"San Antonio Rep. Lamar Smith, an immigration hardliner and climate change skeptic, announced Thursday that he will leave Congress at the end of his current term. He's the second GOP chairman this week from Texas to retire."

"Senate Democrats repeatedly tore into President Trump’s pick to lead NASA at a Wednesday confirmation hearing."

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist nominee, Sam Clovis, who now serves as the agency’s senior White House adviser, confirmed in an Oct. 17 letter obtained by The Washington Post that he has no academic credentials in either science or agriculture."

"Retired U Prof. Deborah Swackhamer says Trump administration is downgrading science."

"A U.S. Forest Service scientist who was scheduled to talk about the role that climate change plays in wildfire conditions was denied approval to attend the conference featuring fire experts from around the country."

"Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday pressed U.S. EPA's inspector general and administrator in separate letters for more information about the former American Chemistry Council executive now playing a key role at the agency."

"Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, stripped a half-dozen scientists and academics of advisory positions Tuesday and issued new rules barring anyone who receives E.P.A. grant money from serving on panels that counsel the agency on scientific decisions."

"The White House said on Tuesday there are no plans to withdraw the nomination of Sam Clovis for a Department of Agriculture position, despite Clovis becoming a central figure in the Russia investigation."

"As Hurricane Harvey roared toward the Texas coast in late August, weather models showed something that forecasters had never seen before: predictions of four feet of rainfall in the Houston area over five days—a year’s worth of rain in less than a week."

"Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is poised to make wholesale changes to the agency’s key advisory group by jettisoning scientists who have received grants from the EPA and replacing them with industry experts and state government officials."