling Stone)
• Your State-by-State Guide to the 2026 Supreme Court Elections. “Abortion, redistricting, and ballot access remain heated issues as voters face dozens of supreme court races across 32 states this year.” (Bolts)
• Memento Mori. “Did the omnipresence of death during the pandemic turn us rightward?” (Commonweal)

This was Year 2, Week 27. I hope it was good to you, and that you let yourself rest.
Stay safe.
Liz