Shootings Prompt GOP Shift on Gun Control

Following last weekend’s shootings in Texas and Ohio, politicians on both sides of the aisle are feeling pressure to tighten the country’s gun laws. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has hinted there’s “a lot of support” for strengthening background checks, while President Donald Trump has reportedly gauged the prospect in meetings with members of Congress. Democrats, for their part, may ease up on their hesitation to push for reinstating a 1994 ban on assault weapons.

Is a ban really possible? Having proven politically risky in the past, that kind of prohibition still seems unlikely — especially with opinion split over whether the previous measure was effective.

Kashmir Eerily Quiet as Public Anger Builds

Reports from Srinagar, the region’s summer capital, describe deserted streets blocked with concertina wire and gripped by an eerie silence amid New Delhi’s crackdown on India’s only predominantly Muslim state. But beneath the calm, observers say mounting anger over the government’s treatment — which has included a communications and media blackout — could well erupt. “India cheated us,” said one local, “But now is the time we should fight back.” Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both India and Pakistan to exhibit “maximum restraint.”

How is information leaking out of Kashmir? While families are unable to get in touch with Kashmir-based relatives, journalists’ dispatches are being carried out by hand.

Protesters Swarm Hong Kong Airport

In an event expected to draw thousands, pro-democracy demonstrators in the semi-autonomous territory have kicked off another weekend of unrest by sitting in at Hong Kong International Airport. Activists are distributing leaflets asking foreign travelers to “forgive us for the ‘unexpected’ Hong Kong” and listing their demands, which now include universal suffrage and an end to the criminal prosecution of fellow protesters.

How will police respond? While the airport boosted security measures ahead of Friday’s demonstration, there were no signs of a heavy police presence — often a factor in whether protests turn violent.

Read OZY’s Special Briefing about how the turmoil could affect the trade war.

Uber Posts $5.2B Quarterly Loss - Its Biggest Ever

Thanks to massive payouts in the months after its initial public offering, the ride-hailing giant has disappointed investors with its $5.24 billion loss in the second quarter. Although up 14 percent, revenue also increased at its slowest-ever pace and fell short of analysts’ expectations. Uber dished out $3.9 billion in one-time stock-based compensation following its May IPO, in addition to driver appreciation rewards totaling nearly $300 million.

How did the market respond? Shares dropped as much as 12 percent yesterday in after-hours trading, while investors are bracing for several more years’ worth of losses in the ride-hailing industry.

Also Important...

China has issued a red alert as Typhoon Lekima, already wreaking havoc in Taiwan, approaches Zhejiang Province. Malaysian authorities have criminally charged an additional 17 current and former directors at Goldman Sachs subsidiaries as part of the multibillion-dollar corruption scandal that’s engulfed the country’s state investment fund. And Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has called for snap parliamentary elections as the populist ruling coalition disintegrates.

Try This: Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? Prove it with the PDB Quiz.

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Indian Migrants Are Leaving Kashmir in Droves

Amid new fears of retaliation following New Delhi’s recent crackdown on the disputed region, thousands of workers are now fleeing, OZY reports. Some 600,000 non-Kashmiri Indians have lived in the predominantly Muslim state for years. One laborer, who’d spent 22 years in Srinagar before moving this week, warned that the situation could become even worse than the Emergency period of the 1970s, when India suspended civil liberties nationwide.

What economic effects might follow? Local industries as diverse as construction and garment-making could suffer, since they’ve long relied on migrant workers seeking higher wages than they get in north Indian states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Apple Hands Hackers Fresh Security Challenge

Hoping to boost its security architecture, the Cupertino-based company will distribute special iPhones to select researchers — in addition to a potential $1.5 million bounty to those who confidentially report flaws after mounting successful “attacks.” The custom-made phones will lack certain protections, facilitating hacks by experts who were previously discouraged from probing the devices for weaknesses in their code or hardware.

How exclusive is this access? Despite allowing researchers a deeper look, these phones still won’t provide the same privileges enjoyed by Apple’s own internal developers.

Don’t miss OZY’s feature on whether Apple can beat the streaming competition.

CDC Can't Say How Most Suicides Happen: Guns

Of the 40,000 Americans who died from gunfire in 2017, 60 percent were suicides — though there’s little mention of “firearms” in public-facing content from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Documents obtained by NPR show the CDC uses ambiguous language that skirts the link between suicide and gun availability, referring instead to the dangers of “access to lethal means.”

Why hold back? Passed by Congress in 1996, the Dickey Amendment prohibits the organization from promoting gun control — such as saying suicidal individuals shouldn’t have firearms within reach.

Beatles Fans Mark 50 Years of 'Abbey Road'

Exactly five decades after The Beatles were photographed crossing London’s Abbey Road, fans flocked to the tree-lined street yesterday to pay homage to the famous album cover. Just like during previous anniversary milestones, they caused a traffic jam — but to satisfy those wary of blocking the road, Abbey Road Studios offered a printed backdrop of the crosswalk in its parking lot.

How else is the music world celebrating? A Super Deluxe Edition of the Fab Four’s revered final album, which producer George Martin’s son likened to “great sex with an ex-girlfriend,” will be released September 27.

Check out OZY’s Flashback about when the Beatles battled Japan’s right wing.

NFL Player Sidelined, It Seems, by Frozen Feet

“I’m just not.” That’s how enthusiastic Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden suggested he was to talk about star receiver Antonio Brown’s feet. Missing from training camp since Saturday, Brown is said to be suffering from frostbite. He reportedly neglected to wear protective footwear during cryotherapy — a quick exposure to minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit that purportedly expedites healing, but is somewhat more risky than the old-fashioned ice bath.

Is this the weirdest sports-related injury yet? Perhaps, but it’s happened before: Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin was hobbled by cryo-blisters in the 2011 World Championships, but swears by the treatments to this day.