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White House office tells agencies to apply ‘Gold Standard Science’ to depoliticize research, restore trust

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EXCLUSIVE: The White House Office of Science and Technology on Monday directed federal agencies to implement «gold standard science» principles to depoliticize science and restore public trust, Fox News Digital has learned.
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios sent guidance to federal research agencies Monday morning, incorporating President Donald Trump’s executive order on «Restoring Gold Standard Science.»
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Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the guidance sent to federal agencies.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on May 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. ( Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Trump, in May, signed an executive order to restore «Gold Standard Science» as the cornerstone of federal scientific research.
«Gold Standard Science» is «reproducible, transparent and falsifiable,» according to the order.
It is also «subject to unbiased peer review; clear about errors and uncertainties; skeptical of assumptions; collaborative and interdisciplinary; accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and free from conflicts of interest.»
The executive order reinstated «the scientific integrity policies» of the first Trump administration and «ensures that science is no longer manipulated or misused to justify political ends.»
«President Trump’s Gold Standard Science EO will transform the conduct and management of federal science, from research design to public communication, in order to strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the U.S. continues to be the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science,» Kratsios told Fox News Digital. «But federal agencies are only one part of our nation’s research ecosystem.»
Kratsios added, «American universities, scientific journals, industry and philanthropic leaders all have a crucial role in improving the overall quality of research, and we encourage this executive action to serve as a model for the entire scientific enterprise.»
Kratsios sent the memo to federal agencies Monday morning to provide guidance to federal departments and agencies on implementing gold standard science «in the conduct and management of all aspects of their scientific activities, from research design to public communication.»
«By adopting these standards, agencies will strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the United States continues as the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science,» the memo states.
Kratsios said that «Gold Standard Science» represents a «commitment to the highest standards of scientific integrity, defined by nine core tenets: reproducible; transparent; communicative of error and uncertainty; collaborative and interdisciplinary; skeptical of its findings and assumptions; structured for falsifiability of hypotheses; subject to unbiased peer review; accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and without conflicts of interest.»

White House Science and Technology Office Director Michael Kratsios. ( Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
«These tenets ensure that federally-supported research and research used in federal decision-making is transparent, rigorous, and impactful, enabling federal decisions to be informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available,» Kratsios wrote in the guidance.
But «Gold Standard Science» is not limited to science, Kratsios said, saying that it is critical for tackling complex challenges in energy innovation and national security as well.
«In an age of rapid technological progress and heightened public scrutiny, federally-funded and federally-performed science, and its use in Federal decision-making, must be beyond reproach,» he wrote.
As for conducting science «without conflicts of interest,» Kratsios said it is imperative to ensure that «research is designed, executed, reviewed, and reported free from financial, personal, or institutional influences that could bias outcomes or undermine objectivity.»
«This approach is important for generating trustworthy and credible new knowledge, as it upholds scientific integrity, fosters public confidence, and ensures that results reflect evidence rather than external agendas,» the memo states. «Maintaining freedom from conflicts of interest requires researchers, reviewers, and managers to disclose all relevant affiliations, funding sources, and relationships relevant to the science conducted, adhering to stringent ethical standards supported by strong institutional oversight, transparent reporting systems, and independent expert review mechanisms.»
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Kratsios said agencies must «prioritize conducting and managing scientific research free from conflicts of interest to advance unbiased science,» and must «require disclosure of all relevant conflicts of interest by researchers, reviewers, and agency officials involved in the funding or performance of Federal research.»
«These efforts include requiring comprehensive, standardized disclosure of all financial, personal, or institutional interests in research proposals, publications, peer and merit reviews, and data repositories, with clear and standardized protocols to identify, mitigate, and manage potential biases,» the memo states. «Agencies should mandate the use of independent oversight approaches and enforce strict conflict-of-interest policies.»
Agencies have 60 days to outline «Gold Standard Science» implementation plans, including plans for training and resources to ensure agency personnel understand the new policy, and the use of artificial intelligence-driven tools when practical.
After Trump signed the May executive order to restore gold standard science, a senior White House official said there had been a decline in «disruptive research» and investments in biomedical research, along with «serious cases» of fraud and misconduct and the inability to reproduce scientific methods for the purpose of restoring public trust.
The official also blamed policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and «woke DEI initiatives» for endangering the public’s trust in government scientists.
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Now-retired National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci was repeatedly denounced for flip-flopping and obfuscating during his time engineering the federal response to COVID-19, leading many, particularly on the right, to disregard and dismiss the legitimacy of federal health authorities outright.
That order cites the fact the Biden administration included political edits from teachers’ unions in school-reopening guidance, instead of leading with any scientific evidence.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital in April, Kratsios echoed Trump, saying the U.S. is in the «golden age» and that this special moment in time is «underpinned by unbelievable science and technology.»
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US-Mexico Tijuana River sewage crisis deal is ‘massive’ win for Americans, EPA says

EPA, Mexico meet over Tijuana sewage crisis
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin joins ‘Fox News Live’ to discuss rolling back Biden-era environmental policies, the U.S.-Mexico sewage crisis in Tijuana, and his recent meeting with an Israeli diplomat killed just weeks later.
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A new deal between the United States and Mexico aimed at resolving the Tijuana River sewage crisis is «massive» win for Americans living in the San Diego area, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced this week.
The memorandum of understanding was signed Thursday as the EPA said «For many decades, untreated raw sewage has flowed into Southern California from Mexico, polluting the Tijuana River Valley, closing beaches, fouling the air, harming the region’s economy, and sickening people on both sides of the border.»
«The Trump Administration is proud to deliver this massive environmental and national security win for Americans in the San Diego area who have been living with this disgusting raw sewage flowing into their communities for far too long,» Zeldin said in a statement.
The EPA said the deal meets multiple «top Trump Administration priorities and milestones critical to ensuring a 100% solution to this issue» — including expediting already-existing critical infrastructure projects.
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A sign reads «Stop The Stink» near the Tijuana River Valley area by Border Field State Park along the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana in San Diego County, Calif., on April 23, 2025. In recent years, the U.S.-Mexico border sewage pollution problem has closed beaches and raised concerns over public health issues. (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
«The United States — which has withheld sending more American dollars to projects until Mexico fulfilled their obligations toward other projects — agreed to release EPA Border Water Infrastructure Program funding to complete the rehabilitation of Pump Station 1 and the Tijuana River collection pipes. This is because Mexico agreed to fund and begin construction on two priority projects this year, the diversion of treated effluent from two wastewater treatment plants and the rehabilitation of the Parallel Gravity Line,» the EPA said, in reference to a wastewater collecting pipe in Mexico. «This increased the total number of projects planned for this year from two to six.»
«To that end, Mexico will immediately seek internal funding to initiate the construction process for the diversion, which will divert 10 million gallons per day of treated effluent entering the Tijuana River, and the rehabilitation of the Parallel Gravity Line. This will be completed no later than December 31, 2025,» the EPA added.
It also said «Several necessary Mexico side projects have been added to account for future population growth in Tijuana and operation and maintenance costs.»
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The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant operates to treat water and sewage flowing across the border from the Tijuana River behind a section of border wall fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana on April 24, 2025. (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
The deal was reached after Zeldin traveled to San Diego in April to speak to those affected by the situation.
«I made a commitment to the residents that I would spearhead an effort to construct an all-encompassing plan to finally bring the sewage crisis to an end,» Zeldin said. «Since my visit, the Mexican and United States’ governments have been working collaboratively to urgently finalize a permanent 100% solution to this longstanding issue. Secretary Rubio and the whole State Department, and the National Security Council at the White House worked hand-in-hand with EPA, and other federal partners, to make this agreement a reality.»

An aerial view of sewage water spilling into Playa Blanca beach in the coast of Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on March 21, 2024. (Getty Images)
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«This is not just a solution for 2025,» he added. «We devised this agreement to factor in population growth, operation and maintenance costs, and other variables that would make this solution durable and long term. Grateful to President Claudia Sheinbaum, Secretary [of the Environment and National Resources of Mexico Alicia] Bárcena, and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their partnership, cooperation, and commitment to work with us to clean up the Tijuana River Valley. This is a huge win for millions of Americans and Mexicans who have been calling on us to end this decades old crisis.»
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Trump heads to Scotland to talk golf, politics and trade

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President Donald Trump will depart for Scotland on Friday for a five-day trip where he will check in with his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen, as well as with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and head of the Scottish government, First Minister John Swinney.
While it is unclear what dates he will be meeting with the British leaders, one topic of conversation expected to be top of the list is the U.S.-U.K. trade agreement.
The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has advanced its trade agreements under relatively amicable terms, signing a deal dubbed the «Economic Prosperity Deal» last month, which agreed to slash tariffs.
Then-former President Donald Trump playing golf at his Trump Turnberry course in South Ayrshire during his visit to the U.K. on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
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It is unclear what details the pair will hash out, but according to Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, an international affairs think tank based in London, the June deal was more of a «head of terms,» essentially stating both nations’ intent to move forward with new trade terms.
«Now we expect to see more detail to be hammered out and specific rates on various industries to be specified,» Mendoza explained to Fox News Digital.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also told reporters last week that Trump and Starmer will meet «to refine the great trade deal that was brokered,» though the White House did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions about what specifically will be discussed over the weekend.
«The U.K. is the only country to have secured this deal with the U.S., reducing car export tariffs from 27.5% to 10%, saving manufacturers hundreds of millions each year and protecting hundreds of thousands of jobs,» the British government said in a statement. «At the same time, the aerospace sector has seen the removal of 10% tariffs on goods such as engines and aircraft parts, helping make companies such as Rolls Royce more competitive and allow them to continue to be at the cutting edge of innovation.»
Starmer championed his relationship with Trump in a BBC interview earlier this month and said that it was «in the national interest» for the two men to get along.

U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, middle left, meets with President Donald Trump, alongside Vice President JD Vance, right, and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, left, in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Carl Court – Pool/Getty Images)
«We are different people, and we’ve got different political backgrounds and leanings, but we do have a good relationship and that comes from a number of places,» Starmer told BBC podcast «Political Thinking.» «I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about.»
Apart from geopolitical talks, Trump is expected to get in a round of golf at one of his courses when visiting his clubs, like he did in 2018 when he visited the historic golf resort and hotel at Turnberry.
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The British government did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions whether Starmer is expected to play alongside Trump at any point during his trip.
Scotland appears to hold special significance for Trump as his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, was born and raised in Scotland before she moved to Queens, New York, and he dedicated his club in Aberdeen to her after breaking ground in 2023 and naming an 18-round course the MacLeod Course.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is welcomed as he arrives at his Turnberry golf course, in Turnberry, Scotland, on June 24, 2016. (REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo)
He is also reported to have created a memorial garden to his mother at the resort.
Though his strong affection for Scotland has not always been reciprocated and Trump has previously been met with protests during his trip.
Scotland Police confirmed with Fox New Digital that «significant» security precautions have been taken ahead of Trump’s visit, including pulling in additional forces from across the U.K. to help with the police effort.
«A policing plan will be in place to maintain public safety, balance rights to peaceful protest and minimize disruption,» Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said, confirming that protests are once again expected.

President Donald Trump plays a round of golf at the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire, where he and first lady Melania Trump are spending the weekend. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
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«The visit will require a significant police operation using local, national and specialist resources from across Police Scotland, supported by colleagues from other U.K. police forces as part of mutual aid arrangements,» she added.
Trump will return to the U.K. in September for an official state visit, where he will meet with King Charles III at Windsor Castle.
The visit will mark the first time the U.K. has invited a U.S. president for a second state visit.
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