| The Presidential Daily Brief |
IMPORTANT
September 10, 2018
Jimmie Akesson, leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, speaks to reporters in Stockholm after Sunday's election. Source: Getty
Leslie Moonves Resigns Amid Misconduct Allegations

The CBS chief stepped down Sunday after six more women came forward in a New Yorker article with accusations of sexual misconduct, bringing the number of accusers to 12. Moonves, who maintains he did not abuse his power during his 20-year tenure, could walk away with more than $120 million in severance depending on the results of an independent investigation. His resignation also ends a legal battle for the CBS board — which will add six new directors — between Moonves and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, who’s planning to sell the network.

Sources: The New Yorker, NYT, CNN
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Swedish Far Right Party Gains Ground in Vote

Sunday’s general election handed the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats about 18 percent of the vote, while the two main political blocs were tied at around 40 percent, just short of a majority. Fears over immigration and its strain on Sweden’s welfare system have bolstered the nationalist party, but while the SD’s gains were more modest than expected, its performance promises to shake up the country’s politics. Both main blocs have refused to cooperate with the SD, but they’ll need to strike complicated, cross-party alliances to keep them out of policymaking.

Sources: The Guardian, BBC
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Hurricane Florence Strengthens, Moves Toward US Southeast

Officials from Florida to Virginia are urging residents to prepare for what the National Hurricane Center says is becoming an “extremely dangerous” storm. With winds reaching 90 miles per hour, the Category 1 hurricane was still hundreds of miles southeast of Bermuda Sunday night, but moving west at 7 mph. Forecasters say Florence could become a Category 4 storm by Tuesday if it draws enough energy from warm waters. It’s expected to approach the southern Atlantic seaboard Thursday, but experts warn it’s too early to know which path it will take.

Sources: NBC, AP
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Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Announces Exit

Citing “lots of dreams to pursue,” the billionaire will step down as executive chairman of the global e-commerce giant on his 55th birthday next September. He’s tapped CEO Daniel Zhang, 46, to replace him. Ma says he’ll pursue philanthropic opportunities and return to his professional roots as an educator. The success of Alibaba, which became a leading Chinese success story after its launch in 1999, has made Ma the country’s richest man — as well as a symbol of China’s economic development. He’ll remain on the company’s board until 2020.

Sources: WSJ (sub), FT (sub), Bloomberg
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Briefly

Know This: China’s Foreign Ministry has pledged to respond if President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to levy tariffs on virtually all Chinese imports. Seven people were injured in a knife attack in Paris on Sunday, though police say terrorism isn’t suspected. The Taliban launched separate attacks on Afghan security forces late Sunday and Monday, leaving at least 37 dead. And today OZY’s Around the World campaign takes you to Ukraine, where you’ll find Eastern Europe’s coolest velodrome.

Read This: The U.S. Open may have ended, but fans won’t soon forget it: This year’s tournament was marked by chaos and code violations — as well as stunning victories and defeats.

We’re hiring: OZY is looking for a talented Email Marketing Manager to oversee strategy and deploy smart campaigns. Could this be you? Check out the job description for more details … and find all our open jobs right here.

INTRIGUING
Hundreds of Roman Coins Unearthed in Italian Theater

Jackpot! The cache of perfectly preserved gold coins was discovered in the basement of a theater in the northern city of Como that was due to be demolished. Dating back to the 5th century, the coins are estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Experts will examine them in a restoration laboratory, while officials say work at the site — where a luxury residence was planned for construction — will be suspended for further excavation. Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli called the area “a real treasure for our archaeology.”

Sources: Euronews, AFP
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Nigerian Startup Tackles Fake Medicine

Let’s get real. Each year, more than 100,00 sub-Saharan Africans die partially as a result of counterfeit or substandard malaria medication. But Nigerian-American Vivian Nwakah is hoping to change that. The 35-year-old’s organization, Medsaf, has connected more than 500 pharmacies and around 100 hospitals with safe, cost-effective meds, processing 150 million doses of drugs. With Nigeria being the world’s poverty capital — a “dumping ground” for fake drugs, one expert says — Nwakah faces a significant challenge, but colleagues say she’s driven to succeed.

Sources: OZY
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Plastic-Collecting Trawler Departs for Great Pacific Garbage Patch

On Saturday a $20 million, 2,000-foot-long boom was towed from the San Francisco Bay with the goal of scooping up marine garbage. Launched by Dutch nonprofit Ocean Cleanup, the unmanned structure is designed to move with the ocean’s current to gather some of the estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Experts warn it could also scoop up marine life, but Ocean Cleanup says that if the system successfully collects waste, a fleet of vessels could clear half the area in five years.

Sources: New Atlas, Gizmodo
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Musical Stars Pay Tribute to Mac Miller

“He was the sweetest guy.” So said Childish Gambino at a Chicago concert on Saturday of fellow rapper Mac Miller, adding to the chorus of tributes and kind words that followed Miller’s death on Friday. Fellow musicians including Ariana Grande — Miller’s ex-girlfriend — Elton John, J. Cole and Chance the Rapper offered public commemorations of the 26-year-old, who died from a suspected overdose. Miller’s family described him as “a bright light in this world” and asked fans and followers to respect their privacy.

Sources: Vulture, Variety, Rolling Stone
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Novak Djokovic Wins US Open

Despite chants of “Ole, ole” for his rival, the 31-year-old Serbian beat third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 to win his 14th career Grand Slam and third U.S. Open. Djokovic faced del Potro 18 times before, winning 14 of those matches. With Sunday’s victory at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, Djokovic ties tennis legend Pete Sampras for third place in Grand Slam singles titles. Del Potro and Djokovic now head to Masters 1000 tournaments in Shanghai and Paris, as well as the ATP Finals.

Sources: SB Nation, Bleacher Report, AP
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