Hard Numbers: Most Americans say they’re better off under Trump

61: By one measure, the Age of Trump seems to have been pretty good for most Americans, as 61 percent say they are "better off" than they were before Trump took office, according to a new Gallup poll. That number is higher than Gallup recorded in other reelection years: only half said the same in 1992 (Bush), 1996 (Clinton) and 2004 (G.W. Bush). In 2012 (Obama) the number was 45 percent.

20: The Amazon rainforest is emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs, with around 20 percent of the total forest area now a net source of CO2 in the atmosphere, according to a new decade-long study. The main cause, it says, is deforestation, which raises further concerns about Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's policy of prioritizing development of the Amazon over conservation.

19: At least 19 childrenwere wounded by heavy shelling in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where clashes between government forces and local ethnic groups have intensified in recent weeks. Last month, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar's government to take immediate steps to protect long-persecuted Rohingya Muslims.

76 million: The United Nations says it needs $76 million "now" to fend off a once-in-a-generation locust infestation in East Africa that's decimated cropland, creating a food scarcity emergency. The money, which would go to increasing spraying capacity, is needed before April to avoid a full-blown humanitarian crisis, the UN warned.

More from GZERO Media

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China January 10, 2024.

On Sunday, the South Asian archipelago of the Maldives held parliamentary elections, widely viewed as a referendum on the pro-China policies of President Mohamed Muizzu.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the House Approbations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 11, 2024.
REUTERS/Michael A. McCoy

FBI Director Christopher Wray has called out a Chinese cyber threat named Volt Typhoon that is targeting US water, power, and telecommunications companies, including23 pipeline operators.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA, yells as President Joe Biden speaks during the State of the Union address from the House chamber of the US Capitol in Washington.
Josh Morgan/REUTERS

Roughly six months after Kevin McCarthy was booted as House Speaker, GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia aims to oust his successor, Mike Johnson.

Pro-Palestine protesters hold a sit-in on the West Lawn of Columbia University.
Will Hull

The growing demonstrations, and the threat of further arrests, have only worked to inflame tensions – so much so that the only thing all sides agree on is that the campus is unraveling into distrust, dysfunction, and fear.

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to members of the media on the day the House approved legislation providing $95 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, at Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2024.
REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

After months of stalling, the House of Representatives agreed in four separate votes to approve $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Saturday, as House Speaker Mike Johnson puts his job on the line to advance critical aid to America’s allies.

Why the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals are not on track to be financed soon | Global Stage

The world faces a sustainable development crisis, and while most countries have strategies in place, they don’t have the cash to back them up. How far off track are we with the financing needed to support the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, ranging from quality education and health care to climate action and clean water?

Geopolitics & the economy | Global Stage

There’s no escaping the intricate link between economics and geopolitics. Today, that link has become a crucial factor in investment decision-making, and who better to speak to that than Margaret Franklin, CEO of CFA Institute, a global organization of investment professionals? Franklin sat down with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at a Global Stage event for the IMF-World Bank spring meetings this week.

De-risking a plan to bring 300 million people electricity in Africa | Global Stage

At the World Bank Group’s Spring Meetings this week, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis spoke to Lucy Heintz, Head of Energy Infrastructure at Actis Energy Fund, a global investment company focused on sustainability. Heintz expressed optimism in the announcement and explained the reasons why it could be attractive to investors.