You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
157 corporate earnings announcements
A Ukrainian hacker along with traders has been charged by American authorities with stealing corporate earnings news from a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission database called Edgar, and trading on the information. Two of those charged are alleged to have stolen 157 earnings announcements, and the scheme is said to have illegally made some $4.14 million. [Reuters]
432 to 202
In the largest defeat ever for a sitting government, British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal was voted down 432 to 202 in the House of Commons. A vote of no-confidence, which could trigger a general election, is scheduled for this evening, Greenwich Mean Time. [BBC]
424 to 1
Across the pond, in an apparent though indirect rebuke to Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa, the U.S. House yesterday passed a resolution — 424 to 1 — condemning white supremacy and white nationalism. King himself, who has been stripped of committee assignments by the Republican leadership following his racist remarks, voted for the resolution, saying he agreed with its language. The lone dissenter, Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush, thought the resolution didn’t go far enough. “While I strongly condemn white supremacy and white nationalism, my position remains unchanged. Anything short of censure is shallow,” he said in a statement. [The Hill]
11 million batteries
Under the auspices of its apologetic $29 replacement program in 2018, Apple replaced 11 million iPhone batteries, compared to 1 to 2 million in other years. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has said that the program had a “negative impact” on the company’s revenue. [Daring Fireball, CNET]
46,000 IRS workers
The Internal Revenue Service is recalling nearly 60 percent of its workers — or 46,000 people — to work on tax refunds without pay. [Associated Press]
56, 55, 47 and 53 percent
Speaking of which, the partial government shutdown is in its fourth week, and Americans continue to blame President Trump for it. Quinnipiac and CNN/SSRS found that 56 and 55 percent blamed Trump, respectively. CBS News/YouGov found that 47 percent blamed Trump “the most.” And ABC News/Washington Post found that 53 percent blamed Trump and congressional Republicans. [FiveThirtyEight]
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