Links for you. Science:

A new COVID variant is on the rise. Here’s what to know about LP.8.1
Healthcare workers with chronic condition miss more days of work due to COVID than flu, data show
COVID-19 may put patients at risk for other infections for at least 1 year (paper here)
Beetles Conquered Earth by Evolving a Tiny Chemical Factory
Big, biodiverse and beautiful: can Romania’s centuries-old giant haystacks survive modern farming?
How Researchers Could Get Their Canceled NIH Grants Back

Other:

Trump’s Jewish Cover Story: The administration claims to be protecting Jews while advancing an agenda that most Jews oppose.
Inside DOGE’s AI Push at the Department of Veterans Affairs. A DOGE operative at the Department of Veterans Affairs appears to be trying to use an AI tool to write code for the agency’s systems, among other proposals.
The Normalization Of Autocracy
Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say
Atrios Loves Tariffs
Will Federal Workers Rediscover Their Militancy?
The night the tide turned against Trump and Musk
Science Stopped Believing in Porn Addiction. You Should, Too
The New Gender Synthesis
There is no plan
THE BILLIONAIRE’S TOWN
Another Trump Big Lie: “Reciprocal Tariffs”
Trump Tariffs Hit Antarctic Islands Inhabited by Zero Humans and Many Penguins
Layoff announcements surge to the most since the pandemic as Musk’s DOGE slices federal labor force
Palestinians Against Israel’s Genocide and Hamas
Dems have golden opportunity to pit GOP against Trump’s tariffs: House staffer
How Kennedy is already weakening America’s childhood vaccine system
FDA planning for fewer food and drug inspections due to layoffs, officials say
Stop Groping Greenland
Into the blue again, after the money’s gone
A stunning number of electric vehicle, battery factories are being canceled. Billions of dollars in clean energy projects have been canceled since Donald Trump took office again.
Trump’s third term threats are not a distraction
Leaked Memo Reveals Insane Ban on Words Agriculture Department Can Say
ICE Is Reportedly Violating Detained Tufts Student’s Right to Medical Care
‘Ladapo’s a charlatan’: Florida surgeon general’s tenure at UF is lackluster, colleagues say. Records and interviews reveal missing grant funds, underperformance and unfulfilled promises
Obama’s Blistering New Takedown of Trump Gives Dems a Way Forward
RFK Jr.’s Axing of CDC Climate Program Will Hurt Americans, Ex-Official Says