Joe Biden and his administration face the enormous task of repairing damage from a predecessor who was hostile to science, dismissed evidence, spread conspiracy theories and rejected reality itself. Meanwhile a plague is raging. The planet is warming. Social trust is abysmal; a substantial fraction of Americans have bought into the lie that Biden's decisive win in the 2020 election was somehow fraudulent. Digging out of this hole will take years. But there is much the new administration can do immediately, starting with the steps laid out in the pages that follow.

1. To Control COVID, Biden Needs to Marshal Federal Resources—and Change Attitudes

Credit: Egle Plytnikaite

2. On Climate, Biden Must Do More Than Undo Trump's Damage

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3. Now Is the Time to Reestablish Reality

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4. Biden Should Restore the Role of Science in the U.S. Government

Credit: Egle Plytnikaite