Your Presidential Daily Brief: Trump Crosses China | Springtime for Austria's Far-Right

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] IMPORTANT December 3, 2016 [Austrian far-right presidential candidate Norbert Hofer greets supporters at a Vienna rally yesterday. Source: Getty] [Trump's Taiwan Call Roils U.S.-China Ties] There's lipstick on his collar, and it's not red. The president-elect had a 10-minute voice chat yesterday with Taiwanese [President] Tsai Ing-wen, breaking with 37 years of "One China" policy in which the U.S. government doesn't recognize the ex-Chinese island's sovereignty. The diplomatic deviation moved Trump to tweet that Tsai "CALLED ME," as if his calls aren't screened, and China blamed it on a "petty trick" by Tsai. Beijing complained, but only after Foreign Minister Wang Yi said he believed the call wouldn't undermine longstanding Sino-American relations. Sources: [NYT], [BBC], [CNN], [WSJ (sub)] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Far Right Poised to Take Austrian Presidency] Will he get the "Trump bump?" Far-right candidate Norbert Hofer is up for a repeat of May's runoff election for the largely ceremonial job of president of Austria. His narrow loss in May was invalidated, and voters will try again on Sunday. This time, Hofer aims to beat independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen on a wave of populist, anti-immigrant sentiment accompanying Americans' election of Donald Trump. Many Europeans are worried because Hofer's [Freedom Party] is linked to ex-Nazis in Hitler's native land, portending a renewed acceptance of intolerance on the Continent.  Sources: [Reuters], [DW], [The Guardian] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Soccer World Mourns Team Lost in Plane Crash] "Senseless" doesn't do it justice. The pilot complained of insufficient fuel, and there was no trace of fuel at the site where a BAe 146 jetliner crashed Monday near Medellin, Colombia. The plane carried most of the Brazilian Chapecoense [soccer] team, killing 71 passengers and crew. Bolivian authorities have suspended the LAMIA charter airline that provided the team's flight, and the soccer world has responded with an outpouring of tributes for the victims. Six onboard survived, including defender Helio Hermito Zampier Neto, whose father told journalists he may recover well enough to play again. Sources: [BBC], [Reuters], [ABC] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [The Post-Castro Generation Asks, 'What Now?'] They're called ABCs. American-born [Cubans] are only beginning, as the United States eases travel restrictions, to reconnect with the island their families fled. They have complicated feelings and stories to share, as the two countries become less mutually exclusive in the wake of Fidel Castro's death. Their grandparents were persecuted by the dictator and their parents tried to assimilate in Miami's "Little Havana," as the Mariel boatlift and Elian Gonzalez's repatriation roiled their world. Now this younger generation, conflicted about its identity and antagonistic homeland, eagerly awaits the relationship's next phase. Sources: [Narratively] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Know This: China has confirmed that mining accidents on Friday and Tuesday have [killed 38 workers.]  Police at the University of Southern California have arrested a student in the [stabbing death of a faculty member.] And the University of Washington [Huskies routed Colorado] 41-10 to secure a college football playoff spot. Analyze This: A Liberal Democrat has narrowly defeated a major Conservative Brexit supporter for a London parliamentary seat, causing [consternation among Britons wishing to leave the EU:] "They fear that (Brexit) will be snatched away by elites, and that even (Prime Minister Theresa) May, who favored remaining, will not follow through on leaving."  Warm to This: Climate change fans, have we got a podcast for you: Warm Regards, with meteorologist Eric Holthaus, paleoecologist (it's not just a diet) Jacquelyn Gill and New York Times environmental reporter Andy Revkin. It covers [the science and politics of global warming,] and includes the eco-right - conservatives who believe the environment needs help. [Sponsored by: Rosetta Stone] [Want to Blend In? Eat Raw Chicken] Need a postelection break? A trip abroad could be the perfect remedy, and few spots are as far from America's electoral map as Japan, which has some local delicacies that Western palates might find challenging. Have you had a crazy travel experience? Share your story at [inquiries@ozy.com] for a chance to win a six-month subscription to Rosetta Stone. Sources: [OZY] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] INTRIGUING [Albania: Europe's Pot-Farming Capital?] They're taking the "ban" out of Albania. A kilo of Tirana-grown [weed] sells for 100 to 200 euros in country, but it can fetch more than 10 times that in Italy. While still illegal, Albanian pot farming is estimated to generate $5.3 billion annually, equaling half the GDP of one of Europe's poorest nations. While the government says it's destroyed 2 million cannabis plants this year with Italian assistance, many communities are turning to dope growing for the first time - and with corrupt police supporting the industry, it's expected to hit new highs. Sources: [BBC Magazine] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [On Revenge Porn's Front Lines, a Woman in Black] It's a dish best served ... with subpoenas. Most states have recently criminalized publishing nonconsensual "revenge" porn - whether by a jilted ex or a hacker targeting Jennifer Lawrence - but there are still websites dedicated to the practice and prosecutions are rare. That's where Carrie Goldberg comes in. The glamorous 39-year-old Brooklynite, a former target herself, leads a small subset of attorneys specializing in [sexual] privacy. With more victims braving the stigma of further attention that comes with pressing charges, Google, PornHub and the federal government are cracking down. Sources: [New Yorker] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [How Pseudoscience Took Over Russia] The lab is not safe. Russia's scientific community, boasting 17 Nobel laureates, is struggling with how to deal with "colleagues" who insist that genetically modified crops or condoms are part of American plots against Russia - when those views are endorsed and financed by the Kremlin. While conspiracy theorists gain prominence, Vladimir [Putin's] government has eviscerated the Academy of Sciences, and there is talk of reanimating Soviet-style restrictions on scholarship. Legitimate scientists say their alter-egos fit with Russia's rising isolation and nationalism, and they're fighting back with all the facts in their arsenal. Sources: [Foreign Policy] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Lin-Manuel Miranda Takes up the Broadsword] Has he gone monarchist? After exiting the stage of his runaway hit, Hamilton, Miranda's back at it - with a Game of Thrones-style [fantasy] adaptation. He'll be the creative producer of The Kingkiller Chronicle, a TV show, movie and video game based on Patrick Rothfuss' best-selling books. Kingkiller's complex plot and interweaving characters make it a potential winner, but why would the emperor of Broadway switch genres? Turns out he's a fan - insisting the series inspired a Hamilton number - and promising his new venture will be a labor of love. Sources: [The Ringer] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [A Crappy Video Game Worth 180 Times Its Weight in Gold] It's changed people's lives. Stadium Events, produced in 1987, has captured collectors' imaginations - along with their $25,000 bank transfers. It featured an unusual "fitness mat" interface to propel its digital runners, but it's incredibly dull and has lousy graphics. Then the North American version was recalled and rebranded, making the original Stadium Events one of the rarest [Nintendo] titles and a retro obsession. To collectors, that's the real game: Finding a sealed copy and fretting over supposed storage-locker caches that could erase their quarry's value overnight. Sources: [ESPN] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Your 8 must reads to get you ahead of the curve GOOD SH*T [A Superhero Saves the Day ... in Hungary] [Read In Full] FAST FORWARD [Is the World Ready for an African Superhero?] [Read In Full] GOOD SH*T [Before and After: Geeking out on Captain America] [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]