Quote for today…

Some people are never going to clap for you. Win anyway. – 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.

Topics include – Vanessa Bryant, COVID numbers, unemployment, Border Patrol encounters, House/Senate projections, Paul Pelosi, Biden approval, Joe Manchin, gas prices, and more!

31,000,000

Kobe Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, was awarded $16 million as part of a $31 million jury verdict Wednesday against Low Angeles County for deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the NBA star, his 13-year-old daughter and other victims killed in a 2020 helicopter crash. (AP)

Good for Bryant and the other families.

1,042,398

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 93,903,947 cases across the country so far. The first death in the USA was reported on February 29, 2020. (Johns Hopkins)

Last week, the death total was 1,039,026.

243,000

In the week ending August 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 243,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 5,000 from 250,000 to 245,000. The 4-week moving average was 247,000, an increase of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,250 from 246,750 to 245,500. (DOL)

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

199,777

The U.S. Border Patrol reported nearly 200,000 encounters with migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border in July, the highest monthly total in more than two decades. The number of monthly encounters had fallen to 16,182 in April 2020, shortly after the coronavirus outbreak forced the closure of the southwestern border and slowed migration across much of the world. But migrant encounters have climbed sharply since then, reaching 199,777 in July, according to the latest data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency that encompasses the Border Patrol. (Pew Research)

For more information, check out the Pew Research story.

1,700

Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to driving under the influence of alcohol in May. Judge Joseph Solga sentenced Pelosi to five days in jail, but he will receive credit for two days already served and two days for conduct credit. His remaining one day will be served through a court work program. Pelosi will be on probation for three years and pay upwards of $1,700 in fines. (CNN)

Don’t drink and drive. If you are rich, hire a driver.

78

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Republicans currently have a 78% chance of winning the majority in the House. (Source)

Last week the chance of winning the House was also 78%.

64

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, currently, the Democrats have a 64% chance of keeping the majority in the Senate. (Source)

Last week the chance of winning the Senate was 63%.

41.3

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

Last week, Biden’s approval rating was 40.4%.

11

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is the least popular political figure in the new national NBC News poll, with just 11% of registered voters saying they had positive feelings about the West Virginia Democrat. Roughly one-third of voters — 34%— had negative feelings, making Manchin the most unpopular figure in the poll with a net-negative rating of 23%. (NBC News)

Almost heaven, West Virginia…

0.084 – 11.28

That is the range of the price per gallon of gas around the world as of August 22, 2022. (Source)

In the USA, the average price per gallon of gas on August 22 was $4.13. Two weeks before (August 15), the average price in the USA was $4.20.

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