Hello September!!

Quote for today…

Some of y’all never had to push your own car then jump in and pop the clutch and it shows. – 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 – COVID numbers, unemployment, House/Senate projections, Biden approval, young Americans, Unions, Afghanistan, sexual assaults, gas prices, and more!

1,046,244

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 94,532,156 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 1,042,333.

232,000

In the week ending August 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 232,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 6,000 from 243,000 to 237,000. The 4-week moving average was 241,500, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised down by 1,500 from 247,000 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.

79

Young people are following the news but aren’t too happy with what they’re seeing. Broadly speaking, that’s the conclusion of a study released Wednesday showing 79% of young Americans say they get news daily. The survey of young people ages 16 to 40 — the older of which are known as millennials and the younger Generation Z — was conducted by Media Insight Project, a collaboration between The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute. (AP)

Being informed by different news organizations is very important…

76

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Republicans currently have a 76% chance of winning the majority in the House. (Source)

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

71

Seventy-one percent of Americans now approve of labor unions. Although statistically similar to last year’s 68%, it is up from 64% before the pandemic and is the highest Gallup has recorded on this measure since 1965. (Gallup)

Union Yes!

68

According to FiveThirtyEight.com, currently, the Democrats have a 68% chance of keeping the majority in the Senate. (Source)

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

50

One year after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, 50% of Americans say the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to the country, while 46% say it did not. (Gallup)

We stayed too long.

42.4

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

Last week, Biden’s approval rating was 41.3%.

13

Reports of sexual assaults across the U.S. military jumped by 13% last year, driven by significant increases in the Army and the Navy as bases began to move out of pandemic restrictions and public venues reopened, The Associated Press has learned. (AP)

It’s a failure of leadership that this continues…

0.084 – 11.28

That is the range of the price per gallon of gas around the world as of August 29, 2022. (Source)

In the USA, the average price per gallon of gas on August 29 was $4.10. Last week (August 22), the average price in the USA was $4.13.

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