Metaculus

A collection of 2622 posts

Biden Launches US 'Climate Corps'

On Wednesday, the Biden Admin. unveiled the creation of the American Climate Corps — an initiative aimed at environmental projects set to involve 20K young adults in its first year....

United States

Saudi Crown Prince Says Israel Normalization Deal Getting 'Closer'

Saudi Arabia is moving closer to normalizing bilateral relations with Israel, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday in his first interview on US television since 2019....

Politics

US Fed Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged

Following 11 rate hikes in 18 months, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) chose on Wednesday to leave benchmark interest rates unchanged between 5.25%-5.5% in the bid to tackle inflation....

Money

Trump Pledges to Send Troops to Border If Reelected

On Wednesday, former Pres. Donald Trump said he would deploy thousands of troops currently stationed overseas to the US-Mexico border if he's reelected....

Military

Anti-Affirmative Action Group Sues West Point

Virginia-based Students for Fair Admissions on Tuesday filed a suit against the US Military Academy at West Point, accusing the Army’s school of discriminating against white applicants....

Crime & Justice

Iran Passes Hijab Bill

Iran's parliament passed a bill Wednesday that imposes heavier penalties on women for violating the Islamic dress code, including jail terms of up to 10 years....

Politics

Poland to Stop Supplying Ukraine with Weapons Amid Grain Row

Poland, one of Ukraine's closest allies in its war with Russia, said it will no longer provide Kyiv with weapons amid an escalating dispute over Ukrainian grain exports....

Politics

48 Children From Donbas Arrive in Belarus

On Tuesday, Belarusian state news agency Belta posted a photo of some of the 48 children who had arrived in Belarus for a three-week visit from the Donbas....

World

China: Five Killed in Tornado, Further Bad Weather Expected

At least ten people have died and several others have been left injured in China after tornadoes and severe weather tore through the eastern province of Jiangsu on Tuesday....

Weather

South Korea: 17 US Soldiers Detained for Drug Trafficking

On Wednesday, South Korean police announced they had arrested 17 American soldiers for smuggling synthetic marijuana through the US military's postal service and distributing it to at least two US army camps based in Gyeonggi Province between February and May 2022....

Crime & Justice

Climate Report: 35M US Homes Will Be 'Essentially Uninsurable'

In a report by First Street Foundation, a non-profit that studies climate risks, 35.6M properties — one-quarter of all US real estate — face increasing insurance prices and reduced coverage due to potential future climate impacts. The higher costs will also devalue these properties....

Weather

AG Garland Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

The GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday for US Attorney General Merrick Garland, which saw him face accusations of 'weaponizing' the Justice Dept. (DOJ ) in favor of Pres. Joe Biden and his son, Hunter....

Crime & Justice

UN: 1.6K Abuses of Detainees in Taliban Custody

A UN report released Wednesday claims that over 1.6K incidents of rights violations against those detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan were recorded in the 19 months leading up to the end of July 2023....

Crime & Justice

Report: US and Saudi Arabia Explore Defense Pact

The US is reportedly discussing details of a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia amid a push by the Biden admin. to get the Kingdom to normalize ties with Israel....

Politics

Global Debt Surges to Record $307T

Global debt reached a record $307T in the second quarter of 2023, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said on Tuesday....

Money

Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of Genocide, Urges Unity Against 'Russian Aggression'

Making his first in-person speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing genocide and called on world leaders to unite against 'Russian aggression.'...

Military

California Sues Fossil Fuel Giants

California has filed a civil lawsuit against some of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies over claims they intentionally mislead the public about their products’ impact on climate change, which the suit alleges is now causing billions of dollars in damage....

Environment & Energy

Trudeau Links India to Sikh Leader's Murder

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country was reviewing 'credible allegations' that India was involved in the June assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in suburban Vancouver....

Crime & Justice

UN: Crimes Against Humanity Continue in Ethiopia

A report published by the UN on Monday has claimed that war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to occur in Ethiopia — despite the state's government and regional forces in Tigray agreeing to a truce nearly a year ago....

Social issues

Google Expands AI Bot to Gmail, GDrive, and YouTube

As competition with Microsoft-backed OpenAI intensifies, Google announced Tuesday that it will integrate its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, known as Bard, into products such as Gmail, YouTube, and Drive. Users will be able to collaborate with the chatbot through 'Bard Extensions.'...

Science & Technology

Australia Declares Formation of El Niño

On Tuesday, Australia’s leading meteorological organization declared that the El Niño weather pattern has developed over the Pacific Ocean and will bring dry conditions conducive to heatwaves and wildfires to the already hot eastern region of the country....

Weather

Musk Suggests Paywalling X

Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly Twitter, floated the idea of a monthly fee for users during a talk he had Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu....

Science & Technology

UN General Assembly Begins

The UN's annual General Assembly opened Monday, with Secretary-General António Guterres highlighting that the world is facing its highest number of violent conflicts since 1945, as well as high food prices, record temperatures, climate disasters, and unprecedented numbers of migrants and asylum ...

Politics

Virginia: Rep. Jennifer Wexton Won't Seek Re-election

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) announced on Monday that she will not run for re-election in 2024, citing her declining health following a Parkinson's diagnosis in April....

Politics

EU Criticizes Iran for Barring Nuclear Inspectors

On Sunday, the EU criticized Iran for withdrawing accreditation from several UN nuclear inspectors assigned to inspect Tehran's nuclear arsenal....

Politics