Pro-establishment narrative

Ma's trip plays into the hands of the Chinese regime, which has been working to reclaim Taiwan since the Chinese Civil War. Taiwan plays a key role in Beijing's hegemonic ambitions as a springboard for dominating the Asia-Pacific region and challenging the US. At least since Tsai Ing-wen became president, Beijing has been gearing up for war against Taiwan; Washington and the world community must not let Ma's naïve trip blind them to the need to prepare for the worst.

Establishment-critical narrative

Given the increasingly hostile and hysterical US attempts to portray China as a threat, Ma's trip is a much-needed signal of détente. To preserve its hegemonic status, Washington, driven by the military-industrial complex, is using Taiwan to undermine China's growing status in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan must not allow itself to be turned into an outright tool of US interests and must view Ma's historic trip as an opportunity to resume direct dialogue with China.

Nerd narrative

There’s a 58% chance that the Democratic Progressive Party will win the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Right narrative

This story is a scandal and as Orwellian as it gets. During a time when accurate information was most badly needed, tax-payer money was going to a project which worked with all the major social media platforms to control political messaging and censor content that was knowingly true at the time, or has since shown to be accurate. Is there any regard for speech and the Constitution?

Left narrative

Matt Taibbi's so-called "investigative journalism" has been widely criticized by Democrats and for good reason. Taibbi has been directly commissioned by Elon Musk for what are often biased and out-of-context "doxx and dump" stories to further Musk's right-leaning agenda. The grossly subjective so-called "Twitter Files" must be viewed in this light.

Establishment-critical narrative

Just as the allied forces did to Japan after World War Two, war crime charges should not be limited to lower-level soldiers. Commanding officers, too, should be held accountable for their roles in these heinous acts, as they were likely aware of what these elite forces were doing and could very well have stepped in to stop it.

Pro-establishment narrative

As evidenced by this indictment, Australia's armed forces have cooperated with and allowed independent investigators to probe and even prosecute its soldiers for all crimes committed on Afghan soil. Besides criminal inquiries, Australia's military is also considering compensating the victims of these crimes as well as stripping the alleged perpetrators of their military honors. This horrific situation is being handled responsibly by current protocols.

Pro-Palestine narrative

The talks that occurred in Egypt are just that talk. In reality, the "agreements" made have virtually no impact on the ever-worsening situation in the occupied West Bank, in which Israel is brutally killing Palestinians on a near-daily basis. The Israelis always promise that they will freeze their illegal settlement policy, but they never actually do, as Israel's ultimate goal is to colonize the entire area between the river and the sea.

Pro-Israel narrative

Though there is some value to the talks in Sharm al-Sheikh, ultimately they will do little to curb the wave of Palestinian terrorism and aggression that was unleashed last year. The PA continues to show its weakness and inability to contain Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, which has forced Israel to increase its military activity. With Ramadan just around the corner, Palestinian violence will likely escalate, forcing Israel to respond aggressively.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that Israel will recognize Palestine by the start of 2071, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Establishment-critical narrative

Our planet is already showing signs of suffering under the weight of horrible decisions regarding climate change. To go one step further in sealing the fate of a dim future, Biden greenlit the Willow project in Alaska. The project will contribute 9.2M metric tons of pollution attributed to warming the climate annually. China is planning to expand its coal operations as well. The louder scientists try to get with their warnings the more it seems they are unheard. People around the globe are already suffering from extreme heat, drought, flooding, and other climate attacks. What more is needed to make a change?

Pro-establishment narrative

Biden campaigned for the role of POTUS on the back of a very ambitious plan to combat climate change. He has committed the US to cut emissions by 50% by 2030 and so far the US is on track. Other nations worldwide are also following in the footsteps of the US with the urgent objective to keep emissions under 1.5°C. The plans are in place, and, by and large, the global community knows the clock is ticking.

Narrative C

Climate and environmental disasters have been predicted by modern-day doomsayers for decades. None of the apocalyptic predictions have come true so far; why would this time be any different?

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that at least 44.0% of countries that pledge carbon neutrality by 2050 will keep their pledge, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

There have been much bigger banking collapses in the past and the move by UBS and the Swiss government is part of a typical financial pattern. Banking is a business of confidence and deals as these must occur for such confidence to remain in the global markets. The primary objective is to keep the depositors safe, which is exactly what central bankers are doing right now.

Establishment-critical narrative

With a bank such as Credit Suisse to be bailed out in a manner horribly reminiscent of 2008, it is time for a radical rethinking of central bank policy. Such crises are the product of the central banks' policies and failure to supervise. Bankers cannot continue to attempt to serve both society and themselves — they must make the right decision or the markets are at risk of falling off a cliff.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that the next great financial crisis in the US will occur by March 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

Coming just three days after an international arrest warrant for Putin, Xi's visit shows he has no desire to hold the Russian leader accountable for his war crimes. Despite being globally isolated, this visit will likely give Putin a political boost, allowing him to play the part of a diplomat and leader.

Pro-Russia narrative

Xi's visit is a sign of the growing relationship between Russia and China who, together, are shaping a more multipolar world — one where the interests of the US don't come before everyone else's.

Nerd narrative

There's an 18% chance that Russia will use nuclear weapons against Ukraine before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Democratic narrative

Trump’s post looks like another in the unending string of lies he has spewed from his social media accounts and microphone stand. Aside from the fact that it doesn’t appear an indictment or arrest is imminent, he also falsely ranted about open borders and Jan. 6 suspects being held inhumanely before using violent rhetoric to inspire his followers. His message is dangerously reminiscent of what he exclaimed before Jan. 6. He could set off problems he can’t control.

Pro-Trump narrative

Trump has no choice but to alert his supporters that a district attorney who has been bought by Democratic megadonor George Soros is attacking the former president with yet another politically-motivated case. This is an abuse of power, and it’s the First Amendment right of the former president and his followers to voice their displeasure over it.

Nerd narrative

There’s a 95% chance that Trump will be indicted on criminal charges in 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

There comes a time when a leader must make a difficult and unpopular decision for the long-term betterment of his society, and Emmanuel Macron did that in his efforts to save France’s pension problem. France’s demographics make it nearly impossible to maintain the status quo — the ratio of workers to retirees shows insolvency in the near future. Macron made a tough political decision to save France’s pension program.

Establishment-critical narrative

Macron’s government has defied the will of the French people, and it should have fallen. The grassroots support shows how much Macron’s constituents oppose his policy, and to make matters worse, Macron used undemocratic means to advance his unpopular pension reform. French democracy looks more like a farce each day, and Macron’s government does not represent the people.

Narrative A

These companies have no choice but to downsize. The pandemic tech boom allowed companies to increase their workforces by as much as 200%, but the economy has since turned for the worse. With the US Federal Reserve reacting to inflation by hiking interest rates, there’s less available venture capital, and digital-ad revenue has dipped.

Narrative B

Instead of layoffs, which are an old-school way of dealing with a recession, companies should find alternative strategies because social media has made everyone a workers' rights activist with a global microphone. Companies that conduct layoffs suffer from poor optics, the cost of restructuring, and the low morale they create — leading them to perform poorly.