Hard Numbers: US bases in Afghanistan, America's health insurance crisis, Bangladesh under water, Mexican disappearances

5: As part of a US-Taliban peace deal negotiated in February, the US recently shuttered five military bases in Afghanistan, a major step towards reducing the number of American troops there after two decades of conflict. However, intra-Afghan violence has surged recently, despite the Taliban's pledge to rein in attacks.

5.4 million: At least 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance between February and May because coverage was linked to jobs that they lost. That's a 40 percent increase in uninsured workers from the previous high a decade ago when 3.8 American adults were stripped of their health insurance during the 2008-2009 recession.

33: Around 33 percent — or one third — of Bangladesh is now under water after recent flash floods. This crisis comes as the World Bank warns that the pandemic-induced economic downturn has "jeopardized many of Bangladesh's remarkable achievements in poverty reduction" in recent years.

11,000: Mexico recorded 11,000 disappearances over the past year, bringing the country's total number of disappeared people to 73,000 since the government declared "war" on criminal groups in 2006. Mexican president Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 pledging to tackle a long-standing violence epidemic fueled by drug cartels and gangs, but killings and crime have surged under his watch.

More from GZERO Media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smiles as he prepares to testify in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv on Dec. 10, 2024.
Menahem Kahana/Pool via Reuters

Israel has launched over 60 airstrikes this week targeting naval bases, ships, ammunition depots, and weapon facilities across Syria, devastating the Syrian Army’s remaining capabilities, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Walmart provides opportunities for associates to unlock their potential and grow their careers. With a $1 billion investment in career-driven training and development programs, Walmart provides associates with opportunities to grow from hourly roles to salaried management positions. In the past two years, over 300,000 associates have earned promotions into positions with higher pay and greater responsibility. Whether it’s a first job, next step, or second career, there is a path for anyone at Walmart. Learn how Walmart is supporting careers.

In October 2023, 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean signed the "Declaración de Santiago," a commitment to responsible AI development tailored to the region's cultural context and needs. Microsoft’s Global Perspectives: Responsible AI Fellows and CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean recently released a report exploring how AI can help achieve the UN SDGs. From health and wellness to gender equality and sustainable tourism, AI is unlocking solutions to longstanding challenges. Learn more.

Marine Tondelier, of Les Ecologistes party, talks to journalists next to colleagues as they leave a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Dec. 10. They had met with the French president as part of consultations aimed at appointing a new prime minister.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

On Tuesday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron hosted a meeting with the leaders of center, center-right, and center-left political parties at the Elysee Palace in a bid to end France’s political crisis by building support for a new prime minister and a 2025 budget.

- YouTube

President-elect Donald Trump has made no secret of his love of tariffs, vowing steep import taxes on China, Mexico, Canada, and almost every product that crosses the US border on his first day in office. Will they boost US jobs and manufacturing, as Trump promises, or lead to rising inflation, as many economists warn? On GZERO World, Oren Cass, founder and chief economist at conservative think tank American Compass, joins Ian Bremmer for an in-depth discussion about Trump’s tariff plan and the future of US-China trade policy.

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.
REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

The US government has reportedly permitted Microsoft to export advanced AI chips to one of its own facilities in the United Arab Emirates.

David Sacks, former CEO of Zenefits, is seen here speaking at a 2016 TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, California.
REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach/File Photo

Not only is he a close friend of Elon Musk, who is leading a government efficiency committee for Trump, but Sacks has spent the last few years as one of the loudest voices supporting Trump from the upper echelons of Silicon Valley.