Spokojnie, Kielce: Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief

18 marca 2016

Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief - 03/15/2016

HOT!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: OZY <Admin@email.ozy.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 12:16 PM
Subject: The Presidential Daily Brief - 03/15/2016
To: pascal.alter@gmail.com


March 15, 2016

Important

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets supporters at a "Get Out the Vote" event in Charlotte, North Carolina. Source: Getty

Russian Forces Begin Syrian Withdrawal

They've achieved their objectives. Or so claims Vladimir Putin, who says he's coordinated with Bashar Assad to withdraw most of Russia's armed forces from Syria's civil war. The world's left scratching its collective head, wondering whether this move signals that the Kremlin feels Assad is now secure enough to stand alone, or that he needs incentive to compromise in peace talks that are finally underway. Putin's office denies there's any rift with Assad, and Western leaders are cautiously welcoming the move, as the Russian military begins loading troops and equipment onto homebound planes.

Sources: BBC, NYT

Candidates Make Final Push Before Decisive Tuesday Primaries

Clouds loom over the Republican establishment's favorite son. After a whirlwind tour from Jacksonville to Miami, Marco Rubio held a rally on his childhood basketball court ... and the speaker system broke. Instead, Rubio made an impassioned speech via megaphone, wooing fellow Floridians despite local polls favoring Donald Trump, who was campaigning in Ohio. Democrats, meanwhile, canvassed by phone in the Sunshine State, OZY's Nick Fouriezos reports, and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders rallied in the Rust Belt ahead of today's pivotal contests in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio.

Sources: MSNBC, Washington Post

Myanmar Elects First Civilian President in Decades

They're serious about democracy. Htin Kyaw, a childhood friend and advisor to Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, was elected to the Myanmar presidency today by parliament. He and Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won by a landslide last autumn, but the human rights campaigner - famously under house arrest for 15 years - is constitutionally barred from being president. She says she'll remain in charge, and there's speculation she'll be named prime minister. Kyaw, meanwhile, assumes his new role on April 1.

Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC

Branded Drug Prices Double in Five Years

No amount of sugar will help. According to pharmacy group Express Scripts the average price of brand-name U.S. prescription drugs has nearly doubled, increasing 98 percent since 2011 and 16 percent last year alone. Express Scripts says the skyrocketing prices come thanks to a class of specialty medications for complex conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. The news is likely to ignite debate on the campaign trail: Hillary Clinton has vowed to halt "predatory pricing," while Donald Trump says Americans should be allowed to import meds from cheaper countries.

Sources: FT (sub)

Briefly

Brazil's ex-president Lula may take cabinet position in immunity bid. (Reuters)
Kim Jong Un: North Korea will soon test nuclear warheads. (BBC)
Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik makes Nazi salute in court. (NYT)
Pope expected to make canonization decree for Mother Teresa. (USA Today)
Todd Palin in intensive care following snow machine crash. (CNN)

INTRIGUING

How to Have It All: Share Your Occupation

Half a job is better than none ... and may beat having a whole one. Some people struggling to juggle work and family are finding an elegant solution: a job-sharing arrangement where two part-time workers split a salary, advance their careers in tandem and share one role. It's currently more popular in Europe than in the U.S., where only 20 percent of companies allow such schemes. But some who think America's 24/7 work culture is keeping them from having it all hope it'll soon catch on stateside.

Sources: OZY

Study: Cold Turkey Is Most Effective for Quitting Smoking

Rise above the ashes. New research finds that while many people try to give up smoking gradually, reasoning that it's easier to wean themselves off of nicotine, the slowly-slowly approach is 25 percent less effective in helping them quit. A group of 697 smokers trying to kick the habit were studied for four weeks into their abstinence and again six months later. Those who stubbed it out abruptly were more likely to quit for good, and researchers may next look at how e-cigarettes affect the process.

Sources: Daily Mail, Time

Amazon Tries to Patent Selfie Payment System

They're getting in your face. The online retail giant has filed paperwork to patent a system that aims to commodify the selfie, enabling customers to upload unique photos of themselves in place of passwords to complete purchases. The Seattle-based firm says passwords are unsafe, and that needing to shield them from nearby eyes can be "embarrassing" or "awkward." While that may sound eerily like the very definition of a selfie to some, companies like MasterCard are pursuing similar technologies, so you'd better get used to service with a smile.

Sources: Re/Code, Gizmodo

Here's Your Chance to Own Prince's Possessions

She's auctioning off the past. The singer's ex-wife, Mayte García, is selling 95 lots of personal items linked to the star through L.A.-based Nate D. Sanders Auctions. The catalog is online for perusal and bidding through Thursday, featuring items like wedding china, stage costumes and rhinestone-studded handcuffs. Prices are expected to go into the tens of thousands (at least) for early tapes of several of Prince's songs, as well as García's engagement ring and a collection of personal notes trailing the "romantic journey" to his marriage proposal.

Sources: NY Magazine, AV Club

NFL Confirms Link Between Football and CTE

Better late than never. The league's top health and safety officer acknowledged that there is "certainly" a direct link between head injuries in football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Jeff Miller made the statements - a first for an NFL official - during a discussion with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. But he added that there are still "a number of questions" the medical community must determine, including the prevalence of the disease and the actual risk most players face of developing it.

Sources: ESPN, Deadspin