250,000: EU migration ministers have reached a historic preliminary deal that would see frontline states move migrants – specifically those arriving in large numbers due to acute crises like war or climate disaster – to other EU states for processing. This comes after EU officials said that 250,000 people had entered the bloc so far this year through illegal migration routes. The agreement still needs to be passed by the EU Parliament.
0.8: The World Trade Organization has downgraded its export growth target for the year to 0.8%, down from a 1.7% forecast in the spring. Stubborn inflation, China’s economic woes, and supply chain kinks exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine are pummeling manufacturing industries. How do we make sure that global trade is fair, particularly for debt-burdened states in the Global South? Ian Bremmer discussed this with WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the latest episode of GZERO World. Watch here.
4: On Thursday, four Brazilian doctors were shot – three fatally – on a Rio de Janeiro beach while visiting the city for an orthopedic conference. There’s speculation that the attack was politically motivated because one victim was the brother of a federal lawmaker who is also married to another lawmaker. Both belong to the same leftist party as former Rio city councilor Marielle Franco, who was gunned down in a still-unresolved crime in 2018.
20.92: The earth's average ocean temperature reached 20.92 degrees Celcius (69.66 Fahrenheit) in September, the second-highest figure ever recorded... after this August. It's the fourth month in a row of record-breaking global temperatures, and the unignorable deterioration of climactic conditions prompted Pope Francis to directly name and shame the United States and major fossil fuel producers for exacerbating the crisis and call out the hypocrisy of hosting the UN's marquee climate conference in the United Arab Emirates in an update missive on the environment.
10 million: There are just a few more days to cast your vote for the Fat Bear Week competition, where betting and mammal enthusiasts alike tune in to watch brown bears of Alaska's Katmai National Park gather along the Brooks River to catch salmon swimming and stock up for the winter. In 2022, more than 10 million people tuned in to the livestream. So who is the favorite? A 70lb (31kg) one-year-old cub known as 806 Jr.
It's been a busy year for SCOTUS, and some major Court rulings are still looming. Yale legal scholar Emily Bazelon previews the cases that could reshape presidential power.
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party is poised to win 11 of 16 municipal races, a reversal from four years ago when the now-disgraced PPP dominated. But Lee’s surging popularity has foreign policy ramifications.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Bank of America is investing in the legacy of leadership — committing $5M to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and conserving 110 presidential portraits at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, so the history of leaders who defined our nation is preserved for generations to come. Learn more here.
Chris, an Army veteran, started his Walmart journey over 25 years ago as an hourly associate. Today, he manages a Distribution Center and serves as a mentor, helping others navigate their own paths to success. At Walmart, associates have the opportunity to take advantage of the pathways, perks, and pay that come with the job — with or without a college degree. In fact, more than 75% of Walmart management started as hourly associates. Learn more about how over 130,000 associates were promoted into roles of greater responsibility and higher pay in FY25.