You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news.
7 same-sex marriage licenses
With Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis busted out of the clink in Kentucky, part of the terms of her release was that she would not interfere with the issuing of marriage licenses anymore. In her absence, 10 licenses were issued, seven of them to same-sex couples, the latter being her particular gripe. Deputy Clerk Brian Mason said he would continue issuing the marriage licenses, regardless of what Davis had to say about it. And thus, social progress was made. [The Lexington Herald-Leader]
At least 10 CIA officers
In the course of research for “Zero Dark Thirty,” the film about the killing of Osama bin Laden, at least 10 CIA National Clandestine Service officers met with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal to punch up the script, new documents obtained by Vice reveal. Ironically, the film lost the 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture to “Argo,” a movie about CIA officers punching up a movie script in service to a clandestine operation. [Vice]
$20 per ounce
A sales-tax holiday in Colorado means that the state will be forced to suspend taxes on recreational marijuana for one day Sept. 16, which will make that libertarian stoner you knew in college who moved out to Telluride super thrilled. This amounts to about $20 off the price of a medium-quality ounce of marijuana in Denver. This is the worst thing to happen to the War on Drugs since decades of failure. [SFGate]
21 percent
According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who support the Iran nuclear deal dropped from 33 percent in July to 21 percent in September. [Pew Research Center]
29 percent
According to a new poll, the percentage of Americans who could imagine a scenario in which they would support a U.S. military coup of the federal government, which is all kinds of messed up. Seriously, guys? Broken down by party identification, this included 43 percent of Republicans and 20 percent of Democrats, which is still far too high if you ask me. Those of you in favor, watch the documentary series “Battlestar Galactica” and tell me if you stand by your position. [YouGov]
75 percent
Percentage of Bloomberg LP’s revenue derived from the Bloomberg terminal, a financial research and industry communication tool that costs a lot of money but is pretty much necessary in vast numbers for the operation of a modern financial institution. Startups have been seeking to disrupt the business. Growth in the terminal industry has slowed — but not stopped — since the recession. [The New York Times]
$99
Cost of the Apple Pencil, a jumped-up stylus for the iPad that the company is now hawking to see how far it can push capitalism toward its logical conclusion. Apple also announced a TV product that has many things other TV products have and — golly! — a new iPhone. Killing the game, Apple. [Reuters]
7,795 milligrams
Sodium content in a Jersey Mike’s Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak (with white giant bread), one of the highest-sodium dishes you can get in New York City. For reference, the FDA-recommended daily limit is 2,300 mg. The city’s Board of Health approved a rule requiring chain stores to flag products with high sodium by Dec. 1, presumably ruining future visits to Taco Bell that once brought beefy five-layer contentment after a hard day. [Bloomberg]
6.6 million viewers
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is off to a solid start, with 6.6 million people tuning in to the first show, which featured former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and actor George Clooney. [The AV Club]
$725 million
Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is buying 73 percent of the remaining National Geographic Web and print business from the nonprofit National Geographic Society. [BuzzFeed]
If you haven’t already, you really need to sign up for the Significant Digits newsletter — be the first to learn about the numbers behind the news.