Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: Gaza needs to clear out tons of rubble, Trump to hold final-round Fed chair interviews, Canada to incentivize highly-skilled immigrants, The Taliban doesn’t like “Peaky Blinders”

​Buildings lie in ruins amidst the rubble in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 8, 2025.
Buildings lie in ruins amidst the rubble in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on December 8, 2025.
REUTERS/Nir Elias

68 million: The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is tentatively holding, but conditions on the ground in Gaza remain dire. Most Palestinians are pitching tents in overcrowded camps, atop 68 million tons of rubble that will take years, and billions of dollars to clear. The level of debris is the equivalent of 186 Empire State Buildings, or 162 Golden Gate Bridges.

5: US President Donald Trump plans to start final-stage interviews for the role of Federal Reserve chair, with five candidates left in the running. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett, former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh, BlackRock executive Rick Rieder, and incumbent Fed Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller are still in the running.

$1 billion: Canada said Tuesday it’ll spend $1 billion over the next few years to draw scientists from around the world. On their wish list: H-1B visa holders in the US facing growing pressure from Trump’s immigration restrictions and cuts to research funding.

4: The Taliban called four Afghan men in for questioning after they dressed up as characters from the hit British drama, “Peaky Blinders,” and posted videos of themselves online. The ruling Islamist government said the outfits were “in conflict with Afghan and Islamic values.”

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