The Fitness Magazine: Your Presidential Daily Brief: McCain Diagnosed With Cancer

IMPORTANT

July 20, 2017

Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, shown here with U.S. soldiers in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 4, has been diagnosed with brain cancer. Source: Getty

Sen. John McCain Diagnosed With Brain Cancer

They're reviewing treatment options. The long-time Arizona senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive primary brain tumor, which was discovered during surgery to remove a blood clot above his left eye. A statement from McCain's office said the 80-year-old senator is recovering at home in Arizona and considering possible treatments. The diagnosis shocked the Senate, where he's served for over three decades. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and former President Barack Obama used the same words to describe McCain, calling him an "American hero."

Sources: WSJ (Sub),Reuters,NYT

Trump Orders Senate to Find Solution on Health Care

Failure is not an option. Though President Donald Trump's initial response to Senate Republicans' failure to garner adequate support for their Affordable Care Act replacement was "let Obamacare fail," he later reversed course and insisted they had to keep their promise to repeal the legislation. But a closed-door meeting of GOP senators Wednesday night led to no major advances, with both conservatives and moderates still uncomfortable with portions of the revised legislation. If Obamacare is repealed without replacement, an estimated 32 million are expected to lose their insurance.

Sources: Reuters,NYT

Chile Poised to Legalize Abortion in Limited Circumstances

The current policy: Just say no. Chile is one of just a few countries around the world where abortion is illegal in every case. But yesterday, after 17 hours of debate, the country's senate passed legislation that would allow women to terminate pregnancies in cases of rape, deadly birth defects or danger to the mother's life. The lower legislative chamber is expected to vote on the measure today. If it passes, it'll go to President Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first female leader and a trained pediatrician, for her signature.

Sources: France24,Al Jazeera

Deutsche Bank Under Scrutiny in Russia Investigation

Follow the money. Deutsche Bank is known for doing business with President Trump, and regulators are reportedly reviewing hundreds of millions in loans to Trump's businesses. But they're expected to come under even more oversight as the bank, which recently paid $600 million in fines for facilitating Russian money laundering, will likely be asked to provide information to the investigation into Trump's Russian connections during the 2016 campaign. Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort will testify before the Senate next week about alleged Russian meddling in the election.

Sources: The Guardian,NYT,BBC

Briefly

Know This: The U.S. has ended its ban on in-cabin laptops on flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa. A Michigan woman has been found guilty of her husband's murder after their pet parrot repeated "don't shoot!" after reportedly witnessing the crime. And President Trump says that if he'd known Jeff Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation, he wouldn't have chosen him as attorney general.

Read This: Love for Game of Thrones is changing the way people study — and teach — medieval history, with courses and scholarly anthologies feeding interest in the subject even as degrees in the humanities are on the decline.

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INTRIGUING

Newton, Iowa, Could Be the Future of Small Towns

There's hope on the horizon. The town of 15,000 once thrived around Maytag's headquarters. So when the plant shuttered in 2007, it was a blow — one that saw Newton called the most "broken" town in the country on 60 Minutes. But Maytag's departure also left vital infrastructure — and an able workforce — in place to eventually attract other companies to the city, which has seen unemployment drop from 9.9 percent in 2009 to 3.5 percent. Full recovery is still far off, but Newton proves there's life after manufacturing.

Sources: PRI

How Blockchains Could Upend Wall Street

It's sparking a chain reaction. A new system called blockchain is threatening to change how transactions are made in finance — and potentially everywhere else. By working with open and shared information via a "distributed ledger," blockchain allows transactions without middlemen. Exchanges can be recorded, verified, and completed almost instantaneously — by anyone. Early adopters have seen cryptocurrency networks like Bitcoin thrive, but on Wall Street, old stalwarts like Wells Fargo and HSBC are pre-emptively seeking ways to turn this disruptive tech to their own advantage.

Sources: OZY

Scientists Had the Wrong Sea Level Data for Years

It was a glitch of global proportions. Scientists had long wondered why satellite data showed sea levels weren't budging, even as temperatures rose and ice sheets melted. They've finally found the problem: an incorrectly calibrated sensor in a spacecraft that had been collecting altimetry data since 1992. Newly corrected data shows the real story. Sea levels are, in fact, rising — at faster rates each year. While researchers may be relieved to have pinpointed the error, the numbers look bad: Waters could rise another 30 inches over the next century.

Sources: Scientific American

Prize-Winning Cheddar Snatched in Cheese Show Heist

And is the owner ever cheesed off. After eleven large blocks of aged cheddar were stolen from Britain's prestigious Yeovil Show, Rich Clothier of Wyke Farms, which took the top prize, is offering a $651 reward for the return of his cheese or the arrest of the burglars. The 45-pound blocks of cheese took 18 months to make and Clothier, who compared the thefts to someone stealing a work of art, estimates they're worth about $1000. Somerset police are investigating, but the dairy bandit is still at large.

Sources: Sacramento Bee,Atlas Obscura

US Men Advance to Gold Cup Soccer Semifinals

There was no salvation for El Salvador. The U.S. men's national soccer team has marched into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, overpowering El Salvador Wednesday with a comfortable 2-0 win in Philadelphia. First-half goals from defenders Omar Gonzalez and Eric Lichaj were enough for victory as a tight second half played out without a goal, and new coach Bruce Arena remains undefeated. The U.S. will now face Costa Rica Saturday for a place in the final, setting its sights on a sixth Gold Cup trophy.

Sources: ESPN,Bleacher Report,AP