In the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, the political parties in many states are working to redefine their congressional district maps to gain every possible edge. From California and Texas to Tennessee and Virginia, redistricting efforts have taken center stage. The Supreme Court has sanctioned partisan gerrymandering, and the system has evolved to one in which state legislature majorities get to determine who is most likely to fill those seats in Congress.
In short, gerrymandering has become a central feature of the system, not a bug. But what if we rethink the structure entirely?
Fake Hermès Birkin bags and other counterfeit luxury goods are popular not only with people on a budget, but also with those with deeper pockets, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore analyzed millions of counterfeit purchases by American consumers from more than 24,000 U.S. zip codes on a major cross-border, e-commerce platform. They found that both lower- and higher-income individuals are “significantly more likely” to buy fake luxury items than middle-income consumers, according to a press release by INFORMS on Monday.
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EV demand slows down, a classic American brand hints at a sedan return, and BMW flat-out says software is now the core of the car. That’s a lot of change for one Saturday, and we talk through what it means for real drivers and real enthusiasts when factories idle, platforms get shared, and “digital functions” become as important as horsepower.
Gov. RON DESANTIS has made regulating AI a priority for his final year in office — despite opposition from powerful Big Tech companies and concerns that such regulations might run afoul of President DONALD TRUMP’s push for “one rulebook” to preempt state laws. While DeSantis’ past fights with the industry have largely been over “wokeness,” this one has been about AI’s possible impact on jobs and children.
Supply chains are used for the production, distribution, and delivery of items. Supply chain management seeks opportunities to improve the value creation of activities required to transport products, store inventory, and satisfy customer demand. Efficient supply chains enable products to be available and accessible. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have certainly demonstrated the challenges created when transportation availability is curtailed.
We are witnessing a world in which the vacillating volume of supply chain shocks and shifts are now occurring at an increasing rate. The pace and amplitude of change may be unprecedented. Whether emerging through military conflicts, natural disasters, or pandemic upheavals, it seems that supply chains – or the perceived impediments within them – bear the brunt of consumer dissatisfaction and shipper frustration. The resulting economic disruptions nurture chaos and confusion in financial markets.
If people form opinions online before they fully evaluate whether information is true, then the fight against misinformation may begin far earlier than most platforms are designed to address. A new study published in Information Systems Research, a journal of INFORMS, suggests that social media users can begin developing stable opinions about unfamiliar topics after seeing only a handful of consistent posts. Researchers found that after roughly five exposures, users’ impressions often began stabilizing and shaping how they responded to future information.
When elected officials control the maps, they are not just participating in democracy. They are engineering the habitat in which democracy thrives or languishes. That makes redistricting not only a political problem, but also an operations research problem.
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