Narrative A

Scientists have obtained solid evidence of widespread declining sperm counts for decades — first, a 1992 study found overall sperm count dropping 50% over the previous 60 years, and then a 2019 study found that moving sperm declined 10% over the previous 16 years. These numbers should concern everyone and prompt both voters and their governments to take a stand against the use of chemicals that cause infertility.

Narrative B

While some studies, though certainly not all, have shown that sperm count is dropping, none have been able to conclusively demonstrate a deterioration of sperm quality. It's also important to recognize that many factors could be contributing to declining sperm concentrations, including whether they're immobilized before they're counted. Alongside pesticides, obesity rates, and rising temperatures may also be playing a role. This issue needs more analysis before the world begins to fixate on a single cause and, therefore, solution.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that the global total fertility rate in 2025 will be at least 2.1, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Iran narrative

While the allegedly autonomous IAEA condemns Iran's uranium enrichment to 60% purity, the West prefers to conceal the fact that Iran's move is a reaction to the breach of commitments by certain signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal. Moreover — unlike many other countries in the world — Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons but is rather sending a message that illegal sanctions must be lifted. It's ludicrous for Washington to unilaterally terminate the nuclear deal and reimpose draconian sanctions while demanding strict compliance from Tehran.

Anti-Iran narrative

The new IAEA report proves yet again that Iran is closer than ever to building nuclear weapons. With the 2015 nuclear deal, the West aimed to control the threat posed by the Iranian regime but succumbed to the false assumption that Tehran is a rational actor. A nuclear weapon in the hands of the ruling mullahs, combined with Iran's increasingly advanced missile technology, could have apocalyptic consequences. The only way for the West to avert this scenario is to maximize military, economic, and diplomatic pressure on the regime in Tehran.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance, that Iran will possess a nuclear weapon before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

Russia thinks it can wait this war out, and that the West will eventually turn its attention elsewhere. This couldn't be further from the truth. The UK and its Western partners will continue to support Ukraine in fighting against Russian aggression for as long as the country needs.

Pro-Ukraine narrative

Ukraine continues to appreciate the UK's vast support — particularly as the world's attention has shifted to the Middle East. It's a tragedy what's happening in that region, but Ukraine also needs to be focused on because of the catastrophic ongoing tragedy stemming from Russia's ruthless invasion.

Pro-Russia narrative

It's time for Ukraine to realize that it cannot defeat Russia militarily. The sooner they realize this, the sooner the conditions for a peaceful settlement will be created.

Nerd narrative

There is a 1% chance that Ukraine will receive a security guarantee from another country before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Meta has intentionally worked to attract younger users — so far as introducing harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that addict teens and compromise their mental health — as it competes with rival apps such as Snapchat and TikTok. The tech giant needs to do more — like devote adequate resources and staff to safeguarding its most vulnerable users — to protect teens using its platforms rather than pass the buck to parents and app stores.

Narrative B

While implementing tighter controls and processes to stop teens from downloading apps without a parent's approval isn't a foolproof plan, it may be time that the app stores used their gatekeeping power for a broader purpose. Placing the responsibility for parental controls on app stores could add another level of protection, which could facilitate more security and help preserve potentially sensitive identifying information.

Nerd narrative

There's a 4% chance that Meta Platforms (Facebook) will sell Instagram or WhatsApp before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-China narrative

Xi has informed Biden that China-US relations have two potential future paths that of prosperous cooperation, or chaos and confrontation. Agreements from Wednesday's summit advocating a reopening of various communication channels have hopefully thawed tensions, with Xi and Beijing adamant that the two powers cannot turn their backs on each other.

Pro-establishment narrative

While certainly a step in the right direction for US-China bilateral relations, Biden rightly remained tough on certain issues — reaffirming his description of Xi as a "dictator," and ensuring a crackdown on China's role in fentanyl production. With the world watching, the US made great strides in mending ties with China — however, only time will tell if Beijing's welcome shift in tone translates into continued action.

Cynical narrative

Actions speak louder than words, and the reality remains that both China and the US continue to expand their nuclear stockpile — a topic of little discussion during the much-anticipated summit between the two leaders. Analysts fear the potential of a tit-for-tat nuclear war between the two, and this overarching worry will only continue to loom over any US-China summit until frank conversations are truly had.

Nerd narrative

There's a 17% chance of a US-China war before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Establishment-critical narrative

It's no surprise at all that the Defense Department has once again failed its yearly audit. Until the Pentagon tries to pioneer a new system of accounting for its vast assets and equipment — rather than continuously depending on outdated methods — it will repeat these failures year after year. Not only is the US military working with ancient auditing systems, but it's also spending more money to conduct these reviews — almost a billion dollars a year — than private companies who have no issues getting their books in order.

Pro-establishment narrative

The Defense Department is one of the largest organizations in the world and auditing its vast web of assets and equipment across the globe is an extremely difficult undertaking. While the department received the same topline grade as last year, it continues to make incremental progress toward a clean audit. While this doesn't mean the DOD has lost its assets, the Pentagon knows that its outdated auditing systems are causing an unnecessary mess and is working toward modernizing as quickly as possible.

Narrative A

The rate at which children are beating cancer today is a tremendous success that should be celebrated. However, these numbers are usually in reference to five-year survival rates, which, for a child in particular, is devastatingly short. The reason pediatric cancer is so unique it that is often originates in utero, meaning it can progress before a baby is even born. With only 4% of federal cancer research funding going toward pediatric cancer, the US is far from reaching the , , or year survival rates these children deserve.

Narrative B

The problem isn't that cancer research isn't advancing fast enough, but rather that it's being applied inequitably. This report shows that White children over the past ten years were far more likely to survive cancer than their Black and Hispanic counterparts, which is a sign that certain populations are receiving more resources than others. Cancer won't be defeated until every patient, regardless of color, receives an equal amount of time, energy, and support.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that there will be a breakthrough in the treatment of hard-to-treat cancers by June 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Democratic narrative

Whether it be trivial, strange, or grave matters, Santos’ entire life story is saturated in deceit. The representative's web of lies is astonishingly broad and diverse, as outlined by the House’s report. He must be voted out.

Republican narrative

Santos, like every American, is owed due process. There's a reason why no representative has been expelled during an ongoing trial. To remove Santos is to set a bad precedent, and his fate will be determined by the justice system in due course.

Anti-Russia narrative

Vladimir Putin has always been an anti-freedom dictator, but he has dialed the notch to 11 since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Over the last 20 months, the Russian autocrat has criminalized any form of dissent and is targeting artists like Alexandra Skochilenko, who simply want to promote peace. Russia’s fascism continues to show its ugly teeth, and something must be done to restore basic human rights.

Pro-Russia narrative

It's ironic to hear the West condemn alleged violations of free speech when dissidents are silenced every day in their so-called democratic countries. Intelligence agencies spy on dissidents and coordinate with social media companies to silence people who dare to question the established narrative. The reality of this case is Skochilenko faced a fair trial and was found guilty of breaking the law, which should always incur ramifications.

Democratic narrative

If Biden doesn't face charges it's because he complied with the DOJ’s investigation every step of the way and promptly reported any materials he may have possessed with full transparency and good intention. Meanwhile, Trump failed to turn over requested documents and has been combative since he left office. These two cases are not the same.

Pro-Trump narrative

There was no way Biden's own DOJ was ever going to thoroughly investigate him in a legitimate manner. That doesn't mean he hasn't committed criminal acts. Where there's smoke there's fire, and that's why House Republicans are conducting an impeachment inquiry to get to the bottom of all of Biden's potential malfeasance and the interconnections.

Nerd narrative

There's a 25% chance that Biden will be impeached by the US House of Representatives, according to the Metaculus prediction community.