Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: What does it cost to save an American job?

Make us preferred on Google

14,000: A sprawling NYT report says more than 128,000 people have disappeared into Syria's government prison system, where torture, rape, and summary executions are rampant, since the start of the civil war in 2011. Some 14,000 people are believed to have been tortured to death, with one officer proudly calling himself "Hitler."

2/3: Cuba, hit by tighter US sanctions and shrinking imports of cheap oil from Venezuela, has returned to a policy of rationing basic foodstuffs. The state-controlled economy imports roughly two-thirds of what its 11 million citizens eat, at an annual bill of $2 billion.


2.8 billion: Since 2016, Facebook has deleted some 2.8 billion "fake" accounts as part of a Whack-A-Mole style effort to stamp out disinformation campaigns designed to mess with elections. The tech giant's next big test on this score is the European Parliamentary election later this month.

815,000: The tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on imported washing machines last year helped to create nearly 2,000 new jobs in the United States, at a cost to consumers of more than $815,000 per job created, according to a University of Chicago study. #TradeoffsOfTrade

More For You

First time for everything
Will Fitzpatrick
Not bad for a debut! Almgren, a former risk analyst and amateur soccer and track star who dedicated himself full time to distance running in 2025, had never run a marathon before Sunday. You read that right — it was his first marathon ever. He is the first European-born winner of the NYC race in 30 years. Last year he became the first [...]
US oil companies fill their coffers
Lottie Tellyn
While the average American household has spent $1,100 more on gas and diesel since the start of the Iran war, oil companies have been profiting from higher fuel prices. The same 50 US oil and gas companies made less than $47 billion in profits over the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump boasted that the US was making a [...]
Afghanistan’s poppy problem
Will Fitzpatrick
As Afghan farmers struggle with high operating costs and low crop prices, more are taking a risk by illegally growing poppy to feed their families. Poppy is a key ingredient in opium – which can then be used to make heroin – and Afghanistan has long been a major producer. Before the Taliban banned cultivation in 2022, the country supplied more [...]
Fuel costs halt three-year cruise around the world
Lottie Tellyn
Ship owner Villa Vie Residences told passengers the cruise would end its journey early in Cambodia because refueling costs have jumped more than 300% since the start of the Iran war. Some passengers have now flown home, while others are still waiting in the port city of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The ship, Odyssey, was one of the few designed for [...]