Numbers

19 Varieties of assault weapon that will be allowed on the market again, following Congress's refusal to extend the assault-weapons ban

68% Percentage of Americans who say they support the assault-weapons ban

$11.60 Amount by which the monthly Medicare premium will increase next year, the largest increase in the program's history

11.2% Increase in the cost to employers of providing health insurance for employees last year, the fourth double-digit increase in the past four years

264 Number of weeks Tiger Woods was ranked the No. 1 player in golf, before being unseated last week

6 Number of tournaments Vijay Singh, the new No. 1 player, has won this year

46 Number of hours the average U.S. motorist spends in traffic jams each year

5.7 billion Number of gallons of gas wasted by vehicles idling in those traffic jams

Sources: New York Times (2); Wall Street Journal; New York Times; Agence France (2); Reuters (2)