The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: America Stands Alone

IMPORTANT

June 3, 2017

Protesters in Berlin Friday decry President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Source: Getty

America Stands Alone on Climate

He'll take the heat. President Donald Trump had promised to dump the Paris climate accord signed by 195 world leaders - including his predecessor - who've pledged emissions curbs, and on Thursday he made it official. Now the world's asking if he still believes global warming to be a "hoax," but his surrogates say they don't know. Trump says he prefers "a deal that's fair," but the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy quickly said the accord was "irreversible" and their nations would honor it even if the world's second-largest polluter ignored it.

Sources: NYT, Bloomberg, CBS

UK Conservatives on Slide Path to Election

They say less is more. British Prime Minister Theresa May hoped to increase her support by calling snap elections as Brexit negotiations loomed, but in the past two weeks, her party's backing has slid 10-plus points against Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party - which some polls put just three points behind May's Conservatives. Some say it's a referendum on Brexit and its accompanying economic turmoil. Others blame May's missteps - like skipping televised debates and her reversal on controlling long-term medical care costs - for contributing to the uncertainty before Thursday's vote.

Sources: FT (sub), The Independent, Bloomberg, Reuters

Truck Bomb Maimed Afghan Peace Efforts

They want blood. The massive bombing in the Afghan capital Wednesday did much more than kill 90 and injure 460. It angered Afghans enough to stage an anti-government protest in which several people died. No one's claimed responsibility for the blast, which also hobbled a Kabul peace conference set for Tuesday. Some participants cite poor security, and others, like occupants of the bomb-ravaged German Embassy, have already been evacuated. And President Ashraf Ghani's move to sign death warrants for 11 Taliban prisoners - and potential bargaining chips - is sure to spark further violence.

Sources: NYT, Washington Post, AP

The 'Car Wash' That's Scouring Brazilian Corruption

Does it go all the way to the top? Initially focused on low-tech money laundering, Brazil's 3-year-old Operation Car Wash soon uncovered connections to state oil company Petrobras. New corruption legislation allowing plea bargaining saw wealthy suspects, who'd normally be bailed out instantly, stay in jail until they talked, and their information has revealed a $5 billion graft operation. Now President Michel Temer, who denies accusations of obstruction prompted by his recorded voice, could see his presidency fall - along with Brazil's economy, which is still struggling to escape recession.

Sources: The Guardian

Briefly

The Week Ahead: A reportedly "angry" fired FBI director James Comey is to testify Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Bill Cosby goes on trial in Pennsylvania Monday in an alleged 2004 sexual assault. And Pittsburgh hopes its Penguins will go 3-0 in the Stanley Cup hockey finals against the Predators in Nashville tonight.

Know This: Vladimir Putin suggested Friday that U.S. hackers might have framed Russia for election meddling. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to allay fears of U.S. isolationism, saying, "like it or not, we are part of the world." And Ariana Grande visited injured young fans in a children's hospital ahead of Sunday's all-star Manchester concert to benefit May 22 bombing victims.

Answer This: Tell us how you really feel. OZY's next TV show, Third Rail With OZY, is launching on PBS this fall! To kick things off, we're shelving the PC and launching debates. Each Wednesday, we'll post a provocative question, with a focus on topics that might make it onto the show. Our Third Rail With OZY question this week delves into politics: Should you be able to withhold taxes for issues you disagree with? Why or why not? Email thirdrail@ozy.com with your thoughts or a personal story, and we might feature your answer next week.

INTRIGUING

Why It's Good That AI Is Crushing Humanity

That smarts. When a Google-owned development company successfully humbled the greatest Go players in the world using its AlphaGo program, it was a triumph of AI. Google's DeepMind perfected the program so the digital student becomes the master, capable of teaching itself. The news was greeted by many as heralding the end times for humankind, but proponents say the technology can provide huge benefits. From improving the accuracy and efficiency of everything from protein-folding and radiography to workflows, our robot-dominated future's so bright we'll have to wear Google Glass.

Sources: The Verge

Distilled Spirits That Won't Get You Drunk

It's an intoxicating idea. U.K. native Ben Branson can't make Seedlip, distilled herbal concoctions that mimic the flavor of hard liquor without alcohol, fast enough. The notion of a botanical base for booze-free drinks that are complex and nuanced - and not pumped full of caffeine or sugar - is befuddling to many. But to non-drinkers or designated drivers seeking a new level of sophistication when they belly up to the bar, Branson's clear spirits with notes of cardamom and rosemary are already fermenting considerable buzz.

Sources: OZY

Racing to Imagine the Worst

Hope has hit a wall. After technological and political inclusiveness begat creative optimism, utopian dreams have gone dark. An inevitable dystopian fiction cycle is upon us - perfectly synced with tectonic real-world shifts. Such novels offer visions of the planned apocalypse, from Michael Tolkin's plague of idiots in NK3 to Omar El Akkad's climate-change-inspired Southern secession in American War. If you can see a twisted future coming, it's likely there's a novel to match, as forward-looking writers imagine brutal societies where belief in reason, sustainability and equality can't possibly survive.

Sources: New Yorker

Drug Cartels and Disease vs. Coffee in Peru

When it got low, they got high. In the southern Peruvian Amazon, a cooperative of coffee farmers is seeking help as its coffee crop - considered among the world's best - struggles against a spate of "yellow rust" fungus. Before 2011, coffee production never dropped below 11,000 tons; in 2014, it fell to 628 and hasn't recovered much. And with coffee farming growing risky, more in Peru's Sandia Valley have turned to coca. Now, organizations are scrambling to mount a counteroffensive, hoping alternate crops and reforestation can hold the line against cocaine traffickers.

Sources: Pacific Standard

Where Isolated Incidents Are a Trend

It could end as one-on-one. NBA strategy increasingly favors ball movement and teamwork, but when ironclad defenses close in, it still comes down to the big names making plays - all by themselves. No matter the year, almost every star player's statistics show a spike in fourth-quarter and overtime isolation plays, when the game is essentially stripped down to one star and one defender. Trailing a game in the finals, this is how Cleveland might beat Golden State on Sunday, with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving having mastered the isolation chamber.

Sources: The Ringer