Narrative A

Losing an apex predator as Australia did almost a century ago has far-reaching environmental repercussions, such as the spreading of disease, invasive species, and a disruption to natural biogeochemical cycles. The resurrection of the Tasmanian Tiger will re-balance the ecosystem and advance research for the conservation community. This is excellent work.

Narrative B

While, in theory, this is exciting research, there's a lack of consideration for the many technical, ethical, and ecological challenges, such as the welfare of the animals, which would be subjected to a life in captivity before an uncertain reintroduction into the wild. The money would be better spent on preventing the extinction of existing animals.

Left narrative

Bolsonaro's disastrous term has changed the minds of the Brazilian voters who elected him in 2018. He has systemically threatened democracy by gathering support within the armed forces, attacking the Supreme Court, and baselessly claiming the election could be rigged. If he stays in office, not only would democracy be endangered, but so would the Amazon rainforest.

Right narrative

Lula used his political influence over Brazil's top court to have his convictions of corruption overturned and allow him to run for office again. While the mainstream media claims that Bolsonaro threatens democracy and the environment, it was during Lula's two terms that Brazil deepened ties with authoritarian states such as China, Cuba, Russia, and Venezuela, and fires in the Amazon hit all-time high rates.

Cynical narrative

Although the Brazilian electoral dispute between a vengeful left and a toxic right will be hyped as a turning point for the nation, whoever takes office will have to deal with the hyper-fragmented party system that only benefits the "Centrão", or the "Big Middle" – the congressional majority without clear principles that has historically been able to control presidents.

Nerd narrative

There's a 28% chance that Jair Bolsonaro will be president of Brazil on Jan. 2, 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

With the help of Western military aid, Ukraine's southern counteroffensive has commenced, and Russia's commanders will be increasingly worried by the strikes deep into territory it supposedly controls – including three attacks on Crimea in less than a week.

Establishment-critical narrative

Multi-billion dollar weapons packages will make little difference in the outcome of the war. The US has been meddling in Ukraine since the end of the Cold War, and what we're witnessing is a geopolitical ponzi scheme to benefit those aligned with the military-industrial complex. War is a lucrative racket.

Nerd narrative

There's a 21% chance there will be a bilateral cease-fire or peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia by Dec. 31, 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

This latest announcement, along with other reforms that Cuba is undertaking, represents a major ideological shift in a country where the government has monopolized the economy for years. Allowing foreign investment in wholesale and retail trade will boost the local industry at a time of severe shortages in basic goods. This is the right decision.

Narrative B

Allowing "selective" foreign investments in wholesale and retail trade is too little, too late, and won't actually adjust the country's state-led economic model. The limitations and regulations that accompany the latest announcement mean that overseas investments will remain under state regulation, and will likely have little impact on the ailing economy.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that there will be at least four communist states by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

China's Zero-COVID policy, as well as the country's silence on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlight Apple's need to shift its primary manufacturing away from the PRC. The company can find other countries with cheap and available labor, so this news is a net positive for the global economy.

Establishment-critical narrative

For anyone thinking companies like Apple make their manufacturing decisions based on human rights, they should delve a little deeper into the issue. The real reason they're joining Nike and Adidas in moving to Vietnam isn't a reaction to China's alleged human rights abuses, it's because COVID disrupted the supply chain and PRC wages have been on the rise.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that China will end its "Covid-Zero" policy by October 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Republican narrative

Cheney's futile attempts to impeach Trump in 2021 and her obsession with the former president not only antagonized Republicans on Capitol Hill but the voters of Wyoming. Cheney didn't spend enough time addressing the needs of her state, and her loss was inevitable.

Democratic narrative

In another era, Cheney would've been the ideal Republican candidate. However, she has found herself at odds with the party through her opposition to Trump. But it would be premature to write her off just yet with the Jan 6. hearings through the start of the New Year and her eyes on 2024. She is an important national voice against Trumpism.

Nerd narrative

There is a 58% chance that the Republicans will hold both the House and the Senate after the 2022 midterms, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Democratic narrative

In response to a divisive issue, Biden has taken a targeted approach and, so far, it's worked. He's managed to do more than any prior administration in terms of student debt cancellation, and this latest decision protects students from assuming the burden of a corrupt institution's lies.

Progressive narrative

Though Biden has made significant steps to address this problem, he still needs to go bigger and enact universal loan forgiveness at a level well above the $10k per borrower he's reportedly considering. There are people who actually owe more than they originally borrowed, a sure sign of a broken system that needs to be fixed.

Republican narrative

Though Democrats may try to convince the American people that student loan forgiveness is a fair policy, it would essentially be forcing working Americans to pay for the degrees of the privileged. Just because fraud was committed in this case doesn't mean that taxpayers should have to foot the bill.

Narrative A

This is a breakthrough for eliminating market consolidation as just five companies control 90% of the global hearing aid market. It also increases the number of options for consumers when the competition brings down costs and leads to greater innovation. This is a win for millions of Americans who will benefit from these devices.

Narrative B

Over-the-counter hearing aids aren't the panaceas they're being made out to be. Skipping the audiologist can lead to ill-fitting or even malfunctioning devices that could hurt the user's health. Advertising could promote stereotypes of the hearing impaired. And the financial cost could still be steep if these new devices need to be maintained and replaced frequently.

Narrative A

Turkey is seeking to improve relations with Israel to reduce its energy dependence on Moscow and recover its influence in the Middle East, which was seriously affected by recent geopolitical shifts throughout the region. This has offered some leverage for Israel to normalize ties with Ankara without jeopardizing its relations with Mediterranean allies such as Egypt and Greece.

Narrative B

As new challenges have been emerging on the global stage, it's not only Turkey that's protecting its national interests by pursuing normalized ties in the Middle East. Yes, Israel's regional position has improved since the Abraham Accords, but Tel Aviv remains concerned about Iran's nuclear capabilities, and restoring its diplomatic relations with Ankara is an important step in preparing for a change in the regional balance of power.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that Israel and Turkey's total trade volume will be at least $9.30B (in 2021 USD) in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Right narrative

Don't restructure the CDC - disband it. No apology is going to make up for the way the CDC stripped Americans of their freedom during COVID, and flip-flopped in its advice about almost everything. This agency has outlived its usefulness.

Left narrative

This important institution has been underfunded for a long time. This restructuring is a testament to Director Walensky's leadership - she's being transparent about her agency's shortcomings and is willing to take steps to make necessary structural changes. Her announcement will help make America safer from future pandemics.