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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the most-awarded Game of the Year recipient of all time, celebrates its one-year anniversary with... new haircuts?
As Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 celebrates its first anniversary and 8m sales, Sandfall Interactive has released a brand-new update for the acclaimed RPG.
Peter Molyneux Reacts to Fable Reboot Ditching Fan-Favourite Feature From the Original
IGN spoke to Peter Molyneux, who led Fable developer Lionhead and who has just released his new game, Masters of Albion, into early access on Steam, to get his thoughts on the lack of a fan-favorite feature in the Fable reboot.
FDA Accelerates Action on Treatments for Serious Mental Illness Following Executive Order
President Trump issued an Executive Order directing HHS to accelerate access to treatments for patients with serious mental illness.
Shapiro Administration Highlights Governor’s Proposed Investments to Improve Health Care and Social Services for Pennsylvanians Leaving Incarceration during Second Chance Month
Shapiro Administration Highlights Governor’s Proposed Investments to Improve Health Care and Social Services for Pennsylvanians Leaving Incarceration during Second Chance Month
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gets Free Anniversary Update That Adds Fresh Haircuts for the Whole Party
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is celebrating the first anniversary of its release with a free update that adds new cosmetic options for the game's full party.
Nintendo releases Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 soundtracks on Spotify
Starting today, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy music can be played on Spotify. Nintendo said that the music is being offered in celebration of Mario’s 40th anniversary. Between the two games, you can listen to 130 tracks, coming in at about five hours. Nintendo has long had a strange – or perhaps absent – relationship with the leading...
DoJ watchdog will investigate release of Epstein files
An internal watchdog will review the agency’s handling of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, including whether relevant documents were properly redacted
CapitaLand India Trust 1Q 2026 Business Updates
April 24, 2026 -- Please refer to the attached presentation slides.AttachmentsAttachment 1 (PDF) (Size: 1,713,866 bytes)Release ID: 89189735If t...
Lucas parts ways with SM Entertainment
Lucas, a former member of NCT, has ended his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment, the agency announced Friday. In a statement released via global fan commu
Legal victory for home and business owners impacted by Hurricane Harvey flooding downstream from Addicks and Barker dams
A federal judge ruled downstream property owners near the Addicks and Barker dams suffered damage after government water releases following Hurricane Harvey.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred will release earlier than expected in the US, and teams up with Overwatch for some of the coolest skins I've ever seen
The Diablo 4 developer chat just dropped a bunch of new info, Overwatch Skins, Twitch Drops, and a bucket of updates with Patch 3.0.0
Michigan auto stakeholders sound alarm ahead of governor election
MichAuto is holding roundtables across the state to develop an automobility policy roadmap expected to be released ahead of the November election.
iOS 26.4.2: Apple Fixes iPhone Flaw Used By FBI To Read Deleted Messages
Apple has released a new iPhone update — that has taken many by surprise — to address a vulnerability that was recently exploited by the FBI.
Health officials nix publication of study on Covid vaccine effectiveness
The report's release had previously been delayed after the CDC's acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, expressed concerns about its methodology.
Weekend Entertainment | Jo Dee Messina Is Back
Country music veteran Jo Dee Messina hasn’t released a full-length studio album in a dozen years, but that’s about to change.
Here’s a preview of Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s wallpapers, hinting at colors [Gallery]
Google’s Pixel 11 series is in the pipeline and, in the latest Android 17 beta release, we spotted a quick...
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced's Collector's Edition Includes a Gorgeous Statue and Is Available for Preorder Now
Everything you need to know to preorder Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, including pricing, availabilibty, release date, and more.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Out July 9: Everything You Need to Know
Get all the details on Resynced including release date, PC specs, new content, the different editions available, and more.
Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ Arrives In Less Than A Week After A Record Breaking Theatrical Run
Pixar's Hoppers has a confirmed digital release date following a record breaking box office run and strong critical praise. Here's what families need to know.
"Pulsing Aura" Set Revealed for "Pocket" Featuring Mega Lucario! -...
The next Pocket set will be named Pulsing Aura (B3) and will release on April 28th! It will feature Mega Lucario ex. (As its counterpart, a future
Big Health System CEOs to Testify Before Congress as Health Care Costs Continue to Skyrocket
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee announced a hearing next week with hospital system CEOs, Families USA, the longtime national nonpartisan health care consumer advocacy organization, released the following statement by its executive director, Anthony Wright: “The CEOs of the big hospital chains have some explaining to do […]
Attorney General Sunday Reaches $40K Settlement With Florida-Based Company that Allegedly Posed as Pa. State Agency Targeting New Business Owners
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Dave Sunday announced a settlement with a Florida-based company and its owners for allegedly impersonating a Commonwealth agency as part of efforts to get money from owners of newly-registered Pennsylvania businesses. The company will pay $40,000 in total restitution to impacted business owners. PA Corporate Certificates, LLC, contacted Pennsylvania-based business owners […]
Android 17 isn't out yet, but Google is already testing its first big update
Google has released Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 for Pixel devices.
Republicans pressure Ron DeSantis to redistrict in Florida after Virginia Democrats’ win
Senior Republicans in Washington are ramping up the pressure on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to lead a redrawing of his state’s US House map after Virginia Democrats triumphed in potentially flipping four seats in their favor. A special session to consider redistricting in Florida is slated to start Tuesday, but no map has been publicly released. A DeSantis spokesperson did not respond to a CNN inquiry about its status. Key Republicans involved in redistricting say they’ve been kept largely in the dark on DeSantis’ plans. There’s no coordination on the state level because of strict state rules around partisan gerrymandering, and no maps have been officially circulated within Florida’s congressional delegation either.
Crimson Desert Gets Its Biggest Patch Yet, Adds Difficulty Settings, Much-Needed Storage Improvements, and Even Birds as Pets
Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has released update 1.04.00, which makes significant improvements to the game. Chief among them is the addition of difficulty settings, new storage improvements, new pets, keyboard/mouse and controller preset options, new category tabs for the inventory, new skills, improvements to distant scenery quality, and a lot more.
Nexon announces dark fantasy MMORPG Embers of the Uncrowned, set to release for PC via Steam
Embers of the Uncrowned also features 'intense action from a vivid isometric perspective', a settlement progression system, and three different player classes.
Google Releases Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 for Pixel
Google surprised us a bit this afternoon with the release of Android 17 QPR1 Beta 1 for its Pixel line-up. This update will come after the first stable build of Android 17 is released, which...
WHO reports measurable health impact in 2025 amid transition to new strategy
The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its Results Report, highlighting measurable improvements in people’s health worldwide in 2025, despite funding cuts affecting both the organization and the broader global health sector.
Ingrid's movelist and mechanics details revealed for Street Fighter 6 with her unique Sun Crest abilities and tons of attacks
After waiting 10 months since her initial reveal, Ingrid just received her gameplay trailer for Street Fighter 6, but that's not all we got to dig into.Capcom also just released a bunch of additional details on Ingrid's ...
“There’s No Delay Incoming” For GTA 6, It’s Claimed, as the November Release Date is Seemingly Locked-In
"There's no delay incoming" for GTA 6, it's been claimed, and its November 19, 2026 release date is reportedly locked-in.
iOS 26.4.2 Patches Flaw That Let FBI Extract Deleted Signal Messages
The iOS 26.4.2, iPadOS 26.4.2, iOS 18.7.8, and iPadOS 18.7.8 updates that Apple released today address a security vulnerability that the FBI recently used to extract Signal message previews from an iPhone even after the app was deleted. A flaw with notification services allowed notifications that were supposed to be deleted to be retained on an iPhone or iPad. Apple says it fixed the logging issue with improved data redaction.
Apple Releases iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 With Bug Fixes
Apple today released minor iOS 26.4.2 and iPadOS 26.4.2 software updates for the iPhone and iPad, respectively. The updates are available two weeks after Apple released iOS 26.4.1 and iPadOS 26.4.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings → General → Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, the software updates contain unspecified bug fixes and security updates.
Possessor(s) coming to Switch 2 on April 29
Publisher Devolver Digital and developer Heart Machine will release side-scrolling action adventure game Possessor(s) for Switch 2 on April 29, the companies announced.
Preorders Are Live for the Switch 2-Exclusive Splatoon Raiders and Its Three Accompanying Amiibo Figures
Everything you need to know to preorder Splatoon Raiders for Nintendo Switch 2, including pricing, release date, and where to find the accompanying amiibo figures.
Jigi Dinero has the latest in entertainment headlines
Drake sent fans in a frenzy to find out his new album release date, plus other top stories from Jigi.
Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Nintendo Switch 2 Editions have just released
Two more Nintendo Switch 2 Editions have just dropped with Annapurna releasing new versions of Sayonara Wild Hearts and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Right now we’re only seeing it in Japan, but it should be rolling out in other regions over the next day. Sayonara Wild Hearts now includes a Remix Arcade mode in which players are tasked with aiming...
AHA releases Q1 2026 Health Care Plan Accountability Update
The AHA today released its Health Care Plan Accountability Update, covering the latest developments in Medicare Advantage, legislation and regulation of private health insurers, as well as other resources from the last quarter.
AMD Launches the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition Processor
Today, AMD released the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor, the first processor that brings dual AMD 3D V-Cache technology to the desktop, unlocking a new level of performance for developers, creators and gamers. Built for demanding developers, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition proce...
Ohio State releases findings in investigation into Ted Carter's business relationship with podcaster
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...
Advancing Earth Observation at NASA since Release of Earthrise Photo
From cameras pressed against spacecraft windows to the most powerful radar ever flown, imaging technology has taken giant leaps since 1968, but the drive to understand our home in the cosmos has remained.
Report: Washington State’s Life Sciences Industry Outpaces National Life Science and State Private Sector Job Growth for 5th Consecutive Year
Life Science Washington, the state’s industry trade association, today released its annual Economic Impact Report which reveals Washington’s life sciences in...
Remedy releases Control on iPhone and iPad with touch controls, reworked gameplay systems, and ray tracing
Remedy Entertainment has released Control Ultimate Edition on iPhone and iPad with custom controls, reworked mechanics, and even ray tracing.
Xbox Game Pass price cut but day-one Call of Duty access ended
New Call of Duty games will be added to the subscription service "about a year" after release, Microsoft said.
Bringing Business Data Insights to Every User with Gemini Enterprise and Oracle AI Database
At Google Cloud Next 2026, Oracle and Google Cloud showcase new AI integrations and ongoing expansion of Oracle AI Database@Google Cloud.
WV’s shortage of psychiatrists worst in the nation, report says
Trilliant Health, a Tennessee-based health care analytics and market research firm, released its 2026 Behavioral Health Report in April 2026 and reported that West Virginia has 5.7% of the adequate supply of psychiatrists needed to serve the state’s population, which is the lowest percentage of any state in the nation. Brad Story, the CEO of the West Virginia Behavioral Healthcare Providers Association, said this is the result of several converging challenges.
Microsoft releases emergency patches for critical ASP.NET flaw
Microsoft has released out-of-band (OOB) security updates to patch a critical ASP.NET Core privilege escalation vulnerability.
Op-Ed: Veterans' mental health is suffering. We're turning it around
For those in corrections system, support services must begin before release and embrace every need on reentry
Westfield whiskey seller to make way for indoor golf and entertainment venue
A Hamilton County whiskey distillery and restaurant will be selling its hospitality and real estate assets to an indoor golf and social entertainment club, said a news release issued Tuesday morning.
How Al Gore Politicized Climate Science
An Inconvenient Truth turns 20 next month. In the 2006 documentary, former vice president Al Gore argued that human-driven climate change was an urgent, civilization-threatening crisis. The film became a cultural phenomenon, winning two Academy Awards and making climate change one of the defining political issues of our time. I am sure that there will be many retrospectives seeking to relitigate the scientific claims in the film. But the far more important anniversary story is not about the accuracy of any of Gore’s individual claims but rather about what the film helped to unleash in the scientific community: bringing partisan politics into the institutions of science. Gore did not simply make a film about climate change: He implored the scientific community to join him in overt climate advocacy. The fuel that Gore added to the fire of pathological politicization of the climate science community is the most important legacy of An Inconvenient Truth. Almost three years after the film’s release, Gore took the stage at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)—the country’s largest and most prominent scientific organization—and delivered something much closer to a revival sermon than a scientific lecture. Gore told the assembled scientists that they could no longer “in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live.” His directive was clear:
Here's What's New in iOS 26.5 So Far
iOS 26.5 has been in beta since late March, with a third beta released this week. The update is relatively minor so far, which is not too surprising given that Apple is starting to shift its focus towards iOS 27. Apple will unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and the update should be released in September. iOS 26.5 lays the groundwork for two changes, including end-to-end encryption for RCS in the Messages app and ads in the Apple Maps app.
Live Nation Entertainment Schedules First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release And Teleconference
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV), the world's leading live entertainment company, will release its first quarter 2026 financial results after market hours on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Michael Rapino, Live Nation Entertainment's President and Chief Executive Officer, will host a teleconference that day at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m.…
Live Nation Entertainment Schedules First Quarter 2026 Earnings Release And Teleconference
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: LYV), the world's leading live entertainment company, will release its first quarter 2026 financial results after market hours on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Michael Rapino, Live Nation Entertainment's President and Chief Executive Officer, will host a teleconference that day at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) to discuss the company's financial performance, operational outlook, and other forward-looking matters.
Bug & Bud Festival releases entertainment schedule ahead of April 25 event
Organizers of Milford’s annual Bug & Bud Festival have released a full “run of show” schedule, outlining a day of performances and activities planned for
Microsoft cuts Xbox Game Pass price, to remove 'Call of Duty' day one inclusions
Microsoft has dropped the price of its video game subscription service and the platform will not include future "Call of Duty" game releases on launch day, the company said on Tuesday, in the first major strategy shift under new gaming boss Asha Sharma.
ARPA-H announces first research teams for $139 million initiative to transform behavioral health and bring new, more precise and effective treatments to Americans
The EVIDENT initiative builds on the Trump Administration’s executive order to accelerate medical treatments for serious mental illness.
Ohio State releases findings in investigation into Ted Carter's business relationship with podcaster
Registered Nurses, Customer Service Representatives and Retail Salespersons are the Top Jobs in February - Alabama Department of Labor
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 21, 2026 Registered Nurses, Customer Service Representatives and Retail Salespersons are the Top Jobs in February MONTGOMERY - Data collected and analyzed by the Alabama Department of Workforce’s Labor Market Information (LMI) Division shows that in February 2026, there were 104,060 job ads posted in Alabama, representing a monthly increase of […]
iOS 26.5 Release Date: When To Expect Your iPhone Messaging Upgrade
Apple is working update iPhone messaging with some of the most drastic changes in years.
Ohio State releases findings in investigation into Ted Carter's business relationship with podcaster
Splatoon Raiders gets summer Switch 2 release date, as well as a Deep Cut amiibo to add to your collection
Nintendo has announced a release date for its single-player focused action shooter, Splatoon Raiders.
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
Nintendo announces Splatoon Raiders Switch 2 release date with new trailer
The release date for Splatoon Raiders has just come through. As revealed through the Nintendo Today app, the game launches on July 23, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2. It’s been close to a year since Splatoon Raiders was first revealed. Nintendo pulled back the curtain on the project last June, but we hadn’t heard anything since. Now it’s known that...
PGA TOUR and Front Office Sports Announce Content Agreement
The multi-year deal will bring fans closer to the business stories that dominate conversations through content from key PGA TOUR moments.
Samsung To Release New Free Upgrade To Millions Of Galaxy Phones
Samsung is bringing a major free Galaxy S26 upgrade to millions of Galaxy phones via the One UI 8.5 release.
Apple to drop Intel Mac support with macOS 27, Tahoe 26 becomes final release
macOS 27 will end support for Intel-based Macs Apple is preparing to end major macOS support for Intel-based Macs with macOS 27. The change is being
Holland & Knight Health Dose: April 21, 2026 | Insights
Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy released a healthcare agenda to expand TrumpRx, increase price transparency and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
The Death of Public Health
During the recent measles outbreak, the largest in more than 30 years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to clearly recommend the measles vaccine, saying instead that it was a “personal decision,” and that parents should “do their own research.” Similarly, during her recent confirmation hearing for United States Surgeon General, Casey Means was questioned by Senator William Cassidy (R, La). “You’re the nation’s doctor,” said Cassidy. “Would you encourage [a mother] to have her child vaccinated!” “I’m not an individual’s doctor,” Means said. “And every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body.” In June 2025, Marty Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that COVID vaccines for pregnant women should be a “personal choice”, even though every other country in the world recommended the COVID vaccine during pregnancy due to a higher risk for severe disease. It doesn’t end there. On January 5, 2026, RFK Jr. reduced the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. For vaccines that protected against influenza, COVID, and rotavirus, parents were urged to speak with their doctors—to make an individual choice. (On March 16, 2026, in a ruling by a federal court in Boston, RFK Jr.’s revised schedule was invalidated.) What’s happening? Why are public health officials moving away from making recommendations for the public? The origin of this change might be rooted in the first two years of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, during the first year on the pandemic, we didn’t have anything to stop a virus that was killing hundreds of people a day and could be spread asymptomatically. We didn’t have antivirals until October, monoclonal antibodies until November, and vaccines until December. All we could do was restrict travel, close businesses, shutter schools, and mask, isolate, quarantine, test, and social distance. During the second year of the pandemic, when we had vaccines to prevent COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere without their vaccine cards. They couldn’t go to their favorite bar or restaurant or sporting event or place of worship without proof of vaccination. Some people were fired from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. For many, this was seen as massive government overreach and energized what has been called the “medical freedom movement.” Indeed, a headline in the New York Times declared, “How Health Freedom Became a Winning Rally Cry.” As expressed in the comments of RFK Jr., Casey Means, and Marty Makary, the medical freedom movement focuses on the individual not the community—the opposite of public health. In an article titled “Ethics and Social Value Judgments in Public Health,” ethicists from Yale University distinguished public health from medical freedom. “Public health policies,” they wrote, “are population oriented. Because individual health affects the health of others, public health measures regulate individual behavior to achieve population health goals. All raise questions about how individual autonomy and freedom should be balanced against public health interests…which respects individuals’ sovereignty over their bodies and actions as long as their actions do not harm others.” The medical freedom movement fails to recognize that it often limits the freedom of others. For example, a parent who is afraid to send a child to school where many of the students are unvaccinated. Or immune compromised children who depend on those around them to for protection. The question then becomes “Freedom for whom?” Is it your right, in the name of medical freedom, to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection—and in so doing, take away the freedom of others? In Four Essays on Liberty, Isaiah Berlin sums it up best. “Liberty for the wolves,” he wrote, “is death to the lambs.” Thanks for reading Beyond the Noise! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
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