The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: May's Missing Mandate

IMPORTANT

June 10, 2017

President Trump calls on journalists at a White House press conference Friday. Source: Getty

Theresa May Survives, But Loses Mandate

Does Brexit mean uncertainty? That's the question many are asking in the wake of Thursday's British snap elections, with neither of the two main party leaders clarifying how they'd navigate the churning waters of EU separation. Despite resignation calls, Prime Minister Theresa May, having lost her Conservative Party's majority, managed to eke out a governing coalition with Northern Ireland's unionists on Friday. But far from winning an unequivocal mandate, she now has a razor-thin grip on power as German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Brussels is ready to start Brexit talks - even if May isn't.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters, The Independent, BBC

Will Puerto Rico Become the 51st State?

Signs point to no. But the Caribbean island's 3.4 million inhabitants will have a new moment to be heard on Sunday, when voters can choose between independence, the current commonwealth arrangement, or U.S. statehood, which is polling at 60 percent. Facing default on $123 billion in bond and pension obligations and resulting curbs on self-governance, Puerto Ricans may want change even more. But a Republican-led Congress might be even less open to statehood that could boost Democrats' representation in Washington, even if President Trump has seemed accepting of the idea.

Sources: The Economist, The Hill, NY Post

The Man Who Silenced Trump

The name's Comey. James Comey. During Thursday's Senate Intelligence Committee sworn testimony, the ex-FBI director riveted the nation, while Donald Trump didn't once respond during testimony that he'd lied about Comey's firing and asked him to stop investigating ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn's Kremlin ties. Afterward, Trump's attorney accused Comey of leaking "privileged information" and noted he'd confirmed saying he wasn't investigating the president. On Friday, Trump responded in the Rose Garden, deriding the lawman's "lies," saying there was "no collusion, no obstruction," and vowing that he'd refute Comey's claims - under oath.

Sources: Washington Post, ABC, The Hill, Salon

Twitter, Qatar and Hair-Trigger Diplomacy

Did he find the enemy? Throwing Qatar under the bus via Twitter last week amid its diplomatic crisis with other Arab nations, President Trump has single-handedly threatened a delicate partnership that includes hosting the largest Mideast U.S. military base, argues former U.S. counterterrorism official Joshua Geltzer. Qatar has long been suspected of unsavory ties to Islamist groups - but so has its main antagonist, Saudi Arabia. But they openly help fight ISIS, and many counterterrorism partners have uncomfortable connections that, if they became deal-breakers, would leave America with few friends where it matters most.

Sources: The Atlantic, The Independent

Briefly

The Week Ahead: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will face questioning on Russiagate during Tuesday's Justice Department budget hearing before a Senate subcommittee. Federal Reserve members are expected to raise interest rates at their meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. And the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup hockey finals, try for the title Sunday against the Predators in Nashville.

Know This: Brazil's Superior Electoral Court has acquitted President Michel Temer of using illegal campaign funds, allowing him to remain in office. The GasBuddy app says U.S. gasoline prices are the cheapest they've been since 2005. And major tech stocks took a 3.5-percent dive on Friday.

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 identity: Is it more acceptable to be transgender than transracial? Why or why not? Go deep. Email thirdrail@ozy.com with your thoughts or a personal story, and we might feature your answer next week.

INTRIGUING

The AIDS Epidemic That's Still Raging

You thought it was under control? HIV/AIDS is ravaging communities with high concentrations of gay and bisexual African-American men, half of whom will become infected if current conditions persist, federal health authorities predict. In places like Jackson, Mississippi, it's part of a cycle of despair for these already disadvantaged young men, for whom diagnosis and treatment are often too much to handle. They're dying at a rate seven times higher than the overall HIV-positive population, and it's feared proposed slashing of federal prevention and care programs will add to that toll.

Sources: NYT Magazine

Did a Trump Golf Club Siphon Off Kids' Cancer Money?

Time for an audit. The Eric Trump Foundation, run by the president's son to benefit a children's research hospital, raised most of its money through tournaments at the Trump National Golf Club, claiming it used the course for free. But tax filings indicate the charity started out with low overhead, then paid more than $1.2 million to the Trump Organization as unexplained annual operating costs skyrocketed to $322,000. What's changed? The presidential scion's friends left the board in 2010, replaced by Donald Trump's associates, and now Eric says he's stopped raising funds.

Sources: Forbes

Where Marijuana Access Depends on Your Zip Code

It's a blessing and a curse. New York State has expanded access to medical marijuana for chronic pain patients - but they may need to drive hours to get it. That's because more than a third of the state's counties have only one, if any, certified practitioner to write prescriptions. Medical marijuana's a key alternative pain reliever, especially in a state where opioid overdoses jumped 144 percent from 2005 to 2014. Technology, such as video doctor "visits," is helping, but getting the pot to the people continues to be a pain.

Sources: OZY

'Evan Hansen' Yearns for Tonys' Appreciation

It's a tough sell. But Dear Evan Hansen, about teen isolation and suicide, is the musical to beat at Sunday's Tony Awards. It's avoided concerns plaguing dramas detailing high school self-harm like the series 13 Reasons Why. The story of Evan, who posthumously "befriends" a classmate who killed himself, was realized by Oscar-winning musical team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, along with playwright Steven Levenson. He says thoughtful partnerships with mental health organizations allowed them to shepherd the difficult story to the stage - and tonight's anticipated happy ending.

Sources: Slate, Forbes

Warriors Dream Team Falls in 137-116 Cleveland Nightmare

They're not perfect. On a 15-0 playoff streak, Golden State could have made history last night. Then the clock started. Host Cleveland was suddenly a team - that arguably includes history's best player. LeBron James and his teammates smashed one finals record after another: 24 three-pointers, scoring 49 in the first quarter and 86 in that half. "They blitzed us," lamented Warrior Klay Thompson. It's said that a 1-3 deficit is insurmountable, but the Cavaliers showed that they're not going quietly as they head for Monday's Game 5 in Oakland.

Sources: SI, CBS, Bleacher Report