You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the numbers tucked inside the news.
5 turnovers thus far
On Tuesday, President Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and announced he would appoint Mike Pompeo, the head of the CIA, to the position. So far that makes three replacements and two departures from the Trump Cabinet, a record level of turnover in the presidencies since Jimmy Carter’s. [FiveThirtyEight]
7 percent
That’s the percent of Obama 2012 voters who did not vote in the 2016 election. Another nine percent voted for Donald Trump. And it gets interesting when you zoom in by race: 12 percent of white Obama voters broke for Trump, while 11 percent of black Obama voters didn’t go to the polls. [The Washington Post]
45 percent
Americans generally think democracy is the preferred form of government, according to recent research. But some groups with an affinity for Donald Trump stand out for their support for a strong leader and openness to alternatives to democracy. Looking specifically at the 4.1 percent of Americans who voted for Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016, 45 percent of them favored a strong leader and were open to alternatives to democracy. [Slate]
13 gallons per day
The residents of Cape Town, South Africa, have cut their water consumption from over 600 million liters per day in January to 520 million liters now. The government has limited consumption to 13 gallons a day per person (an American, on average, consumes 88 gallons). This is an attempt to stave off the day when the city will run out of water. If they keep up the current water saving effort, they can avoid running out of water this year. [NPR]
126 years
For the first time in its 126-year history, General Electric Co. eliminated bonuses for senior managers after the company ended up losing money in 2017. [Reuters]
$40,000
Estimated per-episode salary for star Claire Foy, who played Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s “The Crown.” Despite playing the head of state — the show’s primary protagonist — Foy was paid less than her male co-star, Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip. [Vanity Fair]
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