The Presidential Daily Brief - 03/14/2016

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] March 14, 2016 [The Presidential Daily Brief] Follow Us: [Facebook] [Twitter] Important [A car burns after a blast yesterday in Ankara, Turkey, that killed 36. Source: Getty] [Ankara Blast Kills 36, Erdogan Vows War on Terror] Strike three. A car bomb exploded near a transportation hub in Turkey's capital yesterday, killing at least 36 and injuring dozens in the third explosion to rock Ankara since October. No one has claimed responsibility, but authorities suspect the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party - both the [Kurdish] rebels and ISIS have waged violence in Turkey in recent months. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was a response to the PKK losing ground against security forces and promised that "terrorism will be brought to its knees." Sources: [BBC], [Al Jazeera] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Debate Escalates Over Trump Protests] Nobody's taking responsibility. Donald Trump's rallies got ugly this weekend, as fights erupted in Chicago and police used pepper spray against protesters in Kansas City - violence that overshadowed primary wins by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. The GOP front-runner accused Bernie Sanders' supporters of fueling the fire, while the Vermont senator blamed the billionaire's incendiary language. President Obama also lamented the GOP's divisive rhetoric, but OZY's [Nick Fouriezos] doesn't expect calm to prevail, especially if Trump solidifies his hold on the nomination with wins in Florida and Ohio on Tuesday. Sources: [The Guardian], [CNN], [Washington Post] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Angela Merkel's Party Suffers Setback in State Elections] Germany just took a right turn. The chancellor's CDU lost in two out of three states yesterday, giving way to the anti-migrant AfD party in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The CDU clung to power in Saxony-Anhalt, but only by 5 percent. While the chancellor is unlikely to be unseated, the outcome is a clear sign of growing anger at [Merkel's] welcome mat for refugees, and comes just as she's trying to seal an EU deal with Turkey to reduce the number of migrants entering western Europe. Sources: [DW], [NYT] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Asian Stocks Up Following ECB Stimulus] Go big or go home. That seems to have been the thinking behind the ECB pushing rates further into negative territory last week in the [pursuit] of 2 percent inflation. At first, investors responded coolly and the euro proved volatile. But European markets rallied late Friday, and today Asian markets rose, with Japan's Nikkei 225 up 1.7 percent in late trading. Attention now shifts to pending decisions by the Bank of Japan, which is expected to sit tight, and the Federal Reserve, which may signal openness to rate hikes later this year. Sources: [FT (sub)], [WSJ (sub)] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly UAE warplane goes missing in mission against Houthi rebels in Yemen. [(BBC)] Al-Qaida gunmen kill 16 at Ivory Coast resort. [(Al Jazeera)] Syria refuses to discuss future role of Bashar Assad at talks. [(The Guardian)] Gunman opens fire outside Maryland police station, killing officer. [(NYT)] U.S. soldier arrested for suspected rape in Japan. [(CNN)] INTRIGUING [Scottish National Party to Launch New Independence Bid] They're crying freedom ... again. Scotland voted against secession in September 2014 - but the country's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she'll launch a new campaign this summer to support the "beautiful dream" of independence. Speculation's been rife over such a move, given the pending June 23 [Brexit] vote. Scotland's a hotbed of European Union support, and many suspect that if Britain leaves the bloc, Scotland will strike out on its own. But first Sturgeon and her SNP need to retain power in regional parliamentary elections this May. Sources: [Daily Mail], [Mashable] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Companies Race to Deliver Herpes Vaccine] Who says viruses can't be sexy? While a backlash against vaccines has put an industry-wide damper on developing new ones, this widespread sexually transmitted infection - half a billion people under 50 suffer from it worldwide - is currently a hot ticket at U.S. biotech firms and medical schools. A herpes vaccine remains what an expert calls "one of the biggest unsolved problems of infectious disease." But with various approaches being pursued, and so many companies and scientists invested, many believe we'll see a breakthrough within 10 years. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [AlphaGo Dominates Human Go Champ, Loses Once] It's up 3-1. Playing the ancient strategy game, Google's artificial intelligence program triumphed over South Korea's Lee Sedol in the first three of five matches, until the 33-year-old registered his first win yesterday. AlphaGo, now 9-1 [against] humans after defeating European champion Fan Hui last year, wowed spectators by employing sometimes baffling techniques that ended up being part of brilliant strategies. But DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis said Sunday's loss is also valuable as it will help his team test the limits of AI. Sources: [Wired], [The Verge] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Richard Simmons Speaks Out Over 'Disappearance'] He'd approve of us working up a sweat. The New York Daily News investigated claims that the 67-year-old [fitness] guru was being held captive in his Hollywood Hills home and controlled by his housekeeper. A spokesman for the Sweatin' to the Oldies mogul says the claims are "untrue and preposterous," and that his client is simply "taking a break" before launching new projects. Simmons himself responded yesterday, telling fans not to worry and that those working for him "are wonderful people who take great care of me." Sources: [EW], [NYDN], [ET] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [NCAA Investigates Leak, March Madness Gets Underway] It's bracket time! College basketball just announced the participants in this year's [NCAA] tournament, with Kansas, North Carolina, Virginia and Oregon emerging as regional No.1 seeds. Sunday saw additional drama when the brackets were leaked early, which meant some teams found out they'd been eliminated through unverified channels. Several mid-majors got snubbed, Seton Hall's Derrick Gordon becomes the first openly gay player in the tourney, and Vegas is betting on the Jayhawks to win - adding intrigue ahead of Tuesday's official tipoff in Dayton, Ohio. Sources: [NCAA], [ESPN], [USA Today], [AP] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve GOOD SH*T [How Music Soothes the Savage Beast] [Read In Full] FLASHBACK [Why Amnesty Is the American Way] [Read In Full] ACUMEN [You Know Dasher and Dancer -Â But Do You Know This Startup Slang?] [Read In Full] 20M people love reading OZY every month. Be part of the revolution. [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] [Vimeo] [Youtube] Add us to your Address Book | Having trouble viewing this email? [Read Online] This email was sent to {EMAIL} This email was sent by: OZY Media 800 West El Camino Mountain View, CA 94040 [Manage Subscriptions] | [Update Profile] | [Unsubscribe]| [Privacy Policy]