| | | Smartphones illuminate Hong Kong's "mums' protest" Friday against expanded extradition. Source: Getty |
| | IMPORTANT | | 01 | Bowing to tens of thousands protesting for the past week, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has indefinitely suspended a proposed extradition law that potentially allowed China’s central government to arrest people in its semi-autonomous territory. While insisting that the law would improve security, Lam said she was “heartbroken” and urged the restoration of “calmness in society” and defended police action against demonstrators. How did protesters do it? With leaders of the 2014 Umbrella Movement jailed or exiled, protesters organized organically, such that supplies, medical care and communication is arranged virally, to the point where a protester touching her head quickly received a helmet. | |
| | 02 | On Thursday, two oil tankers bound for Asia from the Persian Gulf were crippled by explosions in the Gulf of Oman. After that, the facts aren’t so certain, with America offering a video it says shows Iranians removing a probable limpet mine from the side of one tanker to conceal evidence of their involvement. “You know they did it because you saw the boat,” insisted President Donald Trump. Media reports also indicate Iran may have detained crew members. Why is this significant? Many see it as an escalation of tensions between Tehran and Washington, including European nations that have called for restraint, fearing military action could follow. | |
| | 03 | Four years after his now-famous entrance down a Trump Tower escalator, President Trump will do it again Tuesday in Orlando, Florida: launch his 2020 presidential campaign. But nobody thinks it’s a lark, and Democrats plan a rebuttal. What’s different this time? Details large and small, reportedly including an obsessive eye on branding, with tight controls on things like type fonts and images. What it won’t get, Trump said Friday, walking back a Wednesday statement, is “inaccurate” campaign dirt from other nations without notifying the FBI. Read this OZY op-ed about Trump’s reelection chances. | |
| | 04 | With no end in sight to the stream of refugees from crisis-torn countries to the developed world, few governments have found tolerable solutions to manage the influx. But political scientist Eric Kaufmann believes he has an answer: welcome every single newcomer, but keep them in closed camps as refugees, not as permanent settlers. Though controversial, Kaufmann argues that separating new arrivals from the host society would boost broader acceptance while also better guaranteeing their safety and security. Will the idea take off? Walled-off camps seem unlikely for now — but could gain greater currency if crises around the globe continue rearranging the world’s population. | |
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| | | INTRIGUING | | 01 | With social media disinformation now seemingly a staple of global politics, Alphabet-owned Jigsaw decided last year to find out how accessible such campaigns really are. The firm found that a cool $250 buys more than 700 Russian-language tweets from two dozen Twitter accounts attacking — in this case — an anti-Stalin civic group, proving just how disturbingly low the entry barrier is. But did Jigsaw cross the line? Critics weren’t crazy about the experiment, suggesting the negative effects of stirring the political pot may have outweighed the benefit. Read OZY’s feature on how governments are fighting fake news. | |
| | 02 | Mike Johnston had his work cut out for him when he was appointed to a Colorado Senate seat in 2009. His constituents were mostly poor, Black and Hispanic, and he was a privileged White man from the ski resort town of Vail. Despite the odd drive-by outside his office, Johnston introduced charter schools to educate kids and reduce crime. Now, the Harvard and Yale grad is running for the U.S. Senate, where he hopes to unseat Republican Cory Gardner. Does he have a chance? Now 44, Johnston is leading nine would-be Democratic challengers and has raised more money — drawing comparisons to presidential hopeful Joe Biden. | |
| | 03 | Since the rise of post-9/11 Islamophobia, the Crusades have enjoyed a renaissance. But it’s not the carefully researched historical series of medieval military campaigns and the occupation of the Holy Land that are going viral. Social media has seen a proliferation of fanciful nostalgia, especially among far-right history buffs, for a time when Christians vanquished marauding Muslims with divine help, writes Christopher Tyerman in a new book, The World of the Crusades. What’s different about his version? For starters, Europe of the Middle Ages was home to a great many Muslims, so the divide wasn’t as stark as many believe, and the campaigns were more political than religious. | |
| | 04 | After a 40-ton whale was found dead in the waters off Cape Cod, a team of scientists from Boston University raced to study the fresh carcass of Vector, a female humpback they’d been tracking since 1984. Among the organs extracted were its ears, needed to understand how and what the leviathans hear. What do the scientists hope to achieve? Whales use their sensitive hearing to navigate, so understanding their aural mechanics could enable scientists to send sound alerts to warn humpbacks of nearby danger — like sometimes fatal naval submarine detection sonar. Read OZY’s look at killer whales ranging into the Arctic. | |
| | 05 | The side seems destined to win this month’s World Cup while simultaneously calling foul on the patriarchy. The team is suing U.S. Soccer, arguing that they’re attracting more revenue than male players, who are paid an approximate annual minimum of $50,000 while the women’s minimum is $16,538. U.S. Soccer says the jobs can’t be compared, they’re so different. Are they really? Absolutely. Since the women don’t lose as much as their male counterparts, they play more matches and bring home more trophies. Now players are waiting for a federal court in Los Angeles to set a trial date. OZY looks at Team USA’s odds in France. | |
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