OUR PICKSAmerica’s Most Unconventional Counterterror Squad | Kristi Noem Wants to “Get Rid” of FEMA | The Odds of an Asteroid Striking Earth, and more

Kristi Noem Says She Would Recommend Trump “Get Rid” of FEMA  (Ian Duncan, Washington Post)
Trump has launched a review of the relief agency, which has faced conspiracy-fueled criticisms amid recovery from last year’s major hurricanes.

Inside America’s Most Unconventional Counterterror Squad  (Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair)
How Rebecca Weiner’s elite team thwarts attacks at home and abroad—and helped the FBI foil Iranian plots to kill Donald Trump.

Rebooting the Pentagon  (Fred Kaplan, New York Review of Books)
Bringing Silicon Valley’s drive for innovation to defense contracting has been a slow process, but the war in Ukraine has led tech firms to plunge into the war business.

Ban on D.E.I. Language Sweeps Through the Sciences  (Katrina Miller and Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times)
President Trump’s executive order is altering scientific exploration across a broad swath of fields, even beyond government agencies, researchers say.

Why the Odds of an Asteroid Striking Earth in 2032 Keep Going Up (and Down)  (Robin George Andrews, New York Times)
NASA and European scientists explain how they calculate the probability of the space rock 2024 YR4 impacting our planet, and why it’s not yet time to worry.

Venezuelans Backed Trump. Now Some Worry He’ll Deport Them.  (Sabrina Rodriguez and Reshma Kirpalani, Washington Post)
Venezuelans in the Miami suburb of Doral have been some of Trump’s biggest proponents. Many feel betrayed after he revoked temporary protected status for thousands.

Attacks on Catholics, Lutherans Suggest New Trump Approach on Religion  (Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post)
Allies of the president are leveling attacks on religious groups, including Catholics and Lutherans, and questioning their efforts to help migrants.

Trump’s NIH Challenges the Model That Underlies U.S. Scientific Dominance  (Carolyn Y. Johnson, Susan Svrluga and Joel Achenbach, Washington Post)
The 80-year-old partnership between the federal government and research institutions has made the U.S. the leader in scientific innovation. But now a proposed funding cut threatens the arrangement.

RFK Jr. says vaccines Aren’t Tested Enough. Experts say That’s Baseless.  (Lauren Weber and Caitlin Gilbert, Washington Post)
RFK Jr.’s views on vaccine safety have sparked debate, with some experts saying that his comments are misleading.

Springfield, Ohio, Sues Neo-Nazi Group, Saying It Intimidated Haitians  (Campbell Robertson, New York Times)
In the lawsuit, the city states that people associated with the group made death threats last year against those who expressed support for Haitian residents.