The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: Senate Waffles on AHCA

IMPORTANT

June 26, 2017

Survivors huddle together after being rescued from tourist boat El Almirante, which sank in a reservoir near Medellin, Colombia Sunday. Source: Getty

GOP Holdouts Could Postpone Trumpcare Vote

Are they rushing into things? With 52 Senate seats, Republicans have the majority - but so far five GOP senators have said they won't vote for their party's health care bill, which was drafted in secret and revealed last week. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office hasn't yet scored the Senate's bill, but estimated that the House's version - which President Donald Trump called "mean" - would leave 23 million more people uninsured than under Obamacare. Concerned lawmakers are pushing to delay this week's planned vote until the deeply unpopular legislation can be altered.

Sources: NYT, FT (sub), The Guardian

Colombian Tourist Boat Sinks, Killing Six

It took less than five minutes to disappear. At least six people have died and 16 are missing after a tourist boat sank on a reservoir near Medellin, Colombia, where rescuers are still combing the waters in an ongoing search and rescue operation. An estimated 170 people had been on the four-deck El Almirante boat near the popular Andean resort town of Guatapé when it suddenly went under. Officials are unsure what caused the vessel to go down so quickly, but locals said the same boat has sunk twice before.

Sources: CNN, The Guardian, BBC

In First Meeting, Modi and Trump Seek to Strengthen Ties

They've had differences. But while the U.S. president has accused India of unscrupulous negotiations with regard to the Paris climate accord, some foresee a potentially close relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set for their first face-to-face meeting today in Washington. Both leaders are avid Twitter users and rose to power partly on their pro-business bonafides. However, experts foresee potential clashes on issues of immigration, trade, climate change and protections against terrorism - as well as Trump's rapidly shifting policies toward China.

Sources: Reuters, Quartz

Embattled Airbag Manufacturer Takata Files for Bankruptcy

It's been a long, slow fall. Nine years after the Japanese company began to recall its defective airbags from tens of millions of vehicles in markets around the world, the 84-year-old firm has finally announced it'll declare bankruptcy in the U.S. and at home. Takata's liabilities are estimated to be between $10 billion and $50 billion, and its defective products have been linked to 17 deaths and 180 injuries across 13 automakers. Chinese-owned rival Key Safety Systems is now expected to make a $1.6 billion takeover.

Sources: WSJ (sub), FT (sub)

Briefly

Know This: U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May will unveil her initial plan for the rights of EU citizens in post-Brexit Britain this afternoon. Germany has told the security detail of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stay away from next month's G20 summit in Hamburg after a series of allegations that they were violent toward protesters. And Russia is reportedly recalling Sergey Kislyak, its ambassador to the U.S., next month after nearly a decade in the job.

Remember This Number: $42 billion. That's how much Australia's Great Barrier Reef is estimated to be worth in terms of economic and social value, according to a new report exhorting the world to protect it from mass coral bleaching and calling the reef "too big to fail."

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Why an Inclusive Workplace Is Good For Business

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when a disabled and nondisabled individual with the same level of education were both up for the same position, the candidate without a disability was far more likely to receive the offer. But for companies that do hire people with disabilities - and invest in their well-being - the benefits can be many.

Sources: OZY

INTRIGUING

Kenya Is the Latest Victim in the Info Wars

Think before you click. Many are dubious about President Trump's claims that "fake news" dominates American media - but in Kenya it's an actual threat. There, phony news reports and social media propaganda are playing an outsize role ahead of August's general election. It's particularly dangerous for the mainstream media, seen as Kenya's most trusted institution. Perhaps worst of all? Thanks to Kenya's 87 percent mobile penetration rate and lighting-fast mobile internet, there may be no limit to how quickly and how far fake news can spread.

Sources: Quartz

The Drug Trade Is Felling Central America's Trees

Call it "green" money laundering. According to research from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cocaine traffickers in places like Honduras and Guatemala are pumping their illicit profits into clearing remote forests, making way for vast cattle farms that effectively mask the money's origin. The practice threatens some of Central America's richest forests - and the indigenous people who rely on the land. While traffickers also provide some impoverished locals with jobs and even health benefits, researchers say the increased violence and environmental destruction far outweigh those factors.

Sources: PRI

How Britons and Americans Differ on Cosmic Justice

The teacup is half empty. While an estimated 38 percent of Americans say that life is fair, a whopping 75 percent of their cousins across the pond would beg to differ - despite Britain having a more equal distribution of wealth than the United States. According to some researchers, that's because the goalposts for what is considered "fair" have shifted. Rather than aiming for equal access to resources, these days more Western societies think in terms of who deserves access, returning to a notion of the undeserving poor.

Sources: OZY

Prince Harry Confesses Almost Leaving Royalty

"I wanted out." So said Britain's Prince Harry, describing how life in the spotlight, especially after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, took a toll on his mental health. He called his time in the army an "escape" and said he considered becoming a commoner, but ultimately stayed for his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Harry admitted that he sought professional help before finally using his fame to spotlight mental health charities. Now fifth in line to the throne, Harry and his brother are working on modernizing the role of British royalty.

Sources: People, Daily Mail

New York Mets Promote Tim Tebow

The experiment continues. Despite posting some uninspiring stats with the low Class A Columbia Fireflies - leading the team in strikeouts, batting .222 and boasting an unimpressive .862 fielding percentage - the Mets are promoting the former NFL superstar to their high A affiliate in St. Lucie, Florida. While some commentators see Tebow's progression as an innocent feel-good distraction from the franchise's poor performances, others see boosting the 29-year-old as a cynical ploy to sell tickets, with one estimate valuing his presence at an additional $44,200 per game.

Sources: Bleacher Report, ESPN, USA Today