100: This Thursday marks 100 years since the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade first took New York City by storm with “floats, brass bands ... and clowns in profusion.” The event – famous for its seven-story tall balloons of cartoon characters – was originally themed around Christmas, to whet people’s appetites for holiday shopping. The pageantry has had its run-ins with political issues and culture wars over the years. Last year’s installment, for example, drew boycott demands from ultra-conservative groups upset about the inclusion of two non-binary performers.
288,000: Economic need, meet political reality. To offset declining birth rates and the retirement of skilled workers, Germany will require an influx of as many as 288,000 foreign workers every year until 2040. Is that feasible at a moment when anti-immigrant backlash is one of the leitmotifs of German and wider European politics?
44: Pudge tried to dodge, but his plan was too plump by half. A South Korean man was sentenced to a suspended prison term for deliberately gaining more than 44 pounds in a bid to escape military service. South Korea runs a conscription system in which all able-bodied men serve for nearly two years.
2 million: President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions of undocumented migrants has scared the stalks off of the US agriculture industry, where roughly half of the country’s 2 million farm workers are thought to lack legal status. Industry leaders warn that deportations from the fields could cause inflation to soar, and have sought assurances that Trump’s plans will focus more narrowly on undocumented migrants with criminal records.
1,006: Africa is home to some of the most vibrant tech hubs in the world – Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town among them – but also to increasingly sophisticated cybercrime operations. Over the past two months, Interpol has arrested 1,006 people across 19 African countries on charges of ransomware schemes, digital extortion, fraud, and trafficking. Those nabbed in the crackdown had scammed or fleeced at least 35,000 people out of nearly $200 million.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.
How is the US is reshaping global power dynamics, using tariffs and unilateral action to challenge the international order it once led? Michael Froman joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to discuss.
China was largely absent from the core conversations at the 2026 Munich Security Conference. That, says Ian Bremmer, is telling.
At the 62nd Munich Security Conference, Parag Khanna, founder and CEO of AlphaGeo, says globalization isn't dead, it's evolving. Speaking with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis, he explains that countries are forming flexible alliances that expand and shrink based on their interests. “You’d rather be in the tent...if it suits your interest than not in it,” Khanna notes, highlighting how the US, Europe, and Asia are adapting to shifting global priorities.