Hard Numbers: Messi in GOP primary, Indian oppo bloc, Brits sour on Brexit, ChatGPT for cybercriminals, Phoenix melts, Michigan fake electors charged

July 18, 2023

Leo Messi presents his jersey next to Inter Miami owners (Jorge Mas, Jose Mas, and David Beckham) during Messi's presentation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

40,000: To meet the 40,000-donor threshold for the Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23, long-shot GOP primary hopeful and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is raffling off two front-row tickets to watch soccer GOAT Leo Messi's debut game for Inter Miami for a $1 donation. Resellers are currently hawking the same tickets for more than $110,000.

55: More than seven years after the UK voted to leave the EU, a YouGov poll shows that 55% of Brits now think it was the wrong thing to do — the highest number since Brexit. An outside observer might naturally conclude that perhaps it's time for a new referendum, but realistically that's as unlikely as a second vote on Scottish independence.

26: Twenty-six Indian opposition parties have joined an alliance to unseat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of PM Narendra Modi in the 2024 election. The coalition's name is "INDIA," an original yet effective way to avoid the mouthful "Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance."

550: In the growing global freakout over AI, hackers see ... opportunity. Meet WormGPT, the ChatGPT for cybercriminals, which a developer is reportedly selling access to in a popular hacker form. Fortunately, WormGPT ain’t cheap — the launch price is 550 euros ($617) per year.

19: Last week, we flagged that Phoenix, AZ. was on track to beat its 1974 record of 18 consecutive days in which the temperature topped 110 F. On Tuesday, the city surpassed the mark amid the mother of all sizzlers in the Northern Hemisphere.

16: On Tuesday, Michigan's attorney general charged 16 Republicans for allegedly masquerading as state electors in a failed attempt to overturn former US President Donald Trump's 2020 defeat. The charges are the first to be brought against 2020 fake electors, and a similar probe is ongoing in Atlanta.

What We’re Watching: US’s Iran decision postponed, Court OK’s Trump’s use of the national guard in LA, Rwanda detains top opposition leader

A miniature statue of US President Donald Trump stands next to a model bunker-buster bomb, with the Iranian national flag in the background, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 19, 2025.

STR/NurPhoto

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

Hard Numbers: A Pride Month look at LGBTQ+ rights and challenges around the world

People ride motorcycles as South Korea's LGBTQ community and supporters attend a Pride parade, during the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, in Seoul, South Korea, June 14, 2025.

REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

What we’re watching: The subnational US-Canada relationship, Golden Dome’s leaden weight, MAGA Iran crackup

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a meeting of northeastern U.S. Governors and Canadian Premiers, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 16, 2025.

REUTERS/Sophie Park

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

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Hard Numbers: Messi in GOP primary, Indian oppo bloc, Brits sour on Brexit, ChatGPT for cybercriminals, Phoenix melts, Michigan fake electors charged

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What We’re Watching: US’s Iran decision postponed, Court OK’s Trump’s use of the national guard in LA, Rwanda detains top opposition leader

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

Hard Numbers: A Pride Month look at LGBTQ+ rights and challenges around the world

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

High time for the high seas: Q+A with Rebecca Hubbard

Eurasia Group’s biodiversity and sustainability analyst María José Valverde sat down with Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance, to discuss the High Seas Treaty.

Graphic Truth: Housing construction in the US and Canada

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Hard Numbers: Fed holds interest rates, Canada’s population stays flat, LNG plant to open in B.C., US nabs suspects in “largest jewelry heist”

Canada recorded a population growth of 0% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest mark since 2020.

What we’re watching: The subnational US-Canada relationship, Golden Dome’s leaden weight, MAGA Iran crackup

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

Was the G7 a success for host Canada? Let’s take a look!

The G7 meeting this week was always going to be a tricky one.

Will Iran’s regime survive?

What’s next for Iran’s regime? Ian Bremmer says, “It’s much more likely that the supreme leader ends up out, but the military… continues to run the country.”

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Hard Numbers: Messi in GOP primary, Indian oppo bloc, Brits sour on Brexit, ChatGPT for cybercriminals, Phoenix melts, Michigan fake electors charged

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

Eurasia Group’s biodiversity and sustainability analyst María José Valverde sat down with Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance, to discuss the High Seas Treaty.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Canada recorded a population growth of 0% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest mark since 2020.

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

The G7 meeting this week was always going to be a tricky one.

What’s next for Iran’s regime? Ian Bremmer says, “It’s much more likely that the supreme leader ends up out, but the military… continues to run the country.”