You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news. Today’s number is up to $398, the price of a high-end boutique axe from Best Made Co. — apparently, many are given as gifts to best men, newlyweds and babies.
64.2 percent
The ability to defeat President Trump is still a top concern among Democratic primary voters, according to a new FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll: 64.2 percent of respondents said they preferred a candidate who has a good chance of beating Trump over a candidate who agrees with them on issues. And, on average, likely primary voters think Joe Biden — followed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — have the best chance of winning the general election. But we’ll see if tonight’s debate changes anything — the same group of respondents will be asked how they feel about all seven candidates again after the debate [FiveThirtyEight]
36 points
Only two women are given spots at P.D.C. World Darts Championships, but Fallon Sherrock certainly made the most of hers. On Tuesday, the 25-year-old became the first woman to defeat a man in the tournament. She sealed her win against Ted Evetts after successfully hitting a double 18. [New York Times]
20 Baltimore police officers
An analysis of court records, sentencing memorandums and the newspaper’s own archives by the Baltimore Sun found at least 20 Baltimore police officers — some now no longer employed by the police department — were either charged with crimes, sentenced or suspended in 2019. [Baltimore Sun]
3.3 million yen in damages
Two years ago, Shiori Ito went public with accusations of rape against a prominent TV journalist named Noriyuki Yamaguchi. On Wednesday, a district court in Tokyo not only dismissed Yamaguchi’s countersuit against Ito, but ordered him to pay her 3.3 million yen (approximately $30,000) in damages. Ito’s experience of speaking publicly and going to court with a civil suit made her a face of Japan’s #MeToo movement, but also subjected her to extensive amounts of abuse online. [The Guardian]
105.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Many American cities are experiencing cold temperatures and “snow squalls,” but huge parts of Australia are facing a much different problem: record-high temperatures and massive wildfires. On Tuesday, the country experienced its hottest day ever recorded, reaching an average maximum temperature of 105.6 degrees Fahrenheit nationally. However, experts at the country’s Bureau of Meteorology think this record could be broken pretty soon because of intensifying heat expected on Wednesday. [National Public Radio]
$10,000 worth of lobster
Some thieves target jewelry; others desire crustaceans. A Boston man tried to steal $10,000 worth of freshly-caught lobster being loaded into a truck bound for Europe before crashing the vehicle into another truck. The failed robbery happened on Tuesday shortly after midnight. [Boston Magazine]