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 | 1. Story of the Week: G-7 Leaders All Smiles
Pledging
to tackle COVID-19’s economic fallout — and prevent the next pandemic —
while fighting climate change and other global calamities, the leaders
of the seven wealthiest democracies met on England’s Cornish coast
yesterday. Unlike the acrimonious 2018 confab with then-U.S. President
Donald Trump, it was a smiling, chummy gathering that President Joe
Biden compared to a wedding. So convivial was Biden that he walked
arm-in-arm with French President Emmanuel Macron in flagrant violation
of distancing protocols. Biden will continue his international diplomacy
on Monday in Brussels, where NATO leaders will seek to repair their
fraying defense pact and stand firm against China.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Hill,
Al Jazeera |
| 2. Coming Up: Justice Department Probes Itself
Was
it autocratic overreach? That’s what the U.S. Justice Department’s
independent inspector general aims to discover in a new investigation,
announced Friday, of the department under the Trump administration. Of
immediate concern are federal prosecutors’ highly unorthodox seizure of
two Democratic House members’ phone records while trying to uncover
information leaks. Meanwhile, Apple says it didn’t know the data it
turned over was aimed at Rep. Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence
Committee. Senate Democrats also want to compel Trump’s attorneys
general, Jeff Sessions and William Barr, to testify about subpoenas for
data issued to tech companies..
Sources: NYT, Politico
Should news leaks be a law enforcement matter? Answer our PDB poll.
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| 3. Oregon Lawmaker Ousted for Helping Intruders
Apparently, he took an oath not to do things like this. Republicans
joined Democrats in Oregon’s House of Representatives late Thursday to
expel Rep. Mike Nearman, who was the lone vote against the state’s first
such ouster. Several weeks before the U.S. Capitol was stormed,
Nearman allowed armed protesters clad in body armor and others into
Oregon’s Capitol building. And on Friday, federal authorities nabbed
Chicago policeman Karol J. Chwiesiuk on misdemeanor charges, including
unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, stemming from his appearance in
online videos of the storming in Washington.
Sources: CBS,
USA Today |
| 4. Congress Launches Antitrust Bills at Big Tech
This
is something they can agree on. House Republicans joined Democratic
colleagues in introducing legislation Friday seeking to rein in the
power wielded by tech conglomerates like Amazon, which one bill could
force to split apart. The bills update antitrust laws that go back a
century, when railroads and steel companies were seen as stifling
competition. One especially groundbreaking bill, the Ending Platform
Monopolies Act, would prohibit major web platforms from selling items
that compete with users of its platform, as Amazon does, or being able
to rank search results in a way that favors its own offerings, like
Google does for YouTube videos.
Sources: WSJ (sub),
Washington Post |
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 | You may have heard the great news that Katty Kay is joining OZY, but how well do you know the iconic journalist? On The Carlos Watson Show,
the former BBC World News America presenter shares stories from her
nomadic childhood that took her everywhere from Saudi Arabia to Japan,
and reveals why her “nosiness” has helped her become the journalist she
is today. But perhaps most important to her is her work helping women
recognize their ability and shifting gender dynamics of the home. Watch now for tips from this essential voice in journalism and newest member of the OZY family. |
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Black stories
are often portrayed in extremes — as struggles or triumphs — but these
stories do not represent the full richness of the Black experience. What
about the inside jokes, hard conversations, honest gestures, family
struggles and celebrations? To understand the Black experience, we need
to see the whole truth.
By enabling Black creators, P&G
aims to widen the screen to widen our view to combat systemic bias in
advertising and media. Our “Widen the Screen” initiative is an expansive
content creation, talent development and partnership platform that
enables and advocates for increased inclusion of Black creators across
the advertising, film and television industries.  |
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1. Diver Recounts Biblical Moments in Whale’s MouthSo that’s what Jonah was going on about. A Massachusetts lobster diver reportedly made
cetacean history on Friday after being gobbled up by a
humpback whale. “This is it. I’m gonna die,” thought Cape Cod diver
Michael Packard, 56, after he felt a bump and “everything went dark.” He
at first thought he might have been wolfed down by a great white shark,
but feeling no teeth, he realized it was a krill-eating whale. As he
thought about his oxygen supply, the mammoth mammal surfaced, shook and
spit him out — something experts couldn’t remember happening before.
Sources: Cape Cod Times,
CBS Boston |
| 2. Ex-Google Staff May Free Workplace Speech
Their
voices were heard. Google employees made a big noise in November 2019
by protesting the company’s work for U.S. immigration authorities. The
search giant fired some of them, alleging they’d violated data security
policies, and the National Labor Relations Board during the Trump
administration dismissed employees’ complaint of wrongful termination.
But last month, the new administration’s acting general counsel got the
case revived. That, experts say, could impact all U.S. workplaces by
expanding protected speech, currently limited to workplace issues, when
an administrative judge takes up the case in August.
Source: Recode |
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3. How Sperm Are Redefining Citizenship
The U.S. border is in some Americans’ hearts, but it can also divide
wombs. A same-sex American and Israeli couple became the married dads of
twin boys in 2016. But they were in Canada, and only one child was
conceived with American sperm, so the State Department denied the other
citizenship. Last month the department changed its interpretation of a
1952 law to preclude such situations, but it’s exposed a thorny
immigration issue, one affecting couples who go to Mexico to find
surrogate birth mothers. And even the new policy only applies to married
couples, leaving those in informal partnerships out in the cold.
Source: The Atlantic |
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4. The Battle for Dumba the Disappearing Circus ElephantHow
do you hide a pachyderm? You’ll have to ask the human relations of
Dumba, a female Asian elephant. They secreted her from her Spanish home
as animal rights activists closed in last September. Such campaigners
have won numerous national bans on circus acts and say the performers
belong in
sanctuaries
where they can befriend each other. Dumba’s since surfaced in France,
eventually settling in a German animal park where she’ll kick soccer
balls for visitors. Meanwhile, in southwestern France, there’s a
spacious habitat for her or any of the 100 or so out-of-work tuskers on
the Continent — sitting empty.
Source: The Guardian |
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5. A French Open Final That Won’t Look Easy
Tennis nerds, this is for you. Today’s two women’s finalists at the
French Open are as improbable as they come: Russian Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova, 29, whos been trying for a Grand Slam final longer than
anyone, and Czech Barbora Krejcikova, an accomplished doubles player
who’s seeking solo success. It’s both women’s debut Grand Slam final,
and to get there, Krejcikova had to battle Greece’s Maria Sakkari for 3
hours, 18 minutes in the longest women’s French Open semifinal. For
Pavlyuchenkova, a top youth player who went pro 15 years ago, “it’s been
a long road” — and the exit ramp is up ahead.
Sources: ESPN,
The Guardian |
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