Mark Histed
@markhisted.org
Lincoln liberal, 2nd inaugural enthusiast.
Information processing in networks. Brains, models, lasers.
Prev: media policy for democracypolicy.network. Personal views, not speaking for NIH
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neuro: 🧠 /🧪
Information processing in networks. Brains, models, lasers.
Prev: media policy for democracypolicy.network. Personal views, not speaking for NIH
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Mark Histed
@markhisted.org
· Jun 17
The Unitary Executive Takes Over New Territory
The Trump administration’s theory of how the federal government should work is a threat to American science.
www.theatlantic.com
The Battle over the Constitution Has Spread to American Science. I'm out in the @theatlantic.com today about the new OMB proposed rule.
It's just the longtime agenda of the the Supreme Court. US science and cancer cures now all depend on us picking up a fight with the Roberts Court.
It's just the longtime agenda of the the Supreme Court. US science and cancer cures now all depend on us picking up a fight with the Roberts Court.
❤️
I recently spoke with a friend in Turkiye, who shared what things are like under Erdogan. She said that they waited too long to speak up, and not the consequences are too great. She said how glad she was to see us pushing back and how she wished more people in Turkiye had made the same choice.
September 23, 2026 at 3:47 AM
❤️
Reposted by Mark Histed
Appreciate the direct link Chris’s post makes between the Supreme Court repeatedly making shit up to suit its agenda, and hack Trump appointees on the lower courts who decide that they are perfectly within their rights to do the same thing
NEW: The Eighth Circuit, Missouri’s maps, and the mess the Roberts Court has brought about.
Even as the Supreme Court has tried to stop the Missouri maps chaos, it turns out that a lack of concern for precedent, rules, and stability have trickle-down effects.
This evening, at Law Dork:
Even as the Supreme Court has tried to stop the Missouri maps chaos, it turns out that a lack of concern for precedent, rules, and stability have trickle-down effects.
This evening, at Law Dork:
The Eighth Circuit, Missouri’s maps, and the mess the Roberts Court has brought about
Even as the Supreme Court has tried to stop the Missouri maps chaos, it turns out that a lack of concern for precedent, rules, and stability have trickle-down effects.
www.lawdork.com
September 23, 2026 at 2:15 AM
Appreciate the direct link Chris’s post makes between the Supreme Court repeatedly making shit up to suit its agenda, and hack Trump appointees on the lower courts who decide that they are perfectly within their rights to do the same thing
Reposted by Mark Histed
NYT is reporting that influencers are shaping political opinions, sometimes they're not telling you the truth, and they are getting paid.
I wrote a book about this two years ago. 🙃
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...
I wrote a book about this two years ago. 🙃
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...
An Army of Paid Creators Is Carpeting the Web With Political Content
Unlike celebrity influencers with large followings, these creators produce a blizzard of videos for a fraction of the cost of traditional online campaigns and, in the process, shift public conversatio...
www.nytimes.com
September 22, 2026 at 9:30 PM
NYT is reporting that influencers are shaping political opinions, sometimes they're not telling you the truth, and they are getting paid.
I wrote a book about this two years ago. 🙃
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...
I wrote a book about this two years ago. 🙃
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...
Can confirm (see 🧵 ).
But let me share some optimism. A NIH colleague said today that against all odds, NIH has been…winning.
“We made this EO a necessity. We fought hard. We threw sand in all the gears. All the lowdown ways of blocking grants failed to produce the results Vought et al wanted.”
But let me share some optimism. A NIH colleague said today that against all odds, NIH has been…winning.
“We made this EO a necessity. We fought hard. We threw sand in all the gears. All the lowdown ways of blocking grants failed to produce the results Vought et al wanted.”
What. A. Day.
NIH grant-making was paused for several hours today. Not sure who gave the order. But in light of the Friday night Bhattacharya-Vought feud & threatened EO to implement #ScienceDeathPanels, my money is on Russell Vought.
I learned of the pause from a colleague around 11:30. 🧵
NIH grant-making was paused for several hours today. Not sure who gave the order. But in light of the Friday night Bhattacharya-Vought feud & threatened EO to implement #ScienceDeathPanels, my money is on Russell Vought.
I learned of the pause from a colleague around 11:30. 🧵
September 23, 2026 at 1:42 AM
Can confirm (see 🧵 ).
But let me share some optimism. A NIH colleague said today that against all odds, NIH has been…winning.
“We made this EO a necessity. We fought hard. We threw sand in all the gears. All the lowdown ways of blocking grants failed to produce the results Vought et al wanted.”
But let me share some optimism. A NIH colleague said today that against all odds, NIH has been…winning.
“We made this EO a necessity. We fought hard. We threw sand in all the gears. All the lowdown ways of blocking grants failed to produce the results Vought et al wanted.”
Reposted by Mark Histed
New long-form post on the proposed Executive Order that would give OMB Director Russell Vought veto power over NIH funding decisions.
An Emperor of All Malice: Contesting Efforts to Control NIH Funding
Unilateral efforts by the White House to politicize funding decisions jeopardize discovery, health, and the economy… and demand a timely, effective response.
joshuasweitz.substack.com
September 23, 2026 at 12:12 AM
New long-form post on the proposed Executive Order that would give OMB Director Russell Vought veto power over NIH funding decisions.
Regular reminder that the unitary executive theory is a “President is a King” theory. It is a quest for authoritarianism dressed up in fancy reasoning.
September 22, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Regular reminder that the unitary executive theory is a “President is a King” theory. It is a quest for authoritarianism dressed up in fancy reasoning.
Reposted by Mark Histed
And for this complaint to come from Bret Stephens -- who only has a cushy columnist gig at the New York Times because of their desire to be politically diverse and inclusive -- is fucking hilarious.
You're the DEI hire, my man. You.
You're the DEI hire, my man. You.
September 22, 2026 at 1:35 PM
And for this complaint to come from Bret Stephens -- who only has a cushy columnist gig at the New York Times because of their desire to be politically diverse and inclusive -- is fucking hilarious.
You're the DEI hire, my man. You.
You're the DEI hire, my man. You.
Reposted by Mark Histed
The real “brain drain” is not the handful of high-profile scientists taking a top position abroad. It's the international scholars who have to leave the US halfway through their postdoc, or the international students who never apply for grad school in the US because of visa policies
September 22, 2026 at 1:19 PM
The real “brain drain” is not the handful of high-profile scientists taking a top position abroad. It's the international scholars who have to leave the US halfway through their postdoc, or the international students who never apply for grad school in the US because of visa policies
In the past five years #NIH created an on-campus lab to study neural development, exactly because NIH scientists anticipated that this research line will be important.
This is an example of scientific judgement White House political appointees setting priorities are unlikely to have.
This is an example of scientific judgement White House political appointees setting priorities are unlikely to have.
September 22, 2026 at 3:32 AM
In the past five years #NIH created an on-campus lab to study neural development, exactly because NIH scientists anticipated that this research line will be important.
This is an example of scientific judgement White House political appointees setting priorities are unlikely to have.
This is an example of scientific judgement White House political appointees setting priorities are unlikely to have.
Solid freepress.bsky.social statement on the capitulation to the Ellisons today:
“As we learned from the failed and widely-panned Facebook Oversight Board, a fake bipartisan oversight committee won’t save CNN…”
“As we learned from the failed and widely-panned Facebook Oversight Board, a fake bipartisan oversight committee won’t save CNN…”
September 22, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Solid freepress.bsky.social statement on the capitulation to the Ellisons today:
“As we learned from the failed and widely-panned Facebook Oversight Board, a fake bipartisan oversight committee won’t save CNN…”
“As we learned from the failed and widely-panned Facebook Oversight Board, a fake bipartisan oversight committee won’t save CNN…”
Reposted by Mark Histed
I was deputy M.E. at the WSJ when Murdoch took over, with a similar “editorial independence board.”
Within 4 months, our top editor was gone, replaced by a loyal Murdoch deputy.
That board raised a quivering objection, but the deed was done.
If the Ellisons own CNN, they’ll do whatever they want.
Within 4 months, our top editor was gone, replaced by a loyal Murdoch deputy.
That board raised a quivering objection, but the deed was done.
If the Ellisons own CNN, they’ll do whatever they want.
September 21, 2026 at 5:33 PM
I was deputy M.E. at the WSJ when Murdoch took over, with a similar “editorial independence board.”
Within 4 months, our top editor was gone, replaced by a loyal Murdoch deputy.
That board raised a quivering objection, but the deed was done.
If the Ellisons own CNN, they’ll do whatever they want.
Within 4 months, our top editor was gone, replaced by a loyal Murdoch deputy.
That board raised a quivering objection, but the deed was done.
If the Ellisons own CNN, they’ll do whatever they want.
DOGE committed a lot of federal crimes and the only thing I have to say about this piece is:
If Tyler Hassen was involved in any of the crimes (likely, given the scope of DOGE criminality), I hope he is prosecuted and goes to prison.
The damage to science alone is devastating for our kids’ future.
If Tyler Hassen was involved in any of the crimes (likely, given the scope of DOGE criminality), I hope he is prosecuted and goes to prison.
The damage to science alone is devastating for our kids’ future.
Sad excuse for journalism: Big profile of DOGE lord doesn’t say a word about all the damage he did. And it was not an “ill fated cost-cutting effort.” It was a malignant, catastrophic attack on the government and its workers by arrogant and ignorant assholes. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
He spent 11 months inside DOGE. Now he wants to set the record straight.
In his first major interview about his tell-all memoir, Tyler Hassen describes the culture clash surrounding DOGE’s mission and the backlash that followed.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 22, 2026 at 2:16 AM
DOGE committed a lot of federal crimes and the only thing I have to say about this piece is:
If Tyler Hassen was involved in any of the crimes (likely, given the scope of DOGE criminality), I hope he is prosecuted and goes to prison.
The damage to science alone is devastating for our kids’ future.
If Tyler Hassen was involved in any of the crimes (likely, given the scope of DOGE criminality), I hope he is prosecuted and goes to prison.
The damage to science alone is devastating for our kids’ future.
Reposted by Mark Histed
Congress was not a fan of the reports circulating this weekend that Vought is pushing for a commission to review all NIH grants
www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/t...
www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/t...
Members of Congress push back on plan to create a commission of political appointees to review NIH grants
Several members of Congress voiced strong opposition about a reported plan to create a panel of political appointees to sign off on NIH grants
www.statnews.com
September 21, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Congress was not a fan of the reports circulating this weekend that Vought is pushing for a commission to review all NIH grants
www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/t...
www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/t...
Reposted by Mark Histed
Statement from @murray.senate.gov and the Senate Appropriations committee about Vought takeover plan.
www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minorit...
www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minorit...
Senator Murray on Trump’s Latest Plan to Politicize Lifesaving NIH Research | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
www.appropriations.senate.gov
September 21, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Statement from @murray.senate.gov and the Senate Appropriations committee about Vought takeover plan.
www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minorit...
www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minorit...
The idea of AI curing all diseases is, IMO, silly. Biomedical research is mostly limited by data, not ideas.
Imagine saying AI will build a world-champion basketball team by replacing basketball coaches with hyperintelligent AI. You see the problem. Someone still needs to dribble and make shots.
Imagine saying AI will build a world-champion basketball team by replacing basketball coaches with hyperintelligent AI. You see the problem. Someone still needs to dribble and make shots.
I follow your writing closely, but this one confuses me.
Mathematics is much more than solving math problems (evening long-standing open ones) and it is beyond weird to think of law as solving long-standing open problems. I’ll leave medicine to speak on its own behalf. 😂
Mathematics is much more than solving math problems (evening long-standing open ones) and it is beyond weird to think of law as solving long-standing open problems. I’ll leave medicine to speak on its own behalf. 😂
OpenAI "has now resolved more than 100 long-standing open problems across most areas of mathematics," and is waiting to release them until after discussions with the math community
The same thing will likely happen, but more so, with the Bar, the AMA & other professions. openai.com/index/adviso...
The same thing will likely happen, but more so, with the Bar, the AMA & other professions. openai.com/index/adviso...
September 22, 2026 at 1:31 AM
The idea of AI curing all diseases is, IMO, silly. Biomedical research is mostly limited by data, not ideas.
Imagine saying AI will build a world-champion basketball team by replacing basketball coaches with hyperintelligent AI. You see the problem. Someone still needs to dribble and make shots.
Imagine saying AI will build a world-champion basketball team by replacing basketball coaches with hyperintelligent AI. You see the problem. Someone still needs to dribble and make shots.
I am very much looking forward to reading this book, and when I do I’ll return to the review. In the meantime this review just made me more eager to read the book.
Here's my review of @nikobowie.bsky.social and @daphnarenan.bsky.social's "Supremacy." It's not a bad review per se. You should read the book. But the recommendations of the book, it seems to me, are too little too late. Or, as I write . . .
Wishful Disbelief
Reviewing Bowie & Renan’s “Supremacy” (2026)
bbaumann.substack.com
September 21, 2026 at 9:33 PM
I am very much looking forward to reading this book, and when I do I’ll return to the review. In the meantime this review just made me more eager to read the book.
And now many reviewers will use AI to review them.
Increasingly, human-generated research and writing and review is going to be at a premium in science. The hard part is goi g to be figuring out how to sort through and elevate the good work.
Increasingly, human-generated research and writing and review is going to be at a premium in science. The hard part is goi g to be figuring out how to sort through and elevate the good work.
56k submissions to ICLR
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
Denny Zhou (@denny_zhou) on X
ICLR 2027 has received more submissions than all previous years (2013–2026) combined
x.com
September 21, 2026 at 7:51 PM
And now many reviewers will use AI to review them.
Increasingly, human-generated research and writing and review is going to be at a premium in science. The hard part is goi g to be figuring out how to sort through and elevate the good work.
Increasingly, human-generated research and writing and review is going to be at a premium in science. The hard part is goi g to be figuring out how to sort through and elevate the good work.
Reposted by Mark Histed
Anyway, sending your kids to the “best” schools is just as ideological as choosing an underfunded public school.
September 21, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Anyway, sending your kids to the “best” schools is just as ideological as choosing an underfunded public school.
Great points here. Lots of similar things to say about NIH/NSF vs state science research funding efforts, centering on peer review (and how hard it is to do well!) and the power of a broad scientific community. I’ll comment on this later.
The federal government does not deliver a lot of services, but it does centralize research capacity for state and local govts involved in delivering those services. More efficient to have one good research office than 50 bad ones. Which means state and local govts are increasingly flying blind.
September 21, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Great points here. Lots of similar things to say about NIH/NSF vs state science research funding efforts, centering on peer review (and how hard it is to do well!) and the power of a broad scientific community. I’ll comment on this later.
I just want people to tell the truth. Don’t print lies in medical journals, about today’s US politics and media and SCOTUS and oligarchy problems. Don’t engage in magical thinking.
Realistic optimism: embrace reality then choose optimism.
Realistic optimism: embrace reality then choose optimism.
September 21, 2026 at 2:36 AM
I just want people to tell the truth. Don’t print lies in medical journals, about today’s US politics and media and SCOTUS and oligarchy problems. Don’t engage in magical thinking.
Realistic optimism: embrace reality then choose optimism.
Realistic optimism: embrace reality then choose optimism.
Reposted by Mark Histed
"White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants"
[everybody up in arms, as they should be, but for those who have been paying close attention, this has pretty much already happened - the realization just hasn't sunk in yet]
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
[everybody up in arms, as they should be, but for those who have been paying close attention, this has pretty much already happened - the realization just hasn't sunk in yet]
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants (Gift Article)
Federal officials are drafting an executive order that would place grants under review by an outside panel, the latest effort to redirect billions of dollars in research spending.
www.nytimes.com
September 20, 2026 at 7:39 PM
"White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants"
[everybody up in arms, as they should be, but for those who have been paying close attention, this has pretty much already happened - the realization just hasn't sunk in yet]
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
[everybody up in arms, as they should be, but for those who have been paying close attention, this has pretty much already happened - the realization just hasn't sunk in yet]
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
Reposted by Mark Histed
Two of America’s best writers with deep, brilliant, and heartfelt pieces today. Make sure you read this one too. (Along with Nikole’s). And subscribe! Soraya is one of those writers whose pieces always make me think and look at things in new ways.
Holy smokes I fuckin' did it. As promised, I hard launched before Yom Kippur, with hours to spare!
I am going to take a nap.
I am going to take a nap.
Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself
Look at me. I’m the publisher now.
www.soraya.press
September 20, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Two of America’s best writers with deep, brilliant, and heartfelt pieces today. Make sure you read this one too. (Along with Nikole’s). And subscribe! Soraya is one of those writers whose pieces always make me think and look at things in new ways.
Several reports this wknd of Trump and Vought trying to impose control over NIH grants—that is, politicizing US cancer and dementia cure research.
Big picture: that is just the same unitary executive logic they tried to impose on NIH months ago via regulation.
We need to strike back at the root…
Big picture: that is just the same unitary executive logic they tried to impose on NIH months ago via regulation.
We need to strike back at the root…
The Battle over the Constitution Has Spread to American Science. I'm out in the @theatlantic.com today about the new OMB proposed rule.
It's just the longtime agenda of the the Supreme Court. US science and cancer cures now all depend on us picking up a fight with the Roberts Court.
It's just the longtime agenda of the the Supreme Court. US science and cancer cures now all depend on us picking up a fight with the Roberts Court.
The Unitary Executive Takes Over New Territory
The Trump administration’s theory of how the federal government should work is a threat to American science.
www.theatlantic.com
September 20, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Several reports this wknd of Trump and Vought trying to impose control over NIH grants—that is, politicizing US cancer and dementia cure research.
Big picture: that is just the same unitary executive logic they tried to impose on NIH months ago via regulation.
We need to strike back at the root…
Big picture: that is just the same unitary executive logic they tried to impose on NIH months ago via regulation.
We need to strike back at the root…
Very good thread on delegation: the checks and balances between the branches, and inside the executive branch, about government decision-making. It illustrates how important constitutional law is for the science agencies.
So as a practical matter, Congress must delegate. But Trump/Vought want to be able to determine the final decisions, to reduce spending (contrary to the law), and pursue ideological control and petty revenge missions. That is what "the president's priorities" is a euphemism for.
September 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Very good thread on delegation: the checks and balances between the branches, and inside the executive branch, about government decision-making. It illustrates how important constitutional law is for the science agencies.
Reposted by Mark Histed
Russell Vought is an extreme ideologue trying to shape the NIH (& the entire govt) to align with his narrow views. He is an author of Project 2025, the deeply unpopular Heritage Foundation blueprint. He has repeatedly broken the law to achieve his goals. www.propublica.org/article/russ...
Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...
www.propublica.org
September 19, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Russell Vought is an extreme ideologue trying to shape the NIH (& the entire govt) to align with his narrow views. He is an author of Project 2025, the deeply unpopular Heritage Foundation blueprint. He has repeatedly broken the law to achieve his goals. www.propublica.org/article/russ...