Pro-Trump narrative

TikTok's sale to American investors finally frees the platform from Chinese control and protects national security. The deal ensures majority American ownership through Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX. A seven-member board dominated by Americans will oversee operations and safeguard American users' data from foreign influence.

Anti-Trump narrative

This deal is a sham divestment that leaves TikTok's core technology in Chinese hands while pretending to address security concerns. ByteDance retains ownership of the underlying algorithm and keeps a 20% stake, meaning the structure looks more like a franchise arrangement than the clean break Congress demanded to eliminate covert data access risks.

Nerd narrative

There's a 95.5% chance that TikTok will still be available in the U.S., owned by a foreign adversary, on Dec. 31, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Russia narrative

Russia stands as Africa’s authentic partner in the pursuit of economic sovereignty, rejecting the notion that the continent exists merely as a source of raw materials. Moscow emphasizes long-term investment, industrial capacity building and technology transfer as the foundations of sustainable growth rather than short-term extraction. This relationship is defined as partnership, not dependency. Unlike Western powers that impose political conditions, Russia respects African sovereignty and the right of states to choose their own path and partners without interference.

Anti-Russia narrative

Russia’s economic promises to Africa amount to hollow propaganda masking a predatory agenda. Trade data exposes Moscow’s repeated failure to deliver on investment pledges, with relationships dominated by lopsided exports and sustained more by messaging than tangible results. To compensate, the Kremlin relies heavily on disinformation to project an illusion of influence. On the ground, this approach translates into exploiting fragile states through mercenary violence and extractive deals, reducing African countries to dependent clients rather than equal, long-term partners.

Nerd narrative

There is a 64% chance that there will be a successful coup in Africa or Latin America before March 1, 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-establishment narrative

Blocking the EU–Mercosur agreement undermines Europe’s global credibility and risks pushing Latin American economies further into China’s orbit at a moment of intensifying geopolitical competition. After 25 years of negotiations, abandoning a deal covering 780 million people would expose the EU’s inability to act decisively on trade, especially as U.S. tariffs harden access to American markets, leaving the bloc without leverage or alternatives when strategic options beyond both Beijing and Washington are urgently needed.

Establishment-critical narrative

European farmers oppose the EU–Mercosur deal because it would flood EU markets with cheaper imports produced under lower standards, undercutting prices and livelihoods. The same logic entrenches a neocolonial model abroad, locking Latin America into raw-material exports while importing European goods and banned pesticides. The deal risks accelerating Amazon deforestation, destroying indigenous lands and violating rights, as Europe greenwashes its economy by shifting environmental costs to the Global South.

Nerd narrative

There is a 96% chance that the EU will rank above the U.S. and China every year in the Climate Change Performance Index until 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Left narrative

Gun buybacks serve crucial purposes beyond immediate crime reduction statistics. They engage communities, educate the public about gun safety and work effectively when part of broader violence prevention strategies. The lack of standardized scientific data doesn't prove ineffectiveness but calls for better evaluation.

Right narrative

Gun buyback programs waste taxpayer money and fail to reduce crime. Studies show no evidence that these programs deter gun violence, and some research even finds gun crimes increase after buybacks. Cities would be better off investing in proven strategies like focused deterrence instead of ineffective feel-good policies.

Narrative C

Australia's 1996 mandatory buyback succeeded because it wasn't merely symbolic — it accompanied decisive federal legislation banning automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Collection events mean nothing without the law. Real change demands bold legislation, not just tables piled with surrendered guns.

Pro-Europe narrative

In October, the EU decided to help Ukraine meet its budget commitments, and as a result of Friday's agreement, it has delivered for the Ukrainian people. This is not to prolong the war, but it shows Russia that Europe remains by Ukraine's side and is a means of forcing Russia to the negotiating table. Ukraine does not have to repay the funds until Russia pays reparations, and the EU reserves the right to use immobilized Russian assets at a later stage.

Establishment-critical narrative

Thank goodness that due to the stance taken by a handful of European leaders, common sense prevailed and the plan to fund a loan to Ukraine via Russian assets failed. This plan was legally questionable at best and would have had a far-reaching impact on the future of the Euro as a reserve currency. Why would countries hold funds in Europe if they can simply be confiscated? Europe's confrontational stance, once met with the real-world consequences, has once again failed.

Pro-Ukraine narrative

Ukraine is grateful to the leaders of the EU who, via the loan agreement, have allowed the country to meet its financial obligations for the next two years. This is incredibly important for the resilience of the country. In the meantime, it is essential that frozen Russian assets remain immobilized for the foreseeable future.

Pro-Russia narrative

Russia is grateful to the actions of Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic who protected the principle of property rights and exposed the incompetence of the warmongering EU elites who pushed these illegal actions. They also saved the EU from itself in helping to prevent the investor exodus that would have followed if the plan to confiscate Russian assets succeeded.

Nerd narrative

There's a 9% chance that Ukraine will join the EU before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Left narrative

A witness who spotted the Brown shooter acting suspiciously chose to first post details on Reddit instead of immediately contacting police, delaying the investigation by three critical days. This reckless decision to seek online attention rather than alert law enforcement directly could have cost more lives and raises serious questions about why someone would trust social media over a 911 call during an active manhunt. The troubling decision to outsource public safety to the internet prioritizes anonymity and online engagement over immediate action. Regardless, the federal investigation, up until this lead surfaced, was deeply inept.

Right narrative

The Brown shooter was an immigrant student who may have had extremist ideology. He entered America through the diversity visa lottery program and never should have been allowed into the country in the first place. Trump tried to end this disastrous program back in 2017 after another lottery visa recipient committed a terrorist attack in New York City. This tragedy proves the diversity lottery puts American lives at risk by admitting dangerous individuals who go on to murder innocent students.

Nerd narrative

There's a 9% chance that at least 10,000 Americans will die in a single year from a single conflict by 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Techno-skeptic narrative

Copyright protections must be upheld, and tech companies cannot be allowed to freely exploit creative work without permission or payment. The overwhelming 88% support for requiring AI companies to obtain licenses proves that creators refuse to accept a system where their labor trains machines without compensation. Fairness and transparency aren't optional, but essential to preserving the creative industries and the people who make them great.

Techno-optimist narrative

AI tools are revolutionizing filmmaking by democratizing production and enabling creators to make high-quality content faster and cheaper than ever before. The technology allows filmmakers to produce work at the speed of culture, potentially discovering the next generation of great directors who lack big studio backing. While artists should be part of the discussion, the tech itself should be seen as a helpful tool, not a human replacement.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that an original, wholly AI-generated feature film will rank #1 on a popular streaming service by August 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Narrative A

Facebook’s current link-sharing test reinforces the value of Meta Verified, which provides essential tools that help creators and businesses build authentic connections while protecting their brands from impersonation and spam traffic. The subscription offers proactive monitoring to remove fake accounts, 24/7 enhanced support and upgraded profile features that boost engagement. These professional-grade services deliver real value for serious creators who want to establish credibility and efficiently reach their audiences.

Narrative B

Facebook's new pay-to-post scheme through Meta Verified is nothing more than a digital toll booth that will devastate small publishers, bloggers and businesses who can't afford subscription fees. This move compounds the damage already done by social platforms deliberately suppressing external links, which has already slashed news site referrals by 60% and cost hundreds of journalism jobs. Charging users to share basic web links transforms Facebook into a predatory platform that extracts money from creators while killing organic reach.

Narrative C

Meta's current link-sharing test is small, but it signals a major directional shift — link publishing could become a paywalled feature. The test explores whether verified accounts inspire more trust, boost confidence in shared links, and gain value from higher posting capacity. If expanded, this approach could redefine Facebook, making visibility and credibility increasingly tied to a subscription.

Pro-Trump narrative

This merger creates America's first public nuclear fusion company, positioning the United States to lead the AI revolution and achieve energy independence. After falling behind China for decades, this deal represents an all-hands-on-deck moment to solve the energy constraints threatening U.S. technological dominance. TAE's 25 years of breakthroughs and guidance from five Nobel Laureates make this the most promising path to abundant clean energy.

Anti-Trump narrative

This merger looks like another Trump cash grab, with the president positioned to profit from an unproven technology that's never reached commercial viability. Nuclear fusion startups remain ripe for grift, with no serious examples of energy production far above break-even limits. Trump's pattern of lucrative side hustles — from Truth Social to crypto platforms — suggests this deal serves personal enrichment rather than national interest.

Nerd narrative

There's a 50% chance that nuclear fusion will provide at least 0.1% of the world's primary energy by May 2049, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Pro-Trump narrative

Nine pharmaceutical giants just surrendered to Trump's demands — slashing drug prices to match the lowest in the world and ending decades of Americans subsidizing foreign health care. This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in American health care history, with massive reductions like diabetes medication dropping from $525 to $55 and asthma inhalers falling from $265 to $89.

Anti-Trump narrative

The pharmaceutical deals are largely inconsequential to drugmakers' profit margins and won't translate into meaningful discounts for most Americans, who rely on insurance rather than cash payments. Details remain scarce on implementation, while Trump's tariff policies have greatly stressed the economy — contributing to rising prices and social anxiety.