Your Presidential Daily Brief: New Intel on Russian Hacking | Syria Shortage 'War Crime'

[The Presidential Daily Brief] [The Presidential Daily Brief] IMPORTANT January 6, 2017 [Sen. John McCain talks to reporters after the Senate Armed Services Committee he's chairing heard new testimony about Russia's alleged interference in the U.S. election. Source: Getty] [Intelligence Mounts on Russian Involvement in Hack] [Congress] is seeing red. Top intelligence officials testified yesterday that Russia, with authorization from its "senior-most officials," disrupted the U.S. election. The report presented to President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump will be partially declassified next week. According to reports, Russian officials congratulated each other after Trump's victory, and American intelligence has identified the Russians who fed Democrats' emails to WikiLeaks. Trump dialed back his Twitter skepticism of intelligence leaders, and he's expected to make a low-key bipartisan pick as his intel chief: Former GOP Senator Dan Coats. Sources: [CNN], [NBC], [The Atlantic], [Washington Post], [NYT] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Russian Forces Begin Withdrawing From Syria] They're getting out. A December cease-fire deal included Russia's agreement to reduce the number of troops in the region, and today that drawdown has begun, with Russia's naval fleet reportedly the first to return to the motherland. Meanwhile, the U.N. warns that disrupting access to drinking water for 5.5 million [people] in Damascus is a war crime. Rebels, who control water-rich region Wadi Barada, say government bombings caused infrastructure damage, while regime forces blame rebel sabotage. Until U.N. inspectors are allowed to investigate, they say they can't make a determination. Sources: [Reuters], [BBC], [Al Jazeera], [The Guardian] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Mexico Erupts in Protests After Gas Price Hike] It's the "gasolinazo." That's the informal name for the 20 percent fuel price increase that took effect in Mexico on New Year's Day, spurring [protests] that have blocked highways and shut down gas stations. A police officer was killed and more than 250 people have been arrested this week for vandalism and robbery as some riots turned to looting. The price hike is part of a national energy reform plan, which will keep prices high until Feb. 3 - the day private companies start importing fuel and competing for customers. Sources: [Al Jazeera], [CNN] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Toyota Protests Trump's Twitter Disparagement] What a difference a tweet makes. Shortly after Toyota said it looked forward to working with the incoming administration, Donald Trump tweeted "NO WAY!" about a new Corolla plant in Mexico, saying the company must build cars in the U.S. or face huge tariffs. Toyota responded that it has invested $21.9 billion and employs 136,000 people in the U.S., while Japan defended the company as "a good corporate citizen." It's [Trump's] first such attack against a foreign auto company, and Nissan's CEO called on the president-elect to establish "clear rules" for carmakers. Sources: [WSJ (sub)], [Reuters], [FT (sub)], [The Guardian] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] Briefly Know This: Suspects in the Chicago [torture case] have been charged with hate crimes. Japan has recalled its ambassador to South Korea over a statue commemorating [Korean women] kept as sex slaves for soldiers during Japanese occupation. And survivors of a [helicopter crash] in Venezuela have been rescued after six days. Try This: Feeling presidential after a week of briefings? [Prove it] with the PDB quiz. Talk to Us: We want your feedback on the Presidential Daily Brief - what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at [pdbrief@ozy.com]. [OZY + GIANT SPOON ATTACK CES] OZY and Giant Spoon are excited to partner on special live coverage from CES 2017 - where the most forward-looking technology and media come together. Rather than cover just the latest gadgets, though, we're taking you deeper with key takeaways, little-known rising stars, unconventional trends and, yes, the coolest sh*t from the convention. "Technology is our future language," says Trevor Guthrie, co-founder of Giant Spoon, an innovation-driven marketing agency. "We explore and decode CES to understand this new vocabulary and how it will impact conversations between marketers and consumers." Tune in to our special Facebook Live tonight at 8pm EST/5pm PST to learn about the future of data and robotics. Sources: [OZY | Giant Spoon] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] INTRIGUING [Transgender Americans Rush for Documentation] Progress is about to be reversed. Many transgender people have only seen an upward trajectory toward [visibility] and equal rights during President Obama's tenure. But with added visibility comes the potential for backlash, and trans people are bracing themselves for hostility and legal discrimination under the next administration. This week lawmakers in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky filed "bathroom bills" similar to North Carolina's controversial HB2. Meanwhile, administrative routes to changing gender on federal documents may be increasingly difficult, leaving many trans people scrambling for vital paperwork and medical treatment before the inauguration. Sources: [The Atlantic], [Business Insider] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Digital Assistants and Artificial Intelligence Wow at CES] Can you hear me now? In the tech frenzy of the [Consumer Electronics Show's] opening yesterday, Amazon's Alexa is looking like the home assistant to beat, with everything from smoke alarms to household appliances to cars taking advantage of its voice-activated platform. Alexa's ubiquity is notable as fellow tech titans Google, Microsoft and Facebook stalk the same space - with 40 million homes projected to have assistants by 2021. Sharing the spotlight was chip-maker Nvidia, whose GPUs are the backbone for all kinds of artificial intelligence applications. Sources: [Forbes], [Bloomberg], [TechCrunch] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Utah Bill Would Allow Residents to Sue Porn-Makers] The Beehive State is going hardcore. Nine months after Utah passed a law declaring [pornography] a public health crisis, the state senator behind the measure is continuing to follow the playbook that worked against Big Tobacco. Sen. Todd Weiler wants to give citizens the chance to sue internet pornography companies for psychological and emotional damage. Weiler, an attorney, concedes that the initial cases will likely fail but wants his state at the forefront of fighting the industry. Lawmakers in Virginia and Tennessee are also probing anti-porn public health pushes. Sources: [Esquire], [KSL-Salt Lake City], [Salt Lake Tribune] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Golden Globes Will Be 'Acknowledging' Celebrity Deaths] Nothing gold can stay. While this weekend's awards show is normally the most upbeat of the season - meaning it doesn't feature an In Memoriam tribute to fallen stars like the Oscars does - organizers say that in light of the recent deaths of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, producers of the 74th Golden Globes are in last-minute talks over how to honor them. Expect a tribute of some kind in Sunday's Jimmy Fallon-hosted show, along with a showdown between top movie [nominees] La La Land and Moonlight. Sources: [Time], [People] Share: [Facebook] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Oklahoma's Joe Mixon Turns Pro, Despite Assault] He's got some explaining to do. The Sooners running back, who was suspended for the 2014 season for punching a woman, says he'll be honest and remorseful when interviewing with [NFL] teams. He tearfully apologized last month after his attorneys released surveillance video showing the victim shoving and slapping Mixon before he slugged her, breaking her jaw, eye socket and cheekbone. Despite an outcry, Mixon remained on the field, scoring two touchdowns in Monday's Sugar Bowl. The incident is expected to knock him out of the first round of April's draft. 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