| | | Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the House Intelligence Committee about his Russia report Wednesday. Source: Getty |
| | IMPORTANT | | 01 | For seven hours yesterday, the former special counsel did little more than confirm passages of his Russia report read by members of Congress. Far from damning or exonerating President Donald Trump, his methodical and occasionally halting Capitol Hill testimony often consisted of one-word answers. Sometimes fumbling for more meaningful responses, Mueller “did everything he could to avoid being interesting,” OZY reports, and left Democrats without a strong new impetus to pursue impeachment proceedings against Trump. What seemed to be his biggest concern? Despite his subdued performance, the 74-year-old career prosecutor offered a strongly-worded warning about Russian interference in American elections. | |
| | 02 | Amid popular protests rooted in a text message scandal, but which grew into a widespread repudiation of political mismanagement in the U.S. territory, Ricardo Rosselló has announced that he’ll step down Aug. 2. “I’m overjoyed,” one protester said. “We did it.” Rosselló, who acknowledged that he’d “heard the demand of the people,” will be the first governor of Puerto Rico to resign. Secretary of Justice Wanda Vázquez will succeed him. Does this mean change for the island? Observers say Puerto Rico’s future leaders should be wary of a newly emboldened citizenry, with one activist warning that people aren’t “sitting in front of their TVs anymore.” Check out OZY’s profile of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. | |
| | 03 | Seoul’s military says North Korea fired two short-range missiles from its east coast today, the first such action since leader Kim Jong Un’s impromptu meeting with President Trump last month. It comes after Pyongyang’s warnings against next month’s joint U.S.-South Korean military drills, which the Hermit Kingdom has called a “violation of the spirit” of June 2018 talks between Trump and Kim. What does North Korea want? The launch may have been an attempt to prompt concessions from Washington, such as relief from economic sanctions, while some analysts note the missiles’ short travel distance was a measured provocation. | |
| | 04 | Hit with a year-on-year 94.5 percent drop in net profit last quarter, the Japanese carmaker announced it would cut around 9 percent of its workforce worldwide by March 2023. It’ll also curtail production capacity by about 10 percent as part of a cost-cutting measure aimed at accounting for falling sales in Europe, North America and Japan. What’s the bigger picture? The dismal economic outlook piles more pressure on CEO Hiroto Saikawa as he seeks to steer Nissan through the turmoil left behind by ex-Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was arrested for financial misconduct. Don’t miss OZY’s Newsmaker profile of Ghosn. | |
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| | | INTRIGUING | | 01 | Long periods of bitter cold and unusual heat may have checkered the past 2,000 years, but new research suggests they were merely regional in scope. Focusing on events such as the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period, a pair of studies in Nature and Nature Geoscience have found that the current climate change period is the only truly global one. Researchers also discovered that warming occurred at a faster pace during the second half of the 20th century than at any other time over the two millennia studied. Why does it matter? While the news isn’t likely to surprise scientists, who’ve long been ringing alarm bells over global warming, some suggest it might open skeptical politicians’ eyes. | |
| | 02 | “That’s like, wow.” So said one analyst in response to the suggestion by CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who suggested the move would be wiser than simply dialing back production if the embattled jet faces further delays in returning to the skies. But that would mean temporarily laying off workers at a Renton, WA, plant that employs more than 10,000 people. Boeing reported a second-quarter loss of $2.9 billion, its largest ever. Will the 737 Max ever soar again? Currently, the company’s “best estimate” for that prospect is October — nearly six months after its initial deadline for filing paperwork with the Federal Aviation Administration — though regulators say sometime next year is more likely. | |
| | 03 | The French government is expected to propose bioethics legislation today that would give all women access to state-provided medically assisted fertility techniques. Currently, only married heterosexual females are offered such procedures, like artificial insemination from a donor. But during his campaign, President Emmanuel Macron promised the LGBTQ community that he’d extend the same right to lesbian couples and single women. How many women will benefit from it? About 150,000 received medical procreation help in 2016, and Health Minister Agnès Buzyn expects the law to open the door to 2,000 additional treatments once it’s enacted. Don’t miss OZY’s original series, The Future of Fertility. | |
| | 04 | Fans and celebrities are paying tribute to the Dutch actor after his agent confirmed yesterday that he’d died last Friday and was buried yesterday. Best known for his role as outlaw replicant Roy Batty in the 1982 cult classic, Hauer in recent years appeared in Sin City, Batman Begins, as well as True Blood. Director Guillermo del Toro called him “an intense, deep, genuine and magnetic actor.” What did Hauer do beyond the screen? He was an outspoken environmental activist and founded a non-profit dedicated to AIDS awareness. Read OZY’s Immodest Proposal on why Silicon Valley needs sci-fi writers. | |
| | 05 | After earning a starting spot last year, Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Michael Davis is looking to secure his place in the league, OZY reports. One of its few Mexican-American role models, the California-born 24-year-old found his footing at Brigham Young University — while majoring in theater and media arts — and soon went from undrafted to posting eight tackles in his first start. Now, he’s hoping to pave the way for other Mexican-Americans, who make up only 0.8 percent of NFL rosters. What are his goals next season? Davis hopes to nab four interceptions, from zero in his first two seasons, and at least one touchdown. | |
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