1. Scientists bring research experience to Congress

The 2026 elections sent several lawmakers with scientific and medical backgrounds to Congress. They include Daniel Biss, a mathematician from Illinois, Jasmine Clark, a microbiologist from Georgia, and Rebecca Bennett, who studied chemical engineering and will represent part of New Jersey. Several of the incoming lawmakers say they will challenge the Trump administration’s approach to research funding and public health. Their work could include oversight hearings, where lawmakers question agency officials about their decisions, as well as writing legislation on issues that require technical expertise. A federal agency proposes cutting a research program to save money; write an opening question for the agency director that asks for evidence behind the proposal. Then write two follow-up questions that test different parts of the case, such as how the agency calculated the savings and what research might be delayed. Choose one expert outside the agency to testify and explain what that person could help Congress evaluate.

2. NVIDIA OPENS AN INQUIRY INTO A POSSIBLE SPY EFFORT

Nvidia’s board opened an investigation after reports that CEO Jensen Huang may have been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. Huang acknowledged a relationship with a business executive whom U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly identified as providing information to Beijing. Nvidia’s board said it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security had been compromised, and Huang remained CEO while the inquiry began. The case drew attention in part because Nvidia makes advanced chips used to develop AI, and the United States restricts exports of some of that technology to China. Imagine you have to advise Nvidia’s board. Write a short memo recommending whether the board should keep its CEO in charge during the investigation, temporarily limit his access to sensitive information, or place him on leave. Use two details from the story to support your recommendation. Explain one trade-off your proposal creates and identify one finding that would lead you to reconsider it.

3. TOP ASTROPHYSICIST LEAVES THE U.S. AMID FUNDING UNCERTAINTY

Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, an astrophysicist at Vanderbilt University, moved her research to the Netherlands after threats to U.S. funding disrupted her work and narrowed opportunities for graduate students. She had spent years working on LISA, a planned space observatory designed to detect gravitational waves, which are ripples in space-time caused by events such as black hole mergers. The mission was planned as a U.S.-European collaboration, but proposed federal cuts and NASA staffing shortages prompted European teams to prepare for a smaller U.S. role. Holley-Bockelmann continued advising Vanderbilt students remotely even as some faced fewer openings in doctoral programs. Draw a cause-and-effect diagram that starts with uncertainty about U.S. research funding. Trace one path to a consequence for LISA and another to a consequence for a graduate student. Label each connection with a specific detail from the story. Then identify one piece of national data you would need to judge whether Holley-Bockelmann’s move reflects a broader trend of scientists leaving the United States.

4. CLOSE MISSISSIPPI SENATE RACE CARRIES HISTORIC STAKES

As Mississippi counties continued reviewing absentee and provisional ballots, the Senate race between Democratic challenger Scott Colom and Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith remained too close to call. A Colom victory would make him Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War. For some Black Mississippians, the possibility held particular significance in a state where Black residents make up nearly 40 percent of the population and white politicians have long held most of the state’s highest offices. Democrats had already secured control of the Senate, so the outcome’s greatest political significance would be within Mississippi. Draft a short news update for readers who want to know why the race remains undecided and why it matters. Explain what county officials are still checking and describe the historical milestone in conditional language. Then write one question for an election official about the count and one for a voter about representation. Aim for questions that would add information your update does not yet have.

5. COIN TOSSES DECIDE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SPOTS

Three Oklahoma high school football teams finished with identical overall and district records, but only two playoff spots remained. Head-to-head results formed a loop. Liberty beat Gore, Gore beat Central, and Central beat Liberty. Point differential also failed to break the tie, so the coaches went to an unusual method to settle the matter: They met in a catfish restaurant parking lot and flipped one coin per team. Gore’s coach flipped heads while the other two flipped tails. Under the odd-one-out rule, Liberty and Central advanced and Gore’s season ended. Test the playoff tiebreaker: Write out the eight possible results when three coaches each flip a fair coin. Mark the outcomes in which Gore, Liberty, or Central would be eliminated, and identify the outcomes that would require another round. Assuming the coaches repeat the toss whenever all three coins match, calculate each team’s chance of elimination. Then explain whether you would keep this rule or replace it with another tiebreaker. Address both equal odds and how much weight a rule should give to what teams did on the field.