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In this week's Raucous Caucus, Tom Cushing discusses the differences (and often slippery slope) between stories and statistics and how both effect our perception of news and politics.

"But if we succumb to stories uncritically, we may mis-use their power and make policy mistakes," Cushing writes. "As the nation's conversation on the gun culture continues, we need to make space in our heads for actual data; the pay-outs in this casino are denominated in lives."

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