The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.
The number of key terms used by a congressional committee to find $2 billion of “woke” grants awarded by the National Science Foundation during the Biden administration. Sen. Ted Cruz, who led the investigation, released a full database of the grants in February as the Trump administration’s NSF said it was examining research awards to make sure they complied with the president’s executive orders terminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
But a review of the Texas Republican’s database by ProPublica found examples of scientific projects funded by the NSF that were unrelated to the social or economic themes cited by his committee, appearing to catch the committee’s attention because of the use of the target words. Among them were a study of the evolution of mint that referred to the “biodiversity” of the plants and research on a device to treat severe bleeding that used the words “victims” — as in gunshot victims — and “trauma.”
Neither Cruz’s office nor the other Republicans on the committee responded to requests for comment.
The last time Missouri took control of St. Louis’ police force was just before the start of the Civil War, when the state’s secessionist-leaning leaders were trying to prevent police officers from taking up arms against the Confederacy. That law was in effect for the next 152 years, until November 2012, when nearly two-thirds of voters approved a statewide ballot measure that restored local authority and placed the department under the mayor’s jurisdiction.
Now, the state’s governor and legislature are again pushing to take over the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Jeremy Kohler reports on how city officials are responding and how the effort is part of a broader pattern for the state legislature.
