The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: Trump's Budget Battles Begin

IMPORTANT

February 28, 2017

Supporters stage an America First rally in Brea, California, in an attempt to show the extent of national support for President Donald Trump. Source: Getty

Trump Plans $54 Billion Increase in Defense Spending

A lot of things are going on the chopping block. President Donald Trump's first budget proposal to Congress seeks a "historic" increase in the Pentagon's funding, up about two percent from last year - though some lawmakers are outraged by what they see as a paltry increase. To balance the budget, the White House says it'll cut foreign aid and spending on domestic government agencies. But a fight may be brewing over slashing Social Security and Medicare, a priority for House Speaker Paul Ryan, but unpopular with older voters.

Sources: NYT, WSJ (sub), Reuters

Malaysia Charges Two With Murder in Kim Jong Nam Killing

If they're found guilty, the death sentence is mandatory. Siti Aisyah from Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam will be formally charged today, and prosecutors are still deciding whether a North Korean man, Ri Jong Chol, will be charged as well. Aisyah and Huong allegedly smeared the banned nerve agent VX on the face of Kim Jong Un's half-brother at the Kuala Lumpur airport, but the women claim they thought they were taking part in a televised prank. Police are still seeking several other suspects.

Sources: BBC, WSJ (sub)

California Demands Details of Immigration Crackdown

Vague assurances won't cut it. As Californians become more concerned that federal immigration officials are targeting all undocumented immigrants for deportation, rather than just those who have committed crimes, state legislators are demanding that the White House provide details of all current or planned enforcement actions since Inauguration Day. California is home to an estimated 3 million undocumented people. While the Trump administration insists current operations are routine, many communities were alarmed by perceived crackdowns and ICE raids, fearing that citizens will be separated from their undocumented spouses or parents.

Sources: Reuters

Samsung Empire Heir to Be Indicted for Bribery

He'll see them in court. It's been a rough few months for Samsung: Last year's exploding phone debacle was followed by scion Lee Jae-yong's apparent involvement in the growing corruption scandal surrounding South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Now, as the company struggles to bounce back with the introduction of a new flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone planned for March 29, special prosecutors say they'll indict five Samsung execs, including Lee, 48. The charges of bribery, perjury and embezzlement mean Lee will have to stand trial.

Sources: FT (sub), Bloomberg

Briefly

Know This: The Justice Department says it will drop its objection to a Texas voter ID law, a pivot from the Obama-era focus on civil rights. At least 20 Jewish community centers and schools in 12 U.S. states reported bomb threats yesterday. And journalists in Burundi say the country's president is waging a war against the free press.

Read This: Adam Gopnik argues that the Oscars' bizarre last-minute mix-up may prove that our universe is a computer simulation.

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.

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Could Snake Robots Prepare the Moon for Human Settlement?

Living in a moon village may seem like a far-out idea, but the European Space Agency believes it's a possibility. A team of Norwegian researchers have developed a slithering robot to explore potential new abodes on the moon. Your next condo just might be an old lava tube.

Sources: OZY

INTRIGUING

SpaceX Announces Private Moon Mission

Fly them to the moon ... for a fee. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has announced plans for a weeklong private space vacation for two paying customers. The 400,000-mile voyage around the far side of the moon has been commended by NASA, which is planning a potential manned lunar mission of its own. The civilian spacegoers haven't been named, but are presumably wealthy - Musk said costs were "comparable" to a manned mission to the ISS, about $80 million per person. They're also reportedly "very serious" about the risks of the 2018 trip.

Sources: NASA, The Verge, Popular Mechanics

Beloved Salvadoran Hippo Mysteriously Attacked

Hasta siempre, Gustavito. The hippo had charmed crowds at El Salvador's national zoo for 12 years and was popular with the public, but last Wednesday night he was brutally attacked by unknown assailants armed with rocks, metal bars, knives and an ice pick. Zoo workers discovered Gustavito's distress the next day when he was behaving strangely, but they were unable to save him despite round-the-clock care. Now many Salvadorans are in mourning - and demanding justice for Gustavito, whose death some blame on El Salvador's unusually high rate of violence.

Sources: Huffington Post

Could Craft Beer Bring Industry Back to Mid-America?

Don't get your hops up yet. Some long-promised deregulation of the craft beer industry, which would halve excise taxes and boost ATF funding, would be welcomed by both microbrewers and larger companies - if it actually happens. With the brewing industry exploding and the potential for local breweries to bring jobs to small towns, the new bill has bipartisan support. The last time it was introduced, Congress never got around to voting on it, but 2017's trend toward deregulation may open the taps for the beer industry.

Sources: OZY

State Department Tweets (Then Deletes) Praise of Oscar-Winner

It's a diplomatic quandary. Shortly after Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi won his second Academy Award Sunday night, the U.S. State Department's Farsi account tweeted congratulations to him and his fellow Iranians. Farhadi didn't attend the ceremony, boycotting in protest of the recent travel ban on Iranian citizens. Instead, Iranian-American astronaut Anousheh Ansari delivered his message lambasting the executive order as "inhumane." Maybe that's why the State Department's tweet was quietly deleted - reportedly a department decision to avoid any perception of solidarity with Farhadi's political stance.

Sources: AV Club, Vulture

Tim Tebow Joins Mets at Spring Training Batting Practice

Master play or master ploy? The former NFL star impressed at his first official BP since signing with New York last year. Despite one stretch when Tebow slammed four homers in five pitches, many see his presence on the diamond as a sideshow. After all, he's previously shown skills in the batting cages but struggled in real games. The Heisman winner is expected to start for Class-A St. Lucie, while the Mets are anticipating a boost to ticket sales and are already pushing merchandise to eager Tebow fans.

Sources: New York Post, USA Today , CBS Sports