Clearer Skies Ahead

www.ozy.com [OZY]() Start your day smarter with a dossier on the most important world news, rounded off with a shot of intriguing and offbeat stories. Like the president, you deserve no less. Oct 27, 2021 TODAY Biden and Democrats are likely to wrap up negotiations on a now reduced $1.75 trillion government overhaul package. After over 19 months of incredibly strict travel restrictions due to Covid, the Australian government eases its policy on international travel for its citizens. In Sudan, a military coup has left the country on rocky ground and without vital aid from the international community. As details about the “Rust” accidental shooting emerge, neglect and mismanagement on the production team appear to be the cause of the tragic incident. IMPORTANT 1 - Democrats Eye Finish Line Biden aims to seal the deal On Tuesday evening, Biden met with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to try and find a passable compromise on the proposed domestic policy plan, according to an anonymous source. Manchin opposes the expansion of health and child care as well as Biden’s climate agenda, on the grounds that they are costly and unnecessary. Sinema disagrees not so much with the agenda, but with the proposed funding of the agenda. She stands staunchly opposed to any reversal of Trump-era tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. Biden’s goal is to present a finished deal to foreign leaders during global summits later this week. His hope is to show the world that the U.S. is committed to, and making progress on, its goals of tackling climate change and other issues. (Source: [AP]() 2 - Australia Creaks Open Australians see hope as Covid restrictions ease Australian citizens will be allowed to leave the country starting November 1st, as long as they are fully vaccinated. Previously they were required to have a state-sponsored exemption, but now travel is open to any citizen (with travel restrictions for foreigners still to be relaxed). Tens of thousands of Australians have been stuck overseas during the pandemic due to strict limits on arrival numbers, so the news of loosening restrictions was met with international relief and celebration. And more good news on the horizon: “Before the end of the year, we anticipate welcoming fully vaccinated skilled workers and international students,” Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in a statement. (Source: [AP]() 3 - Military Coup in Sudan Ousted prime minister returns home under heavy security Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife were detained in a military coup Monday and have been returned home as of late Tuesday night. Other government officials remain in detention but their locations are unknown. The war-torn country has faced serious international consequences since General Abdel-Fattah Burhan seized power Monday with full support from the country’s military. The EU has withdrawn financial support and the U.S. has suspended $700 million in aid. Pro-democracy protesters took to the streets Tuesday to block roads in the capital with barricades and burning tires. At least 10 have died in the ensuing unrest. (Source: [Guardian]() 4 - “Rust” Tragedy Thickens Civil lawsuits and potential criminal charges ahead As actor, Alec {NAME} is unlikely to be held criminally or civilly responsible for the accident that killed Halyna Hutchins, even though he was the one who pulled the trigger. However, in his role as producer of the film “Rust”, Alec {NAME} will likely be held responsible for the conditions that led to the tragedy in the first place. “There was clearly negligence on the set”, said Adam Winkler, a UCLA Law Professor and gun policy expert. “Rust” filming had already dealt with a plethora of issues before the shooting. Five days before the incident, {NAME}’s stunt double unwittingly fired two live rounds after being told his prop gun was empty, and the morning of the shooting seven crew members walked off the set. (Source: [AP]() 5 - Briefly Here’s some other things you should know today: CDC says immunocompromised may need a 4th Covid vaccine shot. The CDC clarified that rather than getting booster shots, immunocompromised folks should receive additional full doses of the vaccine. (Source: [CNN]() Long time Clinton aide writes of sexual assault by U.S. Senator. In her memoir Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, Huma Abedin describes how she repressed memories of her assault until Justice Kavanaugh’s nomination hearing in 2018. (Source: [Guardian]() Brazilian Senators recommend criminal charges for President Bolsonaro. The investigative committee has formally approved a report to hold Bolsonaro responsible for many of Brazil’s more than 600,000 Covid deaths. (Source: [AP]() WATCH Big Sean Discuss Closing the Racial Wealth Gap, Financial Education and Partnering with HBCU Students INTRIGUING 1 - Solar in Service Solar microgrids bring 80,000 people power in Sierra Leone Sierra-Leone based energy company, Energicity, installed 32 solar microgrids to provide first-time access to electricity to 80,000 people in the country. The company’s initiative, The Movamba Project, will add 1.3 megawatts of renewable energy capacity and aims to improve resilience by connecting directly to hospitals and clinics. Energicity will also provide the minimum daily amount of power required by community health centers at no cost. Some residents in rural areas have not had power for over 60 years. (Source: [RenewableEnergyWorld]() 2 - A Major Penalty Chicago Blackhawks GM out and organization fined Following the release of an independent investigation on sexual misconduct allegations, the former president of hockey operations and general manager for the Chicago Blackhawks and general manager of the US Olympic hockey team, Stan Bowman, has resigned. The Chicago Blackhawks have also been fined $2M in response to the damning report. A former player, identified as “John Doe” in a lawsuit filed this year, alleged he was assaulted in May 2010 by then-video coach Brad Aldrich. The Chicago Blackhawks released a statement expressing regret for the harm caused to the victim saying, "What we do off the ice is equally as important as anything we do on it." (Sources: [Axios](, [ESPN]() 3 - Higher Ed: Another Pandemic Casualty? College enrollment steadily declines as result of the pandemic A new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, shows undergraduate enrollment in US colleges continued to decline by 3.2% after dropping last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. Community college enrollment dropped by 5.6% and at public four-year colleges by 2.3%. The low enrollment has caused funding and endowment challenges creating new questions about the future of traditional higher education institutions. (Source: [NPR]() 4 - Setting the Record Straight Civil rights activist Claudette Colvin calls on judge to expunge record Months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a public bus, teenager Claudette Colvin was arrested in 1955 for the same act of protest. After refusing to give up her seat to a White person on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, Colvin was charged with two counts of violating the city’s segregation ordination and one felony count of assaulting a police officer. Colvin, now 82, is requesting the court to clear her record. "I am an old woman now. Having my records expunged will mean something to my grandchildren and great grandchildren. And it will mean something for other Black children," Colvin said in a sworn statement. (Sources: [NYTimes](, [NPR]() 5 - Real, Good News Billionaires combine efforts to combat disinformation Billionaires Reid Hoffman, Ken and Jen Duda, Incite Ventures and George Soros have announced they will fund a new media company, Good Information Inc., aimed at tackling disinformation. The company will be led by former Democratic strategist, Tara McGowan, who previously ran the progressive non-profit, ACRONYM. This follows a pattern of billionaires investing heavily in combatting disinformation. In 2017, Former Microsoft CEO, founded USAFacts, a non-profit designed to make accurate data more accessible. (Sources: [Axios](, [Forbes]() WE ❤️ OZY! We have so much love for all of our loyal readers. Thank you for standing with us over the last eight years and we are so grateful for your support. We appreciate the kindness you've shown. Community Perspectives on Optimism: “ With all the ugliness everywhere in the world, I am hopeful that the net result of all the pandemic quarantine and life restrictions is a return to concern and care for one another. I want people to smile at strangers and open doors and let a car enter a busy line of traffic. All little things, but I think it would help.”  - Jim F  ____ “In spite of the covid-19 pandemic, the isolation that it entails, the epidemic of loneliness that follows, I still find this life beautiful. It’s all in the mind. I live alone and am growing older ( 71 yrs old) gracefully in a foreign country.”  - Malay V  OZY COMMUNITY What’s on your mind?. Share with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. 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