| | | President Donald Trump addresses supporters at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Thursday. Source: Getty |
| | IMPORTANT | | 01 | Nearly a week after Attorney General William Barr announced that the special counsel found no evidence of collusion between President Donald Trump and Russia, Robert Mueller’s probe remains a political flash point. At a fiery Michigan rally yesterday, Trump revved up supporters by slamming it as a “sinister effort” to take him down, declaring “the Russia hoax is finally dead.” Democrats, meanwhile, have stepped up pressure on Barr to release Mueller’s entire 300-page report.
Will the public see the full findings? That’s still unclear — though Barr said he’d show Congress a partial version next month. | |
| | 02 | On the day Britain was originally scheduled to leave the European Union, few can even predict when that will actually happen. Today lawmakers will consider only the withdrawal part of Prime Minister Theresa May’s unpopular deal, leaving the decision over its political declaration, which outlines the U.K.’s future relationship with Europe, for a later date. Government backers are trying to sell today’s vote to pro-Brexit hard-liners as the last chance to leave the EU by May 22.
Will it pass? Probably not, given the opposition Labour Party’s strong aversion to a “blindfold Brexit.” | |
| | 03 | Despite U.S. efforts to compel other countries to ditch Huawei products from their 5G networks over cybersecurity concerns, the Chinese telecommunications giant reported a profit of $8.8 billion last year — a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Overall revenue rose 20 percent to a record $107 billion, buoyed partially by increasing sales abroad, where revenue grew more than in the Asia-Pacific region.
Can anything stop Huawei? The world’s largest manufacturer of telecom equipment could still face a supply disruption, prompting company officials to diversify its supplier base.
Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on the Huawei scandal. | |
| | 04 | Citing inconsistencies in his financial statements, Venezuela’s state auditor announced Thursday that self-declared president Juan Guaidó would be banned from holding future public office for 15 years — the maximum amount allowed under law. More than 50 countries, including the U.S. and most of Latin America, have backed the 35-year-old opposition leader in his attempt to oust President Nicolás Maduro.
What’s next? Condemning the move as illegitimate, Guaidó urged his supporters to stage more protests tomorrow after days of rolling blackouts. | |
| | 05 | Ride-hailing firm Lyft will debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange today with a market value of about $24 billion. More than 20,000 people attended a nationally televised memorial service in Christchurch, New Zealand, honoring the victims of this month’s mosque shootings. And President Trump announced yesterday that a proposed $18 million funding cut for the Special Olympics would be abandoned.
Try This: Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? Prove it with the PDB Quiz.
Listen Up! Get inside the minds of Lorena Bobbitt, James Holmes and John Hinckley — and explore the history of the insanity defense — with Season 4 of The Thread, the latest installment of OZY’s popular podcast. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. |
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| | | | INTRIGUING | | 01 | Thousands of fliers worldwide were stranded when Icelandic budget airline Wow Air abruptly went under Thursday and canceled all its flights — becoming the eighth European airline to fail since last summer. Low-cost carriers have seen their margins hammered by fluctuating fuel costs and over-capacity. Ferrying 3.5 million passengers last year, Reykjavik-based Wow had been a boon to tourism in Iceland.
Is cheap trans-Atlantic travel over? Not yet: American budget airlines JetBlue and Southwest are expected to introduce new routes to Europe this year.
Read this OZY feature about why airlines are flocking to Azerbaijan. | |
| | 02 | Claiming that its targeted ads violate the Fair Housing Act, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has sued the social media giant for “encouraging, enabling and causing housing discrimination” against home-seekers. That’s because the platform allegedly allowed advertisers to exclude people it categorized as “non-American-born,” “non-Christian” or “interested in Hispanic culture.” HUD is reportedly probing Google and Twitter for similar violations.
What’s the potential penalty? The company could either be served with an injunction or forced to pay those found to have been harmed through its policy. | |
| | 03 | Meet Laika: It’ll play with your dog, feed it treats and keep it company — all for just a battery charge. It’s among a rising number of robots powered by artificial intelligence to take care of animals, OZY reports. Others can scoop up poop and keep track of pets to prevent them from straying. In the last two years, at least six firms have developed robotic helpers to vie for a slice of the $1 billion pet toy market.
What’s the catch? These robots might spark anxiety in domesticated animals, leading some experts to warn that a human’s role can’t entirely be replaced. | |
| | 04 | In an interview with CBS This Morning yesterday, Lanita Carter — one of four victims in a 10-count criminal indictment against the R&B singer — publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2003. Carter, who was 24 and working as Kelly’s hairdresser at the time, said she’d previously defended him as a “perfect gentlemen” before the assault. She said she felt compelled to go public after watching him aggressively deny the charges against him in a recent interview.
How much jail time is Kelly facing? Each charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse carries a sentence of three to seven years. | |
| | 05 | The organizers of last weekend’s Xuzhou International Marathon say they’ll vet their runners more strictly after numerous reports emerged of “shameful and embarrassing” acts during the race. Those included a female competitor who was seen riding a bicycle and spectators looting bottled water, bananas and even race tables and chairs. Footage of the misconduct went viral and sent Chinese internet commenters into an uproar.
Was this an isolated incident? Concerned by recent cases of bad behavior, race organizers have begun deploying technology like facial recognition software to catch marathon cheaters.
Check out OZY’s profile of a legally blind marathon winner. | |
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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. | | | Fast Forward AI-enabled devices and robots will walk your dog and stop your cat feeling lonely. READ NOW | |
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