Study: AI Tool Reduces Political Polarization on X
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Stanford, the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins, and Northeastern universities has developed a browser extension that uses AI to detect and reorder polarizing and partisan content on X in real time, without requiring the platform's cooperation.
The tool employs large language models (LLMs) to assign scores to posts based on anti-democratic attitudes and partisan animosity, including content that advocates violence against opposing parties, rejects bipartisan cooperation, or questions facts that favor the other party's views.
Researchers conducted a 10-day field experiment during the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign with 1,256 participants who consented to have their X feeds modified, randomly assigning them to feeds with increased, reduced or unchanged levels of polarizing content.
Narrative A
Reducing exposure to antagonistic political content on social media dramatically decreases partisan hostility and negative emotions. Algorithmic interventions that limit divisive posts produce changes equivalent to three years of polarization shifts, offering platforms a clear solution to heal democratic discourse and rebuild social trust.
Narrative B
While algorithms can control content visibility, they neither reshape beliefs nor decrease ideological division in a sustained or meaningful way. With the role of echo chambers and filter bubbles often far overstated, we must instead focus on the root causes of social tension to improve social discourse.
Nerd narrative
There's a 95% chance that an AI system will be reported to have independently gained unauthorized access to another computer system before 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Nigeria Declares National Emergency Amid Kidnapping Crisis
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a "nationwide security emergency" on Wednesday and ordered the police to recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing total recruitment to 50,000, while also authorizing the army to recruit more personnel to tackle the country's kidnapping crisis.
The president directed the Department of State Services to deploy trained forest guards and recruit additional staff to flush out armed groups hiding in forests, stating in a televised address that there will be no more hiding places for "agents of evil."
Tinubu also authorized the use of National Youth Service Corps camps as training facilities and ordered the redeployment of police officers from VIP guard duties to conflict zones after crash retraining, with about 100,000 officers of 371,000 tasked with protecting high-profile figures reassigned.
Pro-government narrative
Tinubu's hands-on leadership in the security war room has already produced results with 38 worshippers and 50 schoolchildren rescued within 60 hours. Deploying 50,000 new police officers addresses the critical manpower shortage needed to secure vast ungoverned spaces where criminals find safe havens. This decisive action, combined with forest guards deployment and state police authorization, represents the bold restructuring Nigeria's security architecture desperately requires.
Government-critical narrative
Recruiting 50,000 police officers misses the point entirely when corruption and political interference remain the core problems plaguing Nigeria's security forces. The police alone could wipe out terrorism and banditry in two months if corruption were eliminated and political interests removed from security operations. Telling states to avoid building schools in rural areas lets bandits dictate national policy and abandons vulnerable communities that desperately need educational access.
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump’s uncompromising pressure forced Abuja to act where years of polite diplomacy failed. His insistence on concrete protection for Nigeria’s Christians and on measurable security results pushed the Tinubu government out of inertia. The rapid launch of the U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group shows that only Trump’s hard line created the urgency Nigerian leaders had ignored, proving that firm leadership drives real action.
Nerd narrative
There is a 12% chance that the United States will conduct a military attack within Nigeria before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
State Department Bars Federal Funds for World AIDS Day Events
The U.S. State Department instructed employees and grantees not to use federal funds to commemorate World AIDS Day, which has been marked annually on Dec. 1 since 1988, according to reports from multiple news outlets.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that "an awareness day is not a strategy" and that the administration is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and "increase their responsibility and burden sharing."
The White House has issued proclamations for dozens of other observances this year, including World Autism Awareness Day, National Manufacturing Day, and World Intellectual Property Day.
Anti-Trump narrative
Blocking federal funds for World AIDS Day after 37 years of commemoration threatens to reverse decades of progress against HIV/AIDS globally. This reckless decision abandons America's leadership role in fighting one of history's deadliest pandemics. The move signals a dangerous retreat from lifesaving health initiatives that have made tremendous strides worldwide.
Pro-Trump narrative
Only 40% of the $110 billion invested in global HIV/AIDS prevention actually reached on-the-ground medical delivery, with nearly 60% consumed by overhead costs and executive salaries. Taxpayer dollars funded million-dollar salaries for executives and woke political programming instead of lifesaving medicine. Realigning health efforts will curb waste and better serve American priorities.
Nerd narrative
There is a 11.5% chance the PEPFAR program will cease to exist before Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Plans Land Operations Against Alleged Venezuelan Drug Trade 'Soon'
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that operations to halt alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking by land would begin "very soon," claiming that efforts by sea had already reduced such activity by approximately 85%.
The United States military has conducted at least 21 strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since September, resulting in at least 83 deaths, with Washington claiming the boats were involved in drug trafficking. Local officials allege the strikes have primarily killed fishermen.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean earlier this month as part of a U.S. military buildup in the region that includes more than a dozen warships and approximately 15,000 troops deployed under Operation Southern Spear.
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump's decisive action against Venezuelan drug traffickers is saving American lives, with sea-based smuggling already down 85% and land operations set to begin soon. The administration is rightfully targeting Maduro's narco-terrorist regime that floods the U.S. with deadly poisons killing hundreds of thousands annually. This necessary military campaign protects Americans from a dictator who denies his obvious links to cartels while his networks continue poisoning communities across the nation.
Anti-Trump narrative
This manufactured crisis has nothing to do with fentanyl, which comes from Mexico and China, not Venezuela, making the entire justification for 90 extrajudicial executions a transparent lie. Trump is deploying massive military force to overthrow Maduro and seize Venezuela's oil reserves while designating a cartel that experts say doesn't even exist as terrorists. The real goal is regime change dressed up as drug enforcement, with most Americans opposing this reckless march toward war.
Nerd narrative
There is a 52% chance that the United States will attack Venezuela before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
National Guard Soldier Dies After White House Shooting
Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from injuries sustained in a shooting near the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced during a publicly broadcast Thanksgiving call to service members Thursday evening. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
Both National Guard members were part of the West Virginia National Guard deployed to Washington in August as part of an initiative to address crime in the capital. According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Beckstrom had volunteered to work the Thanksgiving holiday shift so that other Guard members could spend time with their families.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly drove from Bellingham, Washington, to carry out the attack using a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. He was subdued after being shot by another National Guard member and remained hospitalized under guard.
Republican narrative
Biden's reckless Afghan evacuation program allowed dangerous individuals into the U.S. without meaningful vetting, exposing Americans to avoidable threats. More recently, Democrats have called for troops to ignore orders, actions which undoubtedly contributed to this attack. In contrast, Trump's immediate suspension of Afghan immigration processing signals decisive leadership and a willingness to act swiftly to safeguard national security.
Democratic narrative
Abandoning Afghan allies who risked their lives helping America would betray future partnerships and make the country less safe. The shooter worked with the CIA against the Taliban and was vetted before entry in the United States, making this an isolated tragedy rather than evidence of systemic failure. Collective punishment of 77,000 law-abiding Afghan refugees would certainly be morally bankrupt.
Nerd narrative
There is a 63% chance a civilian will be shot by the U.S. national guard on U.S. soil before the end of Trump's second term, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
General Sworn in as New Guinea-Bissau Leader
Guinea-Bissau's military installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as president on Thursday to oversee a one-year transition period, a day after soldiers toppled President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in a swift power grab that followed a disputed election held on Sunday.
The self-styled "High Military Command for the Restoration of Order" on Wednesday announced they had seized power from Embaló, saying the move came in response to a destabilization plan involving politicians and drug barons, without providing further details.
Inta-a, who served as army chief of staff and was viewed as close to Embaló in recent years, said he was sworn in "to lead the High Command." Guinea-Bissau has been labeled a "narco-state" by the U.N., acting as a key transit point in trafficking cocaine from Latin America to Europe.
Narrative A
The military takeover in Guinea-Bissau represents an illegal abortion of democracy, orchestrated by a general with deep ties to the ousted president to subvert the will of voters. General Inta-a’s longstanding loyalty to Embaló and his strategic appointment just before the coup reinforce growing speculation that the entire operation was arranged in advance to avoid electoral defeat. This premeditated power grab fits into a wider and deeply troubling pattern of six coups across West Africa since 2020.
Narrative B
The military intervention prevented narcotraffickers and corrupt political actors from hijacking Guinea-Bissau’s democracy through a coordinated attempt to manipulate the electoral process. General Horta Inta-a’s one-year transition seeks to confront growing instability in a country long undermined by drug networks that corrode state institutions. Swift action was necessary to disrupt a destabilization plot involving well-known drug lords and foreign actors whose influence had become increasingly dangerous.
Canada: Carney, Smith Sign Pipeline Deal; Guilbeault Quits
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday that commits Ottawa to adjusting the West Coast tanker ban if a pipeline project is approved and provides opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.
The agreement stipulates that Alberta will implement an industrial carbon price of $130 per tonne by April 1, bringing it above the federal benchmark, and that Ottawa will immediately suspend the clean electricity regulations in the province pending a new carbon price agreement.
The deal pairs the pipeline project with the proposed Pathways Alliance carbon capture project, and government officials say the two projects must be built in tandem. The carbon capture system is designed to capture emissions from oil sands projects and transport the captured carbon to underground storage.
Government-critical narrative
The pipeline deal is a dangerous distraction from real projects that actually create jobs and revenue right now. Renegotiating federal climate policies province by province will trigger a race to the bottom, increase emissions, and create investment uncertainty. No private buyers exist for this phantom pipeline, which lacks a clear route and adequate Indigenous support, and faces an immovable tanker ban on the north coast.
Pro-government narrative
This transformational energy agreement balances environmental responsibility with economic growth through industrial carbon pricing at $130 per tonne and a 75% methane reduction target. The pathway to an Asian pipeline enhances Canada's energy independence, but requires the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project as a prerequisite. This nuanced approach positions Canada as a global energy leader.
Israeli Police Kill 2 Palestinians in Jenin Amid Probe
Israeli Border Police officers shot and killed two Palestinians in Jenin on Thursday, reportedly after the men exited a building with their hands raised and appeared to surrender, according to video footage published by multiple news outlets and eyewitness accounts from the scene.
The Israeli military and police stated that the two men were affiliated with a terror network in Jenin and had previously thrown explosives and fired at Israeli forces. They added that the incident is under review by commanders on the ground and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.
Palestinian authorities identified the deceased as Al-Muntasir Billah Abdullah, 26, and Yousef Asasa, 37, with Islamic Jihad stating both men were members of its military wing. Israeli forces retained custody of their bodies following the incident.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel operates under the strictest moral and legal military standards while losing the information war because it verifies facts before speaking. Hamas violates every humanitarian rule, fires from hospitals and schools, yet Israel faces condemnation for upholding international law while its enemies gain sympathy for breaking it.
Anti-Israel narrative
Israeli forces maintain kill zones where troops shoot anyone who enters, including unarmed children. The systematic targeting of civilians in evacuation zones treated as extermination areas constitutes genocidal acts and government-sanctioned ethnic cleansing.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that the Gaza war will end and significant progress will be made towards a two-state solution before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Ukraine: Top Zelenskyy Aide Resigns After Raid by Anti-Corruption Investigators
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, had resigned hours after investigators from the country's anti-corruption bodies announced they carried out a raid at the home of the official.
The statement from Ukraine's National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) said it carried out the searches alongside the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s office (SAP) but did not specify the nature of allegations against Yermak.
However, it came as the bodies have been probing a $100 million embezzlement and kickback scheme involving Energoatom, Ukraine's state-backed nuclear energy company.
Pro-establishment narrative
These searches by Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies, going all the way up to the president's chief of staff, show that measures are working. While there are some ways to go, Ukraine should be credited for these developments.
Establishment-critical narrative
While a number of Zelenskyy's close associates have already been ensnared in this scandal, the involvement of Yermak brings a whole new dimension to the case. It is more likely that this development is the final nail in the coffin of the Zelenskyy government.
Nerd narrative
There's a 10% chance that Ukraine will join the EU before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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