FiveThirtyEight’s top stories this week

A [FiveThirtyEight]( email [Popular This Week] Sunday, April 4, 2021 [1. Why Joe Manchin Is So Willing And Able To Block His Party’s Goals]( [HAALAND NOMINATION]( [Read more]( [2. What The Heck Is Going On With AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine?]( [ITALY-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE]( [Read more]( [3. The States Where Efforts To Restrict Voting Are Escalating]( [VOTING-BILLS_4x3]( [Read more]( [4. A Very Early Look At The 2022 Governor Races]( [Gov. Baker Nominates Judge Dalila Argaez Wendlandt to SJC]( [Read more]( [5. Why The Recent Violence Against Asian Americans May Solidify Their Support Of Democrats]( [Rally Held In Washington, DC For Collective Safety To Protect Asian American Community]( [Read more]( [6. QAnon Has Become The Cult That Cries Wolf]( [QANON-MAR4-4×3]( [Read more]( [7. Why Georgia’s New Voting Law Is Such A Big Deal]( [Georgia Residents Cast Ballots As Early Voting For U.S. Presidential Election Begins]( [Read more]( [8. Why Democrats Weren’t Going To Reverse The Result In Iowa]( [Congress Disputed Seat]( [Read more]( [9. Americans Oppose Many Voting Restrictions — But Not Voter ID Laws]( [0402_POLLA-4×3]( [Read more]( [10. More And More Americans Say They’ll Get Vaccinated — But It’s Still Unclear Just How Many Will]( [Biden Sees Normalcy Returning by Summer As Vaccinations Surge]( [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Listen [Play]( [To Be Overhyped, You Have To Be Hyped]( Lastly, The Riddler By [Zach Wissner-Gross]( [riddler_4x3_default]( The winners of the [2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search]( were announced on March 17. (Full disclosure: I was a finalist in this very same competition exactly one eternity ago. You can find me among a gaggle of [fellow New Yorkers]( if you look closely.) I am delighted that two of this year’s winners were able to share their favorite puzzles for this week’s column! Hailing from Portland, Oregon, high school senior Wenjun Hou took a swing at the famed [knapsack problem]( with an algorithm designed to run on a quantum computer. This week, he’s putting quantum mechanics aside and challenging you to a classical game instead: You and Wenjun are playing a game in which you alternate taking turns, removing pennies from a pile. On your turn, you can remove either one or two pennies from the pile. On Wenjun’s turn, he can remove either two or three pennies. Whoever takes the last penny loses. (If there is only one penny left and it’s Wenjun’s turn, then he skips his turn, which means you will lose). Suppose both you and Wenjun play optimally. 1) If you go first, then what initial numbers of pennies mean you will win the game? 2) If Wenjun goes first, then what initial numbers of pennies mean he will win the game? [Solve it!]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address: FiveThirtyEight, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.