Independent Report

Writer. Thinker. Intellectually curious citizen. Reporting on interesting factoids, data and information.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

What has happened to low earth orbit in just the last decade is astonishing. There are roughly 15,200 functioning objects in orbit today. A decade ago that number was closer to 1,000. Starlink alone accounts for most of the difference.

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In response, President Trump said the following to reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday:

“You know what I really love? I love the inflation.”

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Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed the Consumer Price Index rising 4.2% year-over-year in May. It was the third consecutive monthly increase, and the first time inflation has topped 4% since 2023.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

New research suggests that GLP-1 drugs may lower the chance of being diagnosed with cancer, perhaps linked to the drug's effect on inflammation.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Defense spending could send the government’s budget deficit into dangerous territory, the report said, noting that the shortfall through April was about 50% above the forecast for the entire year.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Russian GDP contracted in the first quarter, and the Kremlin now sees just a 0.4% uptick for all of 2026. Kremlin finance officials recently told Putin that his war is unaffordable, sources told Bloomberg.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Nearly half of US consumer spending comes from the top 10% of US households. This is what's referred to as the K-shaped economy.

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AI-driven data center power demand in the US is forecast to grow more than thirtyfold by 2035, from 4 GW in 2024 to 123 GW.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

AI is driving the US economy. Corporate investment in AI drove roughly one-third of US GDP growth in 2025.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Among atheists and agnostics, 85 percent say their best guess is that intelligent life exists outside Earth. Among white evangelicals, only 40 percent say the same.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Christians in the United States are significantly less likely than the general public to say intelligent life exists on other planets, according to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

The year 2023 was a unique year in the history of humanity, because it’s the first time our total fertility rate as a planet fell below replacement rate. That has never happened before in 200,000 years.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

The total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman in almost every country in North America, South America, Europe, and southern and eastern Asia.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

People can and do forgive each other. Those once at war with each other can eventually live in peace.

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Trump is hailing the agreement with Iran as groundbreaking, even though the nuclear stockpile, enrichment and missiles have not been discussed.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Above and beyond aircraft losses, 13 service members have been killed in the fighting.

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Trump’s war with Iran has left dozens of US airplanes damaged and destroyed, a new congressional report has revealed. The Congressional Research Service says the total number of lost or damaged aerial vehicles could be as high as 42.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

On May 12, Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst said that $29 billion had already been spent on fighting in Iran. However, US officials familiar with internal assessments told CBS News that the offensive’s true price tag to date is closer to $50 billion.

[Stan R. Mitchell @StanRMitchell]

If this kind of video is already circulating in May, the campaign ads heading into November are going to be absolutely brutal.

[Independent Report @IndyReport]

Since returning to office, Trump has hit the links at least 106 times, spending more than a fifth of his term—about 21.95 percent—golfing, putting him on pace to exceed the 307 days he spent golfing over the course of his first term.