| | | Extinction Rebellion activists in London urge action on climate change Sunday. Source: Getty |
| IMPORTANT | 01 | President Donald Trump’s lawyers yesterday refused an invitation to defend their client in the House Judiciary Committee’s first public impeachment hearing Wednesday. They argued that they couldn’t count on “any semblance of a fair process” when the witnesses — expected to give legal opinions on whether Trump committed impeachable offenses — had not yet been named. They also charged that the hearing was “purposely” set for when Trump was scheduled to attend a NATO summit in London. How is the process proceeding? This week the House Intelligence Committee is expected to release its formal report on the president’s dealings with Ukraine. | |
| 02 | In the wake of dire reports on rising greenhouse gas levels, dozens of world leaders — not including America’s president — will be among 29,000 people gathering in Madrid for COP25, a two-week climate change conference. “The point of no return is no longer over the horizon,” warned U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Meanwhile, nonprofit Save the Children reported that 33 million people in Africa alone are facing food insecurity because of droughts and cyclones. What needs to happen? “We simply have to stop digging and drilling,” Guterres urged, and instead embrace the “vast possibilities” offered by renewable energy. OZY takes you to the frontiers of countering global warming. | |
| 03 | Are they terrorists? That’s one question that’s been reignited after gunmen suspected to belong to a drug cartel attacked the mayor’s office in Villa Unión, near the U.S. border, on Saturday. The death toll has reached 21, including four police officers and 10 attackers, after police tracked and killed seven more gunmen. The attack came shortly after President Trump controversially said he’d designate the narco-syndicates as terrorist groups. What else is going on? Yesterday Mexican authorities arrested several suspects in the Nov. 4 killings of nine members of a Mormon family that may have been caught in the middle of a dispute between cartels. | |
| 04 | It’s still huge: American holiday shoppers set new buying records on Black Friday, with in-store sales rising 4.2 percent over last year. But as Cyber Monday dawns today for online retailers, there’s a hard reality setting in for brick-and-mortar establishments: Foot traffic fell 6.2 percent Friday, signaling that more and more shoppers are skipping the stores altogether. How are retailers making the transition? Outlets like Target, Walmart and Best Buy are pushing online sales to compete with Amazon, shifting staff to handle deliveries and coaxing online shoppers to pick up orders in stores. | |
| 05 | Three rescuers on their way to help French flood victims were killed when their helicopter crashed near Marseille today. The New York Times is reporting that last month’s demonstrations in Iran resulted in a brutal crackdown that has killed at least 180 people. And Maine police report that a 65-year-old man was fatally shot by his own booby-trapped front door on Thanksgiving. #OZYfact: By investing in sunflower oil processing, African agribusiness could make $1 trillion by 2030. Read more on OZY. The Future of X is here! OZY’s new podcast, in partnership with Smartsheet, can show you how we’ll collaborate in the workplace. Find out how to tune in here. |
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| | INTRIGUING | 01 | Hundreds hit the country’s streets this weekend demanding justice in yet another brutal assault on a woman. Four men stand accused of raping, murdering and burning a 27-year-old veterinarian last week. In Hyderabad, crowds swarmed the jail where the suspects were being held, and protesters turned away politicians and film stars from the victim’s home. Meanwhile, in New Delhi a 24-year-old woman said she was detained and assaulted by police for protesting alone near Parliament. How did we get here? Outrage over such incidents has found a spotlight in a country where more than 32,000 rapes were reported in 2017. | |
| 02 | Israeli privacy firm vpnMentor reported Sunday that it had discovered an exposed database including tens of millions of private messages administered by TrueDialog, a bulk-text communications company. Some messages included sensitive information such as password reset codes to social media accounts and medical services. As well as SMS texts, the database contained TrueDialog clients’ usernames and passwords. VpnMentor warned such a breach could leave millions of people exposed to identity theft and even blackmail. How has TrueDialog dealt with this? The Texas-based company secured the database, but has yet to respond publicly. OZY explains how secret apps violate your privacy. | |
| 03 | In recognizing World AIDS Day Sunday, President Trump said his administration will “reaffirm our commitment” to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 10 years. But the Democratic National Committee claimed he’s “no ally of people living with HIV,” noting the disease disproportionately affects the LGBTQ community and people of color. The group said Trump’s proposed 2020 budget would shave $1.35 billion from a presidential AIDS relief program, as well as cut global HIV/AIDS programs. What are researchers doing? Spanish doctors recently discovered a genetic mutation that wards off infection, providing an opportunity to develop protective gene therapies or medications. | |
| 04 | They weren’t kidding. Anyone wanting to see Pete Davidson do standup in San Francisco last week got a legal surprise: They had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It obligated them to pay $1 million — plus attorney’s fees — if they shared the Saturday Night Live funnyman’s material online or moved to “offer any opinions or critiques” of the performance. Audience members also had to provide their social media IDs and surrender their devices during the show. How are fans reacting? One posted the NDA on Facebook, describing it as “Orwellian.” Read this OZY op-ed on how wealth kills comedy. | |
| 05 | Esports is already big business, with tournaments drawing crowds of thousands and top gamers taking home more cash than pro athletes. Now casual investors also have a chance to get some skin in the game, OZY reports. Young investors and gamers are flocking to newly established exchange-traded funds that let them invest in emerging esports franchises, game developers and hardware companies. Is it a winning game? Watchers warn that emerging markets like this are extremely volatile — but it could be just the ticket for a generation that prefers a Twitch stream to Monday Night Football. | |
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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. | | The New + the Next Until recently, only those with access to company founders could invest in esports. Now, that's changing. READ NOW | |
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