A lot of things in this country rely on information gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau every 10 years. Congressional districts. Federally funded public works (bridges, tunnels) and emergency services. Decisions based on population estimates affect everyone in ways large and small, so an accurate count of who lives where is critical. That's why it was big news when the current Census director, John Thompson, announced he's stepping down. The abrupt departure left Census-watchers worried. Science magazine outlines the effect a leaderless Census Bureau might have. His departure happened just as Thompson and his staff were trying to figure out how to modernize the Census count, including a new approach to how Hispanics/Latinx would be categorized. Remember the presidents of HBCUs who squeezed into a photo op with the president a few weeks ago? After saying "cheese" for the photographer, the president cheesed them off by indicating he might cut $20 million of promised federal support for
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