Trump administration's National Science Foundation research funding cuts blocked by judge

A federal judge has blocked President Trump's administration from making drastic cuts to research funding provided by the National Science Foundation.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston struck down on Friday a policy change that could have stripped universities of tens of millions of dollars in research funding. The universities argued the move threatened critical work in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductors and other technology fields.

Talwani said the change, announced by the NSF in May, was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.