The 2021 News Cycle In One Chart

Google Trends for 2021 news topics 

Dec. 27, 2020, to Dec. 18, 2021, weekly 

Axios: Google Trends for 2021 news topics 

Between a siege on the Capitol building, a Texas snowstorm, Brood X cicadas, the Olympics and a stuck container ship in the Suez Canal — not to mention endless COVID variants — it's been a busy year.  

Why it matters: In the inaugural Axios-Google Trends news cycle chart, we chronicled the unprecedented first year of President Trump. Four years later, Joe Biden is president and the themes have changed, but America's short attention spans and rapid breaking news cycles continue.  

By the numbers: The single topic to receive the highest percentage of Google searches all year was the Olympics, during the week of its opening ceremonies. 

* Next came searches about stimulus checks at the very start of the year, followed by searches related to Trump during the week of Jan. 6. 

* Searches related to Biden and the COVID-19 vaccine rounded out the top five topics overall, out of more than 50 major 2021 events and topics chosen by Axios.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Inflation, crime, and the border are some the top searched U.S. news items on Google. No wonder Americans are fearful about 2022 .... Exclusive poll: America's fears rise for 2022 (Axios).

Here Are 13 Global Trends In The World Today

Zero Hedge/GEFIRA: State Of The Globe In 13 Facts: Why The Next Crisis Is Inevitable

The order of the current problems laid down below is random. Hard to say which factor will be the next catalyst. Maybe all or several at the same time?

Decide for yourself.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Good summary.

The World Is Becoming A Better Place

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Daily Mail: Exposed: The myth that the world is going to hell! Seven incredible charts that prove the world IS becoming a better place - despite all the doom and gloom

* Globalization has helped lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, with the proportion of people in extreme poverty cut in half during the past 20 years
* At the same time, advances in science, health care and technology have led to longer lifespans, better education and greater freedoms than ever before
* Life expectancy worldwide is nearly 72 years - up from roughly 35 years during the Industrial Revolution - and global child mortality rates are at record lows

Zombie films are breaking records, apocalyptic plot lines seem to dominate TV and both sides of the political divide can't seem to stop lamenting the demise of the civilized world as we know it.

But a closer look at the state of the world paints a rosier picture - with humankind better off, in myriad ways, than it has ever been before. Worldwide, life expectancies are up, child mortality rates are down and global income inequality has fallen, according to late Swedish academic Hans Rosling.

In his book, 'Factfulness,' Rosling outlines the countless ways that the world has become a better place over the past century – important global context, he says, for the problems that preoccupy our minds and color our perspectives.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am old enough to witness this trend of the world becoming a better place, especially in places like Eastern Europe and China.

The UK Is Ranked The Second Most Powerful Country In The World

UKDJ: UK ranked second most powerful country in the world

The ‘Audit of Geopolitical Capability 2019‘ reveals that, aside from China, the major Western democracies – not least the UK and US, as well as France, Germany and Japan – still hold a substantial lead over their emerging competitors.

Building on the ‘Audit of Geopolitical Capability’ from September 2017, the new study from the Henry Jackson Society provides an assessment of the geopolitical capabilities of twenty major countries, drawn from the G20, with the addition of Nigeria. The organisation say that as more countries have been added, the original framework and methodology have had to be refined, all the data can be found here.

Read more ....

Update: What Is World's Most Powerful Country? New Report Finds China Rising to Top (Newsweek)

WNU Editor: The full report is here .... ‘Audit of Geopolitical Capability 2019‘ (Henry Jackson Society).

Autocracies Are On The Rise In The Developing World

DW: Bertelsmann study: Developing world faces more conflict, more repression

Democracy is being chipped away in many countries across the world, according to a new study by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation. The study, which looks at 129 developing nations, warns autocracies are on the rise.

The quality of democracy and market-economy systems in developing nations and emerging economies has dropped to its lowest level in 12 years, Germany's non-profit Bertelsmann foundation said in its so-called Transformation Index 2018.

The report tracks the progress of 129 nations across the world in areas such as democracy, economy, and governance.

Bertelsmann's researchers warn that democracy is "under pressure" and that repression and polarization within societies are on the rise.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Countries like Turkey, Venezuela have fallen the most in the past few years .... Global democratic standards are in decline, report says (Financial Times).

The Newest Trend Is The 'Trump Divorce'

Photo: Former Miami Dolphin cheerleader Lynn Aronberg and her husband Palm Beach County State Attorney, Dave Aronberg, have filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage in what is called the 'Trump Divorce'

Daily Mail: Former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and Palm Beach state attorney announce they are getting divorced because of her staunch support for Trump that left her feeling 'isolated in the marriage'

* Former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Lynn Aronberg and her husband Palm Beach County State Attorney, Dave Aronberg, have filed for divorce
* Their marriage and split is being called the 'Trump Divorce
* Lynn Aronberg, 36, was said to be a 'staunch Republican and supporter of President Trump' and felt 'increasingly isolated in the marriage'
* She will receive $100,000 in 'exchange for her signature on the dotted line'

The current state of politics in America are not only dividing the nation but also splitting couples too.

Former Miami Dolphins cheerleader Lynn Aronberg and her husband Palm Beach County State Attorney, Dave Aronberg, have filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage in what is called the 'Trump Divorce.'

'Dave and Lynn Aronberg Sign Amicable Divorce Settlement Putting an End to What Some Were Calling The Trump Divorce,' a release from the law firm representing the wife.

Read more ....

Update: It looks like the "Trump Divorce" has claimed a new victim .... Report: Scaramucci’s Wife Filing For Divorce (Daily Caller).

WNU Editor: This is actually not a laughing manner. I know too many friends who have experienced a marriage break-up .... a lot of pain .... and if children are involved .... an experience that is 1000x worse. And as for the media putting the spotlight on these cases .... I am willing to bet that there were other reasons for these break-ups .... and politics was probably the least of them.