You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
1
A North Carolina audit found that of the 4,769,640 votes cast in November, only 1 would probably have been tossed out as a fraudulent vote under the voter ID law the state passed in 2013. The law was struck down by a federal court, which found it clearly targeted black voters. [The Charlotte Observer]
$4
China has begun selling cheap HIV testing kits out of vending machines around university campuses. The discrete $4 exams are anonymous and could help stem infections on campuses without the social stigma of getting a V.D. check at the clinic. [NPR]
57
Number of F-35 fighter jets that Pentagon officials estimate manufacturer Lockheed Martin will deliver in 2017, nine fewer than the company plans. [Bloomberg]
128 years
A wall along the Mexican border would have immense consequences, not the least of which has to do with the flows of water across the arid border. That’s such a fraught and essential element of U.S.-Mexico relations that we’ve had the International Boundary and Water Commission for the past 128 years to hash it all out. If the President’s proposed border wall ever become a reality, it could violate the 47-year-old treaty that divvies up the Rio Grande. [NPR]
636,000 viewers
Average Fox News viewers in the key 25-54 demographic at 8 p.m. on Monday, which is pretty normal. It was Tucker Carlson’s first show in the time slot long dominated by Bill O’Reilly, who was unceremoniously sacked last week. Tucker’s ratings seemed to suggest that the network — at least for now — doesn’t need O’Reilly to keep eyeballs around. Still, this is a number to watch very closely over the next few months. [CNN]
$3.1 million
Lobbying expenditures in the first three months of the year from Koch Industries, which weighed in on the EPA’s Clean Power Plan as well as President Trump’s nominees in their Senate confirmation processes. [The Intercept]
If you see a significant digit in the wild, send it to @WaltHickey.