The Presidential Daily Brief - 04/29/2016

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] April 29, 2016 [The Presidential Daily Brief] Follow Us: [Facebook] [Twitter] Important [Republican presidential candidate John Kasich waves to a cheering crowd. Source: Getty] [North Korea Sentences American to 10 Years for Espionage] This is no spy game. After a swift trial, North Korea sentenced Kim Dong Chul, a naturalized American citizen from South Korea who was convicted of stealing military secrets, to 10 years of hard labor. The authoritarian state reported that Kim confessed, but defectors say such statements are often coerced. In March another American, college student Otto Warmbier, was sentenced to 15 years for trying to steal a propaganda banner. [North Korea's] tough posturing - including missile tests - comes ahead of its May 6 ruling party congress. Sources: [Reuters], [AP], [BBC] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Cruz-Kasich Alliance May Have Backfired] There wasn't much art in this deal. An agreement between Ted Cruz and John Kasich to stop Donald Trump may already be backfiring, with reports that some Indiana Republicans aren't happy with the truce and may instead flock to the billionaire. Likewise, new polling in Oregon, a state Cruz ceded to Kasich in the arrangement, shows Trump with a commanding lead. All of this comes as many party elites are reportedly feeling the "fatigue" of resisting the front-runner and may finally be prepared to [accept him] as their standard-bearer. Sources: [Bloomberg], [OPB], [Washington Post] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Refugee Who Set Himself on Fire in Nauru Camp Dies] They call him Omid. The 23-year-old, whose full name hasn't been released, had reportedly been detained for three years on the remote Pacific island after attempting to [seek asylum] in Australia from his native Iran. He set himself on fire as an act of protest during a U.N. visit Wednesday and died of his burns today. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is being criticized for his hardline immigration policies, compounded by the closing of another camp on Papua New Guinea, but says Australia "cannot be misty-eyed." Sources: [CNN], [BBC], [NYT] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Amazon Bucks Trend, Delivers Monster Profits] Just call them the prime mover. Despite disappointing earnings for fellow giants Apple and Twitter, Amazon had its [most profitable quarter] ever, with 28 percent year-on-year growth. The company's shares had fallen 10 percent so far this year but shot up more than 13 percent at the news of an unexpected $513 million income in the first quarter. Investors are taking note of Amazon's strategies - which include investing heavily in new projects, something they say will continue this year and may eat into profits as 2016 continues. Sources: [FT (sub)], [Bloomberg] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Colombia legalizes same-sex marriage. [(BBC)] New York Times sued over alleged discriminatory hiring practices. [(The Guardian)] Australian aid worker believed kidnapped in Afghanistan. [(AP)] Two Turkish journalists jailed for blasphemy over Prophet Muhammad cartoon. [(France24)] Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? Prove it with the PDB quiz. [(OZY)] INTRIGUING [One European Country Wants More Refugees] The door's wide open. Portugal is happy to take 10,000 asylum seekers to help alleviate Europe's [refugee] crisis, yet only 234 have come knocking. Many probably don't realize they're welcome in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula, but refugees are likely gravitating to places like Germany based on economic performance. In fact, Portugal - which suffers 12.3 percent unemployment to Germany's 4.3 percent - is struggling to stem the flow of its own citizens leaving, highlighting the fact that asymmetrical economies within Europe are likely to continue pushing newcomers north. Sources: [Bloomberg] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [US Minority Groups See Huge Drop in Teen Pregnancies] They're seeing fewer bumps. America's teenage birth rate has been dropping for years, but according to the CDC, over the last decade it's plummeted a whopping 44 percent for Black teens and 51 percent for Latinas. White youths, meanwhile, saw the rate drop by a third. The news signals that American kids are [abstaining] more while those who choose to have sex are increasingly turning to effective birth control. While teenage pregnancy for minorities is still almost twice that of whites, the gap between them is finally shrinking. Sources: [NPR] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Twitter Re-Brands Itself As News Platform] What's blue and white and read all over? After a rough financial week and ongoing concerns over stalled growth, the microblogging platform changed its categorization in the iTunes store from "social network" to "news." The seemingly minor switch gave the app a huge boost as it exited the competitive realm of titans like Facebook and WhatsApp, instead vaulting to first place in its new category. [Twitter] hopes the higher ranking will entice new iPhone users to download the app, which could make investors happy when next quarter's results come in. Sources: [TechCrunch], [The Verge] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Alicia Vikander Cast in 'Tomb Raider' Reboot] Game on. The Danish Girl Oscar-winner has been tapped to restart the action-adventure franchise based on the hit video game series. Much like the game's recent reboot, the new film will focus on Lara Croft's early adventures as a globe-hopping thrill-seeker. The first Tomb Raider debuted in 1996 and has sold 35 million units, inspiring 2001's film adaptation that turned [Angelina Jolie] into a bankable star. This cinematic reboot could give fans a new heroine to cheer in a genre increasingly looking to women for star power. Sources: [Hollywood Reporter], [Variety] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Los Angeles Selects Jared Goff in First NFL Draft Pick] He's going Hollywood. The 6-foot-4 Cal quarterback was chosen to lead the Rams in their heralded return to Southern California. His [selection] wasn't much of a surprise: The only mystery was whether L.A. would take Goff or North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, who went second to Philadelphia. Expectations are high for Goff - the Rams, who traded up for the first pick, have the league's worst total quarterback rating since 2007 and want to make a big splash as they reunite with their West Coast fan base. Sources: [USA Today], [ESPN] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve GOOD SH*T [Everything You Need to Know About What It Means to Be Alive] [Read In Full] FAST FORWARD [From Iceland to North Korea: Unexpected New Surf Destinations] [Read In Full] 2016 [It's High Noon for Ted Cruz in Indiana] [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]