Your Presidential Daily Brief: Pipe Bombs Ignite Terror Scare | Indonesia's Deadly Smog

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] IMPORTANT September 19, 2016 [New York City police officers gather at the site of an explosion on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, one that caused no deaths but rocked the city nonetheless. Source: Getty] [Bomb at NJ Train Station Raises Regional Terror Fears] The threats are multiplying. A pipe bomb exploded early today near an Elizabeth, New Jersey, train station as a bomb-defusing robot examined a suspicious backpack, causing no injuries but raising law enforcement concerns that an active [terror] cell could be at work. The bomb - which shut down Amtrak's busy Northeast Corridor - resembled a device that exploded Saturday morning in Seaside Park, New Jersey. The FBI also detained five men for questioning in the ongoing investigation of Saturday night's explosion in Manhattan that injured 29. Sources: [NBC], [AP], [USA Today], [NYT] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Study: Indonesian Haze Caused 100,000 Deaths] Authorities are gasping for air. Researchers at Harvard and Columbia concluded that toxic fumes caused 90,000 premature deaths last year in Indonesia and thousands more in Singapore and Malaysia - a tad higher than the Indonesian government's official calculation of 19 deaths. Farmers typically set forest fires each year to clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations, but last year's [smog] was unusually awful as monsoon winds carried the fumes to neighboring nations. The death toll was likely even higher, as the analysis didn't include children, who are especially vulnerable. Sources: [AFP], [FT (sub)] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] ['Apparent Terrorist Attacks' Jolt Presidential Race] It's a commander in chief test. Bombs in New York City and New Jersey and stabbings in Minnesota do not appear to have been coordinated, but they jolted a terror-wary nation over the weekend. On Saturday, Donald Trump declared that a bomb had gone off in Manhattan two hours before it was officially confirmed, while Hillary Clinton was initially more cautious, but yesterday labeled the attacks apparent terrorism. While both [candidates] would not stray much from President Obama's counterterrorism strategy, Trump has offered sharper rhetoric about an imperiled America. Sources: [AP], [The Guardian] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Maduro Says Oil Market Agreement Close] They're mapping out a crude strategy. [Venezuelan] President Nicolas Maduro says that after discussions with Iran and Ecuador, OPEC and non-OPEC countries are on their way to an agreement to stabilize the oil market, which has seen prices plunge over the last couple of years. Now investors are speculating that oil producers will agree to cap outputs at discussions on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum on Sept. 27 in Algiers. OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo says if that happens, the group may set a special meeting to finalize details. Sources: [Bloomberg], [Reuters] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Know This: Angela Merkel's party suffered historic [losses] in Berlin elections with anti-migrant forces rising, while Vladimir Putin's party got a [vote] of confidence in Russia. The United Nations hosts its first-ever refugee [summit] today with leaders from around the world. And Swiss scientists have made the shocking discovery that [drinking beer] diminishes shyness about sex. Watch This: A hirsute David Letterman [teases] his return to television for a National Geographic series on climate change. Read This: A onetime [super-spy] now has serious weight in guiding Narendra Modi on India's foreign policy. INTRIGUING [There May Be a New Threat to Democracy] Having one's say is a good thing, right? Political parties in the U.S. and worldwide have learned that opening up their leadership selection processes can bring unexpected results. In the U.K., three-quarters of Labour Party MPs opposed Jeremy Corbyn for being too left-wing, but he won the leadership election with a wave of newly eligible voters. Open primaries are often touted as offering more representative democracy, but some warn that they bring about a "tyranny of the extremes" - ultimately leading to less democracy, not more. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Best Drama Winner 'Game of Thrones' Sets Emmy Record] They hold the crown. The HBO [megahit] took home awards for best directing, writing and drama series Sunday night, topping Frasier  with 38 total Emmys for a scripted primetime show. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted a lively ceremony featuring a pre-taped bit with Jeb Bush as a chauffeur for Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won her fifth consecutive best comedy actress statue. Amazon series Transparent won for comedy directing and lead actor, with both Jill Soloway and Jeffrey Tambor delivering poignant speeches in support of the transgender community. Sources: [Vulture], [EW] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Congress' Next Big Debate Could Be About Colonizing Mars] Get ready for an interplanetary filibuster. The Senate is expected to proceed with groundbreaking legislation calling on NASA to establish a [colony] on Mars. The bipartisan bill would give the space agency nearly $20 billion next year for the mission of sending people to Mars by the 2030s. There are Earth-bound politics at play, too. Key sponsors' states have major NASA facilities, and Republicans Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have criticized President Obama for funding climate change research over space exploration as they eye presidential campaigns - again. Sources: [Christian Science Monitor] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [How American Intelligence Readies for the Next Snowden] Who watches the watchers? The intelligence community itself, apparently - and it's preparing for the next big whistleblower. Since Edward Snowden's 2013 leak revealed that the NSA was [spying] on millions of Americans, U.S. intelligence agencies have increased their vigilance against insider threats. When some of the NSA's cybertools turned up online this summer, many in Washington blamed a Russian hack. But the National Counterintelligence and Security Center is investigating a leak that might point to another rogue employee - and they're monitoring their own ever more carefully. Sources: [The Atlantic] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Boisterous Crowd Toasts Rams Win in NFL's Return to LA] The beautiful people got an ugly win. A loud, star-studded crowd and razzle-dazzle production greeted the first NFL game in Los Angeles in 22 years and helped inspire a 9-3 [victory] over Seattle. While star running back Todd Gurley and the Rams offense have yet to score a touchdown through two games, the defense - with a little help from 91,000 screaming fans - stopped Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at crucial moments, with the crowd defying L.A. stereotypes by staying through the game's end. Sources: [SI], [LA Times] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve RISING STARS [The American in Charge of the Most Expensive Nuclear Bomb] [Read In Full] TRUE STORY [I Hosted My Own Funeral] [Read In Full] IMMODEST PROPOSAL [Why You Should Pay a Penny to Send an Email] [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] | [Unsubscribe from this email] | [Privacy Policy]