Quote for today…

A wise man can always be found alone. A weak man can always be found in a crowd. – Unknown

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

This week’s topics include COVID numbers, unemployment claims, Trump’s contempt, Krispy Kreme donuts, Native American boarding schools, Republican filibuster, TWW poll results, Biden approval numbers, Social Security benefits, earthquake, gas prices, and more!

998,740

That is how many people have died in the United States from coronavirus, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There have been 82,227,295 cases across the country so far. The first death in the USA was reported on February 29, 2020. (Johns Hopkins)

Two weeks ago, the death total was 992,740.

203,000

In the week ending May 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 203,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 2,000 from 200,000 to 202,000. The 4-week moving average was 192,750, an increase of 4,250 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 500 from 188,000 to 188,500. (DOL)

Note: On Thursdays, this column is published right after 6:30 a.m. (Montana time), so I can post the latest unemployment numbers.

110,000

A New York judge said Wednesday he will lift Donald Trump’s contempt of court order if the former president meets conditions including paying $110,000 in fines he’s racked up for being slow to respond to a civil subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general. (AP)

Maybe a few days in jail would convince him to meet the conditions…

17,000

It was a super sweet start to the day for some 17,000 students in Billings public schools who were greeted with Krispy Kreme donuts this week. That number is correct: 17,000 donuts, one for each kid. It’s quite the operation, and it’s all because the kids have shown so much resilience over the past few years. (MTN News)

Sweet…

500

A first-of-its-kind federal study of Native American boarding schools that for over a century sought to assimilate Indigenous children into white society has identified more than 500 student deaths at the institutions, but officials expect that figure to grow exponentially as research continues. (AP)

So sad. We must do all we can to make it right.

51-49

The Senate fell far short Wednesday in a rushed effort toward enshrining Roe v. Wade abortion access as federal law, blocked by a Republican filibuster in a blunt display of the nation’s partisan divide over the landmark court decision and the limits of legislative action. The vote was 51-49 against proceeding, with 60 votes needed to move ahead. (AP)

This defeat for the Democrats was expected.

45

This week’s poll question asked, “What should President Joe Biden do about student loan debt?”

Here are the results:

CANCEL SOME: 45.45%
DO NOTHING: 27.27%
CANCEL ALL: 27.27%

Thanks for participating!

41.7

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, that is President Joe Biden’s current approval rating. (Source)

Last week, Biden’s approval rating was 42.3%.

8.6

Seniors and other people who rely on Social Security benefits could next year see their biggest cost-of-living adjustment since 1981, with an advocacy group for older Americans forecasting an 8.6% hike. (MoneyWatch)

Merica!

4.2

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that there was an earthquake on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Yellowstone National Park. The earthquake was recorded at 7:32 a.m. and registered as a magnitude 4.2. (MTN News)

I guess we are still waiting for the big one…

0.084 – 10.96

That is the average price per gallon of gas around the world as of May 9, 2022. (Source)

In the USA, the average price on May 9 was $4.51. The week before (May 2), the average price in the USA was $4.58.

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