YOUR
PRESIDENTIAL
DAILY BRIEF

Dems to Present Articles of Impeachment Today

House leaders have indicated that they’ll unveil two articles this morning, charging that President Donald Trump endangered national security and the integrity of the 2020 election. The articles will reportedly focus on his alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, steering clear of bribery charges. The committee’s top GOP member, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, said the move shows “they don’t have a candidate that can beat” Trump.

When will legislators vote? The committee is expected to approve the articles this week, setting up a full House vote before Christmas.

Read OZY’s Donald Dossier on the 2020 health issue.

Chilean Antarctica Flight Is Presumed Crashed

A Chilean military plane with 38 on board disappeared en route to Antarctica Monday night, and is presumed to have crashed. The C-130 Hercules, ferrying military personnel and workers for a floating fuel pipeline, took off from Punta Arenas near South America’s southern tip on its way to Chile’s Antarctic base when contact was lost.

What now? Chilean President Sebastián Piñera tweeted he was “dismayed by the loss,” and a search and rescue operation is underway in Drake Passage, known for its treacherous conditions.

Russia, Ukraine Agree to Prisoner Swap

After a seven-hour meeting in Paris Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, agreed to exchange all prisoners captured in the fighting for eastern Ukraine. They also pledged to revive a peace process to end the five-year conflict, in which Russian-speaking separatists supported by Moscow have been fighting Kyiv’s government troops, resulting in 14,000 deaths.

How is the peace effort going? The leaders failed to resolve thorny issues like timing for local elections and setting borders, but they did agree to meet again in four months.

OZY profiles a crusader for the war’s POWs.

China-US Trade Deal Unlikely This Week

With Washington trade officials focused on concluding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, sources say they probably won’t ink a deal with China this week. That raises the specter of Sunday’s deadline for new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. But some observers think the risk of Beijing blacklisting American firms with its “unreliable entity list” will be enough to delay those tariffs and facilitate continued talks.

So Wall Street can breathe easy? Not exactly. President Trump, known for his guerrilla negotiating tactics, “feels prodded … humiliated” by the Chinese, says one analyst, so investors should gird themselves.

Also Important...

A gunman who killed six people in a hospital waiting room in the Czech Republic this morning has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Human rights campaigner, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to defend her military against genocide charges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague this week. And documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal a pattern of deception by American military leaders seeking support for the continued war in Afghanistan.

#OZYFact: One-third of Americans knowingly rely on news platforms they consider to be less than reliable. Read more on OZY.

The Future of X is here! OZY’s new podcast, in partnership with Smartsheet, can show you how we’ll collaborate in the workplace. Find out how to tune in here.

Deadly New Zealand Eruption Surprised Experts, Tourists

It was “probably the actual worst-case scenario,” one volcanologist said of Monday afternoon’s eruption on Whakaari/White Island, which killed at least six people. The bustling tourist attraction was monitored closely, and recent surface deformations and rumblings caused authorities to raise the alert level — but it wasn’t enough to warn off a group of tourists spotted on a crater webcam moments before the eruption. Pilots have seen no signs of life on the island, dashing hopes for seven missing visitors.

What’s being done? Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told Parliament the disaster raises questions that “must be answered” and police have announced a criminal investigation.

Groundbreaking Fed Chair Paul Volcker Dies at 92

If inflation doesn’t worry you, thank Volcker, whose Sunday death was announced yesterday. As Federal Reserve chairman in the 1980s, he endured hatred for raising interest rates, but successfully tamed runaway inflation. Amid the 2008 financial meltdown, he advised President Barack Obama, instituting curbs on banks’ risk-taking — which have since been weakened — known as the “Volcker Rule.”

How is he remembered? The 6-foot-7 economist “was as stubborn as he was tall,” said former President Jimmy Carter, who first appointed Volcker in 1979. Though his policies were “politically costly, they were the right thing to do,” Carter said.

Read OZY’s Special Briefing on Fed moves that resonate.

Netflix Rakes In Golden Globe Nods

Yesterday’s Golden Globe nominations reaffirmed the streaming giant’s dominance, with Marriage Story snagging six, including a nod for best picture — up against sister Netflix projects The Two Popes and The Irishman. The company’s 17 film nominations were more than double any of its rivals. HBO’s Chernobyl and Netflix’s The Crown and Unbelievable scored four TV series nods apiece for the Jan. 5 ceremony.

Who got snubbed? Greta Gerwig, who directed the acclaimed Little Women, Us star Lupita Nyong’o, who won best actress from the New York Film Critics Circle, and Irishman lead Robert De Niro.

Catch OZY’s immodest proposal to save U.S. actors — from marauding Brits.

The Next President Needs Disabled Voters

An estimated 35 million eligible voters have a disability, which can influence the votes of 27 million more family members, OZY reports. That community accounted for nearly a third of the 2016 vote, and Democratic hopefuls are promising them long-sought policies, like ending the “benefit cliff” people reach when household income caps are exceeded. But candidates and activists alike say they want people with disabilities to lead the charge.

What’s not to like? Some critics warn of pandering, with candidates getting disability advocates to validate “lackadaisical” policy platforms they can trot out at the next campaign stop.

Russia Hit With New International Ban for Doping

The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned Russia from international sporting competition for four years, preventing athletes from participating in the 2020 Olympics or soccer’s 2022 World Cup under the country’s flag. The organization found Russian authorities in January provided incomplete and manipulated laboratory records — a “blatant breach” of the requirements to lift Russia’s 2015-2018 suspension.

How has Moscow reacted? While Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev acknowledged “significant doping problems,” he demanded an appeal and attributed WADA’s ruling to “anti-Russian hysteria.”

OZY profiles an ultra-Orthodox mother of five training for the Olympics.