The U.S. government first denied and then granted a visa to Goverdhan Mehta, the president of the International Council for Science. "In a statement, the International Council for Science expressed 'grave concern at the hostile treatment' of Mehta at the U.S. Consulate in Madras. 'It clearly illustrates that, despite some progress, all is far from well with regards to the visa policies and associated practices for scientists wishing to enter the USA,' the organization said."
"Mehta and another Indian scientist, P.C. Kesavan, a Madras geneticist specializing in radiation biology who was also refused a visa unless he provided detailed information about his background and the potential applications of his work, said senior scientists have better things to do with their time."
In another news story (this time from the Wall Street Journal), Kevin Warsh's nomination has been confirmed by the Senate Banking Committee to fill a vacancy on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. He has been working as a White House Special Assistant, and previously worked at Morgan Stanley's investment banking department. His appointment was apparently intended to put someone with a business perspective on the Board.
But is this another crony appointment?
Kevin Drum writes in his column Political Animal (echoing Noam Scheiber in the New Republic):
If you were nominating someone for a seat on the Federal Reserve, what would you look for? At a guess, you'd want someone with a PhD in economics and a good background in monetary policy, right?
Instead, how about a law degree, a few years of experience in the M&A trenches at Morgan Stanley, a well honed loyalty to the White House, and a father who donates a lot of money to Republican causes? Because that's what we just got in 35-year-old Kevin Warsh.
No comments:
Post a Comment