There was a safety meeting at work today. The boss asked me, “What steps would you take in case of a fire?” “Great big ones” was the wrong answer. -Unknown

Welcome to “Thursday Numbers!” In case you’re a first-time visitor, this is the weekly column where I take a look at the numbers that are in the news (in descending order) and provide commentary sometimes sprinkled with sarcasm, humor, and bluntness.

This week’s topics include the Mega Millions jackpot, fortune cookies and the lottery, the White House & limos, Vice President Mike Pence & U.S. Senator Steve Daines, unemployment, made-up news, Biden/Trump & the Texas poll, Trump’s job approval, Royals/Orioles records, Duckworth & #CadetBoneSpurs, and much more!

530,000,000

Wow! Nobody has won the Mega Millions jackpot for awhile, so Friday night’s drawing will be for an estimated $530 million. (Mega Millions)

Dream on…

223,000,000

The Powerball lottery winner (Charles W. Jackson Jr.) of $344 million says he picked his numbers from a fortune cookie he received from his granddaughter. Jackson, who resides in North Carolina, chose the lump sum payment of $223 million. (NBC News)

I’ll bet there will be a run on fortune cookies for awhile…

935,033

The White House reportedly paid nearly $1 million to rent four limousines from an Irish funeral home for President Trump’s two-day visit to Ireland.
The Trump administration paid the family-owned JP Ward & Sons $935,033 — or $233,748 per vehicle — for the fleet, The Guardian reports. (The Hill)

I hope they did not need the limos for a funeral…

15,000

That’s how much it will cost per couple (or $10,000 per person) to Host/Co-Host an event featuring Vice President Mike Pence who will honor U.S. Senator Steve Daines on June 12 at a fundraiser for Daines.

If hosting is too much, you can attend the reception for $750/couple or $500 per person. You can get a photo with the VP for $1,500/couple or $1,000/person. The location will be disclosed when you RSVP, although if you know where the people listed who are hosting it live, you might have a good idea of the location. (Source: Daines Montana Victory Committee e-mail)

Expensive fundraisers always remind me of the movie “Dumb and Dumber” when Harry and Lloyd attended a fundraiser in their fancy tuxedos:

Nick: Gentlemen, this is a $500 dollar a plate dinner. Good night.
(Harry puts cash in Nick’s pocket)
Harry: Okay, put us down for four.
Lloyd: In case we want seconds.

218,000

That’s how many people filed new claims for unemployment last week. (USDOL)

50

That’s the percentage of Americans who say the creation and spread of made-up news and information is causing significant harm to the nation and needs to be stopped, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 6,127 U.S. adults conducted between Feb. 19 and March 4, 2019. (Pew Research)

I have a few uneducated people in my personal Facebook feed who spread fake news all the time – and then get cranky when I point it out.

48-44

President Donald Trump is locked in too-close-to-call races with any one of seven top Democratic challengers in the 2020 presidential race in Texas, where former Vice President Joseph Biden has 48 percent to President Trump with 44 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. (Quinnipiac)

That’s pretty bad polling for Trump in Texas…

40

After rising to 46% in April, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating skidded in May, first dipping to 42% and now to 40%. His latest rating, from a May 15-30 Gallup poll, is similar to the 39% he received in March and matches his average since taking office. (Gallup)

I don’t think Trump can be reelected at 40%.

19

My Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles are tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball with a record of 19-42. (ESPN)

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: The Royals need to fire their manager. If this was the Chiefs playing this badly for several seasons, the head coach would have been run out of town.

5

Fox News reports that U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., blasted President Trump on Wednesday over recent comments about why he didn’t serve in Vietnam, saying he used his “wealth and privilege” to avoid being drafted while inferring that he was a coward. On Twitter, Duckworth wrote:

#CadetBoneSpurs: no one cares whether you were a “fan” of the Vietnam War. No one believes you were medically unfit to serve. You used your wealth & privilege to avoid serving your country five times, forcing another American to serve in your place each time.

Over the years I have noticed that many of our leaders who never served are the ones who are easily convinced to send our men and women into war.

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