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Hard Numbers: Pentagon finds billions in “error,” opponents warm to Brazil’s Lula, US reading scores plummet, prison tragedy in Honduras
The Pentagon is seen from the air in Washington, DC.
6.2 billion: Ever found $5 in the pocket of a jacket you haven’t worn in a while? OK, ever found $6.2 billion? That’s the feeling in Kyiv right now, thanks to a Pentagon accounting error that accidentally overestimated the cost of weapons the US sent to Ukraine. The upshot: that amount is still available to fund fresh military kit for Kyiv.
56: Brazilian President Lula’s approval rating has jumped 5 points to 56% since April as voters’ perceptions of the economy have improved. What really caught our attention though is that Lula's approval jumped by 7 points among supporters of his political nemesis, the opposition leader and former President Jair Bolsonaro.
33: Reading scores for US 13-year-olds fell to their worst level in 33 years according to a new national survey. Math results weren’t much better, backsliding 19 years. Pandemic-related school closures are a major factor.
46: Armed clashes between rival gangs at a women’s prison in Honduras left at least 46 people dead after one of them set the prison on fire. Honduras’ prison system is bursting at the seams, with an overcapacity of 150%. Transnational rival gangs MS-13 and 18th Street Gang run the joints.