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Apple Has Given Up on the Vision Pro After M5 Refresh Flop
Apple has all but given up on the Vision Pro after the M5 model failed to revitalize interest in the device, MacRumors has learned. Apple updated the Vision Pro with a faster M5 chip and a more comfortable band in October 2025, but there were no other hardware changes, and consumers still weren't interested. The Vision Pro has been criticized for its high price tag and its uncomfortable weight.
Lawmakers urged by AHA to support key health initiatives in FY 2027 appropriations bill
The AHA April 29 urged House and Senate appropriations committee leaders to fund health care programs that have been successful in improving access to care for patients and communities nationwide, as the committee begins drafting the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills. The AHA encouraged Congress to support various programs focusing on the health care workforce, maternal and child health, rural health, disaster preparedness, medical research and behavioral health. Additionally, the AHA urged legislators to include specific bill language that would bar the use of funds for the implementation of a 340B Rebate Model Program at the Department of Health and Human Services.
College football post-spring top 25: Texas on top, Texas Tech tumbles amid Brendan Sorsby absence
A shocking gambling scandal forces a manual override of our analytics model, dropping Texas Tech out of the top 10 as the Longhorns claim the No. 1 spot
Biosphere 2 poised to become a launchpad for landscape terraformation science
"From Early Earth to Mars" explores how life can transform planets in an effort to make Mars habitable while keeping Earth livable. At Biosphere 2, the LEO Survey's massive hillslopes allow researchers to monitor how bare rock gradually evolves into biologically active terrain in real time and virtually via a digital twin model.
GitHub rushed to fix a critical vulnerability in less than six hours
A critical remote code execution vulnerability was discovered using an AI model and patched within hours.
Meet the AI jailbreakers: ‘I see the worst things humanity has produced’
To test the safety and security of AI, hackers have to trick large language models into breaking their own rules. It requires ingenuity and manipulation - and can come at a deep emotional cost
OpenAI won the AI compute race. The business model is next.
Sam Altman's "compute is destiny" bet looks right, but AI giants face big questions on costs, revenue, and demand for smarter models.
RFK Jr. wants to treat addiction by creating wellness farms. Does it work?
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a farm community in Italy for people with addiction is a model for wellness camps designed to ease the U.S. overdose crisis. Critics say the idea is dangerous.
6 things the hospital-at-home model needs to scale up nationally
Earlier this year Congress extended CMS’s hospital-at-home waiver for five years via the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. With that bold stroke, ‘HaH’ services became eligible for Medicare reimbursement through September of 2030.
Energy system science must look beyond net zero
Nature Reviews Clean Technology - Energy system models are used to inform decisions about the clean energy transition. Extending the foresight horizons of these models beyond net-zero target dates...
Spurs vs. Trail Blazers odds, prediction, time: 2026 NBA playoff picks, Game 5 best bets by proven model
SportsLine's model has revealed its San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers picks for their Game 5 matchup in the 2026 NBA playoffs
Top Texas Tech football donor says nobody has 'authority' to 'enforce any rules' in college sports right now
Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell told Fox News Digital he has concerns about college sports rule enforcement, calling the governance model broken.
San Francisco State University Partners with UC Law San Francisco to Expand Downtown Presence - UC Law San Francisco (Formerly UC Hastings)
SFSU’s Lam Family College of Business will use classroom and office space at 198 McAllister Street to establish a new downtown campus. San Francisco State University (SFSU) and UC Law San Francisco have reached an agreement that establishes a new downtown home for SFSU’s Lam Family College of Business at UC Law SF’s Academic Village. The agreement places SFSU business students in close proximity to leading employers, industry partners and transit hubs, enhancing opportunities for internships, networking and career advancement. The UC Law SF Academic Village is a shared-campus model designed to foster collaboration among higher education institutions and contribute to San Francisco’s ongoing revitalization. San Francisco State University (SFSU) and UC Law San Francisco have reached an agreement that establishes a new downtown home for graduate business programs from SFSU’s Lam Family College of Business at UC Law SF’s Academic Village. The agreement creates a new downtown campus location for SFSU, giving students direct access to San Francisco’s thriving business environment. Beginning in Fall 2026, graduate business students will take classes at the UC Law SF building at 198 McAllister Street, at the nexus of the Civic Center, Mid-Market and Tenderloin communities. Under the agreement, SFSU will occupy 3,200 square feet of exclusive teaching and office space and will share additional classrooms with UC Law. The move positions students in close proximity to leading employers, industry partners and transit hubs, enhancing opportunities for internships, networking and career advancement. “This partnership is an example of the growing strategic collaborations that expand opportunities for our students,” said SFSU President Lynn Mahoney. “By situating graduate business programs in the city’s urban core, we will help students build connections, gain experience and achieve their goals for meaningful careers and upward mobility.” Students enrolled in select Lam Family College of Business graduate programs will have access to the Academic Village’s modern classrooms, conference facilities, library, study spaces and resident and event support services. The site also includes lounges, on-site dining and newly built, fully furnished, apartment-style housing for students and professionals. As institutional partners, SFSU College of Business students and alumni are eligible for tuition discounts if they enroll in the UC Law SF Master of Legal Studies program, designed for professionals whose work intersects with the law. “San Francisco State University is an excellent addition to our Academic Village, and we are excited to have the Lam Family College of Business join us in the fall,” said UC Law SF Chancellor & Dean David Faigman. “The partnership advances UC Law SF’s commitment to collaborate with California’s other great public schools and adds vibrancy and energy to the heart of the city. Our students and programs will benefit from the interdisciplinary opportunities that will arise.” The UC Law SF Academic Village is a shared-campus model designed to foster collaboration among higher education institutions and contribute to San Francisco’s ongoing revitalization. The Lam Family College of Business will begin occupying its new space there in July 2026, with classes beginning in August. The move continues SFSU’s longstanding presence in downtown San Francisco and reflects a broader effort to align academic programs with the needs of both career-minded students and the region’s expanding and evolving workforce. For more than 60 years, the Lam Family College of Business has delivered high-quality, AACSB-accredited business education across the San Francisco–Silicon Valley region. Its graduate programs — including the MBAand the STEM-designated Master of Science in Business Analytics and Master of Science in Accounting and Analytics — are designed to help students develop the skills they need to navigate the complex challenges of a global, data-driven economy. About San Francisco State University San Francisco State University is a public university serving students from the San Francisco Bay Area, across California and around the world, with nationally acclaimed programs that span a broad range of disciplines. More than 20,000 students enroll at the University each year, and its more than 304,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond. Through them — and more than 1,300 world-class faculty members — SFSU proudly embraces its legacy of academic excellence, community engagement and commitment to social justice. For more information, visit sfsu.edu. About UC Law SF UC Law San Francisco is a public law school of the University of California, founded in 1878 as the first law school in the UC system. Located in San Francisco’s Civic Center, it offers a comprehensive legal education with a strong emphasis on experiential learning, public service and professional preparation. Through its Academic Village, UC Law SF brings together students, faculty and partner institutions in a collaborative campus environment in the heart of the city. Other Academic Village partners include UC San Francisco, UC Davis, the University of San Francisco and the University of the Pacific Dugoni School of Dentistry. For more information, visit www.uclawsf.edu.
A startup says Cursor's AI agent deleted its production database
The founder of PocketOS said that a Cursor AI agent running on Anthropic's Claude Opus model was behind the "destructive action."
Commerzbank Quips UniCredit ‘Doesn’t Know’ Its Business Model
Commerzbank AG reacted with sarcasm to a recent advertisement campaign by UniCredit SpA against the German lender, highlighting the escalating rhetoric in a takeover campaign that’s already lasted for more than 19 months.
The short-term rental platforms rolling out alternative business models
Short-term rental platforms are reviving subscription models as hosts seek lower distribution costs and more control over bookings.
Thunder vs. Suns odds, prediction, time: 2026 NBA playoff picks, April 27 best bets by proven model
SportsLine's proven model has revealed its Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns best bets for the 2026 NBA playoffs
Apple’s new MacBook Ultra could be exactly what I’ve been wanting
Apple’s MacBook Pro overhaul might actually be a new model: MacBook Ultra. Here’s why it sounds like the exact model I’ve been wanting.
Images of Samsung's rumored smart glasses have leaked
Samsung is reportedly preparing to launch a pair of smart glasses currently codenamed "Jinju." The company is also making a more advanced model with a display.
Rethinking Utility Incentives and Business Models in the Age of Distributed Energy
Many utilities have been slow to embrace distributed energy resources (DERs) and, in some cases, have reshaped rate structures and compensation mechanisms to limit their growth. This is not simply resistance to change. It is a rational response to incentive structures that favor building infrastructure over technology advancement and energy optimization and efficiency.
America Can’t Lower Healthcare Costs Without A Moonshot
Why fee-for-service and value-based care are failing, and why only a “moonshot” in healthcare payment models can make care affordable again.
Treatment-first court model is redefining justice for people with serious mental illnesses
Kalamazoo County’s Mental Health Recovery court offers an alternative path for certain nonviolent offenders living with serious mental illness.
Scientists discover how to freeze transplant organs without cracking them
Scientists are making a major leap toward freezing organs for future use without damaging them. A new study reveals that one of the biggest obstacles—cracking during ultra-cold preservation—can be reduced by carefully tuning the temperature at which tissues enter a glass-like state. This breakthrough builds on recent successes in cryopreserved organ transplants and could bring the long-imagined idea of “banking” organs for later use much closer to reality.
Thunder vs. Suns odds, prediction, time: 2026 NBA playoff picks, April 27 best bets by proven model
SportsLine's proven model has revealed its Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns best bets for the 2026 NBA playoffs
Noctua says “feel free” to 3D print your own Noctua fans after releasing public CAD models online
Noctua has long been a go-to brand for PC building enthusiasts, and now, the company has released a library of free 3D models to explore.
Palmeiras reject multi-million Manchester City bid for Heittor Vinicius
Manchester City have seen an initial €20 million offer for Palmeiras’ Heittor Vinicius turned down.A strategic Etihad recruitment model substantiates the pursuit of emerging Brazilian talent.Playe...
Low-ego design teams | invisible ROI for attractions
Why humility, not hero designers, is becoming the industry’s most valuable asset
US Regional and Mid-Sized Banks Are Dramatically Reinventing Their Business Models
Regional and mid-sized banks have traditionally held stable positions within the US banking sector. But fluctuating interest rates, shifting depositor preferences, stringent regulatory requirements and technological advancements are driving many institutions to undertake significant transformations to maintain their competitive positions.
Yearbook Advice vs. Seed Business Reality: “Never Change” Is an Awful Strategy
Seed companies can’t rely on “never change” thinking. To stay competitive, leaders must protect customer trust while evolving sales channels, pricing models, digital tools, agronomic insight, and product positioning. Intentional change helps seed businesses adapt to farmer expectations, build resilience, create differentiation, and keep growing in a fast-changing agricultural marketplace.
OpenAI Building A Custom Smartphone Processor With Qualcomm and MediaTek, Targeting 300-400 Million Annual Smartphone Shipments to Dethrone Apple’s iPhone
OpenAI's strategy upends Apple's business model, which is all about milking revenue from its ecosystem of services built on smartphone apps.
L'Oreal chairman says Coty lacks business model
The chairman of French cosmetics group L'Oreal dismissed any comparison with struggling beauty group Coty on Friday, adding that the smaller company had no business model at all.
Early attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prediction from longitudinal electronic health records
Nature Mental Health - Using electronic health records from over 140,000 children, the authors developed a neural network model that predicts attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis...
NBA Playoffs odds, picks: Best bets for Celtics-76ers, Lakers-Rockets on Sunday, April 26
Here are the SportsLine Projection Model's top picks for Sunday's NBA playoff games
NBA Playoffs odds, picks: Sunday's best bets for Celtics-76ers, Lakers-Rockets and more
Here are the SportsLine Projection Model's top picks for Sunday's NBA playoff games
NBA player prop picks, odds, free best bets: Model backing LeBron James in 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 26
The SportsLine model has revealed top NBA props picks and NBA predictions for the NBA Playoffs on Sunday
Developed Countries Propose ‘Hybrid’ Model Ahead Of Pandemic Agreement Talks
Yet another negotiating session on the outstanding annex of the Pandemic Agreement begins at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) headquarters on Monday (27
What Separates Porsche's GTS Models From The 'Real' GT Cars?
Porsche's naming scheme can get confusing for the uninitiated. Here's what seperates a true GT Porsche from the GTS models.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves odds, prediction, time: 2026 NBA playoff picks, April 25 best bets by proven model
SportsLine's proven model has revealed its Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves best bets for the 2026 NBA playoffs
NBA Playoffs odds, picks: Best bets for Knicks-Hawks, Nuggets-Timberwolves, more on Saturday, April 25
Here are the SportsLine Projection Model's top picks for Saturday's NBA playoff games
ChatGPT's Latest Update Makes It Harder Than Ever to Spot AI-Generated Images
ChatGPT's latest image model, Images 2.0, is capable of generating highly realistic images.
NBA player prop picks, odds, free best bets: Model backing Jayson Tatum in 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 24
The SportsLine model and team of experts reveal top NBA props picks and NBA predictions for the NBA Playoffs on Friday
Eberly College of Science honors three with Outstanding Science Alumni Award
The Penn State Eberly College of Science has honored three alumni with the Outstanding Science Alumni Award for 2026. The board of directors of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society established this award in 1995 to recognize alumni who have a record of significant professional achievements in their field and who are outstanding role models for students in the college.
iPhone 18 Could Come With 12GB of RAM
Apple's standard iPhone 18 could feature 12GB of memory for the first time, according to analyst Dan Nystedt. In a new post on X, Nystedt said that the standard iPhone 18 will match the 12GB of RAM Apple gave the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max last September. It would mark the first time the entry-level iPhone model has shipped with that much memory. This rumor making the rounds again, add 12GB of RAM.
Foldable 'iPhone Ultra' Could Be Missing These 5 Key Features Despite $2,000 Price Tag
Apple's first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Ultra," could be missing at least five key features present on the iPhone 18 Pro models despite its $2,000 price point. Recent images of dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson and Vadim Yuryev seem to reveal two previously undiscussed missing features of the iPhone Ultra: MagSafe and the Action Button.
MIT scientists build the world’s largest collection of Olympiad-level math problems, and open it to everyone
MIT CSAIL scientists have compiled the largest high-quality dataset of proof-based math problems ever created. It can help researchers test AI models’ mathematical reasoning, while capturing the full range of mathematical perspectives and problem-solving traditions within the global math community.
Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI
Apple’s sold-out Mac mini is spawning marked-up eBay listings as demand surges for the compact desktop, now favored for running local AI models and tools.
Breaking Point: Why the Affordable Housing Business Model Is Unraveling
With rising insurance, debt, and operating costs outpacing rents and subsidies, affordable housing is becoming harder to finance.
iPhone 18 rumored to get at least one new Pro-tier upgrade
Apple’s base model iPhone 18 will reportedly come with at least one new Pro-tier upgrade when it launches: 12GB of RAM.
Leaker details next year’s ‘iPhone 20’ display features
Next year is rumored to bring a radical new 20th anniversary iPhone model. Here’s what the latest leaks say about the ‘iPhone 20’ display.
Scientists just found where airborne microplastics really come from
Microplastics are floating through the atmosphere and spreading across the globe, but their true origins have been misunderstood. New research shows land sources emit over 20 times more microplastic particles into the air than the ocean, challenging earlier beliefs. Scientists also discovered that previous models dramatically overestimated how much plastic is in the atmosphere.
L'Oreal chairman says Coty lacks business model
The chairman of French cosmetics group L'Oreal dismissed any comparison with struggling beauty group Coty on Friday, adding that the smaller company had no business model at all.
Dolby Elevates In-Car Entertainment to New Heights at Auto China 2026
More Automakers, More Models: Dolby-enabled Vehicles Drive the Next Generation of In-Car Entertainment.
OpenAI's Denise Dresser: Enterprise customers will be 50% of business by year-end
Denise Dresser, OpenAI chief revenue officer, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the company's latest model, GPT 5.5, the enterprise part of the business and much more.
Turtle Beach Command Series keyboard and mouse with touchscreens announced
Turtle Beach has expanded its portfolio of gaming keyboards and mice with two new models of the former and three new of the latter. The Command series KB7 TKL and KB5 feature touchscreens, and so does the MC7 mouse.
Ranked: AI Models U.S. Businesses Pay For
OpenAI has long been the leader for paid usage by U.S. businesses, but Anthropic has closed the gap with tools like Claude Code and Cowork.
Latest iPhone 18 Pro Max Dummies Suggest Thicker Camera Plateau, More Protruding Lenses
Apple is expected to bring several camera enhancements to the iPhone 18 Pro models this year, but there have been no fixed rumors suggesting these upgrades will require measurable, visible changes to the device's rear camera plateau. And yet a new series of dummies suggests exactly that. iPhone 17 Pro dummy (left) vs.
AI just discovered new physics in the fourth state of matter
Physicists have taken a major step toward using AI not just to analyze data, but to uncover entirely new laws of nature. By combining a specially designed neural network with precise 3D tracking of particles in a dusty plasma—a strange “fourth state of matter” found from space to wildfires—the team revealed hidden patterns in how particles interact. Their model captured complex, one-way (non-reciprocal) forces with over 99% accuracy and even overturned long-held assumptions about how these forces behave.
Cityblock Health Appoints New Chief Health Officer to Advance Technology-Enabled Clinical Care Model for Government Programs
/PRNewswire/ -- Cityblock Health, a value-based healthcare provider for Medicaid and dually eligible beneficiaries, announced the appointment of their new...
Here's How the iPhone Ultra Compares to Other Apple Devices
With dummy models of Apple's rumored foldable iPhone now circulating, YouTube channel Max Tech's Vadim Yuryev has shared images and video of the book-style form factor compared to existing Apple devices, giving us a better idea of what to expect when it launches later this year. The foldable iPhone's inner display is said to have a 4:3 aspect ratio like an iPad, and it will have an iPad mini-sized OLED display when it's opened up.
How Spirit Airlines’ business model collapsed—and why a Trump bailout could make things worse
Covid, a failed merger, and now a spike in jet fuel prices have conspired to make Spirit's finances unworkable.
Base Mac Mini Sold Out From Apple Online Store
Apple appears to be sold out of the base Mac mini, and the machine is listed as “Currently Unavailable” from the Apple Online Store. The base Mac mini is the model with an M4 chip, 256GB of storage, and 16GB RAM. M4 Mac mini models with upgraded storage are still in stock, as are Mac mini models that are equipped with the M4 Pro chip. Configurations with 24GB RAM are also still available, but some models that use 32GB RAM or higher are out of stock.
Ashley Graham Teases Cameo in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ at Entertainment Marketing Summit
Supermodel Ashley Graham is adding actress to her resume with a cameo credit in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” set to hit theaters on May 1.
The base model $599 Mac mini is now completely out of stock
The industry-wide supply chain issues continue to hit prospective Apple customers looking to buy new Macs. Today, the base model...
Opinion: A new financing model can make Chicago a global sports leader
A dual-track model for stadium funding could help Chicago attract major events while aligning public investment with long-term returns.
Medical school launches first data science-focused center on immunology
The new center is the first in the Jeffrey Modell Foundation's international network focused specifically on informatics and data science. Its designation signals a shift in how researchers approach immunology, using large-scale data to better understand immune disorders and improve patient care.
Integrated Modeling Virtual Institute (IMVI)
A framework for NASA's state-of-the-art Earth system models to advance Earth understanding and deliver actionable insights for societal benefit
Claude Mythos AI Model Uncovers 271 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Firefox
Anthropic’s latest frontier AI model, Claude Mythos Preview, has identified a staggering 271 zero-day vulnerabilities in Mozilla Firefox marking a seismic shift in AI-powered cybersecurity defense. The findings, addressed in Firefox 150, represent the most significant single batch of security fixes in the browser’s history. The discovery didn’t happen in isolation. Since February 2026, Mozilla’s […]
iPhone 18’s new specs might bring subtle regressions to cut costs
Rumors about the base iPhone 18 indicate it could regress in minor ways to be more like Apple’s budget ‘e’ model.
Leaker: Apple to Downgrade iPhone 18 in Two Ways
Following the emergence of a rumor that Apple is planning to downgrade the iPhone 18 to cut costs, further detail has emerged suggesting that display and chip specifications will see downgrades. Earlier this week, the leaker known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the iPhone 18 features "certain manufacturing downgrades" that bring it more into line with the low-cost iPhone 18e model. The decision is said to be "a cost-cutting measure".
Alkami Releases The 2026 Update to the Business Banking Digital Maturity Model
/PRNewswire/ -- Alkami Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKT) ("Alkami"), a digital sales and service platform provider for financial institutions in the U.S., in...
iPhone 18 Pro to Kick Off Apple's Four-Part Camera Upgrade Plan
Apple is evaluating four camera upgrades for future iPhone models, with the first new feature scheduled for this year's iPhone 18 Pro models, according to a reputable Chinese leaker.
Sam Altman: Anthropic is using 'fear' to tout Claude Mythos
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in contrast to Anthropic's recent moves, OpenAI would err on the side of giving more people access to AI models.
Scientists Finally Crack Decades-Old Mystery of “Breathing” Lasers
A new model reveals that two very different laser pulse behaviors are fundamentally connected.
Scientists stunned as JWST finds ice clouds on a giant alien planet
Scientists have discovered unexpected water-ice clouds on a distant, Jupiter-like exoplanet, challenging current atmospheric models. By directly imaging Epsilon Indi Ab with the James Webb Space Telescope, they found less ammonia than expected—likely hidden by thick, patchy clouds. The finding reveals new layers of complexity in giant planets and shows how much we still have to learn.
Mozilla says it patched 271 Firefox vulnerabilities thanks to Anthropic's Claude Mythos
Mozilla shared some details that support Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI model as a way to protect critical services.
Mozilla: Anthropic's Mythos found 271 zero-day vulnerabilities in Firefox 150
CTO says new AI model is "every bit as capable" as world's best security researchers.
OpenAI Beefs Up ChatGPT's Image Generation Model
The ChatGPT Images 2.0 model is here. Our testing shows it's better at creating more detailed images and rendering text, but it still struggles with languages other than English.
ChatGPT's new Images 2.0 model is surprisingly good at generating text
ChatGPT Images 2.0, the newest image generation model from OpenAI, shows just how much AI capabilities have evolved over the last few years.
Beyond DTC: Finding the Best Business Model for Your Brand with Molly Sims and Randy Goldberg
The best brands aren’t choosing between online and in person retail—they’re doing both, intentionally. Bombas co-founder Randy Goldberg and YSE Beauty founder Molly Sims break down how to expand your model without diluting your brand.
Paradigm Health Launches SPIRE to Accelerate Late-Phase Clinical Evidence Generation
/PRNewswire/ -- Paradigm Health today announced SPIRE — Scalable Platform for Integrated Research & Evidence — a new model for post-approval and late-stage...
The Business Model Podcast: From Idea to Business
Anybody can have a good idea. It’s taking the next step that gives people more trouble. On this Founder Group Chat, we have three founders who have turned
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
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