April 28, 2021
300: As Lebanon grinds through an ongoing economic crisis that has crippled the value of its currency, the cost of an Iftar meal — the meal at which Muslims break their Ramadan fast each day — has increased 300 percent over the past two years. That's in part because the cost of imported agricultural goods like seeds and pesticides has forced farmers to cut back production or raise prices.
27.5 million: To encourage young people to get vaccinated, the Republican governor of the US state of West Virginia wants to give everyone who gets the jab a $100 savings bond. The total cost of the plan is so low, just $27.5 million, that the governor says critics can "kiss my butt."
4: A US Navy vessel in the Persian Gulf recently fired warning shots at an Iranian boat for the first time in four years, the Pentagon says. Tense face-offs between American ships and Iranian speedboats operated by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have increased recently, right as the two sides are exploring ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
50,000: Opponents of same-sex marriage in Switzerland reached the 50,000 signatures needed to force another referendum on the issue, even though the Swiss parliament has already allowed the practice and 80 percent of Swiss support it.
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In this 'ask ian,' Ian Bremmer takes a look at the issues that drove the "blue wave" in the 2026 US midterms and how Democrats winning control of the House and Senate represents a repudiation of President Donald Trump’s governing record.
Supporters react after media outlets projected Democratic US Senate candidate and Texas State Representative James Talarico's victory in the US midterm elections in Austin, Texas, US, November 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
In the end, the long-predicted “blue wave” turned into a tsunami as the Democrats, harnessing widespread frustrations over high living costs, opposition to the war in Iran, and misgivings about Trump’s deportation policies, swept back to power on Capitol Hill.
Last night’s wins were not only pivotal, but also broke multiple glass ceilings in American politics.
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