Quakes Remind Californians They're Due for 'The Big One'

Last night’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake — the state’s strongest since 1999 — struck mercifully far from significant concentrations of the Golden State’s 40 million inhabitants, as did Thursday’s 6.4 magnitude temblor. Both quakes were centered 150 miles north of Los Angeles near the town of Ridgecrest, where injuries, building damage and fires were reported. But the shaking was felt as far away as Phoenix.

What do the quakes tell us? Even though it knocked locals off their feet, Friday’s event was a “moderate” quake, and the long-feared “big one” could be 30 times stronger and hit where millions live.

Read OZY’s Flashback about a quake that united the world.

House Committee to Probe Border Kids' Conditions

“Grotesque and dehumanizing.” That’s what Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, has said of the widely condemned treatment of migrant children at federal detention facilities. Cummings is planning a hearing Friday to grill administration officials about how minor detainees have reportedly been denied access to hygiene and medical care.

Are there any hitches? The Friday hearing called by Cummings may have to proceed without answers from the White House, as neither acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan nor acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan have RSVP’d.

Read OZY’s Immodest Proposal about Americans living in Mexico.

Think the Trade War Is Temporary? Think Again

It will all be over with after the U.S. trade negotiators make a deal … with China, then the European Union and now even Vietnam. But the Pandora’s box of protectionism has been opened, argues journalist Keith Johnson, and its demons can’t soon be contained. While many believe that imposing massive tariffs on erstwhile trading partners is merely one of President Trump’s quirks, the policy has released a fast-moving undercurrent among the U.S. electorate.

What’s Johnson predicting? Even if Trump is voted out in 2020, Democrats are no fans of globalization either. In the meantime, longtime U.S. trading partners are still making deals — just not with Washington.

Russian Expats Weather Georgians' Anti-Moscow Anger

Russians living in Georgia are finding life awkward after a visiting Russian politician’s speech to Georgian legislators sparked unrest in Tbilisi last month. Many have settled in Georgia despite lingering tension over Russian troops occupying two breakaway Georgian regions. While it’s uncomfortable seeing placards cursing their nationality, these expats say Kremlin warnings of anti-Russian hostility are exaggerated and explaining one’s love of Georgia to folks back home can be even more intimidating.

Are Russian tourists still visiting? The Georgian mountains and wine are a major draw, but tourism is expected to drop following a flight ban imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

OZY serves up a delicious Georgian snack.

Also Important...

The United States has requested an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss Iran’s announced stockpiling of enriched uranium. Firefighters are battling a wildfire in Alaska after the state broke heat records on Thursday. And Turkey’s president has fired the head of the country’s central bank, raising concerns about its independence.

In the week ahead: The center-right New Democracy party is poised to oust Greece’s leftist-led government in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Despite moves to roll back clean air and water regulations and canceling American climate protection commitments, President Trump plans to tout his administration’s environmental leadership in a Monday speech. And on Tuesday, Major League Baseball will hold its All-Star Game in Cleveland.

OZY Fest is back! Join OZY in New York’s Central Park July 20-21, where some of the biggest names and boldest thinkers — from John Legend and Trevor Noah to Stacey Abrams and Malcolm Gladwell — will help make this year’s OZY Fest the most memorable yet. Click here for tickets.

'We're Here for One Thing, and That's to Win'

In every game leading up to tomorrow’s World Cup Final against the Netherlands, U.S. women’s soccer team members have done nothing to refute coach Jill Ellis’ declaration. They’ve outscored opponents 24-3, and yet they’ve been a lightning rod for criticism. Opponents call them “arrogant” for celebrating goals during a rout and even pretending to drink tea after scoring against England. Their own president, Donald Trump, has dinged winger Megan Rapinoe for insufficient patriotism.

Will they win? It’s a game of centimeters, but they’re heavily favored, and both Rapinoe and midfielder Rose Lavelle report they’re ready to play after hamstring injuries.

OZY explains how Megan got her groove.

Your Abuser's App Is Already on Your Device

Don’t put down the phone. An abusive partner needs only seconds to set a smartphone to silently transmit location information. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android have overlooked this vulnerability, and domestic abuse advocates say it’s time to address the issue. The problem, writes journalist Andy Greenberg, is that the stalked aren’t necessarily notified if, say, Google Maps location sharing settings are altered.

Is this being corrected? Apple says its latest Find My Friends version sends an undeletable notification when its “geofence” tracking function is activated, but experts say the problem will remain until big tech recognizes that strangers aren’t the only danger.

Read OZY’s firsthand account of rape.

Meet South Africa's Rags-to-Riches Copper Queen

Being laid off from her job as a quarry manager might’ve been the best thing to happen to Shirley Hayes. It helped the independent-minded South African kick-start a career that’s led her to explore an 89,000-acre plot potentially flush with copper, OZY reports, and possibly worth $30 million annually over 70 years. In turn that could help rejuvenate the traditionally copper-rich, but lately overlooked, Northern Cape region.

Will her new venture pan out? Although her firm, SHiP Copper, hasn’t processed an ounce of ore, its investors are convinced of its success — and of Hayes’ prowess in a male-dominated industry.

He's Reanimating Pig Brains. Is There a Problem?

One ethics committee was “aghast.” Yet developmental neurobiology expert Nenad Sestan has kept trying to revive dead animal gray matter. Infusing or “perfusing” postmortem pig brains with oxygenating, microbe-killing and preserving fluid, the Yale researcher’s team restored some cellular function. The experiments didn’t revive consciousness — something Sestan avoids with electrical blockers and stand-by doses of anesthetic — and the specter of the organ processing unimaginable pain and trauma.

What benefits might come from this? A portable perfusion system might be used to preserve brain function for traumatic injury victims, like battlefield casualties.

Read this OZY True Story about waking up from a coma.

Elon Musk's Wannabe 'Onion' Will Make You Cry

When ex-Onion editorial chiefs Cole Bolton and Ben Berkley secured $2 million from the mercurial billionaire, they figured they’d laugh their way to the bank. Their satire startup Thud would leap into real-life products like spoof DNA tests, ridiculous city food guides and even entire museum wings dedicated to pure absurdity. But Musk ditched the project a year into it, leaving Thud with a strained budget and incapable of realizing its wildest comedic fantasies.

What did they learn? That even the financially freewheeling and oft-controversial Musk occasionally gets worried about his image — especially when the success of Tesla and SpaceX hang in the balance.