Overview

• Thousands of protesters, including researchers and students, gathered at UC Berkeley and across California to oppose proposed NIH funding cuts by the Trump administration.
• Critics warn that the funding reductions jeopardize critical research on diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, potentially erasing years of progress.
• The Trump administration defends the cuts as cost-saving measures, claiming they could save over $4 billion annually, but universities are already halting research projects in response.
• Sen. Scott Wiener has proposed a state-level NIH alternative in California to fund research threatened by federal budget cuts, signaling a potential legislative countermeasure.
• Two international students in Southern California have filed lawsuits against the federal government following the revocation of hundreds of student visas nationwide.