The economics of controlled nuclear fusion reactors would be immeasurably improved if it were possible to turn down (or even turn off) the applied magnetic field. To permit some field reduction it is necessary to call on electromagnetic properties of the plasma to replace part of the magnetic confining pressure. In the sun and stars the confining pressure is primarily gravitational. In ball lightning the cohesive force may be partly magnetic [1] although other forces have been suggested [2], The possibility of electrostatic plasma binding forces has been discussed in other respects [3] and they do not appear to violate the virial theorem.