The Day Democracy Died

Start your day smarter with the most important world news, plus intriguing and offbeat stories. www.ozy.com [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright [Presidential Daily Brief]( Sponsored by [Cariuma]( 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. Jul 25, 2022 Today Myanmar’s military government hanged four pro-democracy activists. Pope Francis will apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the death and abuse of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Russia bombed a Ukrainian port a day after agreeing to let Kyiv resume grain exports. And a crippling heatwave gripped all corners of the United States. All this and more in today’s PDB. [A Gift For You]( [Cariuma]( The shoe with the [61,000-person waitlist]( is back! If you missed them the last time around, the sneakers we can’t get enough of are back - and just in time for summer! These all-season low-tops are OZY’s favorite look for dressing up or down. But don’t wait around, these comfy kicks fly off the shelves and won’t be around for long! Grab a pair with our exclusive code, [OZY20](, landing you 20% OFF. This special offer is just for OZY readers. [Snag A Pair Here]( IMPORTANT Hanged Myanmar Junta Executes 4 Democracy Activists In its first use of capital punishment in decades, Myanmar’s military government — which seized power via a 2021 coup — has executed veteran pro-democracy fighter Ko Jimmy and former hip-hop artist and lawmaker Phyo Zeya Thaw along with lesser-known activists Hla Myo Aung and Aung Thura Zaw. The four were accused of directing and organizing “violent and inhuman accomplice acts of terrorist killings.” U.N.-appointed human rights expert Thomas Andrew condemned the hangings: “These individuals were tried, convicted and sentenced by a military tribunal without the right of appeal and reportedly without legal counsel, in violation of international human rights law.” (Sources: [AP](, [BBC]() Sins of the Father Pope Francis Heads to Canada to Apologize to Indigenous People The leader of the Catholic Church will apologize for his institution’s role in the residential school system that saw thousands of Indigenous children killed and countless others sexually and physically abused. “Many of us have had thoughts about the Catholic Church for a long time and this particular moment may sweep aside these doubts,” said Phil Fontaine, one of the first to go public with the abuse he suffered. But the younger generation is less convinced: “I don’t care about the pope, I’m very critical about the pope visit,” said Riley Yesnoa, a doctoral student from Eabametoong First Nation in Ontario. (Source: [NYT]() Against the Grain Russia Says It’ll Allow Ukrainian Grain Exports — Then Bombs Port Global wheat prices dropped sharply Friday after the signing of what one U.N. official termed a “de facto ceasefire” that was meant to allow Ukraine to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports. But prices surged again Monday on the news that Russia had attacked the Ukrainian port of Odesa less than 24 hours after signing the accord. The deal was supposed to ease surging global food prices by restoring the country’s grain exports to pre-war levels within weeks — but government economic adviser Oleh Ustenko said the attack showed “that it will definitely not work like that.” (Source: [Reuters]() The Change Is Real Wildfire Threatens Yosemite, Northeast Breaks Heat Records Despite a major firefighting effort, California’s Oak Fire remained at 0% containment Sunday night. The fire, which only started on Friday, has already burned 15,603 acres of land and destroyed 10 structures — and, with temperatures in the region topping 100 F, it’s still growing. The U.S. Forest Service is taking emergency measures to protect the giant sequoias in nearby Yosemite National Park. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the country, Newark, New Jersey endured five straight days of triple-digit temperatures for the first time in recorded history. [U.S. heatwaves have tripled in frequency]( since the 1960s. (Sources: [BBC](, [NYT]() Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Wasn’t me. Elon Musk denied an alleged affair with the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin that was said to be behind the couple’s divorce. Musk called the allegations “total bs,” explaining that he and Brin “were at a party together last night!” (Source: [Fox News]() Los Angeles shooting. Two people were killed in a shooting at a car show in the city’s San Pedro neighborhood. Police said it wasn’t an active shooter situation but gave no further details. (Source: [AP]() ‘QAnon whack job.’ Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Dan Cox’s primary victory was the result of “collusion between Trump and the national Democrats.” (Source: [The Guardian]() [5 STARS FOR COMFORT]( [Cariuma]( No one likes breaking in a new pair of shoes. With [Cariuma’s]( broken-in-out-of-the-box feel, you’ll be sure to recommend them to friends! Planning on walking around town this summer? Make sure you check out their vast range of colors, prints, and exciting limited edition collabs - they have a style for every look! Excited to try them? Get [20% OFF](at checkout with your personal code, OZY20. This special offer is just for OZY readers. [LET’S GO!]( INTRIGUING Goo Goo, Ga Ga Baby Talk is Universal — And Wellingtonians Lead the Chorus Guilty as charged. An [international study]( that collected 1,615 recordings of 410 people from 21 societies speaking and singing to adults and babies confirmed that, regardless of language and culture, we all modify our voices when talking to babies — by raising our pitch and increasing our acoustic range. Still, some societies do it more blatantly than others, with residents of Wellington, New Zealand making the most extreme vocal changes. “I’m probably the author with the most papers on this topic until now, and this is just blowing my stuff away,” said Greg Bryant, a cognitive scientist who wasn’t involved in the study. (Sources: [The Guardian](, [NYT]() The Importance of Being Ernest Florida Attorney Wins Hemingway Look-Alike Contest Dade City’s Jon Auvil beat out 124 other stocky, white-bearded men clad in khaki to win the [annual contest]( at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West. When he wasn’t writing classics like For Whom the Bell Tolls or wrestling giant marlin from the Gulf of Mexico, Hemingway spent much of the ’30s drinking at the establishment owned by his fishing buddy Joe Russell. The contest is part of a weeklong celebration of the author’s life that includes a short story competition and a [Running of the Bulls]( featuring lifelike bovine models on wheels — and Hemingway look-alikes in red berets. (Source: [AP]() ¡Muchas Gracias! Diana Kennedy, Authority on Mexican Cooking, Dies At 99 Her 1972 cookbook, The Cuisines of Mexico, which included instructions on cleaning a black iguana and making wasp’s nest salsa, introduced Americans to the glorious complexities of Mexican cooking. Before then, she wrote, all the average person knew of the country’s food was “a crisp taco filled with ground meat heavily flavored with an all-purpose chili powder; a soggy tamal covered with a sauce that turns up on everything.” Follow-up books dug even deeper into Mexico’s culinary heritage and set a standard for aspiring authors. She revealed her secret in 2010: “I am tenacious. And I love to eat.” (Source: [NYT]() The Robots Are Coming … To Break Young Chess Players’ Fingers The game’s going digital — literally. A chess robot [grabbed a seven-year-old boy’s finger]( during a match at the Moscow Open last week. “The robot broke the child’s finger,” said Sergey Lazarev, the president of the Moscow Chess Federation. “This, of course, is bad.” It seems the boy took his move too quickly and the robot mistook his hand for a chess piece. “The child played the very next day, finished the tournament in a cast, and the volunteers helped to record the moves,” said Lazarev who distanced his federation from the operators of the robot. The boy’s parents are considering laying a charge. (Source: [Sky News]() Records Tumble Tobi Amusan Shatters Hurdles Record, Duplantis Vaults Higher The 25-year-old Nigerian clocked 12.12 in the 100-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon — beating American Kendra Harrison’s 2016 record by 0.08. “I wanted to get out and go,” said Amusan. “I did what I had to do.” She went on to win gold in what would have been another record time of 12.06 — only for it to be ruled ineligible due to a strong tailwind. Minutes later, 22-year-old Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis broke his own world record with a vault of 6.21 meters. He’d already claimed gold with his very first jump. (Source: [BBC]() Catch the Newest Episodes of The Carlos Watson Show, Season 4! COMMUNITY What else are you curious about? 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