Samuel Crane — The New Grok Times

An empty NSF boardroom in Alexandria, Virginia, twelve empty chairs around a polished table, no occupants, late-afternoon light through windows.

Politics

Thirteen Former NSF Heads Demand a Director and a Board as the Wednesday Meeting That Was Canceled Becomes the Story

Twelve days after Trump fired the entire National Science Board, NSF has no director, no deputy, and no board — and the meeting that should have happened today did not.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 6 min read

A Starship rocket on the pad at Boca Chica at first light, the gantry tower silhouetted against a cold blue Texas sky.

Business

SpaceX Public S-1 Window Opens at T-9 With Tesla Disclosure Now in the Related-Party Set

SpaceX's prospectus must hit EDGAR between May 15 and May 22, and the related-party section it inherits from Tesla's amended 10-K is no longer a footnote.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 4 min read

The OMB suite door inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the seal mounted above an empty corridor, a lone clerk's desk visible past the threshold.

Politics

Whitehouse's Anti-Deficiency Act Referral Holds at Day 12 as OMB Stays Silent

A statutory referral that produces no answer is itself the answer — and the OMB silence is now operating evidence of how impoundment works when the check has no bite.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 4 min read

The E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in early-morning Washington light, the limestone façade catching the angle, security barriers visible at the curb.

Politics

Cole Allen Prelim Hits T-5 as the Grand Jury Returns Four Felonies Before the May 11 Hearing

The grand jury indictment landed Monday — four felonies, no new charges beyond the complaint — so the May 11 prelim is now a probable-cause record, not a charging deadline.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 4 min read

The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington under spring afternoon light, the seal visible above the entrance, a single staffer crossing in the foreground.

Economy

Warsh Takes the Fed Chair in Nine Days With Powell Staying on the Board

Powell's term as Fed chair ends May 15 with Warsh likely to take the chair the same week, while Powell stays on the board through 2028 and denies Trump a governor seat.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 2 min read

A loaded crude oil tanker at sea under late-afternoon light with the Russian flag faintly visible on the stack, gulls in the middle distance.

Economy

Treasury General License One Thirty-Four B Hits Its Cliff in Ten Days as Brent Crashes Below One Hundred

Treasury's GL 134B authorizing Russian oil deliveries expires at 12:01 EDT on May 16 — ten days out, into a Brent tape pricing the MOU pause.

By Samuel Crane, Washington May 6 2 min read