| | | President Donald Trump walks along the Rose Garden Colonnade at the White House Tuesday. Source: Getty |
| | IMPORTANT | | 01 | Amid growing concerns about the state of the U.S. economy, President Donald Trump admitted yesterday that he’s mulling potential cuts on capital gains and payroll taxes — but not, he claimed, because a downturn is coming. “We’re very far from a recession,” he said. The economy’s still growing, with unemployment at a 50-year low, but the White House is under increasing pressure to avoid a slump as the 2020 campaign heats up. What might determine Trump’s next move? Less than impressive performance by the administration’s preferred indicators, such as business investment and blue-collar job growth, could spur it into action. | |
| | 02 | A militant and a police officer were killed after what’s believed to be the first open violence since India’s revocation of the predominantly Muslim territory’s special status. As New Delhi has cracked down on dissent by limiting communications, it’s reportedly detained at least 2,300 people, many of them young demonstrators. It’s also fighting a long-running local insurgency, and conflicting reports have emerged of deadly clashes between Indian and Pakistani troops along the disputed region’s border. Can the international community help? While both British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Trump have urged all sides to dial back tensions, OZY reports that a resolution will depend much more on local restraint than global diplomacy. | |
| | 03 | The European nation was plunged into more political turmoil Tuesday after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stepped down, chiding coalition partner and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for effectively staging a power play by calling for new elections. The falling out represents the death knell for a shaky ruling partnership between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and Salvini’s far-right League party. What’s next? While Italy may well face early elections, giving Salvini a shot at the top job, he might also find himself locked out of a future government if he angers enough lawmakers. Check out OZY’s feature on the future of global summits. | |
| | 04 | Following Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s dismissal of his interest in buying the massive territory, President Trump announced on Twitter yesterday that he’s no longer interested in traveling to Denmark. He’d been invited by Queen Margrethe II for a Sept. 2 visit, but those plans are now shelved after the “large real estate deal,” as Trump described it Sunday, appears out of the question. Why Greenland? Besides its rich deposits of natural resources, the ice-covered territory — already home to a U.S. base — could hold increasing strategic value as China moves into the Arctic. Check out OZY’s dispatch on the “unrelenting marvel” of winter in Greenland. | |
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| | | INTRIGUING | | 01 | Eleven days after disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in prison, three more women have sued the convicted sex offender’s estate. The separate lawsuits also reveal disturbing new details about how Epstein recruited and abused young women: One claimant said he held her passport so she couldn’t leave his private Caribbean island, while another said he forcibly used a sex toy on her. A third describes being forced to help one of Epstein’s female recruiters obtain U.S. residency — by marrying her. What are the plaintiffs going for? Each lawsuit targets Epstein’s fortune, which his will puts at $578 million, though as OZY reports, claiming a chunk of the estate may not be easy. | |
| | 02 | At this week’s G-7 summit, world leaders will get their first chance to hobnob with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The focus on face time reflects a broader pattern, OZY reports: Major summits are increasingly serving as a space for speed dating among leaders looking for bilateral deals when international consensus is elusive. At June’s G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, President Trump had 10 personal meetings, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan’s Shinzo Abe had 17 and 19, respectively. Does that mean summits are useless? Not entirely: Experts say getting leaders in a room to air their differences is still a key part of diplomacy. | |
| | 03 | According to a study published Tuesday in the journal Radiology, blood vessels in the legs of 31 adults who’d never vaped dilated 34 percent less after they used e-cigarettes — even without nicotine. Researchers found that chemicals essential to the vaping process, even though they’re considered safe to eat, irritate blood vessel walls. Why does it matter? While there’s tons of data on traditional smoking, experts say little is known about the risks of this new method of ingesting nicotine. Until then, one health advocate says, “E-cigarettes are guilty until proven innocent.” Read this OZY story about why Libya’s future is a haze of cigarette smoke. | |
| | 04 | Country singer Craig Morgan and NASCAR racing team owner Richard Childress are reportedly the latest figures to ditch the powerful gun lobby as it faces financial and legal issues. So far, six people have left its 76-member board. While Childress said he was resigning to focus on business, leaked documents reveal that he was concerned about the National Rifle Association’s exorbitant legal fees, which have totaled $24 million in 13 months. Is the group facing other threats? The attorneys general of New York and the District of Columbia are seeking financial records that could strip the firearms organization of its tax-free status. | |
| | 05 | Carli Lloyd, the star forward of the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s soccer team, apparently has a talent for football, too: During a preseason practice Tuesday with the Philadelphia Eagles, the 37-year-old spent the session drilling long-distance field goals — including a 55-yarder, attracting cheers from onlookers. Can women do this job? Lloyd isn’t the first to impress on the gridiron: Katie Hnida broke an NCAA barrier in 2003 by kicking two extra points for the University of New Mexico, while Colorado’s Adams State gave NFL hopeful Becca Longo a full scholarship in 2018. Read this OZY op-ed on what women athletes deserve. | |
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