There's more bad news for NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.The twin space probes left the solar system in 20122018And their energy sources, on-board radioisotope power systems, are decaying quickly, forcing the space agency's Jet Propulsion Lab to shut down even more of the spacecraft's scientific instruments.According to a new statement, Voyager 1's cosmic ray subsystem experiment was shut down last month, while Voyager 2's low-energy charged particle instrument will be shut down before the end of March.It's yet another sign that the spacecraft, which have been blasting through space for almost half a century, are on their very last breath. NASA has already had to be extremely conservative with the available power.The radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which use radioactively decaying plutonium-238 isotopes as a direct source of power, are losing roughly four watts of power each year, which means their days are numbered."The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible," said JPL Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd in the statement. "But electrical power is running low. If we dont turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months of power before we would need to declare end of mission."The team has been focusing on the spacecraft's scientific instruments that have been studying the solar system's heliosphere, a protective bubble formed by the Sun's activity that separates us from interstellar space.Scientists were already forced to turn off Voyager 2's plasma science instrument as a result of degraded performance back in October.The spacecraft's low-energy charged particle instrument, which will be shut down on March 24, has been relying on a stepper motor that's already vastly exceeded the amount of activity it was tested for.By the time it's deactivated, according to NASA, the motor will have completed more than 8.5 million steps compared to just 500,000 it was tested for in the 1970s."The Voyager spacecraft have far surpassed their original mission to study the outer planets," Voyager program scientist Patrick Koehn explained. "Every bit of additional data we have gathered since then is not only valuable bonus science for heliophysics, but also a testament to the exemplary engineering that has gone into the Voyagers starting nearly 50 years ago and continuing to this day."Scientists are eager to eke out as much life out of the spacecraft as possible but power is quickly running out."Every minute of every day, the Voyagers explore a region where no spacecraft has gone before," said Voyager project scientist Linda Spilker in a statement. "That also means every day could be our last."More on the spacecraft: The Voyager Probes Are DyingShare This Article

Image by CBS / Paramount / FuturismFor the first time in decades, measles cases are on the rise in the United States and our brainwormed health czar, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is hawking vintage nutritional supplements.In an interview withFox News, the alleged dog-eater who now helms the Department of Health and Human Services boasted that doctors have already seen "very, very good results" when giving cod liver oil yes, seriously to people who've fallen ill with the mega-contagious disease that had been all but eradicated.For those lucky enough to never have been given a spoon or capsule full of cod liver oil, its name should betray its origins. Extracted from the livers of Atlantic cod, this nutritional supplement contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and is, supposedly, chock-full of vitamins that promote eye health and reduce inflammation.While supplements are all fine and good, they're not supposed to be used instead of pharmaceutical medicines or vaccines but to "skeptics" like Kennedy and his ilk, they're preferable.Though Kennedy admitted in the interview that vaccination against measles and other illnesses "do prevent infection," the health secretary also bragged that he ordered doses of vitamin A to be shipped to Gaines County, the heart of the West Texas outbreak that has claimed the life of one unvaccinated child, led to 159 new cases since January, and spread to eight other statesNotably, those comments were aired just days after the prominent anti-vaxxer did a seeming about-face in aFox News op-ed where he urged people to get vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella MMR, collectively to stymie the outbreak's spread.Now, though, it appears he's back on his nonsense."Were going to be honest with the American people for the first time in history about what actually about all of the tests and all of the studies, about what we know, what we dont know," Kennedy said in his latest Fox interview, referencing vaccines.Ironically, the purported former drug dealerThough experts are already pushing back in the media against RFK Jr.'s dangerous anti-vax rhetoric, people in the West Texas community where this measles outbreak started are, as theWashington Post reports, rushing to purchase that foul-tasting syrup."Theyll do cod liver oil because its high in vitamin A and D naturally, food-based," explained Nancy Ginter, the owner of a health food store in the Texas town where the outbreak has disproportionately affected the religious Mennonite community. "Some people come in before they break out [with measles] because theyre trying to just get their kids immune system to go up so they dont get a secondary infection."This is, seemingly, Donald Trump's America circa 2025 though thankfully, the vast majority of us have been vaccinated against MMR.Share This Article

Making a sequel is likea 1984 Clint Eastwood crime thriller: Its a tightrope.Audiences come to a sequel because they loved a movie and wanted to see more of its story or characters. But you cantjust make more of the same movie again. Moviegoerswanta sequel that feels both fresh and familiar all at once, which is an impossible balancing act. (Maybe thats why so many sequels are so bad.)The challenge to deliver something new can sometimes yield sequels that look strikingly different than the films that inspired them. Here the tightrope gets even more precarious. Will the audience that liked the first movie show up for something that doesnt look like the first movie? Will they be satisfied by the changes? Get yeses to both those questions and youve got a hit. Get noes to both, and youre in deep trouble.The films on the list below run the gamut from two yeses to two noes to every possible in between. But they are all sequels thatforgeddifferentpaths than the movies that preceded them. Some were made bynew directors with ideas of their own; othersreplaced popular actors for budgetary or scheduling reasons. Some greatly expanded the scope of their franchises because sequels are often considered guaranteed hits and are budgeted by studios accordingly.One or twofranchises on this listwent hog wild and switchedtones or even genres between installments. Thats like walking a tightrope without a net while the rope is gettingsprayed with gasoline in the middle of a cigarette lighter factory. Lets take a look at some of the movies that pulled off that tightrope walk and some of the ones that didnt.20 Sequels That Were Drastically Different From the OriginalThese movies are all sequels, but they dont look much like the films that inspired them.READ MORE: The Best Sequels Made From Bad MoviesGet our free mobile app10 American Remakes of Foreign Horror Movies That Ruined the OriginalWe'd rather lock our heads in cages full of angry bees than watch these American horror remakes again.Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky

Paymentology is the first truly global issuer-processor, giving banks and fintechs the technology, team and experience to rapidly issue and process Mastercard, Visa and UnionPay cards across more than 60 countries, at scale.Our advanced, multi-cloud platform, offering both shared and dedicated processing instances, vast global presence and richer, real-time data, set us apart as the leader in payments.What you get to do:Tooling Development and AutomationDesign, implement, and optimise internal tools to enhance operational efficiency and automate workflows.Develop and maintain internal tooling solutions, incorporating AI/ML capabilities where applicable.Identify and implement automation opportunities using AI and ML technologies.Integrate SaaS platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Zendesk) with internal company tools via APIs and web technologies.Develop and maintain documentation for tools, integrations, and automation processes.Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to integrations, automation, and AI-powered solutions.AI and Machine Learning IntegrationUtilise AI/ML frameworks to enhance automation, improve processes, and increase operational effectiveness.Apply AI/ML technologies to optimise automation processes and workflows.Develop and deploy AI/ML models to enhance support tools and internal systems.Stay up to date with advancements in AI, ML, and automation technologies, ensuring their effective application.Integrate AI/ML models into existing systems and workflows to drive innovation and efficiency.Cross-Functional CollaborationWork closely with internal teams to understand automation requirements and deliver effective solutions.Collaborate with Operations teams to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for automation.Work alongside Product, Engineering, and Support teams to develop AI-enhanced automation tools.Ensure smooth communication between teams for seamless tool integration and process optimisation.Provide technical guidance and support to internal teams using automation tools.Continuous Improvement and InnovationEnhance and refine automation solutions through continuous iteration and technological advancements.Monitor and improve existing tools, ensuring they align with best practices in AI and automation.Identify and implement enhancements to improve tool performance and user experience.Adopt a proactive approach to problem-solving, optimising automation processes for efficiency.Contribute to the development of best practices for internal tooling and automation solutions.What it takes to succeed:3-5 years of experience in automation engineering, AI/ML integration, or internal tooling development.Experience working cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Support teams to drive automation initiatives.Proven track record in optimising workflows, reducing manual processes, and improving operational efficiency.Strong expertise in web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) and API development (RESTful, GraphQL).Experience with server-side frameworks such as Express.js (Node.js), Django (Python), or Spring Boot (Java).Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Bash, Python) for automation tasks.Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) and automation deployment tools.Strong understanding of AI/ML model integration into existing workflows.Excellent problem-solving skills with high attention to detail.Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities efficiently.

It's over for Starlink in Ontario, according to the Canadian province's premier, Doug Ford. Ford said in a press conference that due to US tariffs imposed against Canada, Ontario canceled a $100 million contract with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite company it signed in November."We're ripping up Ontario's contract with Starlink. It's done. It's gone. We won't award contracts to people who enable and encourage economic attacks on our province and our country," Ford said.It's not the first time that the contract was said to have been canceled: in early February, when tariffs against Canada were imminent, he said it would be canceled. But that apparently was put on hold when tariffs against Canada and Mexico were delayed by president Donald Trump's administration.At the time, Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, the company that owns Starlink, responded via X, "Oh well."Starlink and SpaceX have not commented publicly on the second cancellation news and an email to SpaceX seeking a response was not immediately returned.The contract was meant to deliver high-speed internet services to rural residents and citizens in northern Ontario. Starlink is estimated to have about 533,000 customers in Canada, and it's unclear what will happen to Ontario residents who already rely on Starlink's internet service. Satellite companies with business in Canada include Telestat, which is building out a service called Lightspeed, but it isn't expected to launch for several years.Unclear what will happen to customersMicah Walter-Range, president of the space-consulting firm Caelus Partners and contributor to the S-Network Space Index fund, said the cancellation creates an opportunity for other internet providers and satellite companies based in Canada or regions including Europe.But, Walter-Range added, it is unlikely Ontario's move will put Starlink's overall business in jeopardy."The business is unlikely to take a significant hit for now," he said. "In many places, Starlink is simply the best option available, even if customers dislike Musk or the Trump administration. Recent events do create incentives for governments and other customers to seek alternatives for the long term."Walter-Range said that alternatives such as Telestat currently rely on satellites in higher orbits that provide lower-quality internet service. For Lightspeed, "It will take some time beyond that for enough satellites to be operational to provide a solid service," he said.Despite the Ontario ban, some customers still might be able to do business with Starlink."Unless the Canadian government bans Starlink at the national level and revokes its authorization to transmit signals over Canada, a customer who buys from Starlink directly should be unaffected," Walter-Range said. "However, if a Canadian resident gets access through a subsidized government program that uses Starlink as the provider, they could be switched over to a different option or possibly nothing at all."

The Utah legislature passed an age-verification bill on Wednesday requiring app store operations to verify the age of their users and require consent from the parents of minors before downloading an app.The state became the first in the US to reach this point with such a law, the App Store Accountability Act, as many states grapple with evolving age verification requirements for social media platforms and how to protect young users online. Lawmakers in several states have proposed bills requiring app stores to verify children's ages through official identification or parental consent, but many have been blocked or failed to gain traction.The bill now goes to Gov. Spencer Cox for his signature.The act dovetails with Utah's efforts to require age verification on social media sites. It would put the burden onto mobile app stores to verify ages rather than relying on individual websites to do so an approach social media platforms have long wanted.In a joint statement, Meta, Snap and X said: "Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than a quarter of states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play. We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit."It's unclear how Apple and Google will adapt their existing parental controls and policies to comply with the new law. Apple and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Last week, however, Apple introduced new child-safety measures affecting how minors' accounts are set up and what they can access in the App Store. This includes the ability for parents to update their child's account age if they previously set it incorrectly and more granular app age ratings. It also added a way for parents to consent to share their child's age range with app developers so they'll be shown more age-appropriate content in the App Store but without disclosing exact birth dates or sensitive information."Because many kids in the U.S. don't have government-issued IDs, parents in the U.S. will have to provide even more sensitive documentation just to allow their child to access apps meant for children. That's not in the interest of user safety or privacy," Apple said in its online safety report published last week.Aisling Dawson, an analyst at ABI Research, said the wider significance of this regulation should not be downplayed. "While age verification by app developers is unlikely to be the panacea for limiting minor access to inappropriate content, Utah takes the lead in regulating this space," she said. "Other online age verification laws exist; however, these do not specifically mandate app developers to themselves be proactive in terms of age verification and application content."She believes legal challenges are to be expected as Utah's new law triggers similar legislative movements in other states over the next couple of years. This may include legal issues such as how to define material that amounts to speech or expression which requires protection, how those curbing freedom of expression can provide evidence of harm caused by online content, and legal enforcement as it pertains to technical and privacy protections over data collected.Some critics, meanwhile, argue that the latest change could still raise concerns around data privacy and freedom of speech.Kerry Maeve Sheehan, the legal advocacy counsel at tech coalition Chamber of Progress, wrote in a blog post that the bill "tramples the constitutional rights of adults and kids.""While the bill purports to protect minors from inappropriate content, it ultimately imposes sweeping restrictions on the free speech rights of all Utahns," she wrote. "SB 142 is not just a misguided law; it represents a major shift in how the states seek to control online speech, creating a dangerous precedent for digital freedoms."But some organizations, such as the Digital Childhood Alliance, praised the bill as a significant milestone: "Utah is showing the country how to put kids and parents first," the organization tweeted. "This is a major step toward a safer online world for our children."

March 5, 20255 min readTrump's CDC Firings Will Gut PublicHealthat the State and Local LevelThe Trump administrations sudden dismissals have stripped training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local publichealthdepartmentsBy Rachana Pradhan & KFF Health News A sign outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. sshepard/Getty ImagesThe Trump administrations sudden firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees gutted training programs across the nation whose participants bolstered the workforce of state and local public health departments that for decades have been starved of resources.The programs are designed to cultivate a new generation of public health leaders, many of whom have gone on to work at the CDC. That was far from its only purpose. Local and state officials said the departures threaten to undermine the nations constant effort to identify and control infectious disease outbreaks.The terminated CDC employees helped prevent and respond to outbreaks such as dengue fever and the flu. They worked with local officials to quickly test for viruses and ensure that testing in public health labs complies with federal regulations. Others monitored potential cases of tuberculosis or provided health education to adolescents to prevent sexually transmitted infections, according to interviews with fired workers and local public health officials.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.As a CDC public health adviser, Gal Cruanes had been working at New York Citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to detect cases of tuberculosis, a serious illness that spreads through the air and usually attacks the lungs.The Public Health Associate Program deploys recent college graduates and other early-career workers for two years. After starting his job in October, Cruanes said, he contacted newly arrived immigrants and refugees potentially at risk of spreading TB in hopes of getting them into the citys clinics for screening.Its purely for the safety of the public at the end of the day, Cruanes said. He and other trainees were fired in mid-February.Its unconscionable, he said.A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, Andrew Nixon, declined to comment. The White House and CDC didnt respond to requests for comment.The Trump administrations swift staff reductions in February targeted probationary employees, many hired in the past two years, who lack civil service protections against firings. The administration on Feb. 26 ordered federal agencies to submit plans by mid-March for large-scale layoffs, a move that could encompass a much broader swath of workers.After CNN published this article, at least some fired CDC workers in the training programs were notified on March 4 that their terminations had been rescinded.Affected employees were cleared to work on March 5, according to emails viewed by KFF Health News. You should return to duty under your previous work schedule. We apologize for any disruption that this may have caused, said the emails, which were unsigned and sent from an internal CDC email address.The reversal came less than a week after a federal judge ruled that the Trump administrations widespread terminations of probationary employees were likely illegal.Seven CDC employees including from the associate program assigned to the New York City health department were originally terminated, Michelle Morse, the agencys acting commissioner, testified during a City Council hearing Feb. 19.In an interview, Morse said the health department was exploring how to retain them.Were looking into what the CDC could do, she said, but we are really just trying to use our own levers that we have within the health department to see whats possible for those staff.Since its creation in 2007, the Public Health Associate Program has placed 1,800 people in nearly every state and territory, plus the District of Columbia, according to the CDC.The sudden firings meant there was no lead time to try to figure out what were going to do, said Anissa Davis, the city health officer at the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services in California.Three participants of the associate program worked at the Long Beach department, Davis said. A CDC public health adviser was one of four employees working on sexually transmitted infections and HIV surveillance. Two others were with the 13-person communicable disease control team, which includes staff who respond to outbreaks in nursing homes, hospitals, restaurants, and schools, Davis said.They are invaluable, Davis said. Public health is always under-resourced so having these people really helps us.The U.S. public health system was already under severe strain at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic tens of thousands of jobs disappeared after the 2007-09 recession hit, and spending also dropped significantly for state and local health departments, according to a KFF Health News investigation. The backlash against pandemic-era restrictions drove many more officials to resign or retire. Others were fired. Still, officials said the pandemic also inspired some to pursue public health careers.Scientists in the CDCs Laboratory Leadership Service program were also fired in February. The CDC in 2015 started the two-year training fellowship to improve lab safety and quality following a series of failures, including in 2014 when CDC staff in Atlanta were potentially exposed to anthrax. The program each year recruits a small number of doctorate-level scientists; several work in state or local health departments.At least 16 of 24 fellows in the program were fired in mid-February, according to two scientists who were terminated and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional retaliation. Now we cant be a resource for these labs anymore, one of them said.Public health labs need the CDC scientists because theyre underfunded, understaffed, the other said. They are at their capacity already.Lab fellows responsibilities included helping with outbreak investigations and responses, including by training local staff on how to safely run tests or analyzing samples to identify the cause of an illness. Fellows were recently involved in setting up a new test in Florida to detect Oropouche, a relatively unknown insect-borne disease that has no vaccine or effective treatment. The World Health Organization in December said more than 11,600 cases had been reported in 2024 in South America, the Caribbean, the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Panama. The Florida Department of Health didnt respond to a request for comment.Fellows also helped develop the capacity to test for dengue fever in American Samoa, one of them said.When new stuff happens thats urgent, its almost all the time we get pivoted to it, the person said.Participants in different training programs received the same form letter notifying them of their terminations, according to documents viewed by KFF Health News.The letters said that terminated people had shown poor performance: Unfortunately, the Agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the Agencys current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the Agency.However, the fellows supervisors had written memos and emails saying they were in good standing, according to documents viewed by KFF Health News. Cruanes said he had not had a performance evaluation when he was terminated his first was supposed to be Feb. 18, three days after he received his notice. He was among the CDC staff reinstated on March 4.In Minneapolis, a CDC public health adviser had been providing sexual and reproductive health education in two high schools, as well as doing citywide work on STI testing, said Barbara Kyle, the citys school-based clinic manager. The department was trying to shift those responsibilities to remaining personnel. Were right now just scrambling, she said.The city has relied on trainees through the CDC program for more than a decade, Kyle said.These two years of learning public health, on-the-ground experience, has really been such a positive move for our country, she said. So that concerns me if we lose that pipeline.Healthbeat reporter Eliza Fawcett contributed to this report from New York City.KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

March 5, 20255 min readWildfire Prevention Projects at Risk as Federal Grants VanishEfforts to limit wildfires in a conservative swath of northern Colorado are the latest casualty of the Trump administrations on-and-off federal spending freezeBy Corbin Hiar & E&E News A helicopter flies through the Cache La Poudre Canyon as flames score the forest south of the river on June 14, 2012. Karl Gehring/The Denver Post via Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Efforts to limit wildfires in a conservative swath of northern Colorado are the latest casualty of the Trump administrations on-and-off federal spending freeze.The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed won several million dollars in grants during the Biden administration to help reduce the intensity and likelihood of wildfires and modernize water distribution in the 1.2 million acre watershed. But now the nonprofit is among hundreds around the country in limbo as federal payments stop and start during President Donald Trumps haphazard efforts to shrink the federal government."If the money comes back, I'm afraid to spend anything," said Hally Strevey, the coalition's executive director.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Strevey's predicament is representative of broader challenges facing nonprofits and small businesses as Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk try to dismantle federal agencies and slash the government workforce. While the administration has begun disbursing some previously blocked payments in response to court orders and public backlash, its initial moves have caused nonprofit executives to question whether their groups can bank on the federal grants theyve been awarded.Federal, state and local government grants and contracts account for 30 percent of the nonprofit sector's revenue, with some groups entirely dependent on government funding, according to the National Council of Nonprofits, a trade association that is suing to block Trump's spending freeze. Many small businesses work with nonprofits like the Poudre River coalition or rely on the federal government for loans, added the Main Street Alliance, a small business advocacy group that's joined the litigation.The Poudre River coalition was formed in 2013 in response to catastrophic wildfires the year before that had torn through the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Climate scientists have found that global warming, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels, is increasing the likelihood and damage of wildfires in the western U.S. while also making droughts and flooding more frequent.The 2012 wildfire led massive quantities of ash and debris to flow into the Cache la Poudre River French for "hide the powder" and its tributaries, rending the water unusable for drinking or farming. The coalition works to restore the watershed, which includes two congressional districts represented by Republican lawmakers.But soon after Trump took office, Strevey's group found that water infrastructure grants it received from the Bureau of Reclamation were frozen. The Fort Collins-based coalition is also unable to access a wildfire defense grant from the Forest Service due to uncertainty about the status of the deal. All three grants were mainly funded through the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.The coalition can only access its grant funding once it has paid staffers or local contractors to do the engineering and forestry work and Strevey is reluctant to do that because she's not confident the Trump administration will reimburse her group for those expenses."That money can just disappear anytime, and the people who work there don't even know," said Strevey, who found Reclamation officials she spoke with were also surprised by the administration's freeze of water infrastructure grants. "There's no confidence in those funds for me at this point."Freshman Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who represents a swing district north of Denver that's within the Poudre watershed, said he was committed to getting "critical programs turned back on as quickly as possible" but couldn't explain why they'd been halted in the first place."You'd have to take that one up with the administration," he said.Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert stood by the administration's actions and blamed Democrats for neglecting timber and water resources in her deep-red district, which spans the rural eastern edge of Colorado."We need to be better stewards of our land and manager our forests, and I don't see President Trump's cuts or any of the employees that have been released that would negatively impact that," she told POLITICO's E&E News last week. "If anything, we could get our policies stronger and better so we can manage that."The White House dismissed concerns that its cuts had been indiscriminate and could harm conservative communities."President Trump was elected to cut wasteful spending and streamline the federal workforce, which includes dismissing probationary employees who are not mission-critical," Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said in an email. "His strategy to unleash economic growth will benefit American families and small businesses alike."Trump and Musk, the billionaire who the president has tapped to downsize the federal government, signaled at a cabinet meeting last week that further spending cuts and layoffs are coming. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has led an effort to pause federal funding and dismiss employees, including thousands of civil servants who were recently hired to help communities curtail wildfires and recover from natural disasters.At the president's joint address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump said he and Musk had found fraudulent government programs "and we've taken back the money." Independent reviews of the administration's efficiency effort have found that the savings it's claimed are riddled with errors.Trump also said "the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over." That pronouncement drew laughter from some Democratic lawmakers, who pointed to Musk sitting in the House balcony.A federal court last week found that the Trump administration broke the law when its Office of Personnel Management directed other agencies to dismiss their probationary employees. Meanwhile, Trump's cutbacks have pushed some environmental groups to the brink of insolvency.Congressional Democrats broadly oppose the administration's firing spree and moves to block climate-related spending that has been directed by law. But without control of the White House or either chamber of Congress, they are limited in what they can do for their constituents.The best tool Democrats have to "restore funding is to shine a bright light, to have transparency, and illuminate the dangers that are coming," said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), whose office collected information from wildfire-focused nonprofits in his state about the impacts of Trump's cuts.Another option is to "go home and get a pitchfork," he said. "Sometimes I feel like [doing] that."The National Council of Nonprofits and Main Street Alliance succeeded in temporarily blocking the Trump administration's spending freeze. But the litigation is ongoing, effectively suspending wildfire mitigation grants for the Poudre River coalition and other nonprofits."Preparation for the next wildfire season is on hold," said Rick Cohen, the council's chief operating officer. "It really isn't hyperbole to say that lives are at stake with these pauses and these grant cancellations."Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

Two new Lovecraft games announced, including one from Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong studioHP source.Image credit: Big Bad Wolf Studio/Nacon News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on March 6, 2025 If you love Lovecraft, publisher Nacon will be hoping you also love the two Lovecraft games it's lining up for its 2025 slate - one of which is a "thrilling investigative adventure" from the team behind The Council and Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong.Starting with that one, it's called Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, and cast players as Noah, an agent of a secret Interpol division that specialises in occult cases. Noah's investigating the mysterious disappearance of miners in the depths of the Pacific Ocean - a quest that'll eventually lead to the labyrinthine prison of R'lyeh, where Cthulhu has been contained.All this plays out as a mix of investigate adventure and first-person psychological thriller, with progress requiring players to solve "complex puzzles", make choices that'll shape Noah's fate, and resist the mind-corrupting influence of Cthulhu. And if that appeals, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss, from Big Bad Wolf Studio, launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S next year.Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss announcement trailer.Watch on YouTubeWhich brings us to the second of Nacon's newly announced Lovecraft games, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. Developed by Zeno Clash studio ACE Team, it's a first-person horror game - featuring online co-op for up to four players - that, as its name suggests, draws inspiration from Lovecraft's novella The Mound.The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu announcement trailer.Watch on YouTubeThis one casts players as a squad of conquistadors on an expedition through an eerie, oppressive jungle in search of a legendary underground city, rumoured to house priceless treasures. As they explore deeper into the unknown, they'll encounter monstrous otherworldly entities that distort their senses and threaten their sanity.The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S later this year.

RoboCop: Rogue City is getting a standalone expansion and you can play as Alex MurphyLaunching this "summer".Image credit: Teyon/Nacon News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on March 6, 2025 RoboCop: Rogue City, developer Teyon's warmly received take on the iconic action movie series, is back with a standalone sequel - titled Unfinished Business - that's launching this summer on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.The original RoboCop: Rogue City - which melded linear shootouts and light detective work across its semi-open-world - launched to positive reviews when it released toward the tail-end of 2023. Eurogamer contributor Rick Lane, for instance, called it "an entertaining, if unadventurous RoboCop experience" in his three star review.And now Teyon is ready to do it all over again with Unfinished Business, albeit on a presumably somewhat smaller scale. This time around players - still in the role of the titular augmented law enforcer - must reach the top of Old Detroit's Omni Tower, now overrun by elite mercenaries.Watch on YouTubeTo assist in that quest, players can expect to receive new weapons and "brutal" new finishing moves. Perhaps more intriguingly, though, they'll also experience "intense" flashback missions, stepping into the (normal, non-metallic) shoes of RoboCop's former self, Alex Murphy.You can get a taste of RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business' action in the announcement trailer above. Expect Teyon and publisher Nacon to release more details as the game's "summer" release on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 draws closer.