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Justin Trudeau Survives Canadian Election

Despite being tarnished by scandals, such as the discovery of old photos showing him wearing blackface, Canada’s prime minister will keep his job after his Liberal Party won a plurality in national elections yesterday. But he’ll lead a minority Liberal government that’ll require other parties’ votes to pass laws and budgets. “I’ve heard your frustration,” Trudeau told Canadians in western regions where his party suffered its biggest losses.

What’s next? Analysts say the results are a reality check for the 47-year-old, who was elected in a 2015 landslide but now faces the challenge of straightening out relations with Canada’s provinces.

Johnson to Get His Brexit Vote Today — Sort Of

Two key votes scheduled for today will test the British prime minister’s ability to yank his country from the European Union by Oct. 31 as promised. Lawmakers will vote on his newly-published, 115-page withdrawal agreement with the EU — and if passed, whether a narrow, three-day window is enough to legislate Britain’s divorce. Losing either vote means accepting an EU-offered extension or crashing out without a deal.

And if Johnson wins? Even victory today could be dangerous, since observers say it gives opponents a chance to force amendments to stymie his deal.

Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on Johnson’s Brexit politicking.

Did Ukraine's Autocratic Adversaries Sway Trump?

Some reports suggest President Donald Trump’s perception of the country as a corrupt backwater was shaped by its less-than-friendly neighbors. Current and former U.S. officials believe his conversations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin — around the time personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was prodding the new Ukrainian government to investigate U.S. Democrats — reinforced Trump’s alleged attempt to exploit, rather than support, Ukraine.

What’s next in the impeachment probe? Today congressional investigators will hear from William Taylor, the head of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, who strongly objected to using military aid as a political bargaining chip.

WeWork's Future Hangs in the Balance

After hemorrhaging cash, ditching its initial public offering and cutting its controversial CEO, the financially crippled co-working company is looking for a helping hand. Today, it’ll reportedly consider rival financing packages from Japanese tech company SoftBank and American bank JPMorgan Chase: The former would hand SoftBank a controlling stake in WeWork’s parent, while the latter would introduce a group of outside investors, but burden the company with billions in high-priced debt.

How badly is the company struggling? It’s only got enough cash to last a few weeks, and its valuation could drop to $8 billion from a high of $47 billion.

Also Important...

Violent protests continued to grip the Chilean capital of Santiago Monday. China’s vice foreign minister said Tuesday that his country has made some progress in trade talks with Washington. And Japanese Emperor Naruhito has formally declared his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

#OZYfact: Some 3,500 of Mexico City’s estimated 7,000 sex workers are based in the neighborhood of La Merced. Read more on OZY.

OZY is hiring! We’re looking for an analytical and globally minded reporter to sniff out today’s most important stories in science, technology and health. Check out our jobs page and read the description here.

Facebook Touts Pre-Election Vigilance

The social media giant announced yesterday that it’s adopting new tools to identify and mitigate the spread of intentionally misleading content — part of a larger effort to fend off foreign interference in the next U.S. election. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the platform would better protect candidates’ accounts from hackers, clearly label posts by state-sponsored media, and ban ads that encourage people not to show up at the polls. It’ll also assign an entire team to spot fake election-related news.

Will these measures work? Zuckerberg believes they will, touting Facebook’s election “war room” to combat meddling and its more than 35,000 employees on security detail.

Ohio Court Settlement Staves Off First Opioid Trial

Two Ohio counties struck a $260 million settlement Monday with three major drug distributors and a manufacturer over their role in fueling America’s opioid epidemic. McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health will pay the lion’s share, while the generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceuticals will contribute $45 million. The deal allows them to avoid the nation’s first major opioid proliferation trial — considered a bellwether for other cases — but they still face thousands of lawsuits by other local governments.

Where will the money go? Officials in Cuyahoga and Summit counties say they’ll allocate the proceeds for social services and first responders on the front lines of the crisis.

The Ghosts of Germany's Past Face Off in Its Heartland

Since more than a million refugees arrived in 2015, Germany’s political landscape has been heaving. That tumult will be felt during elections this Sunday in the state of Thuringia, where the far-right Alternative for Germany faces off against its polar opposite, The Left, in the country’s heartland. It’s a contest that captures the deep divisions and painful history currently shaping politics in the only state where The Left leads the state’s governing coalition, OZY reports.

What results are expected? While polls show The Left remains the state’s strongest party, the AfD might just grab enough votes to disrupt its chances to form a coalition.

Monica Lewinsky to Co-Host Public Shaming Doc

Together with the co-host of MTV’s Catfish, the former White House intern at the center of ex-President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal will host and produce 15 Minutes of Shame. Slated for HBO Max, the film will focus on folks around the world who’ve faced public humiliation, as well as explore the broader phenomenon of shaming.

What does Lewinsky bring to the table? A top HBO exec says she’s an “anti-bullying activist with unparalleled authority” — one whose 2015 TED Talk, The Price of Shame, has more than 16 million views.

Read OZY’s profile of the former kidnapping victim fighting cyberbullies.

Study: Soccer Players More Vulnerable to Dementia

Researchers in Glasgow have determined that former professional soccer players are five times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and 3.5 times more likely to succumb to other forms of dementia or neurological diseases. The findings indicate a link between brain trauma and soccer that’s long been suspected by families of former players, who say repeatedly heading the ball or colliding with other players is more dangerous than people realize.

Could this evidence impact the game? The family of one former English soccer player said they’re “staggered” by the results and, along with other families and researchers, are calling for new concussion protocols in games.