The Graphic Truth: Opium keeps the Taliban going

Ari Winkleman

The Taliban (officially) banned opium cultivation last April, as they did before 9/11 and the subsequent US invasion that ousted them from power in Afghanistan. But in the 20 years that followed the group became the Pablo Escobars of the global poppy trade by taxing opium farmers. Now the Taliban say growing poppies is again verboten, but this year's harvest is mostly in the bag, and enforcing the ban won't be easy. We look at opium cultivation in Afghanistan since 1996, when the Taliban first ruled the country.

The Graphic Truth: Upcoming 2022 elections

Annie Gugliotta & Ari Winkleman

In the first half of 2022, we’ve already seen a number of pivotal national elections. France’s centrist President Emmanuel Macron held off a challenge from the far right; Hungary’s far-right PM Viktor Orbán held off a challenge from the center; Colombia elected its first leftist head of state; and South Korean conservative Yoon Suk-yeo prevailed in a presidential race that bordered on reality TV mayhem.

But there’s more to come. In the next six months, 19 different countries plan to hold national legislative or executive elections. Some standouts include Brazil’s presidential throwdown in October, pitting embattled right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro against his poll-leading nemesis, the leftwing former President Lula da Silva. Around that time, Israel will also head to its — checks notes — fifth election in less than four years, while in November US President Joe Biden will lead his Democrats into midterm elections in which his party could very well lose control of Congress.

Here’s a look at all the planned national-level elections left in 2022.

The Graphic Truth: Tourists trickle back into the US

Ari Winkleman

The global tourism industry got pummeled during the pandemic. Economies reliant on international visitors for a large chunk of their GDP were hit particularly hard. But after more than two years of restrictions, scenes at airports around the world today suggest that the travel bug is back. Still, looking at data from the US — a top destination for global travelers — it’s clear that the revival will be slow going. We take a look at international arrivals to the US from 2000 to March 2022.

This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.

The Graphic Truth: Gasping at the pump – global gas prices soar ​

Ari Winkleman

Prices at the pump are soaring. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, much of the world has been affected by the economic impact of sanctions, higher inflation, constrained supply, and overall uncertainty. In the G20 economies, consumers tend to complain most about the price of unleaded gas, which is affecting their ability to get around town and go on holiday. We look at how far north the G20’s gas prices have driven.

The Graphic Truth: Worlds apart on LGBTQ rights

LGBTQ Pride Month is currently being celebrated throughout the United States. Since the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969, progress towards equal protections for LGBTQ people has been hard-won throughout the country, culminating in the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015. Significant progress for LGBTQ communities seeking equal protection under the law has been made in much of Western Europe and the Americas but still lags in most of Africa and Asia, where same-sex sexual acts are deemed illegal in many states. Here's a look at the legal environment for LGBTQ people around the globe.


The Graphic Truth: US flushes LatAm with cash

Strategic, economic and cultural ties between the United States and Latin American states run deep. The US relies heavily on the cooperation of Central and South American allies to stem the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into the country. But for years, Uncle Sam has been accused of exploiting its Latin American friends and taking the region for granted as it prioritizes economic ties with Asia. This view, however, fails to account for the significant amount of cash that the US doles out in order to boost Latin American economies. We take a look at some of those numbers.

This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.

The Graphic Truth: Boris hangs on by a thread

Ari Winkleman & Annie Gugliotta

Boris Johnson is famous for weathering controversy — from alleged affairs to partygate — often emerging stronger than before. But since taking office, the British PM has been caught in so many political scandals that most Brits, and many in his own Conservative Party, have now turned against him. Still, Johnson narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Monday and lives to fight yet another day. We take a look at his approval ratings as prime minister, highlighting a few of the dramas that have eroded his popularity.

This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.

    The Graphic Truth: Americans googling the economy

    Ari Winkleman

    Will the US economy go into a recession this year? As always, economists disagree. Inflation hawks like Larry Summers believe it's almost inevitable, while doves point to the recent robust jobs report to insist we shouldn't panic yet. Still, Americans are concerned, which explains why Google searches for the word "recession" have jumped four-fold since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. We take a look at searches for this term, as well as other economy-related topics Americans have been googling over the past year.

    This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.

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