Spokojnie, Kielce: Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief

18 marca 2016

Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief - 03/17/2016

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: OZY <Admin@email.ozy.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 17, 2016 at 12:15 PM
Subject: The Presidential Daily Brief - 03/17/2016
To: pascal.alter@gmail.com


March 17, 2016

Important

Will Judge Merrick Garland replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court? President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hope so. Source: Getty

Seven GOP Senators Willing to Meet Garland

They may be having a rethink. A handful of Republican senators broke ranks yesterday, expressing willingness to consider, or at least meet, Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. None said they'd support the chief of the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C., but his candidacy poses a dilemma: Dems are unlikely to be amenable to anyone a Republican president chooses next year if the GOP plays hardball now. And if conservatives reject a well-respected moderate, they risk having Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders foist a more liberal choice on them later.

Sources: The Hill, OZY

US Issues New Sanctions Against North Korea

Will this make them behave? President Obama, responding to Kim Jong Un's "illicit" nuclear test and satellite launch, has slapped the dictatorship with new restrictions via an executive order. The administration also demanded that they release Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old American sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for trying to steal a sign from a hotel. The sanctions expand the current blockade, freezing any of Pyongyang's property in the United States and banning exports to the Hermit Kingdom, while allowing authorities to blacklist anyone dealing with Kim's economy.

Sources: Reuters, BBC

Brazil's Rousseff Appoints Lula as Chief of Staff

He's working the system. Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is coming out of retirement to become President Dilma Rousseff's top adviser. Recently questioned in relation to the Petrobas corruption scandal, Lula was facing possible fraud and money laundering charges. But the new appointment shields him from prosecution by a federal judge because cabinet members can only be tried by Brazil's Supreme Court. The move, which many believe will see Lula head the fight against congressional attempts to impeach Rousseff, has sparked protests in cities nationwide.

Sources: BBC

Fed Stays Put on Rates, Signals Gradual Increases

Home buyers can relax. U.S. economic data is shaky enough, thanks to jitters in global markets, that the Federal Reserve is holding steady on its benchmark interest rate, leaving it between 0.25 percent and 0.5 percent. It also changed its forecast to two quarter-point hikes this year, rather than four, falling in line with other countries' central banks that rely on monetary policy to boost inflation. Chair Janet Yellen said proceeding cautiously will give them time to ensure the U.S. labor market strengthens "despite the risks from abroad."

Sources: FT (sub), WSJ (sub)

Briefly

Kurdish militant group claims responsibility for Ankara bombing. (BBC)
Analysts warn Trump presidency could threaten global growth. (NYT)
Sticking points stand in way of EU, Turkey migrant deal. (AFP)
Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan dies at age 71. (Al Jazeera)
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to testify before congress in water probe. (AP)

INTRIGUING

Michelle Obama Will Not Run for President

She won't be following Hillary's lead. Speaking at SXSW about female empowerment and the importance of education for women, the first lady said she's not eying the presidency. While dynasties like the Bushes and Clintons tend to dominate U.S. politics, Obama says she has no plans to seek the White House - in part because her daughters have already endured eight years in the public eye. But that doesn't mean she's bowing out altogether: Obama noted that you don't have to be commander in chief "to do wonderful things."

Sources: People, Billboard

Should We All Fear Mechanical Soldiers?

We don't mean to drone on ... but with artificial intelligence and robotic weaponry advancing at breakneck speed, warfare is evolving into a digital landscape of machines and cyberhacking that would baffle General Patton. Robot soldiers won't get upset over a comrade's demise; nor do they bring compassion to the battlefield. Some predict this sci-fi scenario isn't confined to the pages of pulp novels - that machine warfare like drones and AI are already here, poised to change the way both we, and the bad guys, wage war.

Sources: OZY

Scientists Solve Tully Monster Mystery

What has a long, toothy snout, eyes on stalks, and lurked in rivers 300 million years ago? Scientists couldn't decide on a phylum for Tullimonstrum gregarium, aka Tully Monster, when it was discovered in 1955. But a team at Yale, working with the American Museum of Natural History, has studied the official state fossil of Illinois and decided the creature that "looks like an alien" is a vertebrate jawless fish similar to modern-day lampreys. While Illinois schools update their books, researchers are turning their attention to how the "monster" swam and ate.

Sources: The Atlantic , National Geographic, CNET

Frank Sinatra Jr. Dies in Florida at Age 72

He inherited the world on a string. But the son of Ol' Blue Eyes, whose velvety baritone voice echoed that of his famous father, devoted much of his life to celebrating and preserving his pop's legacy. The second-generation crooner was touring with a centennial tribute to Frank Sr. in Daytona Beach, where he died yesterday of cardiac arrest. Tributes are pouring in from friends and admirers, including Mia Farrow, and he's being remembered, as singer Jesse Ruben tweeted, for a "voice totally worthy of his father's name."

Sources: Vulture, ETOnline

Barry Bonds Tops Marlins Star in Slugging Contest

There's no asterisk on this. The former major leaguer, 51, outpaced a number of Marlins players, including big-time hitter Giancarlo Stanton, at batting practice yesterday. Though the home run record-holder's career was overshadowed by allegations of performance-enhancing drugs, Bonds has worked his way back as Florida's hitting coach. Calling it "one of the coolest things," Stanton admitted that Bonds' four homers eclipsed his own three - a feat that will likely see players go to bat for even more of the HR king's advice.

Sources: USA Today, Miami Herald