You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
Title VII
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has changed a federal policy with a memo to agency heads and U.S. attorneys indicating that Title VII’s sex discrimination protections do not apply to transgender workers. This could lead to court cases. [BuzzFeed]
31 percent
President Trump said in front of a microphone on Tuesday that when it comes to Puerto Rico’s debt, “We’re going to have to wipe that out.” This seemingly off-hand comment — his budget director later attempted to walk back the statement — led the price of Puerto Rico’s bonds to fall 31 percent, though they then began to recover. [NPR]
$10.99
Netflix will be hiking the price on its standard tier from $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month and on its premium tier from $11.99 to $13.99, with customers to be notified beginning Oct. 19. [Mashable]
54 percent
For the first time in the history of the poll, a slight majority of Republicans say homosexuality should be accepted by society. [Pew Research Center]
2048
A man was arrested Monday in central Wyoming for public intoxication, or at least that’s what the feds and black helicopters would have you believe. The man claimed to be a time traveller from the year 2048. He warned that aliens would arrive next year, demanded to speak to the president of Casper and said it was the aliens that had filled his body with alcohol. Listen, gonna just throw this out there: I say we hear the guy out. [Associated Press]
940,000 metric tons of butter
American consumption of butter is projected to be up 10 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year, with an expected 940,000 metric tons consumed. Fun fact: Grassland Dairy Products Inc. — a company you probably have never heard of — makes about a third of U.S. butter, and Americans ditching margarine for the good stuff made the guy who owns it a hella billionaire. [Bloomberg]
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