| | | | 1. Myanmar Envoy Locked Out of UK Embassy A coup in the middle of London. That’s how Myanmar’s ambassador to the U.K. described being locked out of his embassy yesterday. Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn recently defied Naypyitaw by calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in a Feb. 1 military coup. Minn found himself barred from his office Wednesday after his deputy took control on behalf of the military, which has been accused of killing hundreds of civilians during anti-coup protests. Today, security forces arrested Paing Takhon, a popular model and actor who had spoken out against the coup. Sources: The Guardian, Reuters |
| 2. Biden Administration Resumes Aid to Palestinians The U.S. is restarting aid to the Palestinians after former President Donald Trump halted it in 2018. President Joe Biden’s administration announced it will provide $150 million in aid through a U.N. agency that provides essential services to about 5.7 million Palestinian refugees in the region. Another $75 million of development assistance will go to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and $10 million to peacebuilding programs. Although Biden has undone some of his predecessor’s policies in Israel, he has said he will not reverse Trump’s controversial decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC |
| 3. Parents of Hundreds of Migrant Children Still Not Located Four hundred and forty-five. That’s the shocking number of migrant children whose parents have still not been found after families were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump administration. While the parents of 61 children have been located since February, efforts to reunite all families have been slow and are getting more difficult as time passes, said the Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union in a court filing yesterday. President Biden has made reuniting families a priority, but is under fire himself for a surge at the border and overcrowded facilities. Sources: NYT, CNN |
| 4. Democracy Activists Welcome Twitter’s New ‘Milk Tea’ Emoji Twitter today launched a new emoji for the “Milk Tea Alliance,” an online activist network spanning Hong Kong, Myanmar and Thailand — which have all been holding pro-democracy protests. “We have seen more than 11 million Tweets featuring the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag over the past year,” the social media giant said. The emoji is a white cup set against a tricolor background, and its unveiling marks the first anniversary of the movement, which also includes Taiwan. The name comes from the love of the sweet milky beverage in the Asian countries involved. Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg |
| 5. Also Important … President Biden is set to sign a raft of executive actions today aimed at curbing gun violence, including regulations on homemade firearms. There’s been a flare-up of violence in Northern Ireland between nationalists and unionists, with the country’s leaders set to discuss the unrest today. And former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has signed a multimillion-dollar book deal to tell his story of working in the Trump administration. Coronavirus Update:Brazil and India are now the worst-hit countries by COVID-19, with the latter reporting 126,000 new cases. One in four U.S. adults are now vaccinated, according to CDC data, with Biden announcing this week that by April 19 all adults should be eligible to get shots. |
| | Today on The Carlos Watson Show: Get a breath of fresh air with the hilarious Amber Ruffin. The host of The Amber Ruffin Show speaks to her SNL audition experience, growing up in Nebraska and the time she told Whoopi Goldberg she loved her. Watch the full interview to hear why she thinks there’s no such thing as a secret. |
| Don't Miss the Final Episode of Our Hit Podcast! During the Great Depression, a Kentucky businessman named Harlan Sanders started selling fried chicken out of the tiny kitchen inside his gas station. He launched a product that would become an American staple, and make him a brand icon. Based on the HISTORY channel documentary series, OZY and HISTORY are proud to bring you your new podcast obsession: The Food That Built America. Hear about the bold visionaries behind some of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Listen now onApple Podcasts,Spotify, Stitcher or wherever else you get your podcasts. |
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| | | | 1. Amanda Gorman Strikes a Pose as First Poet on ‘Vogue’ Cover“Greta Garbo and Monroe, Gorman and DiMaggio?” Dressed in outfits by Louis Vuitton, Dior and Alexander McQueen, and photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Gorman became the first poet laureate to be featured on the cover of Vogue magazine. The 23-year-old star of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, when she read “The Hill We Climb,” has since been featured on Time magazine’s cover and has appeared in public events with Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But the Harvard graduate says she has also declined around $17 million in deals, explaining she only works with brands she approves of. Sources: Vogue, CNN, The Guardian OZY has made it a mission to identify talent long before anyone else does. Before you witnessed Amanda Gorman's genius onstage at the inauguration, she was an OZY Genius Award winner. Now it's your turn!Apply today for your chance to win a grant of up to $10,000. |
| 2. TikTok to the Rescue: Teen Saved From Afar After ATV CrashTikTok’s a lifesaver — it certainly helped one user in West Virginia after he had a quad bike accident live on the app, and another boy watching 800 miles away came to his rescue. Twelve-year-old Trent Jarret got trapped under the four-wheeler, but managed to yell out his grandparents’ phone number. Watching the livestream from New Hampshire, Caden Cotnoir, 13, called the number and 20 minutes later Jarret was freed, mostly uninjured. The two have since spoken on Zoom, with Jarret saying he could hardly breathe under the bike and thanking Cotnoir for being “virtually there” to help. Sources: The Guardian, People |
| 3. Nuclear Family? Iranian Officials Embrace Clubhouse Facebook and Twitter helped fuel the Arab Spring protests 10 years ago. Is Clubhouse, social media’s latest craze, now helping to democratize Iran? Several top officials from the Islamic Republic recently joined rooms on the audio-chat app, surprising Iranians used to severe internet censorship. Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif spent hours on the app last week discussing diplomacy with some 8,000 users, and the country’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi later followed suit. Critics, however, say only a handful of journalists were allowed to ask questions, making the Clubhouse events eerily similar to state media interviews. Sources: Al Jazeera Whiskey in Your Clubhouse: Join OZY editors and writers today at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET for insights on the big news of the week, a chat about your favorite sections of the Whiskey in Your Coffee newsletter and more. Write to OZY reporter Joshua Eferighe below so we can pull you into the room, and follow him @Eferighe |
| 4. CO2 Levels Surge in 2020, Despite Emissions Decrease Despite the pandemic, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached their highest point in 3.6 million years last year. The shocking findings by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the fifth-largest increase in CO2 levels since they began measuring it six decades ago. And despite a 7 percent decrease in emissions due to global lockdowns, 2020 saw levels of the greenhouse gas increase by 2.6 parts per million compared to 2019. Scientists say this puts CO2 levels 50 percent higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution. Sources: CBS, Daily Mail |
| 5. Sponsors Drop Deshaun Watson After Sexual Assault Claims Nike and Apple’s Beats by Dre have both suspended their deals with the NFL star after 22 women filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. One of the women says she was assaulted after she tried to give Watson a massage last year. Nike said in a statement it was concerned about “the disturbing allegations” against the Houston Texans quarterback, who is now being investigated by police. Watson has denied the allegations and said the claims are the result of a failed blackmail attempt. The 25-year-old is due to make $10 million in the upcoming season. Sources: CNBC, AP |
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