Hard Numbers

242,000: The solar power industry employed 242,000 Americans in 2018, according to a new study. That was down slightly from a year earlier, as Trump administration tariffs on Chinese solar panels and changes to state policies for solar power hit demand for new projects. The Solar Foundation industry group expects the number of jobs to rise again next year as overall panel prices fall.

3,000: Turkish courts have convicted over 3,000 soldiers and civilians accused of participating in an attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016. Erdogan has cracked down on political opponents in the wake of the botched putsch, including supporters of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for organizing the plot.

74: A new poll shows that 74 percent of Americans, including 65 percent of Republicans, support a tax on the wealth of the country's richest individuals. Several Democrats who're bidding for the 2020 presidential nomination have promised to implement such a policy if elected.

61: A recent poll commissioned by the Campaign to Stop Killer robots found that 61 percent of respondents across 26 countries favored a ban on "lethal autonomous weapons systems" that can attack and kill without human intervention. So far just 28 countries have signed on to an effort at the United Nations to prohibit the technology.

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The body of Pope Francis in the coffin exposed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on April 24, 2025. The funeral will be celebrated on Saturday in St. Peter's Square.
Pasquale Gargano/KONTROLAB/ipa-agency.net/IPA/Sipa USA

While the Catholic world prepares for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday – the service begins at 10 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. ET – certain high-profile attendees may also have other things on their mind. Several world leaders will be on hand to pay their respects to the pontiff, but they could also find themselves involved in bilateral talks.

A Ukrainian rescue worker sits atop the rubble of a destroyed residential building during rescue operations, following a Russian missile strike on a residential apartment building block in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 24, 2025.
Photo by Justin Yau/ Sipa USA
Members of the M23 rebel group stand guard at the opening ceremony of Caisse Generale d'epargne du Congo (CADECO) which will serve as the bank for the city of Goma where all banks have closed since the city was taken by the M23 rebels, in Goma, North Kivu province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, April 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and an alliance of militias led by the notorious M23 rebels announced a ceasefire on Thursday after talks in Qatar and, after three years of violence, said they would work toward a permanent truce.

Students shout slogans and burn an effigy to protest the Pahalgam terror attack in Guwahati, Assam, India, on April 24, 2025. On April 22, a devastating terrorist attack occurs in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 tourists.
Photo by David Talukdar/NurPhoto

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has blamed Pakistan for Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, and he’s takenaggressive action against its government.

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President Donald Trump at a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

On Wednesday, Donald Trump said he would deliver a “fair deal” with China and that he’d be “very nice” to the country after meeting with major retailers. But Beijing denies that there are any ongoing talks and has told the US it must cancel its unilateral tariffs before China will broker any negotiations.