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Poll: Who Rules Christmas Day?
Editor's note: Welcome to Athlon Sports' poll of the day, where we ask readers to weigh in on the biggest topic of the day. Thanks for voting, and be sure to sound off in the comment section. NFL fans are still abuzz over the 2026 schedule release.
Care Out Loud launches in Jacksonville with mental health awareness event
A new mental health coalition in Onslow County held its first event in Jacksonville, connecting hundreds of residents with local mental health and substance abuse resources.
Brabus Just Built the Wildest V12 Grand Tourer You'll See This Year
The Brabus Bodo is a 1,000-horsepower tribute to the company's founder, and it's limited to just 77 examples.
U.S. and Nigerian mission kills Islamic State group leader, Trump says
Trump made the announcement of the joint operation to take out Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki in a late-night social media post Friday that offered few details.
The Brabus Bodo Makes Aston’s Vanquish Look Underpowered And Cheap
The exclusive GT honors Brabus founder Bodo Buschmann and features a twin-turbo V12 with nearly 1,000 hp
Moratorium won’t impact existing home health, hospice services in Maine, advocates say
The Trump administration announced a 6-month moratorium on new agencies, citing 'waste, fraud and abuse' in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Federal 340B drug program accused of health care abuse
FOX Business' Gerri Willis reports on health care abuse accusations against the federal 340B drug program and the impact of costs on 'Varney & Co.'
The postwar UAE and the remaking of Gulf politics – European Council on Foreign Relations
Iran’s attacks on the Gulf have convinced Abu Dhabi that accommodation with Tehran has failed. Leaving OPEC reflects the UAE’s turn towards strategic autonomy,
Minnesota readies first-ever K-12 health education standards
Advocates say the new standards, set to be phased in over the next three years, introduce needed guidance on nutrition, first aid, sex and abuse prevention. Some school watchers worry the standards will burden already overwhelmed educators.
Boys Town Nevada lights Las Vegas sign green for Mental Health Action Day
The “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign lit up green as Boys Town Nevada marked Mental Health Action Day and urged people who are struggling to seek help.Over
YAS ISLAND TO BE HOME OF SPHERE ABU DHABI, A NEW GLOBAL ICON FOR IMMERSIVE ENTERTAINMENT
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) today announced that Yas Island has been selected as the location for Sphere Abu Dhabi, a landmark project with a construction phase cost of USD 1.7 billion. Poised to become a global icon, the venue will attract tourists from around the world, boost economic diversification, and strengthen Abu Dhabi's sense of place for residents and visitors alike. Sphere Abu Dhabi, which will be the first Sphere venue outside the United States, will be built on a plot of land between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, with lush green surroundings and proximity to other Yas Island theme parks and attractions. Construction on the venue is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: "Abu Dhabi has always built for the long term, and Sphere Abu Dhabi is a powerful demonstration of that commitment. In a region where the appetite for
Kash Patel and the Trump administration’s mockery of congressional hearings
Top Trump administration officials have made it abundantly clear from Day One just how little regard they have for Congress, including and possibly especially its constitutional oversight duties.
Renowned Energy-Storage Leader Aims To Expand University’s Impact
Dr. Babu Chalamala joined the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science as a professor of materials science and engineering last fall. He holds the Jonsson School Distinguished Chair and is supported by the Governor’s University Research Initiative. In June, he also will be a professor of electrical and computer engineering. Dr. Babu Chalamala, […]
Trump ties himself in knots to avoid resuming a full-scale war in Iran
President Donald Trump has tried to will an agreement into existence. Instead, he’s made it abundantly clear to everyone that he’s desperate for a deal.
Iowa politics: Gov. Reynolds to sign animal cruelty bill into law Monday
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will sign a bill making animal torture a felony, a move supporters say strengthens protections and increases penalties for the most severe cases of abuse.
Neutrino detector could help scientists unlock Big Bang mysteries
A snappy new device is looking for the most abundant, yet elusive particles in the universe.
Win Abu Garcia’s New Revo SX VoltIQ!
Wired2fish is proud to partner with Abu Garcia to giveaway its new Revo SX VoltIQ High Speed Low Profile Reel to 5 anglers.
Jared Wolff Plots Banc of Cal's Next Chapter - Los Angeles Business Journal
Sitting at the helm of the $34 billion Banc of California, Jared Wolff is too busy to think about legacy. In seven years as the Brentwood-based regional
2 returning Americans watched closely for hantavirus: US health officials
Two Americans were in biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution,” Health and Human Services posted on social media.
Hackers abuse Google ads, Claude.ai chats to push Mac malware
Attackers are abusing Google Ads and legitimate Claude.ai shared chats in an active malvertising campaign. Users searching for "Claude mac download" may come across sponsored search results that list claude.ai as the target website, but lead to instructions that install malware on their Mac.
Trump’s role as LIV Golf host renews scrutiny over conflicts of interest
Experts are raising conflict-of-interest and ethical concerns after President Donald Trump hosted a LIV Golf event at his Virginia property this weekend, renewing scrutiny over whether the Trump family is financially benefiting from his time in office while supporting a golf league backed by a government accused of human rights abuses.
Colorado’s rulers save democracy from the voters
Another week, another column about Colorado’s ruling class treating democracy like a state trooper treats the speed limit. It’s for other people. I swear, I want to write about literally anything else — aliens, sports, lab-grown meat, Bigfoot opening a vape shop in Pueblo. But Colorado’s legislature has never been more abusive to the citizenry […]
Opinion: US constitutional freedom now twisted to mean abusing others
The United States' great story is inventing constitutional democracy out of monarchy. Now it's the story of freedom to exploit and abuse others.
Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you’re far from alone in seeing it. A new survey by the P…
Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you’re far from alone in seeing it. A new survey by the P…
Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you’re far from alone in seeing it. A new survey by the P…
Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you’re far from alone in seeing it. A new survey by the P…
During Small Business Month, Reform CIPA Coalition Says Best Way to Support Small Businesses Is to Reform CIPA
One of the best ways to celebrate and support small businesses this May is to protect them from abusive litigation tied to outdated interpretations of a 1960s law. In recognition of Small Business Month, the Reform CIPA Coalition today called on California policymakers to modernize the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), by passing SB 690. The Reform CIPA Coalition continues to grow. Among its 146 coalition members, more than 30 individual small businesses and over 40 organizations repres
Prosecutors aim to strip U.S. citizenship from diplomat-turned-spy
The Trump administration moved this week to denaturalize 11 other people accused of crimes, including child sexual abuse and providing material support to terrorists.
America’s oldest chartered hospital is now a Philly museum. Its lead curator wants you to have a ‘fabulous experience’
To mark Pennsylvania Hospital’s 275th anniversary, archivist Stacey Peeples is leading its transition into a museum for the public, open May 8.
Pistons hold off Cavaliers in Game 2 to take 2-0 series lead
Another big 4th quarter from Cade Cunningham pulled Detroit to an early lead at home.
How Disneyland Remade American Politics
America is turning 250, and The Free Press is marking the occasion with a yearlong series of events, conversations, and stories celebrating our country’s history. Today, we’re taking a journey with historian Beverly Gage to Southern California. Beverly traded the archives for the open road for her new book, This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History. We’re proud to publish an excerpt, on the theme park that shaped American politics—and the presidents who loved it. —The Editors On July 17, 1955, Ronald Reagan stood near a mocked-up wood-plank town in Anaheim, California, where a 13-star flag flew incongruously over an “Old West” landscape, and introduced the world to Disneyland. He had been invited by Walt Disney himself to co-host the park’s live ABC broadcast, alongside Art Linkletter and Bob Cummings—three Hollywood actors who seemed to embody a wholesome, all-American ethos. From the imagined past of Frontierland, the show leaped ahead to Tomorrowland, set in the far-off year of 1986, emphasizing the technical marvels yet to come: nuclear energy harnessed for civilian purposes, human beings riding rocket ships into space. Disney foretold great things for a 1980s in which the United States would serve as “a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” But even he could not predict the most important political fact of the age: that his genial co-host would become president. Southern California was a strange place to build a park about the past, because the region at the time was all about newness and abundance and growth. For a lot of its history, Orange County had been Southern California’s version of flyover country: a vast agricultural expanse between two desirable places, Los Angeles and San Diego. But Disneyland was changing that. Before long, 50 miles south of deep-blue Hollywood, Orange County would become a region famed for its right-wing politics—but also for its mythmaking skills. Those two things, it turned out, went naturally together. ADVERTISEMENT The two presidents Southern California gave America both understood this instinctively. Richard Nixon and Reagan each built a national career on invoking a version of the American past in which the specificities of historical context mattered less than the big picture. For Nixon, progress meant proclaiming a “New American Revolution” on the eve of America’s bicentennial while dismantling the federal programs that had built the postwar middle class. For Reagan, it meant recapturing a lost optimism and an old-fashioned faith in America as an exceptional nation. Both men were less interested in history as it actually happened than in history as it felt—and Orange County, a place that had built itself almost entirely from scratch, turned out to be exactly where the myth of America’s future was getting made. I’m a historian—and historians tend to be myth-busters. With the country’s 250th birthday on the horizon, I figured it was a good time to step out of the ivory tower and check in with the past as it exists here and now, at the museums and monuments and roadside attractions where Americans go to learn about their history. After all my travels—to Davy Crockett’s Tennessee and Texas, to the real Erie Canal, to the birthplace of the American automobile and the actual Old West—I couldn’t miss out on Disneyland, the single most influential historic attraction in U.S. history.
Crisis on the sidelines: Youth sports facing epidemic of abuse by adults
Violence among parents at youth sporting events is on the rise, but that’s not the only danger inherent in adult-entrusted settings.
The National Academy of Sciences Elects Two Berkeley Lab Researchers
Two Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. They are part of a cohort of 120 new members and 25 international members. The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and — alongside the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine — provides science, engineering, and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations. The 2026 electees bring the total number of active members to 2,705 with 557 international members. Gary Karpen is a biologist senior faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Biological Systems and Engineering Division and a Professor of Cell and Developmental Physiology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. Karpen studies how the structure, organization, and maintenance of genetic material impact inheritance and cell function. His lab focuses on chromatin — a packaged form of DNA strands wrapped around proteins that comprises our chromosomes — with a particular emphasis on centromeres, rarely expressed sequences called heterochromatin, DNA repair, and regulatory RNAs. His research reveals insights into fundamental aspects of nuclear organization and genome regulation that are shared across the tree of life, broadening our understanding of cancer and other diseases, birth defects, and aging. Kam-Biu Luk is a Professor Emeritus of physics at UC Berkeley and a retired senior faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Physics Division. He is an experimental particle physicist whose research has focused on neutrinos: nearly massless, electrically neutral elementary particles that can pass through matter virtually undetected. Neutrinos are created during radioactive decay processes, including the fusion process occurring in stars and the fission process that powers nuclear reactors. Luk initiated and co-led the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment, a project based in China with more than 200 international collaborators. In 2012, the Daya Bay experiment discovered a new form of a phenomenon called “neutrino oscillation” in which neutrinos change from one type to another. For this discovery, Luk and his collaborator Yifan Wang received the 2014 American Physical Society Division of Particles and Fields W.K.H. Panofsky Prize for outstanding work in experimental particle physics, and he was also the co-recipient of the 2016 Breakthrough Prize. Luk is currently participating in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) hosted by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which will investigate any potential difference in behavior between neutrinos and antineutrinos that may shed light on the evolution of the universe, especially why antimatter is absent in the present universe. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
University of Alabama to launch new School of Data Science
The School of Data Science will be designed to serve all students to ensure data literacy + AI are foundational skills for UA graduates.
‘Terrifying’: political candidate violently abused and schoolboy thrown into bin, antisemitism royal commission hears
The third day of hearings of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion heard further evidence from Jewish Australians
World-renowned ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro plays the Englert
Jake Shimabukuro’s album “Calm Seas” blends his ukulele mastery with ambient recordings from Hawaii’s natural landscapes, creating a tranquil musical experience inspired by the ocean and forest sounds.
Who's Who in Finance: Capital Gap Widens - Los Angeles Business Journal
As one of the key figures in Los Angeles’ chapter of the Small Business Majority, Brian Pifer researches, educates and advocates for the area’s
Who's Who in Finance: Hollywood to Main Street - Los Angeles Business Journal
Downtown-based City National Bank, known for its specialized banking services to high-net-worth clients and the entertainment industry, knows it can’t
Who's Who in Finance: Shrinking SBA Opportunities - Los Angeles Business Journal
After years of working as a hairdresser in New York, getting an employment-based green card was Sayuri Tsuchitani’s first huge leap toward the life she
Mental health support for Maidstone domestic abuse hub
A mental health team will offer support at a domestic abuse hub in Kent in new pilot scheme.
JJ Redick on Lakers' biggest key versus Thunder
Lakers coach JJ Redick knows that there is one glaring key for his team in its upcoming playoff series against the Thunder.
Rural youth show higher firearm exposure, suicide risk and mental health harms
Rural youth experience higher rates of firearm exposure, handgun-carrying and associated mental health risks, according to Rutgers researchers. Their study, published in Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, has ...
This Vampire Musical Is My Favorite New Show on Broadway—It's Scary Good
I just took in a showing of 'The Lost Boys' on Broadway in NYC, and it was a fabulous and scary musical based on the original film. My review? I'd call 'The Lost Boys' the best new musical of the year.
N.Y. Archdiocese offers $800M to settle sex abuse claims
The Catholic Archdiocese of New York has reached a proposed $800 million settlement to end litigation over clergy sex abuse.
Second Chances In The Workforce
People certainly make mistakes — a lot of them through the course of a lifetime, and some that are serious enough to warrant jail time. However, for those mistakes — or crimes — that are less serious, it has been difficult for released and rehabilitated felons to re-enter a workforce that has already labeled and […]
Brian Robinson
Leading family-owned business to new heights Since its founding in 1953, the mere mention of the name of Cleveland-based business, Robinson Electric, has become synonymous with exellence, commitment and community involvement. Current President and CEO, Brian Robinson, said humbly, “that’s just the way we have always worked around here.” It was Robinson’s grandfather, Howard Robinson, […]
Hackers are actively exploiting a bug in cPanel, used by millions of websites
Web hosts are scrambling to fix the bug under active attack by hackers. One company said hackers have been abusing the bug for months.
The LINQ Promenade Celebrates Cinco De Mayo With Food, Drink and Entertainment Specials, May 1 - 5
LAS VEGAS – The LINQ Promenade is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a weekend-long lineup of food and beverage specials, comedy programming and entertainment options across its open-air destination from Friday, May 1 through Tuesday,
Josh Duggar's prison sentence extended as cousin Amy claims he's in solitary confinement
Josh Duggar's prison sentence has been extended as his cousin claims the reality star — who was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material — has been placed in solitary confinement.
Comey and Kimmel cases drive home Trump’s dim view of foes’ free speech
Three weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term last year, Vice President JD Vance infamously lectured Europe about its free speech abuses. He also made a promise.
Health workers still on job after sex abuse reports. Michigan law allows it
Michigan law doesn't require police or non-state licensed health facilities such as massage parlors to report misconduct by some health professionals.
UAE's ADNOC to invest tens of billions to build a US gas business, FT reports
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is planning to invest tens of billions of dollars to build a natural gas business in the U.S., the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Record-breaking Sun Devil 100 class recognized during honoree luncheon
An abundance of maroon-and-gold pride filled the second-floor ballroom of the Omni Tempe Hotel on Friday, April 24, as a record-breaking cohort of alumni business leaders gathered to celebrate their Sun Devil roots.Each year, the Sun Devil 100 recognizes the fastest-growing Arizona State University alumni-owned or -led businesses across the globe, spanning all industries and sizes.
Stratospheric nanoparticles’ surprising abundance is a game changer
Another discovery from NOAA's high-altitude research
NEO health boards host second joint professional development training
Building on a “successful partnership,” the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board and the Ashtabula County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board recently held their second annual professional development t…
Multiple siblings of Michael Jackson's 'second family' accuse him of sexual abuse and grooming in new lawsuit
Four siblings who previously defended Michael Jackson against child molestation allegations have filed a lawsuit against the singer's estate, accusing him of sexually assaulting each of them repeatedly.
Crime crew impersonates help desk, abuses Microsoft Teams to steal your data
: Coming in cold with custom Snow malware
Hackers Can Abuse Entra Agent ID Administrator Role to Hijack Service Principals
A flaw in Microsoft Entra let the Agent ID Administrator role hijack service principals and escalate tenant privileges.
Readers Write: Screentime, religion in education, U health care negotiations, child abuse
The screen problem is of schools’ own making.
Gianluca Prestianni: Benfica winger handed six-match ban for discriminatory conduct towards Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior alleged he was racially abused during the knockout play-off round match between the sides in Lisbon on February 17; Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a six-match ban for discriminatory conduct; UEFA requested FIFA extend the ban worldwide
Political science department to be renamed after former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved renaming the department of political science at the University of
“Leaving Neverland” director says Michael Jackson was 'worse than Jeffrey Epstein,' fans want to forget abuse claims
"How can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester?" Dan Reed asked.
'Leaving Neverland' director says Michael Jackson was 'worse than Jeffrey Epstein,' fans want to forget abuse claims
'Leaving Neverland' director Dan Reed slammed the Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' for ignoring allegations of child sexual abuse, and opined that the late 'Thriller' singer was 'worse than Jeffrey Epstein.'
Dear Abby | Sexual abuse victim isn't interested in forgiveness
Dear Abby: My earliest memories are of my father molesting me when I was 4, 5 and 6. My mother knew. I had appendicitis when I was 4, and she
Rochester businesses dealing with higher seasonal energy bills: 'Chills you to the bone'
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Spring may have started, but winter's wrath seems to be lingering on for at least two businesses in the South Wedge.
Inventive PS5 Adventure Game Out Today on PS Store
The PS Store continues to bring fabulous PS5 games to the digital storefront, including this inventive adventure game that is out today.
New clues for using common fungus to promote crop growth and health
Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.
DeFi Technologies' Asset Management Business, Valour, Secures US$11 Million in Institutional Investment into Hedera ETPs, Including US$10 Million on Börse Frankfurt and US$1 Million on Sweden's Spotlight
Two separate institutional transactions, based on execution value at the time of purchase and originated through DeFi Technologies' Abu Dhabi symposium,...
4 things to know about SF’s most dangerous mental health facility
A Standard investigation found that chaos and violence inside the Crestwood Healing Center are traumatizing and abusing patients, with nowhere else to go.
Behavioral health data exchange challenges impede interoperability, says ONC
Technical barriers, workforce limitation, privacy concerns and cost may all contribute to lower rates of electronic exchange of health information by mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities, a new analysis shows.
West Fork Whiskey sells Westfield venue to Stick and Hack Entertainment
Fishers-based Stick and Hack Entertainment LLC has acquired West Fork Whiskey Co.’s property in Westfield and plans to open a sports and entertainment venu at the site, the company announced Tuesday.
Two Gladiators, One Ambition | Council on Foreign Relations
There is the opposition to President Bola Tinubu, and then there is Atiku Abubakar.
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
U.S. Delivers Maternal Health Equipment Across Madagascar - U.S. Embassy in Madagascar
U.S. Delivers Maternal Health Equipment Across Madagascar U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie Arnold today provided critical maternal and newborn health equipment that will reach healthcare facilities across Madagascar, demonstrating how U.S. foreign assistance builds a safer, healthier world by helping recipient countries build self-reliant health systems in line with the America First Global Health Strategy. Under President Trump’s America First foreign assistance policy and the America First Global Health Policy, U.S. support serves as a tool of strategic engagement – not global charity. Every U.S. taxpayer dollar is subject to rigorous oversight to ensure measurable results, maximum efficiency, and accountability, with zero tolerance for fraud, waste, or abuse. Through the bilateral Global Health Memorandum of Understanding with Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health, both governments agreed on shared priorities and responsibilities, including a strong focus on maternal and newborn health and Madagascar’s increasing co-investment in its own health system. Madagascar continues to face major challenges in maternal and newborn health, including high maternal mortality rates and significant gaps in access to quality delivery care. In rural regions, many women still give birth at home or in facilities without adequate infection-prevention supplies. Through the U.S.-funded Momentum Country and Global Leadership Project, the United States is providing essential equipment to healthcare facilities nationwide: calibrated reusable drapes for infection prevention in approximately 1,000 community health centers (CSBs), single-use calibrated drapes for 35 hospitals, and management tools for health workers to improve data collection and care coordination. “U.S. foreign assistance makes America safer by preventing instability and strengthening health systems that can detect and contain infectious diseases before they cross borders,” said Chargé d’Affaires Arnold during the handover ceremony. “Our support is temporary and targeted, designed to help Madagascar build greater self-reliance and reduce long-term dependence on U.S. taxpayer resources.” This U.S. support will help standardize safe delivery practices, strengthen infection prevention, and improve data management systems. Used effectively, these materials will contribute directly to reducing maternal and newborn deaths, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas where access to quality delivery care remains limited. From major hospitals to remote health centers, U.S.-funded equipment is already delivering results. The nationwide scope of this support ensures that women and newborns across Madagascar benefit from improved infection prevention and safer delivery practices. This targeted assistance helps save lives today while supporting Madagascar’s transition toward a self-sufficient health system, ensuring that today’s U.S. support leads to Madagascar’s future independence from foreign assistance.
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