| | | President Donald Trump speaks to reporters Friday before leaving the White House. Source: Getty |
| IMPORTANT | 01 | After taking control of the House in January, Democrats have seized the opportunity: This week, the Judiciary Committee launched a sweeping inquiry into potential White House corruption. Some claim Thursday’s relatively lenient sentencing of Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign chief, provided Trump with a measure of relief. But others believe the House probe — denounced by Republicans as a Cold War-style “inquisition” — should leave little room for optimism. What’s significant about this inquiry? Compared to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, observers say the House investigation is empowered to examine a wider scope of alleged misconduct by Trump and his associates. | |
| 02 | Following months of often dramatic political wrangling, British lawmakers on Tuesday will deliver their final verdict on Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce deal with the European Union. An approval would set the U.K. on course for withdrawal March 29, with a permanent trade deal to be negotiated by the end of 2020. But a rejection could lead to either a no-deal Brexit or, more likely, a delay of Britain’s departure. Could a second referendum take place? Despite suggestions — including from the opposition Labour Party — that it’s still possible, a recent analysis found that Parliament lacks the majority to approve a new plebiscite. OZY asks: Would Brexit leave Germany as Europe’s sole powerhouse? | |
| 03 | Ankara and Moscow are coordinating military action in Syria — despite backing opposing forces in its protracted civil war. Both estranged from the West, the two countries are attempting to nurture a strategic and economic relationship. But as they struggle to decide the fate of Idlib, the last opposition stronghold, that’s proving difficult: Russian President Vladimir Putin recently scolded his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for allowing extremist militants to thrive instead of clearing them out as promised. What’s next for Idlib? Observers say an all-out assault on the northwestern province could yield grave casualties and cause a massive humanitarian disaster. | |
| 04 | Dutch entrepreneur Peter Sorber was excited when the e-commerce giant agreed to feature his small online store. Then his listings disappeared and his revenue sank — while sales of Amazon-brand products spiked. He’s not alone: Similar complaints are the basis of an EU investigation into whether the trillion-dollar company abuses its market dominance to collect competitor data for a leg up. What can European authorities do? They could take a lesson from India, which recently sent Amazon shares plummeting after implementing tough new e-commerce rules. Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on Amazon’s escape from New York. | |
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| | INTRIGUING | 01 | They’re throwing it all away. After years of information campaigns, Americans finally caught on to recycling — then China, where most U.S. recyclables were sent, levied tough new restrictions on “foreign waste.” Amid higher processing costs, many towns and cities now “can’t afford” to recycle anymore, so they’re turning to incineration and landfills to manage the estimated 61 million metric tons of recyclables Americans collect each year. What’s the environmental impact? Landfills release methane, while experts say incineration facilities can be more detrimental to the air than coal plants. Read this OZY story on how even Germans botch their recycling. | |
| 02 | “What were you wearing?” That’s the response Egyptian women often receive when complaining about an unwanted advance — but it’s other women, not men, asking it. Eighty-four percent of them believe that a provocatively dressed woman deserves to be harassed, OZY reports, compared to 70 percent of Egyptian men. That leaves little room for solidarity among the 99-plus percent of women who’ve reported being sexually harassed. Has it always been like this? Older Egyptians remember a time when wearing short skirts was the norm, but conservative politics have increasingly cemented Egypt as a patriarchal society. | |
| 03 | This week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg posted 3,200 words explaining his aspiration to merge Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram into a more “intimate” social network. But his vision could exacerbate much of what’s helped the platform lose 15 million users since 2017, journalist Sue Halpern says, because it could provide advertisers even richer data on users and also boost anonymity for those who spread hate and misinformation. When can the world expect a new-look network? It could be a while: For now, it’s uncertain whether Zuckerberg’s concept for across-the-board encryption is even possible. | |
| 04 | A Star Wars toy collector for decades, Carl Cunningham befriended some of America’s top hobbyists, including one in California who allowed fans to browse aisles of valuable items unescorted. In 2017, the unemployed father sold an extremely rare missile-launching Boba Fett — never released due to its potential choking hazard — which, it turns out, had been reported stolen along with numerous other items. Admitting his guilt, Cunningham served six months’ house arrest. Is there a way back? Although he’s tried to atone, the collectors who’ve hounded and threatened Cunningham believe he’ll be consigned to the dark side for good. | |
| 05 | Can he score one for the home team? A 20-year-old New York Red Bulls midfielder, Tyler Adams might just be the megastar American soccer has been waiting for. After rising through that team’s system and turning pro in the U.S. at age 16, Adams has since moved to greener pitches, signing with Germany’s RB Leipzig. But while overseas, he’ll need to overcome past overzealous predictions of supposedly world-class U.S. talent. What could he bring to American soccer? If successful in Europe, Adams could return stateside to lead the national team and attract talent. Don’t miss OZY’s feature on the migration fueling Africa’s soccer hopes. | |
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