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8 minutes 29 seconds
We’re still talking abut the GOP debate? Sure, I guess we are. By NPR’s reckoning, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had the least speaking time of any candidate, with only 8 minutes 29 seconds in what was essentially a three-hour affair. Needless to say, Walker aides are not thrilled that their candidate — who is doing decently in the polls — was largely overlooked on national television. [POLITICO]
12-point net unfavorable
Mayor Bill De Blasio is not doing well in favorability polls, even among New York City residents. A Quinnipiac poll found 49 percent of New Yorkers had an unfavorable opinion of the mayor, and only 37 percent of NYC respondents had a favorable opinion. [Quinnipiac University]
13th largest
Last week, the Tennessee Titans crushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 42-14. Tennessee’s win gave them the 13th-largest opening weekend bump in the Super Bowl era, according to the Elo power rating system. [FiveThirtyEight]
20th member
On Thursday, Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives, making this week the first time that the House has had a full 435 members since the beginning of the session. LaHood is the son of former Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, himself a former congressman. The younger Rep. LaHood is the 20th member of the current House of Representatives who is a child of a former member. Remember, kids, anything is possible if you follow your dreams, but it’s a lot more possible if your dad had the job you want. [@GregGiroux]
6,000
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is very good at showing up to votes; on Thursday the senator was recognized for attending her 6,000th consecutive vote. There are two senators who have cast even more in a row: sitting Sen. Chuck Grassley and late Sen. William Proxmire. [National Journal]
11,000 feet
On Thursday NASA released pictures from the New Horizons probe’s Pluto flyby. The terrain of the ex-planet is studded with glaciers and icy mountains that are up to 11,000 feet high. [NASA]
£100,000
A U.K. wine bar served an 18-year old woman a shot of alcohol containing liquid nitrogen in 2012, which led to the victim needing to have her ruptured stomach removed. This week the bar — Oscar’s Wine Bar in Lancaster— was fined £100,000 over the failure to ensure the safety of the cocktail. [BBC]
22.9 million
Audience for Wednesday’s CNN GOP primary debate, the largest audience for any event in the history of the network. [The New York Times]
260 million years old
Bunostegos akokanensis is a pre-reptile life form that lived on land 260 million years ago. A new analysis of the creature’s bones led researchers to conclude that the Permian-era animal is the earliest known to stand upright on all four legs. [Science Daily]
$940 million
The U.S. government settled with more than 600 Native American tribes to the tune of $940 million, clearing a longstanding lawsuit that claimed the federal government underpaid contracts under the Indian Self-Determination Act. [The StarTribune]
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