Pro-establishment narrative

The US is the leading force in the current space race between the US and China. Experts have pointed to China’s rapid advancements in space as evidence of an emerging landscape where China is directly competing with the US for supremacy. In a report published in August 2022, the Pentagon predicted that China is likely to surpass US capabilities in space as early as 2045. However, it is unlikely that the US will remain stagnant, because Washington is continuing to increase funding for space exploration.

Establishment-critical narrative

NASA's talk of a "space race" is ludicrous as the Chinese space program is not a threat to the US. China's exploration of the moon is dedicated to the advancement of humanity. As codified in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, the moon does not belong to any single country on Earth, not even the US. Despite this, public attacks on China's space program have become routine for NASA in recent months because the spurious threat of China's own research makes a convenient justification for NASA's funding requests to Congress.

Nerd narrative

There is a 19% chance that China will land the next person on the Moon, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Anti-China narrative

The Canadian government has carefully assessed the options to retaliate against allegations that Chinese diplomats had threatened a minister of parliament, anticipating potential Chinese backlash and the risks to the safety of the people and the prosperity of the country. The expulsion of Zhao Wei is the right measure to punish Beijing as it will not prompt harsher consequences for Canada. Some have said Trudeau hasn't gone far enough, but this was a calculated diplomatic move against aggressive PRC meddling.

Pro-China narrative

Ottawa has dangerously and recklessly become more confrontational towards Beijing due to domestic political infighting, undermining bilateral relations, and promoting fabricated claims to smear China. Beijing has never meddled in the internal affairs of other countries, and its diplomatic and consular personnel have always complied with international conventions and bilateral agreements. Canada must work hard to return to international norms for Beijing to restore its trust.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that The Economist will rank China as a democracy in the Democracy Index by July 2094, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Driver fatigue is one of the major killers on the road, alongside alcohol and speeding, which is why it's so important to treat drowsy driving in the same way as drink-driving to improve road safety and save lives. This state-of-the-art technology could help police identify drowsy drivers in road accidents as well as assist employers in assessing fitness for duty.

Narrative B

Having an accurate blood test for fatigue could be a valuable tool for law enforcement. However, it wouldn't preclude driver responsibility or prove that a crash was caused by driver fatigue. Moreover, while the key to securing a prosecution would be to agree on a threshold to indicate tiredness or the minimum sleep required to drive safely, more must be done to reduce deaths caused by drowsy driving rather than simply penalizing drivers.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that at least two US states will first disallow human-driven vehicles on public roads by 2073, according to the Metaculus prediction community

Pro-establishment narrative

Putin's Victory Day speech saw him continue to falsely claim that Russia is somehow the victim of this war in Ukraine, rather than its initiator. This weak address was a careful attempt to rally support at home for a failing invasion.

Pro-Russia narrative

Ever since the 2014 Western-backed coup in Ukraine, Western countries have mercilessly proceeded with arrogant and exorbitant plans to bring down Russia by militarizing Kyiv. This strategic aggression is the real cause of the tragic events currently taking place in Ukraine, which are forcing Russia into a defensive position.

Nerd narrative

There's a 7% chance that there will be more than four deaths between Russia and NATO forces outside of Ukraine before July 1, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Israel narrative

Unfortunately, Palestinian terrorists have sparked another Gaza war. Israel, which has always restrained itself to avoid unnecessary death, will respond aggressively if Palestinian Islamic Jihad attacks Israeli civilians and cities. Those killed in the recent strikes were high-ranking PIJ terrorists, and their elimination was necessary to ensure Israeli security.

Pro-Palestine narrative

Yet again, Israel has sparked another ruthless war on Gaza as it seeks to engage in conflict by recklessly murdering Palestinians. Israel not only killed PIJ commanders but their families as well, not to mention an innocent doctor and his family. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other calendar year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by March 2069, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

This settlement is a sign that the old boys’ club culture in finance is over, and there is a path for victims of gender discrimination to have their grievances heard. Hopefully, going forward there will be better working conditions for women at Goldman Sachs and all Wall Street firms.

Narrative B

Although this settlement is encouraging, it reinforces Wall Street's culture of secrecy, as companies would rather privately arbitrate or settle their cases than have the lurid details of their misdoings brought before a court for the world to see. We might not witness real change until we’ve seen a landmark trial.

Narrative C

While any type of discrimination should be stamped out, this settlement isn't an admission of guilt. And, despite claims to the contrary, forcing women into executive positions solely to fill a quota actually does more harm than good. Women, like men, should be hired for their experiences and accomplishments rather than their gender.

Narrative A

LinkedIn has and continues to prioritize business profitability over the values of free speech. While claiming to support "freedom of expression," it censored posts about the Tiananmen Square massacre and hid journalistic posts from its users. The company may have shut down its Chinese app, but that doesn't absolve it from appeasing the CCP for financial gain.

Narrative B

LinkedIn's decision is the result of multiple factors, including a volatile tech market and increasing regulatory oversight from Beijing. As are all major players in the industry, the company is trying to deal with domestic Chinese competition and the wider global economic downturn to retain jobs and reach users in as many areas as possible.

Narrative A

Imran Khan's arrest is an abduction, an attack on the judiciary, and a slap on Pakistan's democracy. The country's ruling political elite doesn't want the PTI chief back in power in any capacity and will go to any extent to prevent him from proving his legitimacy to fight the upcoming general elections.

Narrative B

The former prime minister was arrested in a case involving the embezzlement of $239M. He has often used religion to garner support, manipulate the judiciary to his whims, and exploit the country for his petty political objectives. If his arrest is politically motivated, as he claims, he will have a chance to prove this before the anti-graft court.

Nerd narrative

There's a 27% chance that India will conduct a military intervention against Pakistan before the 2024 Indian general elections, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Republican narrative

The explosive revelations show just how corrupt the US justice system is. Bud Cummins and whistleblowers were willing to provide hard evidence about how Biden wielded his influence to make money as Vice President, but Geoff Berman didn’t even acknowledge these messages. In fact, he even took the step to investigate the whistleblower — retaliation against someone who dared to investigate the rich and powerful.

Democratic narrative

The GOP’s investigation, based on wild and unsubstantiated accusations against Biden, is going nowhere, and some Republican lawmakers are even backtracking on their claims. Rightwing media has gone crazy with its conspiracy theories against the president, and Republicans are using their power in the House to politically target the president while they fail the American people.

Nerd narrative

There is an 85% chance that Joe Biden will become the Democratic nominee for the 2024 US Presidential Election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Trump narrative

Of course, a liberal jury from the blue state of New York would believe that, with no witnesses or scene of the crime evidence, Donald Trump forced himself upon a woman in a public department store that typically kept changing rooms locked until an attendant opened it for a customer. After Carroll publicly stated this was not rape for years, she saw the golden ticket when presented with a political operative (aka a lawyer) to sue the billionaire for millions of dollars.

Democratic narrative

Thanks to New York's new sexual assault survivor law, E. Jean Carroll was finally able to get justice for what the openly misogynistic Trump did to her decades ago. It's true that this is unsurprising; not because her story lacked credibility but rather that his only defense was that Carroll was not his "type." Trump has fumbled his way through this defamation saga for years, and his lies — and sins — have finally caught up to him.