Your Presidential Daily Brief: Tax Bill is Law | When 'Merry Christmas' Was Illegal

[The Presidential Daily Brief](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/dcbaed94/b3edeba8969ad098fc7ce7a08a214284/-8/) [The Presidential Daily Brief](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/dcbaed94/b3edeba8969ad098fc7ce7a08a214284/-8/) 5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/7345fd43/7241efbaa76d14629eda732c569c9afb/-8/ 5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/7345fd43/7241efbaa76d14629eda732c569c9afb/-8/  IMPORTANT December 23, 2017  5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0ec86a3b/a672e366a4152bbe72ce894a7f034517/-8/ [U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley votes with the U.N. Security Council to impose new sanctions on North Korea. Source: Getty](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/30618098/0dd2d5434760e1eabf689b0bf39f2323/-8/) [The Tax Bill Becomes Law](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/2535c92c/c5e3e418615bc7c4ce75859ebe32a99a/-8/) It’s certainly “big.” Time and each earner’s [circumstances](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/a22fa400/38ae55b065650dee1e4af738c2e17a3e/-8/) will tell how “beautiful” it is, to use the words of President Donald Trump. He signed the strictly Republican tax overhaul Friday, foretelling immediate “love” from its massive corporate tax cut beneficiaries, who’ll be “showering their workers with bonuses.” Some companies sought a delay until the new year, allowing time to adjust, and even White House insiders worried that the 2017 signing will trigger automatic spending cuts. Meanwhile, Trump signed a stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, with an added $4 billion missile defense outlay. Sources: [Reuters](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/8e9f18dc/8164b226fd32daa9664e0f90b5008fb3/-8/), [NY Times](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/47b59ba2/3ea914fc5a510ea247df8850de554a49/-8/), [CNBC](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/72bef5dc/57ab5475a0939e2c9b2bde3dcb8738a1/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/12ea9453/f0d2a857e4040544fa91a68dd5af14ff/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0328a795/1cb99b8bc101849d8acd141c3a2b3a2f/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/89623821/67ec178ff8fc48a80c77339a6ff905ce/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/83c6757b/7f08dccc0eb788ec19eecbc47e1d1e1d/-8/) [Whatever You Say, Be Happy Christmas Is Legal](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/e75cf2c1/304b3d3b8cbec33786bbe34de401cb69/-8/) It’s enough to spoil one’s eggnog. On Sunday evening, [Christmas](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/315d4803/1541325cd1da672172568b220e888758/-8/) observances will begin with greetings. Like many politicians before him, President Trump has vowed to reclaim “Merry Christmas” as the appropriately Christian welcome. But historians provide perspective: Americans’ devout forebears, the Puritans, fined people for saying “Merry Christmas,” because: 1. They’d outlawed the holiday for its lack of scriptural basis, and 2. It was when their less pious neighbors debauched the night away. So rather than agonize over Yuletide syntax, remember that charity, comfort and joy can make all the difference. Sources: [VOA](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b782de0f/05db3111aa5f02cd2d48ad580b218626/-8/), [The Guardian](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/a00a36cd/d00624f4e2b9a07a3a9adfddc9e3f2c1/-8/), [LA Times](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b4a549b1/b8b9200080fc55569ed0bab6c23d19f8/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/d438d092/185ed1109e9810b2eaee10c34ba6be0e/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/cf698720/253e4bf1d0c6128c8d6f80e693f33bbb/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/3e453de3/3cb6fc6496be0493831fa2f1ea7861b1/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/a3d890f7/e8c9e33c712c4e963275a7c8dc960eaf/-8/) [UN Security Council Imposes New Sanctions on North Korea](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/f9756754/3e2f2bae9e768ee8f8a7cd33579db8a4/-8/) “The World wants Peace, not Death.” That’s how President Trump tweeted about Friday’s U.N. Security Council vote to impose new sanctions punishing Pyongyang’s continued development of potentially nuclear-tipped ICBMs like the one it tested Nov. 29. The panel voted 15-0 to impose the new restrictions: cutting about 90 percent of fuel imports, banning exports and forcing some 93,000 [North Korean](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0dd6f62b/5a3c90bee323fbe97491ea56b986a52f/-8/) expat workers to return home within two years. The U.S. says it wants to negotiate, but Trump has undone Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s invitations for talks without preconditions. Sources: [Washington Post](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/73325820/bac5751ad656ea6f96009d789def4785/-8/), [BBC](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/93efe566/8bc1de2a5502db19dc477a60186e6796/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/d964e317/ebd9c038bfbfda37c860b7aa5832bbdd/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/e2b18467/938106faede67985524a75ce3802697e/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/fed0a287/fa2da96b96518a7a430e4512afcdc2f7/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/fe0a2dd5/5323c77eef509ab02559d29e2508f6c9/-8/) [Russia's Far-Flung Settlements Are Dying Off](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/39f05bf8/b56229f005c9667f2ecff68f8318e16a/-8/) Workers of the world, good night. Once a showcase of Soviet industrial development, small, single-industry towns across Russia are quickly [deteriorating](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0f820cd8/a892dd002793fd6f255af5ed755c59af/-8/). Far Eastern Kadykchan exemplifies this trend, with its shuttered mine, crumbling infrastructure and disillusioned residents steadily moving away to find work. Government officials are figuring out ways to diversify 319 such “monotowns,” where 14 million people live, and while federal funding and professional training programs help, encouraging people to stay is still a tough sell. New, modern industries are breathing life into some threatened centers, showing a potential way forward for others. Sources: [BBC](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/82cc3bb0/c18928558127f40f64ba167b5e87d7a7/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/83226d97/bd9ed589bdc5efddf7ce9f7c6b6e0992/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/30491828/7398361ed1a2311924177f2bec06bbd2/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/a0440821/df365f7b38f88ccfc0469b34255b85dc/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/393943c1/a4cf73355b248d6e9be540a8ba3b5351/-8/) Briefly The Week Ahead: Next week newly elected Catalan separatist party members will begin attempts to form a regional [governing coalition](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/fa94bc12/2168367053d0b67426b78fc4ab32ce4d/-8/), renewing threats they’ll try to split from Spain’s central government. On Sunday, supporters of would-be presidential candidate Alexei Navalny and other opposition leaders plan [demonstrations](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/1c8eb00e/3a6e64ce7aecb5f12e773afb71ab3eab/-8/) against Russia’s government. And the partisan balance of the Virginia House of Delegates, hanging on one tied election, is scheduled to be decided by [drawing lots](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/01b92afc/4bbf586ccffcb52340da0e2493433d5d/-8/) on Wednesday. Know This: Scores of people have been killed in [flooding and landslides](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/3e5d64db/e035856c98f029835b08e69a0dd2ed8a/-8/) on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. A former U.S. Marine faces terror charges after allegedly telling an FBI agent posing as an ISIS member that he planned a [Christmas Day bombing](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/5e6e7fa6/f86fa56925a8d9e862a90f6281f493de/-8/) in San Francisco. And the Thomas fire that’s ravaged 273,400 acres northwest of Los Angeles is now the [largest California wildfire](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b9038fb4/cf8a8f5d4c9ab40f871ebb0ba33c9834/-8/) ever recorded. Listen for the Holidays: It’s the most wonderful (and wacky) time of the year. [This playlist](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/997de719/52e9ebb7cd5680d8ea5af5738d71734b/-8/) covers all the warm and fuzzy holiday classics as well as a few oddballs that may have had too much eggnog! Happy holidays from Sony and OZY.   5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/4887c4cf/1430879a45f1de3bb5e7e1ab47f87556/-8/ 5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b3db78da/e1a8ff06bd9fe92e70838be7d9673503/-8/  INTRIGUING  [Geologist Searches for Ecuador's Lost Cities of Gold](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/f90e2cda/003e10738ce4939888e5646d39f8ddcf/-8/) If only the “X” had GPS coordinates. A real-life, modern-day Indiana Jones, geologist Keith Barron matches dusty historical documents to aerial surveys hoping to unearth gold mines in South America. He’s done it before — a 2006 Ecuador discovery was worth hundreds of millions of dollars — and now the Canadian adventurer has trained his spectacles on the country’s legendary “Lost Cities of Gold” nestled among the Andes’ volcanic peaks. Despite the odds of [striking it big](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/aa3e22b7/5135a78941a7ba00868fb67df5dd1d60/-8/) hovering around 1,000 to 1, Barron presses on, thrilled by the hunt. Sources: [Bloomberg](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b0a91340/36a573efe91fa2e419ffacad17d6587a/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/810be092/6a570ce3a2caca19eed0180606a318ab/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/ca2a50a9/a21ff5454c74a3ccff6b46387e0d3f0d/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/2d91e0f0/df2b4b25c312dc966bd24516a679cb4b/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/824dce46/9e1de5cdd831001fa99cc1a515630429/-8/) [Kansas Is Fighting to Keep Grocery Stores Open](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/91fdb7d8/6835bebdccc0f1bfd945bef89d89fd69/-8/) Produce, produce everywhere, and not a crop to eat. Kansas’s farm-country residents are making sure they aren’t a flyover state for grocery stores. A third of their counties have so-called food deserts — areas 10 miles from the nearest store — while dozens of communities have lost groceries in the last decade. But a cadre of grocers are pushing solutions like encouraging community-owned cooperatives and declaring food a public good worthy of subsidies. And they are hoping to build momentum, enlisting more of the 55 million similarly isolated Americans. Sources: [OZY](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/623fae88/293e897b953aae90939e6fbb24e7e900/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/cf8abffe/80b7c8665fab3a31b653ae10e3797e9c/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/33e89fdc/aa8d84789b05e3137570c9568e5e6e69/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/91b7e105/97fbcb7c39768d38b29a3f84224b72c7/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/81b1004f/091d316493a7458ca0d57ec5c6c85c57/-8/) [With Brexit, the EU Loses Its Ironic Diversity Champion](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/9b99c70d/e7cdee33213ed825b0f5b261f583c51f/-8/) It’s one thing to preach diversity, another to achieve it. Racism is often blamed for Britons’ vote to separate from a more immigration-tolerant EU. But it’s actually the U.K. that’s led Europe in promoting racial and ethnic diversity. And one key to its [success](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/88cfb1ef/6a8c9a2d02d3318ace26a98473907754/-8/) is that it collects and pays attention to statistics, which the “color-blind” EU has resisted. Some politicians in Brussels have agitated for British-style policies to track the EU’s diversity for years, but Brexit threatens to extinguish that ray of enlightenment from across the English Channel. Sources: [Politico](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/e5d379de/9cfae9b172b52441150d7eba1a1f61dd/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/e5aa3401/9c0180d1ee99f4c40ed945b7f960194d/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/94c7f846/71451c80e420ac1782fac3a15bb7b40f/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/4efff602/4f27b33ebd9d24222b52be678fbbcd06/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/bf310545/4025f16bd025ca13922d7a4d7a946ae7/-8/) [What 'Titanic' and Leomania Mean for Millennial Relationships](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/5c4175ed/89edf3495c7a1f85ccfeb419c325331e/-8/) It’s been 84 … sorry, 20 years. When [Titanic](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0397ce0b/e38fe16d30dc1a93b3ebd21d3ec05a16/-8/) came out in 1997, the bloated $200-million film seemed destined to be a money-loser — but hordes of rabid fans, often young women obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack, helped make it “king of the world.” But another look at the story, in which a young woman finds a man who respects her, loves her, dies for her, and helps her shake off societal constrictions to live out her dreams, may have colored now-grown women’s idea of love. Sources: [Buzzfeed](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/e73dd54c/445448f0e9a4ec86c70a8a4c32ef72a3/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/ca592573/5f0fcd14c9ae8dae8aeb0d29e0f06794/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/015c3671/ac81bc39b7c4e2f1773f3a165c8128d0/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/922cb0b1/e8725cb40b0e26a91e9a3559d801814d/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/6f0dc025/6f0801d5ef43b3158965dfe4d0332154/-8/) [Medalists, #MeToo Movement Gave Each Other Strength](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/afafab9f/ea2b543abbcb05a1e0516fca72129300/-8/) Suddenly, they were a team. The #MeToo movement got an assist from star athletes like Olympic gold winner and WNBA All-Star Breanna Stewart, who described being [sexually assaulted](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/bc3cffdc/55c7fdad8318aba0db9f93f02ddc5161/-8/) at age 9, and gymnastics medalist McKayla Maroney, who’s accusing USA Gymnastics of covering up its doctor’s since-admitted serial molestation. As more women gain power in male-dominated domains like sports, their voices embolden others, argues sports columnist Kavitha Davidson. That includes women who brought about the downfall of Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, and others steeling themselves for that fateful leap. Sources: [NBC](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/b38b94ff/abdad7dbe940bb714547c64f5c5169a2/-8/), [ESPN](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/7bb455b2/d2238220a681976bfeef170d9aa4fd43/-8/) Share: [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/c30ed9ba/326dbb0c429b3be4da06566ec017da77/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/754030f5/14840cedb4888b59ef082efb153ab9db/-8/) [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/26265c85/0103302d3dea3191e9bea6b69521f446/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/c4ac3408/310cd39f6c981b23dc386ed9b3aea64b/-8/) 5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/eeb7845b/dc87b5c3af8948a7d6a5d0be401cfd82/-8/ 40M people love reading OZY every month. Be part of the revolution. [Facebook](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/3ce59540/47fd26da139699367e385a38c57dff29/-8/) [Twitter](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/0f3865a7/e6dcd9028846e5187b407933baf9cefb/-8/) [Instagram](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/3581bd66/0553eb362056a01975c6a0e66d7736f0/-8/) [Vimeo](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/2cd30a24/9a8139d80c93eaf42520192005050649/-8/) [Youtube](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/f8225557/b0e9dea9e0431dbd2c21531187503d83/-8/) This email was sent to {EMAIL} This email was sent by:OZY Media 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 [Manage Subscriptions](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/ff3799da/3d196d22ef22d7a945e67845190a673d/-8/) | [Privacy Policy](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/865091a2/81c7775edc5c42200978dcdbae8d2fab/-8/) | [View Online](5a3e2c900dc460d62e9e8216:ot:591df7fbac0c811781aa5dbc:1/c78b6f5c/2a2104e8191a7ef2146845ca98d6de67/-8/)