News and updates

Below is a selection of articles the federal relations team has read this week.

Impeachment Goes to the Senate: The House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate. Seven House Democrats were selected as prosecutors in the case, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The Senate trial began when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts and all 100 United States Senators were sworn in. The White House has already indicated they expect it to be quick, although there has been no official decision as to whether witnesses will be called. Live updates at the Washington Post.

Russian Government Resigns: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the Russian Parliament resigned abruptly in an effort to “facilitate” sweeping constitutional changes proposed by President Vladimir Putin. The changes would extend term limits for the President, shift power to the lower house of Parliament, increase the number of children born in Russia, and give tax breaks, among many other changes. Limited details have been made available, but updates continue at BBC.

Report Shows US Scientific Enterprise Falling Behind: A new report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, an agency within NSF, revealed that the US is losing its footing as the global dominant player in science. Specifically, the US continues to fall behind powers such as China. The report notes that while the US outspends every other country in fundamental research, we are not spending as much in “experimental development” of technologies. Full story at Washington Post.

College Still Pays Off: A report from the College Board, a nonprofit agency, revealed that college graduates still enjoy a higher employment rate and significantly higher earnings compared to those who did not attend college. Read at Inside Higher Ed.

DoE Pondering Foreign Risk Matrix: The Department of Energy is apparently developing a risk matrix which would restrict certain sensitive technologies from being shared with researchers from four countries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. It is unclear how the matrix would actually be deployed, or what the restrictions would be. The DoE says it wants to work closely with other federal agencies and the White House interagency council to develop uniform policies. More at Science Magazine.

Congress Back: Congress is back in session for 2020 as of January 7th. Catch live updates at Roll Call.

Trump Battling Iran: Tensions with Iran escalated over the past few days after President Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at military bases in Iraq which housed US troops. Live updates at CBS.

Ukraine International Airlines: A Ukraine Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on Wednesday after takeoff from Tehran bound for Kiev. The US and Canada both announced that they had evidence the plane was shot down by an Iranian missile. President Trump and Canadian PM Trudeau both expressed that it was likely unintentional. More than 60 of the passengers were Canadians, and dozens had ties to Canadian universities. Read on at Washington Post.

New York Beer Tax Could Help State Schools: New York State politicians are considering a levy which would increase tax on beer and direct the revenue towards the State Universities of New York. It is estimated to raise $50 million per year. Details at Bloomberg.

Impeachment: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has not yet turned over articles of impeachment to the Senate, as she explains she is waiting to know what the “terms of engagement” will be. Top Democrats are concerned because Republican Senate leaders have expressed a desire to coordinate closely with President Trump in executing his own trial. However, Congresswoman Pelosi did signal that impeachment could move forward soon. More at WSJ.

Florida State Begins Probe into Foreign Academic Ties: The Florida State Government has began an investigation into researchers in the state who failed to disclose ties to China’s Thousand Talents program. The investigation mirrors efforts at the national level from federal agencies and law enforcement. More at Science Magazine.