Left narrative

Even in the final years of his life, Rupert Murdoch puts his far-right political agenda above everything else. The year-old mogul forfeited his relationship with three of his children to ensure that Lachlan had complete control of his media empire. Murdoch-controlled Fox News and the Wall Street Journal have raked in cash by pushing right-wing propaganda, and the elder Murdoch doesn't want to risk his sacred cash cow, even if it means losing his own children.

Right narrative

Rupert Murdoch spent his entire life building up the empire we see today, and he has every right to ensure that his legacy continues. Fox News and other Murdoch companies have become the leading outlets of conservative media, and maintaining a right-leaning editorial position is wise both financially and ethically. Lachlan Murdoch is the only heir who can continue his father's vision, and his siblings aren't entitled to subvert Rupert's wishes for his empire.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that the Woke index in US elite media will top by September 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

The US authorities have dealt another major blow to one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels after previously arresting "El Chapo" along with another of his sons and other associates. The hunt for the Sinaloa cartel's drug kingpins proves that the US is stepping up its fight against the fentanyl crisis, which led to an increase in overdoses at home, with all its might. To protect the American Youth, the dismantling of fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks must continue with undiminished determination.

Establishment-critical narrative

The US is claiming another strike against the Sinaloa cartel, but this only addresses a symptom, not the cause, of the US drug crisis, which stems from corruption within US society and the growing levels of poverty. Added to this is Big Pharma, putting profits before the health of US citizens, while fentanyl and other drugs claim even more victims. That Washington prefers to wage an endless war against the drug cartels rather than tackle the structural causes of the opioid crisis does not bode well for the future.

Nerd narrative

There's a 2% chance that Mexico will experience a civil war before 2036, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Left narrative

This development indicates the UK will take a stricter stance towards Israel, unlike the previous Conservative government. Israel and Hamas have both committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Khan's case should be heard, though this is a matter for the court to decide.

Right narrative

This is a regressive step and could signal a policy shift away from Israel being a key UK ally. The government must reconsider the decision as it puts the UK at odds with its international allies and could upset Washington-brokered peace negotiations in the Middle East.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance Keir Starmer will cease to be the leader of the Labour Party by Jan.1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Left narrative

Oil spills are a disaster in themselves, and have devastated communities in the Philippines in the past. What's worse, inclement weather caused by climate change poses a risk of spreading the contamination into freshwater sources, compounding the havoc they can wreak on humans and wildlife. The Philippines must buck the influence of the oil and gas industry and its dubious practices by ensuring that polluters pay.

Right narrative

There is climate idealism, and then there is the hard economic reality on the ground. In the face of rising prices and tightening supply, the Philippines risks being choked by energy prices, and may even ink oil deals with its great geopolitical rival, China, in order to shore up supply. The Philippines cannot afford to draw back from its oil and gas industry in the face of these pressures on everyday people.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that peak oil production worldwide will be reached by 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-North Korea narrative

The US and its allies have no credible evidence to link the so-called "high-profile" cyber incidents to Pyongyang. This advisory is laughable at best. On the one hand, the West describes the North as an archaic country and has subjected it to all kinds of sanctions. On the other hand, it's so afraid of North Korean intelligence services that it had to issue a global public alert. Moreover, while the US and its allies criticize Pyongyang for cyberattacks, they conveniently escape accountability for their massive espionage and cyber activities on foreign soil.

Anti-North Korea Narrative

The lengths that North Korean state-sponsored cybercriminals are willing to go to advance Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions are significant. They aren't just infiltrating defense, industries, financial networks, and medical facilities globally, they remain an ongoing threat to citizens' everyday lives. The North's aggressive military posture to circumvent international sanctions and fund its nuclear program now poses a serious risk to global security, which is why the world must heed the warning issued by the intelligence agencies.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that Kim Jong Un will no longer be the leader of North Korea by January 2047, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Google's overwhelming market dominance may finally be ending. While its AI-enhanced search has faced reliability issues, OpenAI's approach promises greater accuracy by referencing trusted sources. With major publishers on board and Microsoft as an investor, SearchGPT not only diversifies OpenAI's revenue but also poses a formidable threat to Google's lucrative business.

Narrative B

SearchGPT is far from being a true competitor to Google. Despite promising an AI-driven revolution in search, it suffers from fundamental flaws. SearchGPT, like other generative AI models, is prone to errors and "hallucinations," providing incorrect or fabricated information. It has reportedly stuttered even at the demonstration stage, highlighting its unreliability.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that Google will be supplanted as the top search engine in the world by market share by June 2043, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

The GameStop saga exposed the deeply corrupt nature of Wall Street's short-selling industry, particularly regarding "naked" short-selling— where investors sell more company stocks than exist, resulting in an artificial stock price drop. It's about time the government — whose regulators often work or worked for hedge funds — stopped ignoring the crimes of its friends on Wall Street and prosecuted these market manipulators.

Narrative B

Despite what many have heard, the GameStop saga wasn't some corrupt backdoor scheme. Short-selling, when done correctly, is a healthy part of trading that can identify fraud and help others hedge their trades. The inorganic retail trading frenzy of GameStop ended up hurting a lot of novice traders while big firms made millions. Instead of attacking short-selling, we should go after the larger system of central banks printing money for the rich as the poor get poorer.

Nerd narrative

There is a 50% chance that the next US financial crisis will occur in 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

France is presiding over one of the most dangerous Games in Olympic history. Groups seeking to avenge Israel's war in Gaza, Jihadists, Russian operatives, and climate agitators make up just some of the actors who are being initially accused of plotting against the Games in a dazzling matrix of threat vectors. These plots are increasing in frequency, and today a key vulnerability in France was exposed. Let's hope this is not a harbinger of things to come in Paris.

Narrative B

There is every indication that the Games in Paris will be safe, and France's model for dealing with multivariate threats could be the exemplar for years to come. France has deployed tens of thousands of personnel and a new surveillance system powered by artificial intelligence that will identify and predict potential dangers. While the media will accentuate the negative before any big event, France is putting into practice hard lessons regarding counterterrorism.

Nerd narrative

There is a 17% chance that a terrorist attack will occur in metropolitan France during the 2024 Summer Olympics, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

Harris is a staunch supporter of Israel's security and its right to defend itself. However, at the same time, she is very sympathetic to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Indeed, it seems that everyone agrees that a cease-fire will significantly improve the situation, and Netanyahu must be willing to work with his allies to close the gaps.

Pro-Israel narrative

Yet again, the Biden administration is risking progress in cease-fire negotiations for political gain. Harris, who is now running for president, surprised Netanyahu and other Israeli officials with her unnecessarily complicated remarks. Indeed, it seems that, at times, Biden and Harris seek to put more pressure on Israel than Hamas — an illegitimate terrorist organization that poses an existential threat to Israel's security.

Pro-Palestine narrative

Harris might "talk tough" on Israel, but there is very little reason to believe that, if she were to win the presidency, her policies toward Israel would be significantly different than those of Biden. Harris, like Biden, is not willing to use the US' leverage over Israel to force a cease-fire, instead choosing to release toothless statements of "concern" regarding Palestinian suffering. This genocide must end now.

Nerd narrative

There's a 30% chance that de facto power in the Gaza Strip on January 1, 2025 will be contested, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Democratic narrative

Between their phone call and social media posts, it's clear that the Obamas not only support Harris but believe she will win this election. The delayed endorsement was simply a strategic move to allow the democratic process to unfold and give Biden the opportunity, as the nation's leader, to offer his endorsement first. Regardless, the Obamas have now backed the vice president, and that's all that matters.

Republican narrative

Obama only endorsed Harris after the gigantic Democratic Party machine propped her up, leaving him with no other choice. What his delayed endorsement actually shows is that he instinctually knows she can't win. While Obama will now have to play along, deep down he knows her failed record on defunding the police, opening the southern border, and promoting the Green New Deal are policies Americans oppose.

Nerd narrative

There is a 45% chance that Kamala Harris will be elected US president in 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.