Left narrative

This verdict sends a strong message to all of those complicit in police brutality. McClain was administered an overdose of ketamine in an encounter that should have never happened in the first place. Instead of rendering aid to the ailing McClain, the paramedics showed callous disregard for the life of an innocent man. This verdict goes to show that no one is above the law.

Right narrative

What happened to McClain is a tragedy, but it was wrong to punish paramedics for making a split-second decision. This unprecedented verdict could have a chilling effect on first responders all over the country and could give paramedics pause when it comes to rendering aid in their line of duty. We can't afford to sacrifice medical discretion in the hunt for accountability in McClain's death.

Nerd narrative

There's a 1% chance that a large American city will fully abolish its police department before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Iran narrative

The assassination of Sayyed Razi Mousavi was not only a violation of international law but also of Syria's sovereign air space. Iran will respond to these terrorist actions accordingly.

Pro-Israel narrative

While Israel, as a general rule, doesn't comment on attacks inside Syria, its military has the right to respond swiftly and conduct operations to safeguard and protect the country's interests.

Nerd narrative

There's a 27% chance that a state-based conflict between Israel and Iran will cause at least 1K deaths before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

The immediate slap-down of a Putin critic demonstrates the lengths to which Moscow will go to crack down on people who dare to protest his autocratic regime, attempt to end the war in Ukraine, or free political prisoners. It shows that no dissent will be tolerated in the campaign to give Putin — who, after Duntsova's cancellation, remains the only politician to be able to register as a candidate — a clean slate to win again.

Establishment-critical narrative

The American government and media criticizing Russia's political system while simultaneously trying to imprison one of their own top presidential candidates is hypocrisy at its finest. The US establishment didn't like Donald Trump's anti-imperialism foreign policy and therefore sought to ban him from running for election again — the pot is certainly calling the kettle black here.

Nerd narrative

There's a 20% chance that the next Russian leader will disapprove of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

Zelenskyy understands that if Ukraine is to join NATO or the EU, it has to clamp down on its problem of corruption that existed long before the war with Russia. He is rightly taking steps to eradicate this problem and should be commended for taking Ukraine in the right direction.

Establishment-critical narrative

Despite Zelenskyy's public pronouncements on corruption, he himself has been at the center of graft allegations to the tune of several hundred million dollars. How can he be taken seriously on corruption if he's also involved?

Nerd narrative

There's a 0.1% chance that Ukraine will join the European Union before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

As the planet warms, the climate risk to Thailand grows, as evidenced by the country's jump to ninth place in the ranking of countries impacted by extreme weather — up from 43rd place in 2011. No region has been spared the severe impacts, but Bangkok is the most vulnerable. Without significant investment in infrastructure by the government, Bangkok stands to lose its shoreline, which will reduce tourism and the country's economy.

Narrative B

Despite what critics say, the Thai government has improved its response to climate change. A recent surge in urgency has resulted in many policies that pledge to meet the most ambitious climate goals to date. The policy changes are expected to drive the economy in sustainable ways and will reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels — growing the nation's job outlook and reducing its environmental footprint.

Anti-Trump narrative

This continues a disturbing pattern after every Trump indictment or unfavorable court ruling for the former president. And it all starts with Trump’s threatening rhetoric, which has led to multiple gag orders being issued in his criminal cases. This is a bipartisan matter because even some in the GOP have been threatened for not falling in line with what Trump wants.

Pro-Trump narrative

The decision to bar Trump from Colorado's ballot should never have been made in the first place, as it's the weaponized legal system, not Trump, that's inciting discontent and anger. Last week's ruling is a clear partisan attempt to rob the voting public of making the ultimate judgment on Trump next year.

Nerd narrative

There’s a 91% that Trump will be the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

While the US will certainly remain the world's leading market for pharmaceutical investments in the short term, China has embraced exponential growth in foreign investment for years and is still growing. China, with its growing wealth and aging population, has seen an explosion of age-related illnesses as well as infectious diseases usually seen in poorer countries. Due to this, companies like AstraZeneca and Pfizer will surely look to tap into the government's ambitious healthcare industry expansion project.

Narrative B

Big Pharma companies, particularly those based in the US, are using loopholes to charge high prices to the people of their respective countries while also avoiding domestic taxes. This means that, as American taxpayers foot the bill for research and development, the company then manufactures its medicine abroad and claims its profits in other countries, thus leaving its home country without any of the tax revenue. These companies need to be heavily taxed if they want to offshore manufacturing while retaining high prices.

Pro-establishment narrative

The US has been rightfully responding to attacks on its military bases in Iraq and Syria, and it must continue to project strength in the face of Iranian aggression in order to preserve peace in the region. Iran is sponsoring terrorists in the Middle East, seeking to destroy Israel and America. The Pentagon is sending a clear message that the US will not roll over.

Establishment-critical narrative

The US military continues to instigate as it conducted airstrikes in Iraq that killed and wounded civilians, and breached the nation's sovereignty. Moreover, since Israel’s war in Gaza broke out, the US military has heightened tensions and picked a fight against Iran. Continued escalation and possible war are the inevitable outcomes if the Pentagon continues its strategy of aggression.

Narrative A

Putting potential political motivations for the administration’s actions aside, it appears this is a clear case of the government attempting to make irrelevant distinctions between who is and isn’t a legitimate journalist. Much of the world’s best journalism stems from stolen information, and if the government is allowed to violate the First Amendment in this case a lot of investigative journalism could be unconstitutionally criminalized.

Narrative B

This case has nothing to do with the First Amendment because Project Veritas isn’t in the business of journalism. As its recently resigned CEO — who had to take over when O’Keefe stepped down in the face of a criminal investigation — can attest, the organization is a mess that could face further inquiries over criminal activity. It’s not worth it for First Amendment groups to back Project Veritas or for the courts to protect the organization.

Narrative A

The ITC and the Biden administration were right not to bend the knee to Apple and protect the patent rights of designers. Apple has used its corporate power to rip off the ideas and designs of other companies, and it must adhere to rules and regulations just as any other company does. Apple clearly took parts of Masimo’s technology, and it cannot keep selling its new watches without righting its wrongs.

Narrative B

The ITC is trying to make an example out of Apple by banning its watches without concrete evidence that it violated any patent rights. In addition to unfairly imposing a ban on the products, the ITC has refused to issue an injunction until Customs and Border Patrol issues a ruling on the redesigned watches. This pause on the ban is fair.