FIRST ON FOX: One of the world’s largest and most influential scientific societies held its annual conference last weekend, which a Fox News Digital review found was littered with examples of progressive messaging, criticisms of the Trump administration, and «woke» workshops.

Attendees who showed up at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) event, held at the Phoenix Convention Center from Feb. 12-14, were immediately greeted at registration with identifier stickers that used gender pronouns such as «they/them,» «xi/xer,» «xe/xem,» and other descriptors that critics have alleged have little to do with science and biology.

During the meeting’s opening night, shortly after a 10-minute hoop dance routine from traditional Native American dancers, AAAS CEO Dr. Sudip Parikh told the audience that it’s been a «hard» and «tough year for science and scientists in this country.»

Parikh went on to blame DOGE for the «devastation» of «some of our science agencies» and the «president’s budget request» that «cut science by half» and, in his opinion, amounted to «forfeiting the future.»

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«What happened over the course of the last year is a rupture. We’re not going back, it’s not possible, too much damage has been done, too much has changed. There’s an entire generation of scientists that have a scar, a scar that is not going to go away,» Parikh explained, adding that scars can «make us tougher» and «become almost shields» that «build resilience.»

Parikh told the crowd that he warned last year that Robert F. Kennedy Jr was the «wrong person» for Health and Human Services secretary and said, «I still feel that way,» which prompted laughter and applause from the crowd.

«It’s going to take protests, it’s going to take politics, it’s going to take the ability to not speak gibberish, all of that has got to come together if we’re going to fight for the inheritance of the enlightenment to continue to make this world a better place,» Parikh said.

Workshops at the event, which provided gender-neutral washrooms, included a session titled «Mao-Mei Liu: Nurturing Diversity in Science is Resistance,» and another called «Investigating the Role of Race in Clinical Decision-Making.»

«Who Gets to Belong? Disability, Power, and Participation in Higher Education,» another workshop was called. 

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The 2026 annual AAAS conference provided guests with an all-gender washroom and gender pronoun stickers. (Fox News Digital)

Dr. Theresa A. Maldonado, a world-renowned expert in electrical engineering, delivered the president’s address at the conference and also lamented what a difficult year 2025 was for science and suggested climate change was responsible for the devastating southern California wildfires last year.

AAAS, the publisher of the highly respected Science magazine, posted several more videos over the course of the next few days, many including speakers who criticized the Trump administration and injected politics into discussions. 

«Colonial Legacies, Climate Crises, and the Erosion of Mobility Choice» was another workshop that scientists at the conference were offered and in an interview with «climate justice scholar» Jola Ajibade, she explained how climate change has benefited a «few wealthy people» while «low-income communities are displaced.»

«At the center of my work is giving a voice but also bringing to the attention of everyone the impact of a slew of climate solutions, the impact of those solutions on low-income communities, on Black communities, on indigenous, on Latino communities as well,» Ajibade explained, adding that she is focused on finding a «decolonial» approach. 

Listed sponsors of the event included the Science Philanthropy Alliance, a group tied to the progressive consulting behemoth Arabella Advisors through the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that pushes a variety of progressive causes. 

«The whole thing that is sad for me is that when I attended these conferences in the first Trump administration there was plenty of liberal nonsense, but it still was a celebration of science and the achievements of the year, and you left excited,» an event attendee told Fox News Digital.

«This year felt like a funeral, with nothing but griping and moaning. Why would people want to keep coming back year after year with something like that? I suspect that is why their attendance greatly suffered this year compared to the pre-COVID years. Their constant pleas to keep politics out of science are completely undercut by their perpetual whining and endorsing utter craziness. They’re happy for science to be political, as long as it’s leftist.»

Additionally, as lawmakers in the United States continue to warn about the growing threat posed by China and what they believe is the CCP’s infiltration of top institutions in the United States — particularly in the medical and science fields — the AAAS conference opted to allow the Beijing-based research institute Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to operate a booth at the event. 

The state-run Chinese academy, which has faced controversy over its ties to China’s government and military, has collaborated with a Chinese medical technology firm linked to a 2013 U.S. bribery case involving NIH-funded research. The company has also installed equipment in leading American research labs.

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Protesters are seen outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, Michigan. (Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)

«The AAAS says that their organization wants to ‘inspire’ future scientists and engineers, but session topics and material from their meeting actually discourage participants from relying on their effort and merit and turns the focus to race and ethnicity,» Johnathan Butcher, acting director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. 

«These are the very same kind of racist ideas inspired by DEI that have been prohibited in universities, state governments, and the federal government, because the ideas violate state and federal civil rights laws,» Butcher added. «Policymakers should be aware of what this organization is doing and make sure the association is not promoting racial preferences in hiring, promotion or research awards in academia or anywhere else.»

In a statement to Fox News Digital, an AAAS spokesperson said, «A broad spectrum of the scientific enterprise attends the meeting. The topics covered were wide-ranging across scientific disciplines and are proposed by scientists. AAAS respects their First Amendment right to free speech.»

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The U.S. Air Force is repainting Air Force One and other aircraft in the presidential and executive fleet in President Donald Trump’s preferred red, white and dark blue color palette — replacing the iconic light blue and white design that has defined the aircraft for more than six decades, an Air Force spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.

The updated design will also feature a gold stripe, adding a fourth color to the new look. The scheme will appear on aircraft across the executive airlift fleet, including a donated Qatari 747-8i and the two Boeing VC-25B jets currently being converted to serve as the next generation of Air Force One.

An Air Force spokesperson told Fox News the redesign is now an official requirement across the presidential and executive fleet.

«The Air Force is implementing a new paint scheme requirement (red, white and dark blue) for VC-25B as well as the additional executive airlift fleet, which will include the new 747-8i and four C-32 aircraft,» the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News.

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«The C-32s will be painted during regularly scheduled maintenance. The first C-32 has been painted and is expected to be delivered to the Air Force in the next few months.»

«We’re painting it red, white and blue like the American flag, which is incredible,» President Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity during an exclusive interview last summer.

CBS News first reported that aircraft in the presidential and VIP fleet were being repainted in dark navy blue, deep red and gold as they undergo scheduled repairs and maintenance. Sources told CBS the change applies not only to Air Force One jets but also to other aircraft used for executive transport.

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The VC-25 aircraft, better known as Air Force One, and its crew standby for the arrival of President Donald J. Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, June 20, 2020. When the president is aboard any Air Force aircraft, the radio call sign is «Air Force One.» (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Kentavist P. Brackin)

For more than six decades, the familiar robin’s egg blue and white exterior has served as a global symbol of the American presidency. The color scheme dates back to the early 1960s, when it was introduced during President John F. Kennedy’s administration and became one of the most recognizable aviation designs in the world.

During his first term, Trump unveiled a model aircraft reflecting his preferred red, white and blue palette. That version of the design was later canceled for the VC-25B program during the Biden administration.

Trump’s own Boeing 757, commonly known as «Trump Force One,» carries a dark navy body with a prominent red stripe, a distinct look that closely resembles the palette now being implemented across the executive fleet.

The updated paint requirement applies to multiple aircraft types across the executive fleet, including the two Boeing VC-25B aircraft under development, the newly donated 747-8i from Qatar, and four C-32 aircraft used for executive transport.

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Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, arrives at Philadelphia International Airport on The Trump Organization’s Boeing 757, nicknamed Trump Force One, ahead of The ABC News Presidential Debate on September 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

The C-32 aircraft carry high-priority personnel such as the first lady and cabinet officials and serve as Air Force Two when the vice president is aboard. Contractor L3Harris has been upgrading those aircraft at its facility in Greenville, Texas, according to CBS.

The change represents the first major redesign of presidential aircraft since the Kennedy era. The shift to darker navy tones, bold red accents and a gold stripe marks a sharp departure from the long-standing design of planes that serve as airborne symbols of the presidency.

The first C-32 aircraft has already been repainted and is expected to be delivered to the Air Force in the coming months, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the 747-8i donated by Qatar which is currently undergoing refurbishment, is expected to be ready for presidential use no later than this summer, CBS reported.

Boeing signed its contract to build the next generation of Air Force One aircraft in 2018 and continues work on the program.

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The repainting effort implements the Trump administration’s preferred presidential aircraft design as the new fleet moves closer to operational readiness.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the U.S. Air Force upon request for further comment.