New Year

Learn about the Lunar New Year, a celebration of the arrival of spring, and what foods are said to bring good luck and fortune in the coming year.

As we turn the page on 2020 here are a few of the topics we covered that we hope don’t follow us into the new year.

Studies suggest tens of millions of Americans now believe QAnon conspiracies, including unfounded claims about satanic, cannibalistic, child-exploiting cabals. And it’s creating dangerous situations for first responders and victims of actual crime. But Noah Pransky explains why logic isn’t the right strategy for talking to someone who starts believing irrational conspiracies.

QAnon seems to be everywhere: its conspiracy theories are spreading on social media, its supporters are visible at Trump rallies, and, increasingly, its talking points are even getting repeated by politicians and people in government. Joan Donovan of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy explains how QAnon draws people into its web.