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Broward Health Foundation Raises Nearly $3.5 Million at 13th Annual Broward Health Ball
The 13th Annual Broward Health Ball raised nearly $3.5 million to support medical education and patient care. Learn more about the evening's impact and donors.
Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Monday, April 27
Vermont high school sports scores and results as reported to the Burlington Free Press sports department.
AMC Entertainment Scores a Thriller Weekend as MICHAEL Delivers a Record-Breaking Debut
AMC Entertainment once again welcomed global audiences in significant numbers to its theaters across the U.S. and internationally, as Michael moonwalked to the strongest biopic opening in box office history. These reported opening numbers for Michael include Friday through Sunday attendance figures, along with its Wednesday and Thursday preview screenings. As a result of the […]
Data-Driven Research is Helping Health Policy
Dr. William Schpero has seen firsthand how public policy drives patient outcomes at the population level, cementing a core idea that continues to guide his work as a health economist: that policy can be a powerful force for improving health equity — or, if poorly designed, a barrier to it.
Purdue Fort Wayne adds hockey, lacrosse to club sports offerings
The athletes will be decked out in new uniforms, and the field will include a new scoreboard.
Mobilizing parliamentary leadership to protect women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in times of crisis: PMNCH at the 152nd IPU Assembly
At the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Istanbul, Türkiye (15–19 April 2026), PMNCH called on global parliamentary leaders to prioritize women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (WCAH) as a cornerstone of peace, justice and sustainable development. Bringing together over 1,500 delegates from 126 countries, the Assembly underscored the urgent need for coordinated parliamentary action to protect essential health services, strengthen financing and advance accountability in the face of growing global crises.
Scores of Lebanon’s paramedics killed in Israeli attacks
A paramedic’s death reverberates through a community in Lebanon, and raises fears of wider trend.
Where to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Cleveland Guardians: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 27
Here's how to watch Monday's Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
Even Before the Gunfire. Many Guests Bore the Scars of Political Violence
Gunfire at a press gala on Saturday underscored the ever growing club of political figures whose lives have been upended by violence.
FTC crackdown pushes auto dealers to treat compliance as a core business function
Industry experts discuss the FTC crackdown, dealer transparency and how compliance, culture and pricing strategy impact M&A and valuation.
Intel’s Budget Wildcat Lake Chip Beats Apple’s MacBook Neo by 27% in Multi-Core, Matches A18 Pro Single-Thread Performance
Intel Core 5 320, a Wildcat Lake CPU for budget laptops, has been tested, showcasing good numbers vs competition such as MacBook Neo.
AMC Entertainment Scores a Thriller Weekend as MICHAEL Delivers a Record-Breaking Debut
LEAWOOD, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and the world, once again…...
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 27, 2026, puzzle No. 581
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
🚨 Marco Reus brace leads LA Galaxy to narrow win over Real Salt Lake
LA Galaxy have defeated Real Salt Lake 2-1 in Sunday's MLS matchup, thanks to a brace of set-piece goals from Marco Reus. Scorers: Reus 9', 85' ; Marcinkowski 45+4' (OG)After a strong attacking start...
Justin Wrobleski answers adversity, delivers for Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — The box score will remember it as six scoreless innings.
Three Habits That Can Help Prevent Back Pain
While many factors contribute to back pain or discomfort, focusing on a few core habits can significantly improve your spinal health and reduce the risk of future issues.
Baseball Walks Off Twice For Sweep of George Mason
Bronx, N.Y. – (April 26, 2026) – It's rare to see a walk-off win, but to see two in a doubleheader is special day. That is exactly what happened on Sunday at Houlihan Park, as the Fordham Rams posted walk-off wins in both ends of a doubleheader to sweep a three-game series from the George Mason Patriots by scores of 2-1 in seven innings and 5-4 in 12 innings.
Cosmeticorexia: a worrying obsession with flawless skin or just a new term for an old problem?
The uptick in children focused on skincare has some experts concerned about body image and mental health. But others warn of the risks of rushing to ‘medicalise’ new trends or behaviours
Mason Miller breaks Padres scoreless innings record, now 7 frames away from MLB mark for relievers
Relative Athletic Scores for Colts 8 2026 NFL draft picks
Here are the Relative Athletic Scores for the Colts' 8 selections in the 2026 NFL draft.
Liverpool v West Ham United
Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Liverpool vs West Ham United in the Women's Super League
I want to run for US Senate. Motherhood is why I won't.
Being a mom is the core of my life. Is the risk to my family worth it if America isn't ready for women at the highest level of government?
Highlands students selected to script animated film for mental health awareness
Highlands students were among a limited number of teens selected to help script and score an upcoming animated film that focuses on mental health issues and delivers a message of inclusion and resilience. “Finding Alice in Wonderland” is produced by educational animation company Wonder Media and supported by The Grable
National parks brace for summer surge as Trump administration proposes more staff cuts
The push to cut the park system even further has underscored ongoing questions about how smoothly parks can operate as warm weather and summer vacations draw tourists.
Blazers owner brings hardcore business grindset to NBA
The NBA is known for its perks. New Portland Trail Blazers owner and businessman Tom Dundon is testing how many he can cut.
Everton v Chelsea
Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Everton vs Chelsea in the Women's Super League
High school baseball and softball: Saturday's scores
CIF City Section and Southern Section high school baseball and softball scores for Saturday's games.
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 26, 2026, puzzle No. 580
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
Philip Zinckernagel and Hugo Cuypers lead Fire in rout of Sporting K.C.
Fire score all five of their goals in the second half
Rampant Gilgeous-Alexander fuels Thunder, Magic and Knicks win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points Saturday to propel the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 121-109 victory over Phoenix and a commanding 3-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.They'll try to polish off a sweep in the best-of-seven series on Monday in Phoenix, where the Suns will be painfully aware that no NBA team has rallied from 0-3 down to win a playoff series.
Stankoven scores again, Hurricanes complete 4-game sweep of Senators
Logan Stankoven scored his fourth goal in four games, and Frederik Andersen made 25 saves for Carolina.
Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Saturday, April 25
Vermont high school sports scores and results as reported to the Burlington Free Press sports department.
Deafening Ducks fan "army" earned its Game 3 moment
After eight long years in the darkness, Anaheim fans roared and sent an electric charge into their team for its first home playoff win since 2017 and a single-game record for goals scored.
Where to watch Washington Nationals vs Chicago White Sox: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 25
Here's how to watch Saturday's Chicago White Sox vs Washington Nationals game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 25, 2026, puzzle No. 579
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
Spring sports scores and highlights: April 24, 2026
Highlights feature the baseball game between Spotswood at Turner Ashby
Albany Police Athletic League working to expand youth sports
ALBANY, N.Y. — Youth sports are about much more than just keeping score. They are about shaping the future.Last month, the Albany Police Athletic League announc
Fitbit 4.68 rolling out sleep editing, motivational Coach messages, more personalization
In addition to the Sleep Score redesign, Fitbit this week is rolling out version 4.68 of the Android and iOS apps as a sizable update.
How Investors Are Reacting To Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Upgraded Earnings Momentum And Analyst Sentiment
Sphere Entertainment recently attracted attention after Zacks assigned it a Momentum Style Score of A and a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), reflecting improved analyst sentiment and positive earnings estimate revisions in the period leading up to today. This shift in sentiment highlights how changing expectations for Sphere’s earnings power and momentum profile can influence how investors view its longer-term prospects. Next, we’ll examine how this stronger earnings momentum, highlighted by upgraded...
Amazon’s chip business scores another major win
Amazon’s stock jumped toward a record high Friday, after the company announced that Meta plans to use tens of millions of the company’s Graviton chips for agentic AI workloads.
Christy Giddens Named McKinney ISD Director of Health Services
McKinney, Texas — McKinney ISD is pleased to announce that McKinney ISD Coordinator of Health Ser...
News | North Carolina’s Research Triangle scores another $1 billion-plus life science campus
AbbVie’s drug manufacturing complex in Durham expected to create over 730 jobs
St Mirren v Livingston: Pick of the stats
St Mirren have lost just one of their past 16 Scottish Premiership meetings with Livingston (W7 D8), going down 1-0 away from home in February 2024. Livingston won their first-ever Premiership visit to St Mirren 2-0 in August 2018, but have since failed to win 10 such trips in the competition (D4 L6), losing their past four in a row and failing to score in their latest three. Depending on Kilmarnock's result at Aberdeen, Livingston could be relegated this weekend should they fail to beat St Mirren.
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 24, 2026, puzzle No. 578
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Leaderboard - Full Round Recap
Recaps: The 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, LA is in progress. CBS Sports has news and recaps for the tournament, player news, and scores for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Dodgers Remain Hopeful Despite 2-Game Offensive Skid
The Los Angeles Dodgers have only scored one run over the past two games, but they remain confident in their offensive capabilities.
Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Thursday, April 23
Vermont high school sports scores and results as reported to the Burlington Free Press sports department.
Creation Entertainment Announces Philadelphia STAR TREK Convention to Extend 60th Anniversary Plans
Creation Entertainment extends their 60th anniversary schedule to November with a brand new STAR TREK convention planned for Philadelphia
IKS Health Announces Agreement to Acquire TruBridge to Strengthen Access to Rural and Community-Based Healthcare
DALLAS & MOBILE, Ala., April 23, 2026--Inventurus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. ("IKS"), the U.S. subsidiary of Inventurus Knowledge Solutions Limited (NSE: IKS) ("IKS Health"), a global leader in care enablement solutions, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TruBridge, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBRG) ("TruBridge"), a prominent provider of healthcare technology solutions for rural and community hospitals. This proposed strategic acquisition underscores a commitment to broaden a
Where to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 23
Here's how to watch Thursday's Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
High school baseball and softball: Wednesday's scores
Check out Wednesday's high school baseball and softball scores.
WELL Health Patient Volumes Surge As Primary Care Margins Improve
WELL Health Technologies (TSX:WELL) reported record patient volumes in Q1-2026, supported by higher activity in its Primary Care segment. Operational changes and an expanded affiliate network were key drivers of Primary Care growth and improved clinic margins. The company continues to add clinics to its network, extending its reach across its core markets. For investors watching TSX:WELL, the latest Q1-2026 update focuses on patient volumes and clinic performance rather than headline...
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 23, 2026, puzzle No. 577
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
Francisco Lindor exits tonight’s game with left calf tightness
Lindor appeared to be in pain as he scored on an Alvarez double.
Stanford Health Care and the American Cancer Society plan a Hope Lodge for patients and family members
Stanford Health Care commits $10 million to help the American Cancer Society build a new Hope Lodge to provide temporary lodging for cancer patients traveling to the Bay Area for treatment.
Scientists discover hidden forces are warping Earth deep beneath the surface
Scientists have mapped how Earth’s deepest mantle is being deformed—and the results point to long-lost tectonic plates buried thousands of kilometers underground. Using a massive global dataset of seismic waves, they found that most deformation happens in regions where these ancient slabs are thought to reside. The findings confirm long-standing theories but, for the first time, show the pattern on a global scale. It’s a major step toward understanding how the planet’s interior slowly churns over time.
A Day in the Life of Anne Mahlum, SolidCore Founder and New Mom
Anne Mahlum prioritizes quality time with her son, sleep, a healthy diet and lots of exercise as she works on her upcoming book.
Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Wednesday, April 22
Vermont high school sports scores and results as reported to the Burlington Free Press sports department.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition CPU Is Now Available – The Fastest Dual X3D Stacked Chip On The Planet
AMD launches Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition with 16 cores, 208 MB cache, and 5.6 GHz boost for $899, targeting developers and creators.
Where to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 22
Here's how to watch Wednesday's Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
Where to watch Baltimore Orioles vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 22
Here's how to watch Wednesday's Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
Microsoft Patches Critical ASP.NET Core CVE-2026-40372 Privilege Escalation Bug
CVE-2026-40372 scores 9.1 due to cryptographic flaw in ASP.NET Core 10.0.0–10.0.6, risking SYSTEM access.
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.
A Look At Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Valuation As Upgraded Earnings Outlook Lifts Momentum
Momentum shift puts Sphere Entertainment in focus Recent favorable revisions to earnings estimates and a strong momentum score have pushed Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) onto more investors’ radars, as the stock’s performance has differed from both the broader market and its media peers. See our latest analysis for Sphere Entertainment. Despite a 2.8% decline in the latest session and a 4.4% 7 day share price pullback, Sphere Entertainment’s 30 day share price return of 18.8% and very large 1...
El Paso, Texas high school sports scoreboard: April 21-25
El Paso, Texas high school sports scoreboard: April 13-18
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 22, 2026, puzzle No. 576
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
ND Sports Scores for the week of April 20
Sports scores for ND high school and college teams for the week of 4/20/2026
Church homers to help lift Cardinals past Marlins 5-3
Nathan Church hit a two-run homer and Alec Burleson had two RBIs to back a strong start by Dustin May and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Tuesday night. May (3-2) allowed a leadoff home run to Jakob Marsee — his first of the season — but then settled down. Justin Bruihl followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Framework Laptop 13 Pro is the first major revision to the original Framework Laptop
Laptop includes Core Ultra Series 3 CPUs, a bigger battery, and a touchscreen.
NBC apologizes for 'data issue,' erroneous timeout on scorebug that caused confusion in Knicks-Hawks Game 2
Vermont high school sports scores, results, stats for Tuesday, April 21
Vermont high school sports scores and results as reported to the Burlington Free Press sports department.
Hendersonville's Mia Nitsche leads Week 9 girls spring sports top performers
Hendersonville's Mia Nitsche scored four goals to lead the list of Week 9 WNC high school spring sports girls top performers.
Scientists Take a Step Toward a Quantum Internet Using New York City's Fiber
NYU researchers, working with Qunnect and Cisco, show quantum signals can run on NYC’s existing network
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
Behind the science: Why it pays to fight a virus on the home turf
The emergence of a nasty new virus or even an unexpected flu strain can pose a big public-health headache. Meanwhile, antiviral drug development moves at an agonizingly slow pace and cringingly high cost. But there’s a way around that.
How Tim Cook made China core to Apple
As Tim Cook steps down, here's a look at how he made China central to Apple's growth.
High school baseball and softball: Monday's scores
CIF City Section and Southern Section high school baseball and softball scores for Monday's games.
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 21, 2026, puzzle No. 575
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
Washington County high school spring sports scores for April 20-25
Here are the Washington County high school sports scores for the week of April 20-25.
Wolves Relegated After Crystal Palace And West Ham Ends Scoreless
Wolves have been relegated after Crystal Palace and West Ham drew 0-0 in the Premier League.
WhatsApp Joins Instagram in Selling New Premium Subscriptions
WhatsApp is selling a new premium subscription that includes more custom features, part of a broader effort by parent company Meta Platforms Inc. to build a revenue stream that can complement its core advertising business.
Predicting every game left in the Premier League title: How Manchester City will edge out Arsenal by a goal
If the two teams are tied on points, goal difference could decide the title, so the score of every match matters
Health care leaders discuss opportunities to shape the future of health care delivery, access
AHA Board Immediate Past Chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO, Corewell Health, and Rob Allen, president and CEO, Intermountain Health, participated in a discussion moderated by Jim Skogsbergh, former chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, for a discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing health care leaders in today’s landscape.
Can you determine your personalised stress score?
“I’m stressed” is a phrase that many of us use, but now there are ways to shed light on how stressed you actually are
Elon students inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Society
“What’s so brave about being sick?” It’s a question Prosanta Chakrabarty often asked himself in the early days of his ongoing fight against cancer. It wasn’t until initial treatment...
Okaloosa Students Shine at State Science and Engineering Fair
The Okaloosa County School District proudly recognizes its middle school students' achievements at ...
Where to watch Philadelphia Phillies vs Chicago Cubs: TV channel, start time, streaming for Apr. 20
Here's how to watch Monday's Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies game, including start times, TV channels, scores and how to stream.
Sabres score 4 in 3rd period, beat Bruins 4-3 in playoff opener
Buffalo overcame a two-goal deficit in the final eight minutes.
Score MS Office 2024 Home and Business plus 8 training courses for 72% off
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Gibbs-White the 'catalyst' for Forest again
Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Andy Reid praised "catalyst" Morgan Gibbs-White for a "fantastic" second-half performance against Burnley in which he scored a hat-trick in 15 minutes. It has been him more often than not.
'Jeopardy!' recap: What happened on April 17, 2026
See who played "Jeopardy!" on April 17, who won, the Final Jeopardy! outcomes and final scores.
Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 20, 2026, puzzle No. 574
Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.
Sabres score 4 3rd-period goals to beat the Bruins 4-3 in playoff opener
Buffalo hosts Game 2 of the first-round series Tuesday night.
Insurance moves: Corebridge, W.R. Berkley and AMERISAFE
They include a new CFO and a new board member
Former MSU hockey star scores first career NHL playoff goal
A former Spartans star is continuing to thrive at the highest level of hockey, and now it's happening in the postseason
Scientists unveil how heat-loving enzyme could help improve plastic recycling
Cutinases are fungal enzymes that naturally degrade plant cuticles and show promise for recycling plastics. However, they must balance structural rigidity to withstand high temperatures with flexibility required for catalysis. Now, researchers have investigated the structural basis of catalytic activation in a heat-tolerant cutinase, CtCut, from the fungus Chaetomium thermophilum and found that a rigid core supports stability while a flexible lid is associated with catalytic function, offering insights for improving enzymes for plastic recycling.
Advancing epidemic and pandemic preparedness through research readiness: SEAR Unity Studies Network Sites chart the way forward in 2026
On 25 March 2026, WHO Regional Office for the South‑East Asia Region (SEARO) convened the first meeting of the SEAR Chapter of the Unity Studies Network Meeting in 2026 to take stock of progress and plan next steps for strengthening epidemic and pandemic preparedness across the Region. The meeting focused on reviewing the ongoing adaptation of selected, standard Unity Study methodologies, sharing field implementation experiences from 2025, and identifying key priorities to guide collaborative work in 2026.Held virtually, the meeting brought together representatives from six Unity Studies network sites across five countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) as well as participants from all three levels of WHO.The meeting took place against the backdrop of ongoing regional efforts in South‑East Asia to strengthen early investigations and studies for epidemic and pandemic preparedness, with a focus on pandemic influenza and other emerging respiratory pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential. In this context, and as part of preparedness for the rapid generation of evidence, the WHO Health Emergencies Programme in SEAR (WHE/SEAR) encourages Unity Studies sites to adapt prioritized, standardized Unity Study protocols to their national contexts. This approach supports the generation of timely and reliable evidence to inform public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.These efforts are supported through a combination of experience sharing, participation in the global Unity Studies network webinars, capacity‑building of the national public health workforce, and regional collaboration that promotes inter‑country, inter‑agency, and inter‑ministerial action. In parallel, sites are encouraged to explore diversified funding sources to help sustain research preparedness over the long term.Discussions highlighted the importance of WHO’s catalytic financial support through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contributions (PIP‑PC). When combined with national and institutional resources, this support enables countries and sites to maintain continuity of activities at a core level and remain prepared to respond rapidly and effectively to future epidemics and pandemics.Regional and Global Updates: Opening the session, Dr Pushpa Ranjan Wijesinghe, Programme Area Manager, Pandemic and Epidemic Management (PEM) Unit, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, highlighted the progress made in operationalizing the Unity Studies Network across the Region and acknowledged the collaborative efforts of WHO at all three levels, together with country unity studies sites. He emphasized the availability of limited but catalytic funding through the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Partnership Contribution (PIP‑PC) workplan at SEARO to sustain network activities in 2026, while encouraging sites to leverage additional funding sources to expand implementation.Representing SEARO, Dr Ashok Basnet, consultant, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness reported that, at the regional level, the Unity Studies Network currently includes six sites across five countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He noted that in 2025, catalytic funding supported protocol adaptation, training, and pilot implementation. In addition, a regional Unity Studies symposium held during the Global Public Health Summit in Sri Lanka strengthened and advocated collaboration between the Unity Studies site, national decision‑making forum, relevant technical units of the ministry of health, WHO and other partners.The symposium also highlighted the role of early investigations and studies as a key component of a multi‑source surveillance system needed at country level to generate a broad range of evidence. It underscored the critical role of country Unity Studies sites and similar research entities in generating evidence to support public health decision‑making during epidemics and pandemics.Participants of the WHO GISRS Unity Studies Sites Network- SEAR Chapter Meeting 2026 (Photo credit- PEM/WHE/SEARO). SEARO also updated participants on ongoing efforts to develop a regional Unity Studies webpage and to promote participation in global knowledge‑sharing platforms, including webinars and the WHO Community of Practice. Priorities for 2026 include supporting the implementation of Unity protocols, strengthening collaboration and experience sharing across sites, documenting and publishing findings, integrating Unity Studies activities as a component of multi-source national surveillance systems, and building workforce capacity.Dr Nickle Boddington of the Global Influenza Programme (GIP) at WHO Headquarters, which coordinates the Unity Studies Network globally, provided updates on global Unity Studies activities, noting that the network has expanded to 16 sites worldwide. New and updated protocols, including rapid clinical severity assessment tools and standardized data platforms, are being developed to support implementation. The global Community of Practice has also been launched to facilitate technical exchange, and continued support will be provided to sites for protocol adaptation, ethical approvals, and readiness for early investigation during outbreaks. Updates from Unity Studies sites in SEAR in 2025Unity Studies sites shared progress and experiences in implementing protocols across diverse country contexts. Sites initiated activities in 2025 using catalytic funding from SEARO, complemented by the mobilization of internal national resources. The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Bangladesh, reported the adoption and piloting of investigation protocols on non‑seasonal influenza and emerging respiratory diseases during recent avian influenza outbreaks, demonstrating a multi‑source funding approach involving government, WHO and One Health partners.The Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), New Delhi, India, highlighted the piloting of household transmission investigation studies, the expansion of the national Unity Studies network, and the contribution of study findings to global evidence through published outputs. The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India, shared experiences from large‑scale seroprevalence studies conducted during the COVID‑19 pandemic, recent efforts to strengthen national Unity network sites through training activities, and plans to initiate multi‑centre studies on respiratory viruses.Similarly, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, highlighted its experience in developing integrated surveillance and diagnostic protocols for multiple respiratory pathogens, enhancing readiness for targeted investigations of emerging threats. The University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, reported ongoing engagement with the Ministry of Health and exploration of additional funding sources to initiate studies. Meanwhile, the National Public Health Laboratory, Nepal, provided updates on continued coordination with national stakeholders to initiate implementation, despite delays related to the country context.Across sites, shared experiences underscored the importance of protocol adaptation, multisectoral collaboration, and sustainable funding to operationalize Unity Studies and generate evidence for public health action.Discussions and Way ForwardThe meeting reinforced key priorities for 2026, including strengthening unity studies protocol implementation, enhancing collaboration, knowledge sharing, integrating research as a component of national multi-source surveillance systems, and ensuring that generated evidence informs public health decision‑making. Participants also emphasized the importance of documentation, visibility, and leveraging multiple funding sources, and agreed on the following action points.Unity Studies Sites and WHO Country Offices:Advance adoption and implementation of at least one Unity protocol, continuing activities initiated in 2025 with catalytic funding, supplemented with other sources of funding where feasible.Document site-specific experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned; participate in regional and global knowledge-sharing platforms including WHO webinars and the Community of Practice.Work closely with ministries of health to establish unified national platforms for translating generated evidence into national public health decision-making. WHO Country Offices may facilitate technical support and complementary, synergistic funding opportunities where feasible. WHO Regional OfficeCoordinate with WHO Country Offices to support implementation of core unity studies activities by network sites through catalytic funding and provide technical guidance and virtual engagement opportunities throughout 2026.Facilitate the participation of all Unity Studies sites in the regional meeting on Unity Studies implementation in October 2026, to be held back‑to‑back with the Annual SEAR Regional PIP‑PC Meeting; develop and host a SEAR Unity Studies website; and mobilize support from academic institutions within the SEAR Unity Studies Network to support the development of regional manuscripts that showcase Unity Studies activities to scientific audiences and promote knowledge‑sharing.Explore complementary funding opportunities and partnerships to sustain and expand network activities across the Region.WHO HeadquartersProvide global technical guidance, updated protocols, and toolkits to support the implementation of Unity Studies in SEAR.Facilitate engagement of SEAR sites in global webinars, the Community of Practice, and opportunities to showcase their work.Support joint publications, inclusion of SEAR experiences in global outputs, and identification of additional funding and collaborative opportunities to strengthen Unity Studies activities.