Hard Numbers: The World's Rivers Are Full of Drugs

40,000: The US beer industry has lost some 40,000 jobs since 2016, according to an industry study. The main driver seems to be the Trump administration's aluminum tariffs, which have raised the price of beer cans, cutting into companies' profits.

525: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz lost his job in a no-confidence vote on Monday after just 525 days, the shortest tenure of any Austrian Chancellor in modern history. (German speakers may now gleefully note that "kurz" means "short"). But after his party did well in the EU parliament elections, he'll likely return to power after a fresh ballot this fall. #DerKommBackKid

65: Traces of antibiotic drugs were discovered in 65% of rivers surveyed across 72 countries, in a recent study. That's a big problem: when antibiotics pollute waterways, bacteria that is harmful to humans has a better chance of encountering them and developing resistance. The UN says that as many as 10 million people globally could be killed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 2050.

5.7: Chinese tourism to the US dropped 5.7% in 2018 from the year prior, marking the first time that figure has declined year-on-year since 2003. That's real money lost—in 2017 Chinese tourists spent $18.8 billion dollars while visiting the US. No word yet on any possible government bailouts for the US tourism industry, though.

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Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea deciding to suddenly declare emergency martial law, announcing together with the military all political activities prohibited. All media now under state control. No strikes, demonstrations allowed. Ian Bremmer breaks down the reason for this decision in this Quick Take.

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US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Angolan President João Lourenço at the Presidential Palace in Luanda, Angola, on Dec. 3, 2024.
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With seven weeks left as US president, Joe Biden was in Angola on Tuesday to meet with President João Lourenço. It's the very first visit of a US president to this former Portuguese colony.

Courtesy of Midjourney

Throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, the Commerce Department has gradually tightened its chokehold on China’s access to semiconductors needed to access, train, and build artificial intelligence. It just announced its “strongest controls ever," prompting China to respond in kind with restrictions of its own that send a signal to President-elect Donald Trump.