| | | | 1. Shocked Royals Prepare Response to Meghan Revelations Britain’s royal family is reportedly holding emergency talks and preparing a statement after Meghan and Harry’s damning interview with Oprah Winfrey. The Duchess of Sussex revealed she felt suicidal during her time as a working royal and said an unnamed family member expressed concerns about how dark-skinned her son might be. Winfrey said Harry made it clear that the person accused of racist remarks was neither Queen Elizabeth nor her husband Prince Philip. Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to comment on the revelations, but the opposition Labour party called for an investigation into the claims of racism. Sources: The Daily Mail, The Independent, The Times (sub) |
| 2. Report Says Beijing Is Trying to ‘Destroy’ Uighurs China is committing genocide against the Uighurs, according to a new report by dozens of experts in human rights and international law. The first independent legal analysis of the alleged abuses in Xinjiang, published by Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, said there is “overwhelming” evidence Beijing is trying to “destroy” the Uighurs as a group. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded that the allegations “couldn't be more preposterous.” The report said up to 2 million ethnic Uighurs have been forced into detention camps since 2014, and details allegations of rapes, brainwashing and an unknown number of deaths. Sources: CNN, Newlines Institute |
| 3. CDC Says Masks Can Come Off at Home Have you been dying to take off your mask but are too scared of dying? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says vaccinated Americans can remove their masks in small gatherings at home. “As more Americans are vaccinated, a growing body of evidence now tells us that there are some activities that fully vaccinated people can resume at low risk to themselves,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House briefing Monday. Life won’t be totally back to normal, though: Vaccinated people should continue to wear masks in public places like restaurants and gyms. Sources: NYT, AP, ABC |
| 4. The New Normal? Unilever in Beauty Inclusivity Push What’s “normal” anyway? Unilever says it will stop using the word on beauty products for skin and hair in an attempt to be more inclusive. The company, which owns brands like Dove and TRESemme, also promised not to digitally alter the bodies and skin color of its models. Unilever’s come under fire in recent years over some products and ad campaigns. It renamed its “Fair & Lovely” skin-lightening brand in India to “Glow & Lovely,” and a furore erupted in South Africa over a TRESemme ad that labeled Black women’s hair “dry and damaged” and blonde hair “normal.” Sources: Al Jazeera, BI |
| 5. Also Important … Jury selection starts today in Derek Chauvin’s trial over the death of George Floyd, after a one-day delay. Women’s Day demonstrators protesting femicide clashed with police in Mexico City. And a federal judge has ruled “QAnon Shaman”Jacob Chansley, who took part in the Capitol riot, must remain in jail until his trial. Coronavirus update: Germany has been rocked by scandal after two lawmakers from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition resigned over reports they had profited from mask contracts, with the country’s coronavirus response increasingly under criticism. Listen to This: At OZY, we know a good newsletter when we see one. Morning Brew solves the problem of dry, traditional business news with a clever, witty tone and easy-to-read format. You’ll get the top news stories delivered to your inbox in a five-minute read every Monday through Saturday along with a healthy dose of humor and wit — for free. Check it out. |
| | | This week on The Carlos Watson Show we're highlighting the pioneers — industry titans who have changed their field and are blazing their own path. Today, he's the billionaire who needs no introduction. Bill Gates talks to Carlos about the pandemic, the future of public health, his take on Black Lives Matter and the most innovative tech companies today. You might be surprised at which celebrity he says is the most interesting person he’s met. |
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| | | | 1. Decapitated Sea Slugs Can Regrow BodiesMarie Antoinette and Anne Boleyn might have welcomed a skill Japanese scientists have discovered in two species of sea slugs. The small marine creatures can regenerate their entire bodies after decapitating themselves, according to a new study published in Current Biology Tuesday. “We think that this is the most extreme case of autotomy,” said aquatic ecology professor Yoichi Yusa. “Some animals can autotomise their legs or appendages or tails, but no other animal shed their whole body.” The researchers believe the slugs might have developed the trick as a way of fighting off parasites. Sources: AP, CNN |
| 2. Major Biden Leaves White House After ‘Biting Incident’ Bad dog! Major, President Biden’s German Shepherd, is in the doghouse after some unpresidential behavior. Sources say there was a “biting incident” involving White House security, and Major’s been sent to the family home in Delaware with the Bidens’ other dog, Champ. But as Jill Biden noted recently, it’s not easy going from a shelter to the seat of power: “They have to take the elevator, they're not used to that, and they have to go out on the South Lawn with lots of people watching.” Unofficial Twitter account @TheFirstDogs rejected the allegations, saying, “Good boi just loves humans and want to play.” Sources: CNN, Twitter What do you think? Should the Bidens bring DOTUS back?Reply to this email, including your first name, last initial and city or state, and we may include your view in the PDB. |
| 3. Media-Savvy Oprah Made $7M With Interview Oprah Winfrey’s business strategy of working with a variety of different platforms paid off big-time this week, netting the queen of daytime TV a cool $7 million. Despite her overarching deal with Apple, Winfrey turned the explosive interview with Meghan and Harry, which has rocked Britain’s beloved royal family, into a broadcast TV event on CBS. The mogul’s other media partnerships include Warner Bros., with which she’s producing a musical adaptation of The Color Purple, and her own production company, Harpo. Sunday night’s CBS special drew more than 17 million viewers, including usually broadcast-TV-averse millennials. Sources: The Washington Post, LA Times |
| 4. Feminist Artists Place Ceramic Vulvas Around Dublin Sculptures of female genitalia inspired by sheela na gigs, medieval stone carvings of women with oversized labia, are mysteriously appearing around Dublin this week. Historians have long been divided on whether the carvings, found around the British isles, are fertility symbols or meant to scare off demons. The anonymous artists behind Project Sheela call their modern versions a “symbol against misogyny — one of unapologetic female empowerment and sexuality.” They’ve placed one outside a former mother and child home, notorious Irish institutions once run by the state and Catholic Church where many unmarried mothers were subjected to abuse. Sources: The Guardian, RTE, Instagram |
| 5. Baseball Fans Back at Ballparks for Opening Day Play ball! There will be fans in the stands at Wrigley Field for the first time in over a year when the Cubs kick off the season April 1, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has announced. But crowds for both the Cubs-Pirates game and the April 8 White Sox-Royals opener will be limited to 20 percent capacity, around 8,000 fans per stadium, with distancing measures in place. “Nothing can replace the energy and enthusiasm our beloved fans bring,” said Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts. At least 25 MLB teams plan to start the year with fans in attendance. Sources: Reuters, ESPN |
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