Establishment-critical narrative

It is unacceptable that London still holds a grudge against Buenos Aires decades after hostilities took place. Carrying on this imperial-era dispute that could have been solved without an economically and ethically costly war is unjust and nonsensical. The Falkland Islands remain fully independent of Britain and it is about time to strike a deal with Argentina and return sovereignty to its inhabitants.

Pro-establishment narrative

Islanders, who overwhelmingly voted to remain British decades after facing heinous aggression from Argentina, have the right to self-determination under the UN charter — it is the UK's duty to uphold it and defend them in the face of further threats. Aside from moral obligation, it is in the UK's interest to continue with its commitment to the archipelago as it is located in a strategically significant position near the Antarctic in the South Atlantic.

Pro-establishment narrative

The US and its allies must continue to call on Russia to end its war of aggression and withdraw from Ukraine for the sake of international peace and economic stability. Unfortunately, Russia marred the G-20 meetings with its failure to accept responsibility for its illegal invasion.

Pro-Russia narrative

The US launched multiple wars in faraway places — including Iraq, Syria, and Libya — to protect its supposed national security interests. When Russia does the same on its territorial border, after 10 years of warning that this would end badly, America pretends to care about international sovereignty. This is blatant hypocrisy.

Nerd narrative

There's a 26% chance that the next Russian leader will disapprove of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

This policy seems like a sensible step forward as national security and corporate crime increasingly become intertwined. Shareholders, who are rarely involved in wrongdoing, should not have to pay the price for the criminal activity undertaken by executives and supervisors. Between the DOJ's clawback policy and the Security and Exchange Commission's power to strip executives of bonuses, the Biden admin. is taking appropriate but forceful action to combat growing white-collar crime.

Establishment-critical narrative

The real problem facing American society regarding white-collar crime is corporate greed, as companies continue to push for higher profits which in many cases harms both consumers and workers. Administration after administration, regulations have been cut as profits sore — but consumers and workers continue to face the brunt of a corporate world that has no checks and balances. Occasional fines, whether at the company or individual level, are no match for the exponential rise in profits and systemic corruption.

Democratic narrative

Tennessee Republicans have been clear about their disdain for transgender youth and the critical gender-affirming care they require. This is discriminatory and unconstitutional, which is why rights groups can and will challenge it in court so that marginalized children have the same healthcare rights as any other Tennessean.

Republican narrative

Not only do gender-reassignment procedures carry many risks, but they're also life-altering and irreversible. Instead of just talking about the ongoing attack on children, Tennessee Republicans have finally, and justifiably, gone on the offensive in the fight against these activist doctors and politicians and their abusive ideology.

Right narrative

Obesity is a complicated issue that needs more than just government regulation and policies — which places the blame squarely on society and outside forces — to address it. Individuals need to accept personal responsibility and be willing to take concrete action because the alternative is to normalize it as an irreparable health problem, denying individuals agency over their lives and thus cementing their dependency on an imposing technocracy.

Left narrative

Genetics, cultural, socioeconomic, and environmental factors all influence an individual's risk for obesity, which is why trying to address this health emergency by focusing on an individual's lifestyle choices is unfair. Obesity is a public health crisis that deserves maximum effort from policymakers, healthcare providers, and insurers to dramatically reduce its burden on people already dealing with the stress of chronic sleep deprivation, poverty or threat of poverty, and systemic racism or other trauma.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that at least 72.3% of Americans will be obese or overweight in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Ellsberg should be remembered for his brave actions that inspired a generation of whistleblowers and activists. He has been a beacon of integrity and truth and has used his kindness to fight for a better world. This is devastating news and he will be sorely missed.

Narrative B

Although he's celebrated as a hero, Ellsberg’s legacy should be far more mixed. Both Congress and the executive branch have rigorous whistleblowing mechanisms for disclosing wrongdoing and important information, but he stepped outside those options to leak highly sensitive documents to the press. He violated the law and his oath to secrecy.

Narrative A

These files show the inner workings of the UK health apparatus, which is led by a disturbingly power-hungry group of government officials. While Sweden was proving you could keep restaurants open and still stay safe, Hancock was searching for ways to blind Britons to outside information and force them to cower in their homes at his command. This isn't just about poor public policy, but a case study on how absolute power, coupled with a lack of scrutiny and a good dose of groupthink, can quickly lead to utter corruption and chaos.

Narrative B

While Matt Hancock’s leaked messages are a major news story, he shouldn't be the target of collective outrage. Like governments from all over the world, the UK made mistakes during an unprecedented time of crisis while navigating unchartered territories, and Hancock was at the forefront. More importantly, the so-called 'Lockdown Files' only released a portion of the messages, arousing concern that the narrative has been manipulated to coincide with a rising anti-lockdown agenda.

Cynical narrative

The Lockdown Files do show the corrupt and incompetent nature of the government, but no one should actually be surprised that their politicians lied to them to gain power. What this boils down to is that an amoral politician unthinkingly gave his phone to an anti-lockdown journalist. We've seen these so-called bombshell stories before, and no institutional change ever comes from it.

Democratic narrative

Leave it to Trump to stretch the limits of legal protection beyond its reach. There’s no doubt presidents enjoy a broad amount of immunity, and the DOJ has sided with him in other instances that he sought it. But inspiring violent insurrectionists to ransack the Capitol is a giant step too far. These civil suits deserve to move forward.

Pro-Trump narrative

Trump has immunity, and the case against that position is thin. The DOJ isn’t sure if Trump actually incited the violence, and the appeals court didn’t determine whether Trump was actually doing his job while speaking to the protesters — a key point of Trump’s defense. The statute they’re using to go after Trump was meant to stop intimidation from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, not a sitting president.

Nerd narrative

There's a 38% chance that Trump will win the 2024 US Presidential Election if it's Biden v. Trump, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

For more than 25 years, the Viasna group has worked to promote human rights, making it a thorn in the side of Lukashenko — and gaining notoriety within the rules-based international community. Now the president has made Bialiatski and his pro-democracy colleagues into political prisoners for fighting back against his tyranny.

Narrative B

Despite the mischaracterization of Western nations and institutions, Bialiatski and his colleagues are being punished for committing serious crimes. The Viasna group smuggled money across countries to fund disturbances and gross violations of public order in Belarus, disguising these acts as charitable human rights activities.

Pro-establishment narrative

Newcastle chose to sacrifice its morals to pursue on-field success by partnering with the brutal Saudi regime. The club’s recent achievements are undoubtedly tainted, as its owners have executed 157 people since PIF bought Newcastle. To make matters worse, manager Eddie Howe has buried his head in the sand, willingly becoming Saudi's latest "sportswashing" tool to distract from its growing human rights abuses.

Establishment-critical narrative

In today's tumultuous global environment, sports should be used to bridge the gap between divided societies rather than as a tool to polarize each other, but it seems that the West is intent on doing just that. Rather than making accusations of "sportswashing," attention should be focused on the positive returns that sports bring to Saudi Arabia's progressing society and its citizens.

Narrative C

Biased media is trying to destroy Newcastle and diminish its success by lying about Saudi Arabia’s control over the club. The hypocrisy extends to so many levels as these media outlets ignore teams like Manchester United who have taken millions from the Saudi government for years. Corrupt media outlets even ignore their own companies’ close ties to the regime.