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Hard Numbers: UK House of Commons passes Rwanda bill, Trump interrupts Carroll trial, Colombia warns American tourists, Internet crowns hottest Houthi

January 18, 2024
Riley Callanan
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain, January 17, 2024.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain, January 17, 2024.
UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

320: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaksuccessfully pushed the Rwanda Bill through the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday. His signature immigration bill, which aims to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda as their claims are processed, had divided his party, resulting in a chaotic day of resignations and internal rebellion. But, against all odds, the 320 Tories united to pass the bill, which now heads to the House of Lords.

10 million: On Wednesday, the judge overseeing the defamation trial in which the writer E. Jean Carroll is suing Donald Trump for $10 million threatened to throw the former president out of the courtroom because he repeatedly made audible comments in court. During Carroll’s testimony about what happened after she accused him of raping her, Trump could be heard saying “witch hunt” and “it was a con job” loudly enough that jurors could hear.

8: In Colombia, the government is warning Americans to stay off dating apps while visiting the country after 8 tourists died in the last two months. The US embassy in Bogota said victims have been drugged and robbed after meeting people on dating apps. The announcement coincides with reports that the number of robberies of foreign visitors increased by 200% and deaths by 29% in the last three months of 2023.

13 million: A Yemeni militant turned influencer, dubbed online as “Timhouthi Chalamet” because of his resemblance to Hollywood heartthrob Timothée Chalamet, has gone viral on TikTok. In a video viewed 13 million times, he is seen sailing on the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship seized by Yemen’s militant Houthis last year and exemplary of how much of the conflict in the Red Sea is playing out online.

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