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By The Numbers

A particularly fresh-faced Congress

Tony Wagner Jan 6, 2015
13 senators

That’s the number of new senators being sworn in on Tuesday. As the WSJ reports, they join 33 others who have served less than one six-year term, marking a change from what was once viewed as an institution governed by seniority.

$3.5 billion

AOL’s approximate market value. Verizon has reportedly approached the company for a potential acquisition or joint venture, Bloomberg reports. People close to the talks said Verizon is seeking expertise in advertising, content and video.

13 states

That’s how many states are currently facing active litigation concerning funding of their public school systems. Kansas, the latest to join the ranks, saw a three-judge panel rule that underfunding of its public schools violate the state’s constitution.

1.5 meters

The maximum distance at which the new LG G Flex 2 will recognize a special gesture to take timed selfies. That should come in handy coupled with your new 5-foot selfie stick, but it’s far from the only “bleeding-edge selfie tech” being shown off at the Consumer Electronics show this year. Quartz has a round-up.

$50

That’s the price oil traded below on Monday. With the Republican-controlled Congress taking hold on Tuesday, approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is at the top of the agenda. But the pipeline was proposed back in 2008 under different conditions, which leads some to wonder what is the energy rationale for (and against) the project in a period of cheap oil.

3,040

The number of breweries operating in the U.S. as of this summer, the most since the 19th century. But the explosion of craft beer means brewers are starting to run out of names for their companies and their many varieties of pale ale, NPR reported, and it’s leading to some legal battles.

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