Global debt surpassed $230 trillion last year. (Global G.D.P. was $79.28 trillion.)
Last year, the economic losses from natural and man-made disasters reached $306 billion, almost double the previous year’s cost.
~~~ according to Swiss Re
Announced late January 2018: The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter. The mark was underwhelming after 3.2 percent {Obama carryover} growth in the third quarter raised expectations. Overall, American G.D.P. grew by 2.3 percent in 2017. Troublingly, consumer spending has risen faster than disposable income, and individual saving is at a near-record low.
~~~ per Washington Post and New York Times
As of 2017, almost 64 percent of all foreign exchange reserves were American currency. The euro was in second place at a mere 20 percent. The Japanese yen was way back in third, with less than 5 percent. China's renminbi was just 1.1 percent.
== POLITICS ===
F.B.I. officials James B. Comey, Andrew McCabe, Robert S. Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, and Christopher Wray are all (or were until recently) life-long registered Republicans – the right-wing fantasy about a 'liberal F.B.I. conspiracy' has no basis in fact.
Vladimir Putin received 77% of the votes in the presidential election in March – some say that that result was due to Russian meddling in the election process.
March for Our Lives organizers say that 800,000 marchers showed up in Washington, DC on March 24th – a bigger crowd than Trump's inauguration.
Greyhound Bus Lines around the USA are allowing armed I.C.E. Border Patrol agents to use racial profiling to harass passengers without a warrant.
73 Teens Shot To Death In The 37 Days Since The Parkland Massacre
(per Yahoo News)
== OTHER STUFF ===
Cape Town, South Africa reduced consumption enough so that the 'Zero Day' when they run out of water is pushed back to 2019.
Already over-worked nurses in America have to stand and administer some medicines very slowly by syringe because there are no more IV bags in the U.S A.: the only manufacturer was in Puerto Rico and the factory has not been repaired – six months after Hurricane Maria.
In January 2018, Hasbro announced the release of a new 'Cheaters Edition' of the Monopoly™ board game that cheerfully caters to 'sordid reality'; release is planned for Fall 2018 and in addition to the community chest and chance cards, this version includes 15 cheat cards. Other rules changes include rotating the banker function as each player takes his/her turn, making it easier to cheat.
Netflix is producing 700 original series episodes and movies in 2018.
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