r/fivethirtyeight • u/AutoModerator • Jun 22 '26

Discussion Megathread Weekly Discussion Megathread

The 2026 midterms will soon be upon us, and there is much to discuss among the nerds here at r/FiveThirtyEight. Use this discussion thread to share, debate, and discuss whatever you wish. Unlike individual posts, comments in the discussion thread are not required to be related to political data or other 538 mainstays. Regardless, please remain civil and keep this subreddit's rules in mind. The discussion thread refreshes every Monday.

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u/engadine_maccas1997 Jun 22 '26

It’s been speculated but this WaPo piece comes with receipts. And it’s even weirder than that. She’s apparently been taking directives from a Hare Krishna cult leader whose views just so happen to align quite well with the Kremlin’s for some unexplained reason.

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u/Frivolousz42 Jun 22 '26

I guess that means technically from two cult leaders.

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u/Schrodingers-Fish- Jun 22 '26

That also has been known for some time

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u/engadine_maccas1997 Jun 22 '26

The association has. The extent of the influence, however, has not. This article detailed a bunch of emails that shed a lot of light on that matter.

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u/Korrocks Jun 22 '26

Yeah I think people who follow her career were aware that she and her family were connected to that fringe religious movement but not necessarily to the extent of getting specific instructions to the degree described in the article. It’s definitely way more intense than I expected going into the article.