Narrative A

McDonald's has been at the forefront of the fast-food industry for decades, but it's also been eyeing the success of other businesses and the menus they offer. If done right, McDonald's can combine its world-class restaurant services with its number one most popular food app — and thus start swaying the younger, sweet-drink-craving generations away from the likes of Starbucks and into its customer base.

Narrative B

While business is certainly booming for the beverage industry — which, of course, makes other companies want a piece of the pie — a sugary drink arms race is the last thing people need in this world full of unhealthy diets. Several Starbucks drinks double a person's recommended daily added sugar intake — more than a can of Coke. The trendline people should actually follow is that as profits go up, heart health goes down.

Narrative A

Alberto Fujimori was an authoritarian strongman who abused democracy and committed atrocities in the battle against the Shining Path guerillas. As he remains a highly divisive figure in Peru, Fujimori's comeback undermines Peruvian democracy and will seriously affect the country's rule of law.

Narrative B

Lower courts have repeatedly revoked Alberto Fujimori's 2017 pardon in response to demands from the families of the victims and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. However, considering the year-old's poor health, it is time to show mercy to the man whose efforts and policies once saved the nation from spiraling into catastrophe.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that Peru's GDP per capita (PPP) will be at least 20.9K international dollars in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

The death of scores of media personnel in conflict-hit regions like the Middle East and Eastern Europe demonstrates both the courage of the professionals as well as a blatant disregard for civilian life among the warring factions. Even if not all allegations of "systematic targeting" of journalists can be proved, there are numerous high-profile cases. The plight of journalists worldwide to report objectively in conflict zones is vital to civil society and media members cannot become collateral damage.

Narrative B

The dangers facing journalists on the front lines are overwhelming. It may be tempting for warring parties to offer a "safer" alternative — "embedded journalism," which we have seen in the Israel-Hamas war and dating back decades. Integrating journalists into military operations can reduce media casualties, but it comes with the price of distorted information reflecting state and corporate interests. It's important to avoid the temptation of pursuing embedded journalism as a solution to the perils of reporting on the world's most deadly conflicts.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that there will be at least 12 active UN peacekeeping missions in the year 2032, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Democratic narrative

Biden has demonstrated that he's willing to make serious compromises in order to pass this hugely important aid package for Ukraine. However, Republicans must now do the same. If they continue to take a hardline approach, it will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and degrade America's national security. This bill must be passed as soon as possible.

Republican narrative

Republicans want this bill to pass just as much as Democrats do. However, a key caveat is that the crisis at the southern border has to be addressed. Figures show that roughly 10K people are illegally entering the US each and every day — that's nearly 3.7M people a year. Democrats must take this issue more seriously so that talks on the spending package can proceed.

Nerd narrative

There's a 38% chance that Congress will approve additional aid to Ukraine before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Israel narrative

Though this has been a tragic war, Israel can't allow Hamas to survive. Hamas seized upon last week's temporary pause to mark Israeli positions and prepare itself for continued attacks on Israeli forces in Gaza. Indeed, the pace at which Israeli forces maneuvered in Gaza threw Hamas' military leadership off-kilter. Israel will have to work intelligently in its campaign in the south of the strip to fully eliminate the terrorist group so it can never launch an attack like Oct. 7 again.

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel continues to demonstrate that its war isn't against Hamas but against the Palestinian people as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable. Unfortunately, the temporary ceasefire only gave civilians a few days of relative rest, and now Israel has returned to killing Palestinians at an unprecedented rate. The US, Israel's biggest ally, must exert more pressure to end the war.

Nerd narrative

There's a 5% chance that the International Criminal Court will bring charges against Benjamin Netanyahu before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Musk was absolutely right when he called his recent Tweet a massive mistake. Not only did he push antisemitic propaganda to his millions of followers, but he gave even more advertisers a reason to stop spending on his financially depleting company. X has already lost 50% of advertising revenue since the billionaire acquired the company last year, and now he's losing the select few who still stood with him.

Narrative B

No one can deny X's financial troubles, but that doesn't mean the platform is doomed. Whether you agree with him or not, Musk is a fighter for free speech. Even regarding his recent controversial post, billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who has led the fight against antisemitism on college campuses, called out the hypocrisy of other social media companies not facing boycotts despite displaying similar content on their respective platforms.

Nerd narrative

There is a 5% chance that Twitter's net income will be higher in 2023 than in 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Republican narrative

These charges prove that the IRS whistleblowers and GOP have been right all along about the Biden Dept. of Justice (DOJ) being in the bag for the administration. The DOJ got caught offering the president's son a sweetheart deal, so now Hunter Biden must face the consequences of his actions and there must be more investigation into what else the president is hiding.

Democratic narrative

If anything, the DOJ's extraordinary decision to charge the president’s son shows that justice is being served. While these charges are serious, they pale in comparison to what former Pres. Trump and his Republican allies had predicted. Although the current president's reelection campaign might deal with some distractions from Hunter's case, Joe Biden is not named anywhere in this indictment, as opposed to his likely opponent, Trump, who is facing dozens of indictments in multiple jurisdictions.

Nerd narrative

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

Narrative A

These treatments are a medical marvel that will help better the lives of roughly 100K African Americans as well as Hispanic Americans across the country over time. With the FDA's approval, doctors will now be allowed to take a patient's own blood and replace the faulty red blood cells with new, genetically edited healthy ones, thus bringing long-awaited relief from the horrific pain and fatigue typically associated with this disease.

Narrative B

While the use of gene editing is remarkably good news for those with diseases like sickle cell, the public should also have a seat at the table when debating the potential harms of this new medical tool. For example, as voluntary procedures like the newly approved treatment are widely seen as positive, potential future uses like creating desirable traits in babies are seen by many as unethical. It should also be noted that this treatment has not been documented as a "cure" just yet.

Nerd narrative

There's a 62% chance that an inorganic nanoparticle-enabled cancer therapy will be approved by the FDA before 2031, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Right narrative

There's no reason to legally challenge this law. Texas is a leading state in being innovative and bold in protecting the rights of children, including the unborn, as evidenced by the results – abortions are down. There are also pregnancy centers that can be accessed as important resources to help mothers. The state must appeal this ruling and win.

Left narrative

This law is cruel and strips a decision that should belong to a woman and her family to give to the state. Cox needs this procedure and the judge was right to grant this exemption. The courts must clarify the conditions when an abortion is permitted and obviously include Cox’s situation within those parameters. This is another sad commentary on the decimation of reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Nerd narrative

There's a 5% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the United States before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Russia narrative

By popular demand, Vladimir Putin is seeking re-election to continue serving as Russia's president. Despite Western lies and smears, the Russian people recognize and appreciate Putin as the national hero that he is. In the face of Western expansionism, Putin has put the sovereignty of Russia above all else and refused to bend the knee to Western hegemony that seeks to destroy the Russian nation. His re-election is going to be a popular shoo-in.

Anti-Russia narrative

Vladimir Putin held his "unscripted" presidential announcement conveniently at a military ceremony in the Kremlin as he wields autocratic power despite massive Russian casualties. Putin's invasion of Ukraine has caused thousands of deaths and completely diminished Russia's standing in the global community, yet his carefully coordinated media pushes propaganda that keeps him "popular" amongst Russians. His reelection campaign smacks of continued autocracy.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by March 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.