Hard Numbers: Bannon charged, Egyptians skip sham vote, Greenland ice melts, Thai protest leaders jailed

1 million: Steve Bannon, the architect of US President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, has been indicted for wire fraud after allegedly pocketing over $1 million from pro-Trump online donors who were promised the money would be used to finance the construction of a border wall with Mexico. Bannon joins a long list of former Trump associates that have faced criminal charges.

14.3: Supporters of Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won the vast majority of the 200 seats up for grabs in the country's recent Senate election. Overall disillusionment among voters with the state of democracy in the country resulted in a dismal 14.3 percent turnout.

586 billion: Greenland lost 586 billion tons of ice in 2019, surpassing the previous annual record by over 15 percent after an unusually warm year. The data confirm that the vast Arctic territory's ice sheet is melting much faster than expected as a result of climate change.

9: Thai security forces have arrested nine people on sedition charges for leading mass anti-government protests that for the first time have questioned the role of the once-untouchable monarchy in politics. The activists — among them a prominent lawyer and a famous rapper — face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

As Trump makes his cabinet picks, there's a lot more clarity on the national security side than there is on the economic side, says Jon Lieber. He breaks down the key picks and the key roles that remain open so far.

Test of a Russian ICBM, launched on October 26, 2024. Since invading Ukraine, Russia has placed its nuclear forces on ready and has increased testing and development of its ICBMs.
Russia MOD via EYEPRESS, from Reuters.

All sides are pulling out the stops right now -- for one important reason.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024.
REUTERS/Amir Cohen

These warrants will pose a test for Israel’s Western allies if Netanyahu ever plans to visit, and raises questions over how they should interact with the Israeli leader more generally.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his bid to become attroney general on Nov. 21 over continuing allegations of sexual impropriety. President-elect Donald Trump appointed him on Nov. 13, 2024.
USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that after meeting with senators, he would not go through with the nomination process to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, claiming he did not wish to be a “distraction.”

Are you a reporter and writer with creative flair and an academic or professional background in international politics? Do you think it's more important than ever to help the general public understand the dizzying political changes in the world today? If so, you could be a strong candidate to fill our opening for a senior writer on the GZERO Daily newsletter team.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks, on the day of the 114th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, in Mexico City, Mexico November 20, 2024.

REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

The lower house of Mexico’s Congress approved the text of a constitutional proposal to scrap oversight bodies on Wednesday, a first step in the ruling Morena party’s goal of eliminating autonomous institutions and consolidating power.

World leaders assemble for a group photo at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 19, 2024. The gathering was overshadowed by Donald Trump's impending return to the White House.

REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

With Trump about to take power again, one of the world's most important multilateral gatherings was an exercise in cowardice and smallness.