Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: March shows solidarity for Israel, US Army overturns convictions of Black soldiers, US inflation cools, EU falls short on artillery shells for Ukraine, House passes funding bill

​Tens of thousands of Israel supporters march on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.

Tens of thousands of Israel supporters march on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.

REUTERS/Leah Millis
Make us preferred on Google

100,000: Tens of thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to show their solidarity with the Jewish state amid its push to eradicate Hamas in Gaza following the Oct. 7 terror attacks. Several Jewish groups helped organize the event to demand the release of Israeli hostages and to push back against a rising tide of antisemitism. Organizers anticipated a crowd of 100,000 demonstrators, but some estimates suggested the turnout may have been nearly triple that.


110: The US Army has overturned the convictions of 110 Black soldiers who were charged with murder, mutiny, and other crimes following a 1917 riot in Houston. Nineteen of the soldiers were executed, marking the largest mass execution of US soldiers by the Army. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said it was determined that the soldiers “were wrongly treated because of their race and were not given fair trials.” The records of these soldiers will be corrected to characterize their service as honorable, the Army said.

3.2%: Inflation is chilling out, in welcome news to Americans and their wallets. The Consumer Price Index rose 3.2% in October compared to a year ago, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, down from the 3.7% year-over-year increase in September. Polling from the past year has repeatedly shown that inflation is the top concern for Americans, with many voters giving President Joe Biden low marks for his handling of the economy.

1 million: Germany on Tuesday said the EU is unlikely to hit a goal of providing Ukraine with 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition by March 2024. The announcement comes amid Kyiv’s continued push for more military aid for its ongoing war against Russian invaders. Meanwhile, there is dwindling support in the US for providing further assistance to Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky feels the pressure from his military’s stalling counteroffensive.

336: The GOP-led House on Tuesday passed a stopgap funding bill that would prevent a shutdown and fund the government into 2024. The bill passed 336 to 95, with 209 Democrats and 127 Republicans voting in favor. The measure, which is expected to pass in the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden before the Friday shutdown deadline, would provide funding for some agencies until mid-January and others until Feb. 2.

More For You

Hard number: Seeking owners
Will Fitzpatrick
It’s not known whether these works were among the hundreds of thousands that the Nazis looted – especially from Jews – during their time in power, but in displaying these pieces, the museum hopes that the public can identify their original owners. Perhaps the most famous lost painting of this kind was Gustav Klimt’s “The Woman in Gold”, which was [...]
Chinese court compensates AI-replaced worker
A court in Hangzhou ruled that companies are not permitted to fire employees or reduce their salaries because their positions are being automated or replaced by AI. The case was brought by a worker who was initially offered a 40% pay cut and a demotion when his job as a quality assurance supervisor was automated. After he refused the reduced [...]
Hard number: Some African states turn to AI surveillance
Zac Weisz
While China has long been a leader in infrastructure investment across the African continent, it’s found a new way to continue to expand its influence – AI-powered surveillance technology. According to a recent study, many of these new systems have even been funded by Chinese banks. Nigeria boasts the continent's largest network of smart CCTV [...]
Hard Number: Is Russia stuck in the mud?
More than four years into its war with Ukraine, the Russian military appears to be stuck in the mud. With the loss of access to Starlink satellites, which were previously used to help guide their drones, the Russians have turned to deploying small teams of soldiers in attempts to break through the front lines, with little success. This sluggish [...]