The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: Trump Confirms His Own Investigation

IMPORTANT

June 17, 2017

President Trump appeared in Miami Friday to sign policy partly reversing Barack Obama's Cuba rapprochement. Source: Getty

'I Am Being Investigated'

He's a reliable source. On Friday, after hurling vitriol at a Washington Post report that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was investigating him for possible obstruction of justice, President Donald Trump verified the story himself, tweeting, "I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director." He also said his inquisitor was "the man who told me" to fire Director James Comey - an apparent reference to Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who hired Mueller. Put in charge of Russiagate queries after Attorney General Jeff Sessions excluded himself, the deputy's now saying he, too, may need a recusal.

Sources: ABC, Fox News, The Hill, Politico

GOP Fears Dems Can Snatch Georgia's 6th District

It's putting the "special" back into special election. On Tuesday, Democrats hope to strip Georgia's 6th Congressional District from Republicans for the first time since presidential confidant Newt Gingrich won it in 1978. Their great hope is Jon Ossoff, who led the pack in April 18's first-round ballot with his "Make Trump Furious" mantra and has raised at least $24 million of $40 million in the costliest House contest ever. And some polls surprisingly show Ossoff pulling ahead of Republican Karen Handel - prompting GOP leaders to plan for the worst.

Sources: Reuters, AJC, Politico, National Review

Minnesota Shooting Trial Ends With Officer's Acquittal

It was caught on Facebook Live. But the crucial motion of Philando Castile's hand before his fatal shooting July 6, was not. Jurors in St. Paul, Minnesota deliberated for about 29 hours before unanimously clearing Officer Jeronimo Yanez of second-degree manslaughter. He testified that he thought Castile, who told him he had a licensed firearm, was pulling a gun rather than his driver's license. Castile's family cried out against the verdict, and later police arrested 18 of the 500 Black Lives Matter demonstrators who blocked a nearby Interstate 94.

Sources: NYT, CNN, NPR

Minding the Barricades With Venezuela's Green Cross

"We cannot be heroes because heroes fall." That's the mantra of the Cruz Verde, Venezuela's volunteer medical corps triaging protesters who've been hit by tear gas and violence as the country's rocked by anti-government demonstrations. Every day the group, which has grown to 200 members in the two years since its inception, races into Caracas to help those protesting on the front lines, transporting them away from the crowds for medical aid - and inspiring others around the country to form similar groups to pull fellow Venezuelans out of harm's way.

Sources: Roads and Kingdoms

Briefly

The Week Ahead: The House Intelligence Committee has asked the White House to reveal - by Friday - if there are recordings of President Trump's conversations with ousted ex-FBI Director James Comey. On Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hear testimony on Russian election interference. And the NBA will hold its annual draft on Thursday.

Know This: Seven crewmen are missing after a U.S. Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship near a Japanese port. The federal Education Department in Washington is scaling back its civil rights investigations. And President Trump's latest financial disclosure values his assets at $1.4 billion.

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

German Reunification Leader Helmut Kohl Dies at 87

He's a man Europe will never forget. Legendary German statesman Helmut Kohl, who helped engineer Germany's reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall, died on Friday at 87. The longest-serving German chancellor of the 20th century, Kohl was also a mentor to current Chancellor Angela Merkel. He played an outsize role in the greater European project, too: along with former French President Francois Mitterrand, Kohl was instrumental in establishing the euro as the continent's common currency. "We Germans," he's reported to have said during reunification, "have learned from history."

Sources: BBC, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian

North Carolina Moderates Under Fire

Rage sells. While Democrats around the country have rallied in angry resistance in the months after Donald Trump's election, they may not see a resurgence in formerly borderline red states like North Carolina as riled partisans hew ever closer to their president, even as they reject their congressional representatives as overly moderate. Strong Republican representation in the state, however, may shrink after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that civil rights-violating district lines must be renegotiated, which could help move legislative boundaries - while advancing the left's barricades.

Sources: OZY

The Great Blockchain Robbery

Did they move too fast? Using ultra-secure code dispersed on a worldwide network, Ethereum's creators took blockchain, the programming concept that's enabled bitcoin's success, to another level. But a year ago, when their ether currency's collective value hit $250 million, a bug was discovered - almost simultaneously by programmers and hackers - setting off a high-stakes cyber war. Ethereum limited the theft by rebooting the network, but purloined currency stayed active, attracting new traders while the thieves remained anonymous, their modest heist appreciating to $67 million - thanks to a system that runs itself.

Sources: Bloomberg

Where Does Microblogging Stardom Lead?

Never have typos been so popular. Twitter sensation Jonny Sun - better known as sappy extraterrestrial "jomny sun" - has earned a half-million followers with his absurdist, random humor. Now he's seeking ways to translate that popularity into more meaningful forms. Besides releasing an illustrated book based on his Twitter feed, the MIT Ph.D. candidate is investigating online communities and how social media affects the broader world. Sun's unique experience as a star of what's become known as "Weird Twitter" will surely provide thesis material - 140 characters at a time.

Sources: NYT Magazine

OK, So Maybe It IS the Ball

It's way out in left field. The rate of home runs in baseball is skyrocketing. We're not even halfway through the season, and the count has already surpassed the 2014 season's by 57 percent. So what gives? New data suggests regulation baseballs might be a factor, even if MLB officials say it ain't so. Researchers have measured minor changes in the ball introduced in 2015 and believe they've made a significant enough difference in how far and high the thing will soar - combined with batters' responses to those livelier targets.

Sources: The Ringer