The Presidential Daily Brief - 04/08/2016

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] April 8, 2016 [The Presidential Daily Brief] Follow Us: [Facebook] [Twitter] Important [Bill Clinton speaks on the campaign trail in support of his wife's run for the White House. Source: Getty] [Pope Stays Middle of the Road With Marriage Pronouncement] This isn't a love revolution. But the newly released [Amoris Laetitia], which tops 250 pages, could still be a bombshell: Though it reaffirms church teachings on marriage, it doesn't specify that divorced or gay Catholics should be denied communion. Instead it says that in certain cases "an objective situation of sin" can be helped by the sacraments. [Pope Francis] exhorts local churches to make sure their "irregular" brethren don't feel excluded, saying, "The Church turns with love to those who participate in her life in an imperfect manner." Sources: [BBC], [The Guardian], [Catholic Herald] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Bill Clinton Clashes With Black Activists] Is Bill as slick as he used to be? Once known as "the first black president," [Clinton] sparred with Philadelphia Black Lives Matter protesters criticizing his 1994 crime bill. He also defended his wife's 1996 use of the word "superpredators," something she's apologized for, and scolded hecklers for "defending the people who killed the lives you say matter." The would-be first gentleman has done more harm than good on the campaign trail, OZY's [Nick Fouriezos] says - a distraction Hillary Clinton can ill afford ahead of New York's critical April 19 vote. Sources: [Newsweek], [Slate], [CNN] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [David Cameron Admits to Benefiting from Offshore Trust] The pressure's mounting, but the British prime minister insists he has "nothing to hide." His late father's offshore trust was exposed by the Panama Papers earlier this week, but Cameron says he sold all of his shares before assuming office in 2010. The conservative leader has undergone days of questioning about the trust, and about his 2013 letter urging EU leadership to exempt offshore trusts from transparency rules. Some opposition leaders are calling for his resignation, and the allegations could weaken Cameron as he fights against a [potential] Brexit. Sources: [BBC], [The Independent], [Buzzfeed] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Argentine President Under Pressure Over Utility Prices] He took power, now he's charging for it. [Argentinians] have grown accustomed to some of the world's cheapest utility rates, but no more: President Mauricio Macri, who just threw billions at U.S. hedge fund creditors to allow Argentina to escape default, is raising the cost of public transit, electricity and water by as much as 300 percent. Macri, who's under investigation for revelations from the infamous Panama Papers, will also oversee Argentina's first global bond offering in 15 years - expected to bring in over $12 billion - next week. Sources: [BBC], [FT (sub)], [WSJ (sub)] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Venezuela institutes three-day weekends to save on electricity. [(USA Today)] Rattled, Belgium ramps up secession talk for Flanders region. [(NYT)] Uber ordered to pay $10 million over misleading practices. [(Buzzfeed)] Colombia high court gives green light to gay marriage. [(The Guardian)] Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? Prove it with the PDB quiz. [(OZY)] INTRIGUING [Would You Swim With a Crocodile?] Forget shark diving. In Ghana's Paga Ponds locals wash clothes and kids swim alongside so-called friendly crocodiles. Legend says a crocodile once saved a man from a lion, and in return he promised that the villagers would never harm one of the scaly creatures again. Croc behaviorists tell a slightly different tale: Some species of the aquatic reptiles can actually be trained using live chickens as treats. Man's new best friend? Not so fast. Allegedly docile crocodiles in Côte d'Ivoire famously ate their beloved longtime caretaker, so swimmers beware. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [China's Uber Rival Now Valued at $25 Billion] They've got money to burn. Chinese ride-hailing company [Didi Kuaidi] is eyeing another $1.5 billion in funding as it continues to dominate the local market. The startup currently operates in over 400 cities - ten times more than Uber's slice of the mainland market - but rapid expansion costs money. The $25 billion company keeps its finances secret, but sources say it's hemorrhaging cash in all but 100 cities. Uber, meanwhile, is burning about $1 billion a year in China just to stay in this very expensive race. Sources: [Quartz], [Tech in Asia] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Teen Sleeping Habits Tied to Risky Behavior] The good news is that they can sleep it off. Teenagers who get less than seven hours of [shut-eye] per night are more likely to bike without a helmet, text and drive, or skip the seatbelt, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The solution? Encouraging regular sleep times and keeping electronics out of teen bedrooms, say study authors, whose research backs up previous studies that are driving some schools to institute later start times in order to preserve student well-being. Sources: [Time] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [J.K. Rowling's Chair Sells for $394K] Care to sit a spell? An anonymous bidder has paid nearly $400,000 for the 1930s oak chair the Harry Potter author sat on to write her first two [wizarding] books. It was "the comfiest" of four mismatched chairs given to Rowling while she was writing the famed series in Edinburgh. Seller Gerald Gray didn't expect it to draw such a sum - but he's pledged to donate 10 percent of the proceeds to Rowling's charity, Lumos, and says he hopes the new owner displays the chair where children can enjoy it. Sources: [Page Six] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Ernie Els Has Record Worst Hole at Masters] That's not how you want to get into the record books. The usually stellar golfer needed nine strokes to get past the par-4 first hole at the tournament, including a cringe-inducing six putts within 3 feet of the hole. That [performance] set a record of futility unmatched in 80 years of Masters play. The 46-year-old, a World Golf Hall of Famer, said he had "snakes in his head" the rest of the day, finishing the opening round with an 8-over-par 80, in 81st place. Sources: [USA Today], [ESPN], [SB Nation] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve RISING STARS [The Squatter King of Paris] [Read In Full] FLASHBACK [That Time the CIA Secretly Dosed Americans with LSD] [Read In Full] GOOD SH*T ['The Night Manager' Reveals a Hidden Truth About England] [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]