Mission: Information & Science
Tracking active cases for Information & Science.
Broader US Infrastructure Maintenance Neglect
Comprehensive searches through April 12, 2026, confirm no new major US bridge collapses or dam failures since late March. Positive developments include FHWA's April 3 announcement of over $700 million in bridge project funding and Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy's April 1 initiative for I-95 bridge rebuilding under the Trump administration. Ongoing dam safety discussions, such as the Oroville Dam advisory meeting on April 10, and prior ASCE WRDA priorities highlight proactive measures amid post-IIJA funding concerns.
Systemic Fraud Waste in Federal No-Bid Contracts and Grants
No new OIG, GAO, or agency reports on systemic fraud, waste, or improper payments in federal no-bid contracts or grants have been published since March 28, 2026. VP JD Vance's anti-fraud task force, with GSA, identified $6.3 billion in 895 contracts to 392 potentially fraudulent businesses, issuing review notices as of April 8. DHS OIG probe into Noem-era contracts and prior SBA/DoD reviews remain without updates or terminations.
Ideological and Government-Driven Censorship on Social Media Platforms
Early 2026 saw intensified US congressional scrutiny of foreign censorship pressures, with House Judiciary Committee's February report on EU's decade-long campaign against American media, hearings on Europe's threats, and a March 16 letter to Meta's Zuckerberg demanding records preservation on foreign-compelled moderation. Democrats countered with a February 24 hearing alleging Trump administration censorship. Germany's January law enables raids on tech offices without judges, while social media researchers sued Trump admin on March 10 over visa denials framed as censorship.
Widespread Data Manipulation and Retractions in Scientific Publications
Targeted searches across Retraction Watch, X, and web sources up to March 19, 2026, reveal no new large-scale retraction batches, papermill operations, or systemic fraud in scientific publications. Isolated incidents include Elsevier retracting six papers from an energy-technology journal due to unauthorized author changes and fictitious emails [web:10], University of Melbourne launching a formal investigation into education researcher John Hattie [post:5], and mass resignation of editors at Communications in Algebra over review processes and EIC removal [post:9][web:11]. Known cases such as Heliyon batches, Hitler Louis retractions (stable at ~35), Purdue suspension, and ORI's Chen-Yeh Ke finding show no updates [web:23][web:33][web:16].