| | | Citizenship law protesters throng a street in New Delhi Sunday. Source: Getty |
| IMPORTANT | 01 | At least five people have been killed in protests against India’s new law that grants citizenship to victims of religious persecution from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but excludes Muslims. In New Delhi, dozens of students from Jamia Millia Islamia university were arrested and over 100 were injured in clashes with baton-wielding police. The deaths came Sunday in eastern Assam state, where nearly 2 million Muslims were also recently excluded from a new National Register of Citizens. Are demonstrations continuing? Protesters, who say the new law marginalizes Muslims and violates India’s secular Constitution, staged more gatherings in New Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Bengaluru today. | |
| 02 | As House Democrats speed toward impeaching President Donald Trump by Wednesday, their counterparts in the Senate are specifying how the trial should be conducted. It’s fairly certain the GOP-controlled Senate will acquit Trump, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants to subpoena top White House officials including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned that doing so would be “mutually assured destruction.” How so? It could open the proceedings to witnesses like former Vice President Joe Biden, whom Republicans have accused of corruption linked to his son’s business in Ukraine. OZY’s Donald Dossier looks at Trump’s resilience. | |
| 03 | International climate talks concluded Sunday without an agreement on regulating carbon markets. Representatives of nearly 200 nations who’d gathered in Madrid for two weeks did concur on greater “ambition” to cut emissions, as well as helping poor nations hit by climate-related flooding, fires and other conditions. But they couldn’t come to terms on how countries and businesses would offset each others’ emissions, which is believed to be key to controlling atmospheric carbon. What now? Delegates agreed to come up with carbon market schemes in time for the next climate conference, a year from now in Glasgow, Scotland. | |
| 04 | American officials spent the weekend praising the “phase one” trade deal with China announced Friday. But outside the Beltway, financial experts and investors weren’t so excited. Markets remained mixed from New York to Tokyo, and analysts said the deal only temporarily puts off trade rancor. The agreement reduces some tariffs on Chinese goods entering the U.S. and obligates Beijing to purchase $200 billion in American agricultural, manufactured and energy products. What are the issues? It’s a limited agreement, leaving many tariffs in place — though business leaders have praised the reduction in trade tensions that’s come with it. | |
| 05 | The U.S. special envoy to North Korea has urged Pyongyang, which recently said it conducted a test linked to its nuclear program, to restart denuclearization talks. The city of Hiroshima has controversially decided to raze two buildings that survived 1945’s first atomic bomb attack. And U.S. military academies are investigating what appear to be White power gestures displayed by cadets and midshipmen at Saturday’s Army-Navy football game. #OZYFact: Nine out of 10 people filling prescriptions in America rely on generic drugs. Read more on OZY. The PDB is changing! In a few days, you’ll see improvements in your daily news briefing from OZY. The same great summary of headlines from around the globe is getting a sleeker design. Let us know what you think at any time by replying to your email. |
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| | INTRIGUING | 01 | You may now kiss the bride. Hallmark Cards CEO Mike Perry apologized Sunday for the “hurt it has unintentionally caused” after the company pulled ads from wedding planning site Zola that featured two women kissing. The Hallmark Channel blocked four same-sex wedding ads following petitions from conservative groups, prompting Zola to state, “We will no longer be advertising on Hallmark.” The network has now said it would reinstate the ads. How have LGBTQ advocates reacted? GLAAD praised the change of heart and called it a “major loss for fringe organizations” that oppose same-sex marriage. OZY examines the U.K.’s LGBTQ acceptance regression. | |
| 02 | The same pharmaceutical company’s that’s been blamed for America’s opioid crisis is now pushing overdose antidotes abroad. “That’s pretty clever, isn’t it?” said one critic of Purdue Pharma, maker of ubiquitous opioid OxyContin. Purdue’s foreign affiliate, Mundipharma, now markets Nyxoid, a nasal spray version of OD drug naloxone, using the same tactics that stoked OxyContin profits, like funding studies to encourage government purchases. What’s wrong with that? In the U.S., where Nyxoid hasn’t been approved, critics say it’s simply an overpriced version of an already widely available drug. OZY asks if Purdue’s owners can buy goodwill. | |
| 03 | The algorithms of dating apps might not be perfect at finding The One, but when it comes to finding the one to help pay rent, they might be the future. New apps are securing millions in funding on the promise of becoming the Tinder of roommate-matching, OZY reports. The platforms connect shelter-hunters and lease-holders faster, and some even offer background checks, unlike traditional classified sites like Craigslist. What else might they offer? Instead of apps becoming obsolete once a new place is secured, some aim to help with tenancy’s legal pitfalls. | |
| 04 | “There will be consequences.” That’s what Beijing’s ambassador to Germany warned this weekend amid growing calls from German lawmakers to block the Chinese telecom giant from the local 5G market. But Economy Minister Peter Altmaier struck a diplomatic note Sunday, suggesting proposed legislation shouldn’t target a single firm. If passed, the new measure would effectively ban Huawei, which is under fire as a security threat over its alleged ties to the Chinese state. How could China retaliate? The ambassador hinted at restricting German car sales, which accounted for a quarter of the 28 million vehicles sold in the People’s Republic in 2018. | |
| 05 | According to the Boston Globe, the New England Patriots have suspended the producer responsible for filming the Cincinnati Bengals’ sideline during a Dec. 8 game. The footage by producer Dave Mondillo — broadcast by Fox Sports yesterday — was supposedly for the Patriots’ web series “Do Your Job.” New England, already sanctioned for taking similar video liberties in 2007, was quickly accused of cheating. How did the film end up in the NFL’s hands? Suspicious Bengals security nabbed Mondillo, who claimed he “didn’t know” he couldn’t film the sidelines. Read OZY’s profile of an NFL prospect who chose community over career. | |
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| Caught Up? Now Vault Ahead ... | To get more fresh stories and bold ideas in your inbox, check out The Daily Dose. | | The New + the Next Apps are testing the parallels between finding a date and a roomie. | |
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