The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: Trump's Health Insurance Promises

IMPORTANT

January 16, 2017

A cargo plane crashed into a village in Kyrgyzstan this morning, killing dozens and leaving a smoking wreck. Source: Getty

Trump Vows Universal Insurance; Inauguration Boycott Grows

"We're going to have insurance for everybody." That's what Donald Trump said of his yet-to-be-revealed Obamacare replacement plan, setting up a clash with congressional Republicans envisioning a scaled back federal role in health care. The president-elect also spent his Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend attacking civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis on Twitter for deciding to boycott Trump's inauguration. At least 20 lawmakers are now following Lewis' lead. White House reporters, meanwhile, are fretting over whether the incoming administration plans to evict them from the West Wing.

Sources: Washington Post, Politico, McClatchy, USA Today, NYT

Dozens Dead After Plane Crashes in Kyrgyzstan Village

They nearly made it. But just before reaching Bishkek's Manas Airport, a Turkish cargo plane with at least four people aboard plowed through the small village of Dacha-Suu, damaging more than a dozen buildings and killing at least 37 people. Officials said most of the dead were in their homes, which were destroyed when the plane, en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul, crashed through dense fog at just after 7:30 a.m. local time. The airport, Kyrgyzstan's primary flight hub, has been closed while investigators establish a cause.

Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera

Texas Case Tests Voting Rights in Modern America

Is this what Martin Luther King Jr. fought for? Pasadena, Texas is testing current voting rights protections with a case launched just days after portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. Ten days ago, a federal judge ruled that the town's redrawn electoral map was discriminatory against Latino voters, who make up 62 percent of the city. But an appeal could stay the ruling - and activists say a loss there could lay bare the toothlessness of the changed legislation.

Sources: NYT

Pound Plummets Ahead of 'Hard Brexit' Speech

She's going hard. British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to give a speech tomorrow emphasizing the importance of national control over European immigration - a sign that Brexit is likely to mean that the U.K. also drops out of its current tariff-free trade deal with the EU. Accordingly, sterling zoomed to a three-month low, and some investors believe hard Brexit is no longer a matter of "if" but of "when." Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump promised a quick trade deal with a post-Brexit U.K.

Sources: FT (sub), WSJ (sub), Bloomberg, The Guardian

Briefly

Know This: The heir to the Samsung empire faces arrest in South Korea on charges of bribing the president. Syrian rebels have agreed to attend Kazakhstan-based peace talks hosted by Russia and Turkey. And a 71-year-old Republican politician in Connecticut has been arrested for pinching a woman's genitals during a political argument, allegedly telling her, 'It would be your word against mine and nobody will believe you."

Remember This Number: Eight men. That's the number of individuals whose combined wealth equals that of the poorest 3.6 billion people in the world, according to a new Oxfam study.

Talk to Us: We want your feedback on the Presidential Daily Brief - what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at pdbrief@ozy.com.

INTRIGUING

John Lewis Books Sell Out After Trump Criticism

This is one tweet that backfired. After Rep. John Lewis questioned the president-elect's legitimacy, Trump attacked on Twitter, calling Lewis "all talk ... no action." Now sales of the Georgia congressman's autobiographical graphic novel series, March, have spiked by 106,000 percent, becoming Amazon's top-seller. March tells the story of the civil rights movement and how Lewis helped lead the 1963 March on Washington. Meanwhile, Trump has canceled Martin Luther King Jr. Day plans to attend the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, citing "scheduling issues."

Sources: Fortune, AJC, Vanity Fair

Car Industry Rebuilds for Self-Driving Future

They're at a crossroads. Major auto manufacturers like Ford are rewriting more than a century's worth of industry practices in preparation for the rise of autonomous cars. One major problem? For the first time, car companies are following the tech industry's lead - and Silicon Valley operates much differently than Motor City. While companies scramble for the best partnerships, Google's patented a system for finding optimal locations for autonomous cars to pick up and drop off passengers - which could put them in a drag race against Uber and Lyft.

Sources: Wired, The Verge

How Tel Aviv Became a Leader in 'Smart City' Technology

The revolution is here. From beachside Wi-Fi to radar security systems to smartphone-controlled irrigation systems, Israel's second city is leveraging its status as a tech hub to become a global smart city archetype. Tel Aviv, along with up-and-comers like Barcelona and San Diego, is harnessing the Internet of Things to shape its urban environment, though efforts are still disjointed and lack a master plan. An unlikely catalyst is Israel's required military service, which instills qualities that make for good entrepreneurs as well as sharpshooters.

Sources: OZY

'Greatest Show on Earth' to Fold Up Its Tent

The show won't go on. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will close up shop in May after 146 years. The traveling spectacle popularized by the legendary P.T. Barnum has suffered from declining interest, high costs and negative publicity after animal rights groups took issue with its use of elephants, lions and other performing animals. PETA took credit, saying its 36 years of protests reduced circus attendance "to the point of no return." Ringling Bros. will put on 30 more U.S. shows before its final curtain.

Sources: NPR, Quartz, Slate

Packers, Steelers Advance to NFL Conference Finals

The kickers were kings. Mason Crosby's second 50-plus-yard field goal of the final two minutes - set up by a superlative Aaron Rodgers-Jared Cook connection - sealed a 34-31 Green Bay triumph over top-seeded Dallas. In the nightcap, Steeler Chris Bosworth kicked a playoff record six field goals to power an 18-16 Pittsburgh win over Kansas City, which lost the tying two-point conversion to a holding penalty. The Packers head to Atlanta, while Pittsburgh travels to New England for Sunday's conference championship games.

Sources: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ESPN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette