Short Takes – 2-1-25

A tiny neutrino detector scored big at a nuclear reactor. ScienceNews.org article. Pull quote: “But one type of interaction is more common, in which a neutrino or antineutrino bounces off an atomic nucleus rather than a proton or neutron. Detectors of neutrino-nucleus interactions can be built quite small — with a catch. They must be extremely sensitive. Observing the nucleus recoiling is like sensing the motion of a bowling ball hit by a ping-pong ball. The effect was first observed in 2017, using a laboratory source of the particles.”

Live Updates: Trump Signs Orders Imposing Steep Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “A White House official told reporters on Saturday that there would be no process for companies to get special exemptions from the tariffs and that they were set to go into effect on Tuesday. More strikingly, the official said that the executive orders contain a retaliation clause that would escalate American tariffs if Canada, Mexico or China try to impose their own tariffs on U.S. products in response.”

House GOP nears plan for Trump’s agenda — but may not have the votes. WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: “The House Energy and Commerce Committee was assigned the most cost-cutting, two of the people said, at $200 billion. Much of that can be accomplished by imposing work requirements on enrollees for Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income individuals, the people said. The first Trump administration allowed 13 GOP-led states to add work requirements to their Medicaid programs, a controversial change that was the focus of legal battles. The requirements only took full effect in one state, Arkansas, for a five-month period when about 18,000 people were dropped from the program.”