Photo of mycelium of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with false color. Credit Oyarte-Galvez (AMOLF)
With each new day, every executive order, every illegal proclamation, every ICE arrest, every corrupt and immoral action, every extortion, the Trump administration is more unhinged. And its not just in the US. The London metropolitan police arrested the largest number of people in history for peacefully protesting for Palestine.
They realize they are losing control of the people.
But they can’t arrest all of us.
They can’t deport all of us.
They can’t fire all of us.
They can’t kill all of us.
Their whole world exists because we allow it to. The only power they have is the power they steal because they do not have the will of the people. They would not be going after science, education, unions, nonprofits, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, trans rights, the free press, and legal institutions if they did not feel so deeply threatened.
As the good folks at Stroika point out, the authoritarian playbook is a playbook for a reason. This is, in fact, precedented. And that means we can learn from what has worked previously.
Time to get educated.
take action
Join Stand Up for Science’s 31 Days of Action to remind Congress that zero cuts to science funding is the only solution
The Trump administration is forcing the EPA to repeal the greenhouse gas endangerment finding. Register to testify at EPA’s virtual public hearings by Aug 12 (include your full name, affiliation, and if you wish to testify in your email).
Keep track of these actions and add to our growing Action Lab database.
weekly wins
Rhode Island became the 1st state to mandate workplace accommodations for menopause.
Gates Foundation commits $2.5 billion to women’s health research and development through 2030, prioritizing low- and middle-income countries.
weekly wonder
Science unites people & salmon
A Canada Goose duckling was adopted by Sandhill Cranes
Sea star wasting disease has killed off billions of sea stars in the largest marine epidemic on record and now we know the culprit (which means a cure can be developed).
Check it out
Federal cuts to mRNA funding endanger public health
Texas democratic legislators are showing their kids what democracy looks like.
Climate refugees: The entire Tuvalu population has to relocate to Australia
“The persistence of famines is attributable to ongoing mismanagement of significant triggers of extreme human vulnerability” concludes Sergio Tezanos-Vázquez in a recent article, “Why do famines still occur in the 21st century?”
Will political pressure be enough to end the genocide in Gaza?
The entire US scientific grants system is being put under political control.
UCLA is being extorted in plain sight.
perennial reads
Keep reading Liz Neeley’s weekly posts on the Buttondown, a rundown of administrative actions that affect the sciences.
Rebecca Solnit’s Meditations in an Emergency is a weekly must read.
Citation Needed newsletter by Molly White - check out the latest post “It Matters. I care”.
Read up on the value of civil society and how to build structures to fight fascism.
book nook
How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur
all ears
A deep space astrophysicist finds light in the darkest places in her research and personal life, in this episode of Radiolab. Be prepared to cry!
Tempestology, the “ology” of hurricanes, in the latest Ologies episode
And a must-listen How to Survive the End of the World’s latest episode is an interview with Rebecca Solnit
watch this
Entire video library of Stroika’s Precendented is great, but we recommend you check out “Don’t underesitmate the autocrat”
by the way
Stop the Mom guilt!
🙃 Safety shmatefy, take a look Inside the government’s unpublished report on the safety of AI