For some, finding a romantic partner is no walk in the park. But in this new digital age, especially in the time of physical isolation, do singles really need a park anyhow?

Welcome to the Intelligence Briefing, where we bring you the latest insights on the debates that are shaping your world right now. Here's what we have in store for you this week:
  • Central Intelligence: Finding cupid amid coronavirus 
  • Intelligraphic: How are singles dating in isolation? We got an exclusive first look at the latest data from Match Grou.
  • Double Digits: President Trump plans to defund $400 million from the World Health Organization. Should he?
  • Points of View: Get the latest analysis and insight from our past debaters. 
  • That's Debatable: Is it time to wave goodbye to the handshake?
Help us restore civility, reason, and fact to the debates that will shape our nation in the years to come. 
 
 

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

Your top news from Intelligence Squared. 
 
Dating Apps During Coronavirus
For some, finding a romantic partner is no walk in the park. But in this new digital age, especially in the time of physical isolation, do singles really need a park anyhow?
A lot has changed in the two years since we aired the debate “Swipe Left: Dating Apps Have Killed Romance,” and this week, we followed up with two IQ2 alumni to help make sense of emerging trends in the world of online dating.
 
“A lot of people who have taken for granted all the ways in which we can be with each other in real life are now going to appreciate the fact that there's a bar, and a library, and a park and a movie theater and a set of physical places where instead of dating online we can just date in person.”
Eric Klinenberg Sociologist & Co-Author, "Modern Romance"
 
Helen Fisher
“The bottom line is, this is an opportunity, an opportunity for singles. We'll get through it, and I think the bottom line to remember is that love’s never going to die. Love is primordial, it’s adaptable, and it's eternal.” 
Helen Fisher,Best-Selling Author & Chief Scientific Adviser, Match.com

Read the full story to get the inside scoop on romance and dating apps from past debaters Eric Klinenberg and Helen Fisher.
 

INTELLIGRAPHIC

Finding Cupid Amid Coronavirus
Match.com's Helen Fisher and Amy Canaday gave us an exclusive first look at new data. After surveying over 6,000 singles in the Match.com network last weekend, these are their biggest findings:
 

POINTS OF VIEW

 
How will coronavirus shape our lives? From insight on the economy and global affairs to tips on safeguarding your relationships through social distancing, our debaters offer insights and perspectives from across the political spectrum.
  • What will the post-coronavirus world order look like? Mira Rapp-Hooper discusses what's in store for China as a global leader. (War on the Rocks, Mira’s debate)
  • Back at home, the government is gearing up to give large corporations some $500 billion in coronavirus relief. R. Glenn Hubbard offers a framework for how the Treasury can use this fund to bolster the economy. (AEI, Glenn’s debate)
  • Meanwhile, Robert Reich argues that the federal government shouldn't be in the business of bailing out big corporations that could use the money to benefit shareholders instead of workers. (Bloomberg, Robert’s debate)
  • Turning to the justice system, former judge Nancy Gertner makes her case for the compassionate release of elderly and vulnerable prisoners during coronavirus. (Boston Globe, Nancy’s debate)
  • And from the tech perspective, Noam Cohen discusses our current reliance on Big Tech and weighs on whether the “techlash” should come to an end. (Wired, Noam’s debate)
  • BONUS WATCH: Want to ponder the topic of love in the time of coronavirus a bit longer? Jeannie Suk Gersen gives a TED Talk on how thinking about divorce can help your marriage. (TED, Jeannie’s debate)
 

DOUBLE DIGITS

When one number tells two stories. 

$400 Million

The amount of money the Trump administration seeks to cut from the World Health Organization’s budget.

Reason:
Trump Vows to Cut Off U.S. Funding to the World Health Organization

Forbes:
The World Health Organization, Now More Than Ever. So Why Is Trump Cutting WHO’s Funding?

 

THAT'S DEBATABLE

Two perspectives on one of the nation's biggest debates this week.
Should we wave the handshake goodbye?
In a perfect world, Dr. Anthony Fauci doesn’t want to shake your hand … ever. He recently advised that Americans abandon the practice of shaking hands for good. Why? To combat coronavirus now and, when the pandemic passes, to help stop the spread of influenza in the future. This sparked debate on the role of handshakes in our society and just what “normal” should look like when social distancing ends.

The Handshake: a Eulogy. 
“In a time where we are being driven apart — politically, socially, and economically — failing to extend a hand and touch one another, as a last remnant of the seal between us, seems like something we will miss.”

Goodbye to Handshakes—and Good Riddance.
“We have a singular opportunity to eliminate this custom once and for all. There’s a much better way to greet one another — and no, it’s not the fist bump, and it’s certainly not the ridiculous elbow tap, either.”

 

A QUESTION FOR YOU

Will social distancing change our society for good?
 
 
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