The bully and his agents are attacking science in every part of the US government.

If the Republicans don't cancel democracy in the US the way Hernández just did in Honduras, we may have them out of power in 3 years. But it won't be easy to repair the damage they are doing now. All staff who remain in these agencies are either struggling desperately to maintain their integrity despite being forbidden to show it, or becoming cynical and thus useless as a support for integrity. In effect, we will have to replace them and start over.

That effect is not limited to agencies that are involved with science.

A fire in a shopping mall at night seems to have killed 37 people working in a call center.

It's a shame that 37 people got killed, perhaps painfully, but that's life. I hope Filipinos do get worked up enough about this to bring about improvement in fire code enforcement.

Now, imagine that 37 people got killed by a terrorist. Fools around the world would demand, "Tear up our freedom at once!", stirred up by would-be authoritarian politicians.

Some of the world's best soccer clubs belong to Arab despots, and the money that buys their players comes from oppression.

Other clubs have been bought by Russian oligarchs, who certainly didn't get so much of Russia with clean hands.

Acts of hatred against Indian Christians hit a peak at Christmas.

The bigoted ruling party has inspired Hindus' violence against many other religious groups.

Exploring the world of do-it-yourself gene therapy.

I think people should be free to make and try untested genetic modifications on themselves. But the risk scares me; I would never do it except as a last resort.