FiveThirtyEight’s top stories this week

A [FiveThirtyEight]( email [Popular This Week] Sunday, February 6, 2022 [1. If There’s A Women’s Halfpipe, Chloe Kim Is Probably Dominating It]( [Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup – Day 4]( The last time the world saw Chloe Kim compete at the Olympics, the 17-year-old so thoroughly toppled the field that she earned the tacit flex of a victory lap. Kim had already captured the hearts of millions of people with relatable social media fare on food cravings, and she had handily defeated her competition in the women’s halfpipe by a full 4.0 points. But she still needed to get to the bottom of the course in Pyeongchang before the official celebration could commence. [Read more]( [2. Why Aren’t More Americans Interested In The Winter Olympics?]( [A photo illustration of the Olympic Rings against a gridded background]( Did you tune into (or are you currently watching) the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics Friday morning? Did you even realize the opening ceremonies were happening? If not, you’re not alone. Polling shows enthusiasm for the Games is muted, and while the Winter Games are typically not as popular as Summer Games in the U.S., the fact that the Olympics are being held in China doesn’t help. [Read more]( [3. We Made Some Changes To Our Olympic Medal Tracker]( [538-winterolympics-trackerpreview-4×3]( Almost exactly six months after the Summer Olympics ended in Tokyo, it’s time for the next batch of the world’s best athletes to gather together in China for the 2022 Beijing Games. And just like we did last summer, FiveThirtyEight will be tracking each country’s medal-earning progress against its recent form throughout the Olympics. [Read more]( [4. How A Court Ruling In Alabama Could Boost Black Political Power Throughout The South]( [Sen. Rodger Smitherman compares U.S. Representative district maps]( On Jan. 24, Alabama became the second state (after Ohio) to have its new congressional map struck down in court. But while Ohio’s map was thrown out by the state Supreme Court for violating the state constitution, Alabama’s was overturned by three federal judges who determined the map short-changed Black voters of representation in Congress. That’s a significant difference because it will require the Supreme Court to weigh in, potentially reshaping federal law in the process. As a result, the ruling could reverberate far beyond Alabama. It could open the door for increased nonwhite representation in other states, too — if it holds up on appeal. [Read more]( [5. Can U.S. Speedskating Regain Its Edge?]( [Training Speedskating – Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Day -3]( The first gold medal to be awarded at the inaugural Winter Olympics is housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. U.S. speedskater Charles Jewtraw earned it at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, France, when he completed the men’s 500-meter race in 44 seconds. The win inspired fellow Lake Placid, New York, speedskater Jack Shea so deeply that he prayed for the opportunity to replicate the success of his idol. [Read more]( [6. The Quad Jump Revolution Has Transformed Women’s Figure Skating. How Far Will It Go?]( [A composite photo of Alysa Liu performing a quadruple lutz]( In the iconic skating film “Ice Castles,” Lexie — the main character who happens to be a top-notch figure skater — takes to the ice in a maroon jumpsuit and attempts a triple jump. It apparently was successful, but the viewers never see it; while she’s in mid-air, the film cuts to a conversation Lexie is having in a car with her coach, who is berating her for doing the jump. [Read more]( [7. Why Democrats Keep Losing Culture Wars]( [Virginia Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Glenn Youngkin Holds Campaign Events]( Virginia’s new governor, Glenn Youngkin, kicked off his term with a political magic trick. In the first of nine executive orders issued on Jan. 15, the day he took office, he banned the teaching of “inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory” in K-12 public schools. It was a smart way to show his base he’s already jumping on issues they care about. Education policy, particularly the alleged role critical race theory plays in public school curricula, was a centerpiece of Youngkin’s campaign. But the impact of this executive order is less straightforward than it seems, because critical race theory isn’t actually taught in Virginia public schools. [Read more]( [8. Is Tom Brady The GOATiest Of All The GOATs?]( [Super Bowl XLIX – New England Patriots v Seattle Seahawks]( With legendary quarterback Tom Brady officially retiring (yes, we really mean it now), the accolades are pouring in. There are, um, a lot: The former QB of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots had an unbelievable career stuffed with nearly every possible accomplishment — both at the team and individual level. He was so good that each half of his career was Hall of Fame-worthy by itself. (Maybe each third was, too!) As a result, Brady is widely regarded as the greatest QB in NFL history. But to put his greatness in true perspective, we might have to zoom out from football and compare Brady to the greats from other sports. [Read more]( [9. The Americans Finally Won Curling Gold In 2018. Can They Do It Again?]( [CURLING-OLY-2018-PYEONGCHANG-USA-SWE]( Of all nine gold medals captured by the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Team USA’s win in men’s curling might have been the most improbable. [Read more]( [10. The COVID-19 Metrics Policymakers Should Be Watching After Omicron]( [COVID-CONVO-0202-4×3]( The COVID-19 pandemic has brought up tons of data questions — what information should we be collecting, what can it tell us (and what does it fail to tell us) and how should the data we use to make decisions be communicated to the public? We’ve started a new series, “COVID Convos,” that brings these questions to the forefront through interviews with the scientists and practitioners who produce and use data on COVID-19. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Listen [Play]( [Politics Podcast: Why The GOP Has Made Gains With Latino Voters]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address: FiveThirtyEight, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.