Who Will Testify, Who Won’t?

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. Jan 13, 2022 TODAY Prince Andrew got another step closer to a court date yesterday when a judge dismissed lawyers’ efforts to end a suit brought by Virginia Giuffre. The House Committee investigating Jan. 6 set its sights on Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who had described being in contact with former President Donald Trump and others during the insurrection. Washington imposed strict sanctions on North Korean officials after an unexpected missile launch raised concern worldwide. And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, Americans show signs of fatigue in the face of continued restrictions. All this and more in today’s Presidential Daily Brief. IMPORTANT 1 - Prince Not Off Yet Judge says Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew can move forward U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected Prince Andrew’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre yesterday, saying her $500,000 settlement reached with Jeffrey Epstein in 2009 did not involve the Prince and should not prevent a suit now. Giuffre sued the 61-year-old British Prince in August, alleging that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell coerced her into sexual encounters with the Prince when she was 17. Judge Kaplan stressed that his ruling has nothing to do with the veracity of the allegations themselves. (Source: [AP]() 2 - Another Day, Another Refusal Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy will not cooperate with House committee House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he will not speak with the Jan. 6 committee despite assertions to Fox news last April that he was in communication with former President Donald Trump as the riots unfolded last January. McCarthy’s statement came hours after the House select committee yesterday invited Mr. McCarthy to provide more information on exchanges the House GOP leader may have had with Trump and White House staff members in the days around the riots. McCarthy is the highest-ranking Republican the committee has contacted to date, although they have tapped several other members of Congress. (Source: [NBCNews]() 3 - North Korea Does It Again The Biden administration sanctions North Korean officials after missile test The announcement came Wednesday after North Korea confirmed successful tests of a hypersonic missile, which, according to leader Kim Jong Un, would bolster the country’s nuclear “war deterrent.” Hours after the test, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed penalties on five North Korean officials, along with a Russian man, a Russian company and another North Korean, all of whom helped obtain equipment and technology for Pyongyang’s missile program. The sanctions include freezing North Korean assets in U.S. territory, a ban on doing business with Americans and penalties for foreign companies or individuals that have transactions with the officials in question. (Source: [ABCNews]() 4 - Fatigue Sets In Public health experts say Americans are dropping their guard on COVID-19 Despite record hospitalizations and an average of 1,500 deaths a day in the U.S. from COVID-19, it’s harder than ever to convince Americans to follow guidelines to slow the spread of the virus. White House officials have admitted that messaging has had to evolve in order to adapt to a population weary of warnings and mandates. The swift and unprecedented spread of the omicron variant has contributed to a sense of inevitability in the face of a virus that without extreme caution will likely infect most Americans. But experts urge discipline, at the very least to avoid impending catastrophe for hospitals everywhere. (Source: [NPR]() 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany met with the House select committee investigating Jan. 6. McEnany was subpoenaed in November and appeared virtually. (Source: [CNN]() The Internal Revenue Service is woefully unprepared for 2022 tax season. The National Taxpayer Advocate released a new report showing the IRS has been struggling to process returns for years. (Source: [Axios]() Inflation hits a 40-year high, but experts say it may be peaking. Inflation has reached 7%, its highest in decades, due to pandemic-related supply chain imbalances, but should peak in the next few months. (Source: [WSJ]() Watch Jameela Jamil As She Discusses the Good That's Come from the Pandemic INTRIGUING 1 - Army Allure The U.S. Army ups its maximum enlistment bonus to a record $50,000 The U.S. Army will offer its most generous enlistment bonuses yet, as shuttered schools and competitive job markets due to the pandemic have drastically reduced opportunities for in-person recruitment leading to a shortage of qualified young people. The $50,000 bonuses will be available to highly skilled recruits who enlist for six years, an increasingly sought-after pool as resignations during COVID-19 have skyrocketed. The figure, which is the sum of several bonuses, depends on a multitude of factors and affects those signing up for careers such as missile defense crew, signals intelligence, intelligence analyst, combat engineer and other skilled jobs. (Source: [AP]() 2 - Calling All Experts-to-Be Department of Homeland Security seeks the climate experts of tomorrow The DHS’s new Climate Change Professionals Program, announced Wednesday, makes attracting top talent in the climate sciences a major priority, said a press release. The program, meant to reduce our impact on the environment and “adapt to climate change,” will last two years and give graduates and young professionals “hands-on experience” in order to develop the next generation of climate experts. A 2021 World Bank report projected that 216 million people could be displaced by 2050 if rising sea levels and crop and water shortages are not dealt with, making climate change an issue of utmost urgency. (Source: [TheHill]() 3 - Love Under Lockdown A Chinese woman goes on a three-day blind date after swift lockdown As omicron rages across China, strict — and swift — lockdown orders have put some people in … well, interesting situations. A young woman posting on the Chinese social media site WeChat under the name Ms. Wang described being trapped with a man on a blind date arranged by her parents in “less than ideal” conditions after a lockdown order in the city of Zhengzhou changed their dinner date to something more … indefinite. It’s unclear if Ms. Wang, who said her date “doesn’t speak much,” is still there. Considering today would be day four, this could be a blind-date record. (Source: [BBC]() 4 - New Word on the Block A new virtual word game succeeds by going back to basics If you’re a word nerd you’ve probably heard of the mobile game Wordle. The concept is deceptively simple: every day, each user gets six tries to guess a five-letter word. Players must guess the same word on any given day and therefore can’t play more than once daily. The app began gaining popularity in October and now has 2.7 million players. Players are drawn to the app because it’s free, has no ads, uses no push notifications and generally doesn’t try to colonize as much of users’ time as possible like other mobile apps. (Source: [NPR]() 5 - Back in the Game Eric Weddle un-retires to join the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs After the Rams’ defensive signal caller Jordan Fuller suffered a season-ending injury last week, the organization called on ex-safety Eric Weddle, 37, to take his place. As captain of the Rams in 2019, Weddle started in all 16 games of that season but retired just after. The Rams have lost two other players in their secondary lineup to injuries, Taylor Rapp and Darious Williams. Defensive backs Blake Countess and Sharrod Neasman have been signed to their practice squad, along with Weddle, and Jake Gervase was signed to their active roster. The Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals in playoffs this Monday. (Source: [ESPN]() OZY COMMUNITY What else are you curious about?  Share your questions or thoughts 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. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Welcome to the New + the Next! [OZY]() [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( A Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](