FiveThirtyEight’s top stories this week

A [FiveThirtyEight]( email [Popular This Week] Sunday, March 5, 2023 [1. Americans Like Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan. The Supreme Court … Not So Much.]( [A graphic of a sign that reads "Cancel student debt."]( Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup. [Read more]( [2. The Perks Workers Want Also Make Them More Productive]( [NEWWORK-4×3]( Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and hybrid work are as popular as ever. Only 6 percent of employees able to do their jobs remotely want to return to the office full time, according to a Gallup survey published in August. The vast majority of “remote-capable” workers want to spend at least some of their workdays at home. When they’re forced to return to an office, they’re more likely to become burned out and to express intent to leave, according to Gallup. [Read more]( [3. Why Valentina Shevchenko Is A Huge Favorite — And Jon Jones Isn’t — At UFC 285]( [UFC-2023-4×3]( A pair of championships are on the line at UFC 285 in Las Vegas Saturday night, and both title bouts offer a study in contrasts. In the main event, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be fighting for the first time in more than three years — and for the first time ever at heavyweight — when he takes on former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane. And women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will look to defend her title, and continue her run as one of the sport’s most dominant pound-for-pound fighters, against challenger Alexa Grasso. Let’s dive into the numbers and look at the keys to each fight. [Read more]( [4. Democrats Are Open To Ditching Biden In 2024]( [US President Joe Biden]( Donald Trump this, Ron DeSantis that. The race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has been getting all the attention lately. But at least one person is trying to make fetch (and history) happen on the Democratic side. Last weekend, self-help author, motivational speaker and 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson announced she was running for president again. [Read more]( [5. How Mario Lemieux Beat Cancer — And Started A Comeback For The Ages]( [Mario Lemieux #66 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates on the ice in his first game back from radiation treatment in 1993]( Just about everyone knows Wayne Gretzky is the greatest hockey player of all time. (I mean, come on, it’s right there in the nickname.) But there are still those who’ll argue for a select few counter-candidates, such as Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Sidney Crosby … or Mario Lemieux. And in Lemieux’s case, there are plenty of numbers — and more especially, stories — to back it up. [Read more]( [6. What Are The Most Vulnerable Senate Seats In 2024?]( [SlackChat-0301-4×3]( Welcome to FiveThirtyEight’s politics chat. The transcript below has been lightly edited. [Read more]( [7. Derrick White Doesn’t Produce Like NBA Superstars. So Why Do The Advanced Stats Think He Is One?]( [Boston Celtics v Charlotte Hornets]( If you head over to our RAPTOR ratings page, there’s something that should jump out at you right away. So far this season, just 12 players have produced at least 7.0 RAPTOR wins above replacement. Among that group are 11 players who can reasonably be considered stars: two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler. [Read more]( [8. Are We Headed For A Recession Or Not?]( [Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange]( Inflation isn’t under control, and we’re heading for a recession. Except, wait: The latest jobs report indicates that the labor market is healthier than it’s been in years. So maybe we’re heading for the fabled “soft landing” as the Federal Reserve tries to curb inflation. Except, wait: That jobs report was too good, which means that the Fed will hike rates even higher — and economic pain is coming. [Read more]( [9. Why You Shouldn’t Read Too Much Into Democrats’ Good February]( [Judge Janet Protasiewicz and her husband Randy Nass]( It may be an odd year, but there are still elections happening — and the first notable election of 2023 took place last Tuesday, with contests in Virginia, Wisconsin and a couple of other states. The results left Democrats and liberals cheering; their preferred candidates not only won, but by larger-than-expected margins. However, Democrats shouldn’t get too giddy about what that performance means for future elections. [Read more]( [10. The SEC Dominated The ‘90s … In Basketball]( [Pat Summitt, Head Coach for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers celebrates with the team after winning the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament in 1991]( In the minds of college sports fans, the Southeastern Conference tends to conjure up the same idyllic images. A lush, TP’d Toomer’s Corner. A jam-packed Neyland Stadium. Toe meeting leather on an opening kickoff. If the SEC “just means more,” that meaning is usually found down in the trenches of the gridiron on a breezy fall Saturday — not on the hardwood in the dead of winter. [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Listen [Play]( [Politics Podcast: Why The Federal Reserve’s Power Is ‘Limitless’]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address: FiveThirtyEight, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.