Sweeping Out the ‘Scumbags’

Start your day smarter with the most important world news, plus intriguing and offbeat stories. www.ozy.com [OZY]( [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. Sep 20, 2022 Today Ukraine recaptured a symbolic village in Luhansk — and now it's got Lysychansk in its sights. Exactly five years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the island is again without electricity thanks to a smaller storm. Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit podcast Serial, has been released after a judge overturned his sentence. And, after an incredible day of commemoration, Queen Elizabeth was laid to rest at Windsor Castle. All this and more in today’s PDB. 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Ukraine Recaptures Symbolic Village in Blow to Putin After his troops failed to take Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin refined the goals of his “special military operation” to include annexing the eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk. Now that’s in jeopardy. Luhansk governor Serhiy Hadai announced early Tuesday that Ukrainian troops were in “complete control” of Bilohorivka — and he warned that Lysychansk would be next: “Soon we will drive these scumbags out of there with a broom.” In what many interpreted as a clear sign of panic, the leader of the Moscow-backed separatist administration in Donetsk called on his Luhansk counterpart to “synchronize” preparations for a referendum on joining Russia. (Sources: [The Guardian](, [Reuters]() Grim Reminder On Hurricane Maria’s 5th Anniversary, Puerto Rico’s Got No Power Five years ago, Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. island, killing 3,000 people and damaging 80% of the electrical grid. Now a much weaker storm, Hurricane Fiona, is causing similar havoc — thanks in part to legal wrangling that’s prevented the island from accessing the $10 billion earmarked for electrical upgrades. Although there’s only been one confirmed death on the island, 1.5 million people were left without power. “I found out it was a hurricane at 11 a.m. on Sunday,” said Itzamary Alvarado. “So I left everything and ran to the supermarket. I had not prepared for a hurricane.” (Source: [NYT]() ‘Serial’ Justice Adnan Syed Released, Sentence Quashed In a remarkable about-turn, a Baltimore judge ordered the release of the man made famous by the hit podcast Serial. Syed, who’s served 23 years for the 1999 murder of his high-school sweetheart Hae Min Lee, has always maintained his innocence and his case has been plagued by inconsistencies. The decision came after the prosecution filed a motion saying a lengthy investigation had revealed new evidence — including “newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects” — that could undermine Syed’s conviction. The state has 30 days to decide whether to seek a new trial date or to dismiss the case against him entirely. (Source: [AP]() End of an Era Queen Laid to Rest, King Charles’ Reign Begins in Earnest In its first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965, Great Britain pulled out all the stops with a day of polished pomp the likes of which few of us have ever witnessed. There were ancient rituals aplenty — the lord chamberlain’s breaking of his wand of office so it could be buried with his sovereign stands out — but there was also much modern relevance. Not least Archbishop [Justin Welby’s reminder]( to the world leaders who packed Westminster Abbey that “the pattern for many leaders is to be exalted in life and forgotten after death.” King Charles III has large shoes to fill. (Source: [NYT]() Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: ‘Cursed’ anniversary. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City Monday on the anniversary of two previous quakes in 1985 and 2017. One death has been confirmed. (Source: [Al Jazeera]() ‘Awful hoax.’ Sherri Papini, the California woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016, has been sentenced to 18 months in jail. Papini committed “to healing the parts of myself that were so very broken.” (Source: [CNN]() Prisoner swap. The Taliban released an American engineer, Mark Frerichs, in exchange for the release of a senior Afghan tribal leader convicted of drug trafficking. President Joe Biden issued a statement saying he “did not take lightly” the decision. 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[SHOP HERE]( INTRIGUING ‘Pariah State’ Iconic Russian Pop Star Condemns the War Hugely popular Russian singer Alla Pugacheva, adored since the ’70s, has dared the Kremlin to label her a “foreign agent” alongside her outspoken entertainer husband Maxim Galkin. “Please include me in the ranks of foreign agents of my beloved country,” Pugacheva wrote on Instagram Sunday, “Since I am in solidarity with my husband … a true and incorruptible patriot of Russia who wants his homeland to flourish in peace, with freedom of speech, and wants an end to our boys dying for illusory goals, which has turned our country into a pariah state and made life a burden for our citizens.” (Sources: [BBC](, [Politico]() Indefensible Outrage as Colleagues Defend French Politician Who Slapped His Wife Last week it emerged that Céline Quatennens had filed a police report against her husband Adrien, a senior figure in the radical left party France Unbowed. In a statement confirming their impending divorce, Quatennens admitted that “in a context of extreme tension and mutual aggression, I slapped her … I profoundly regret this action and I have said sorry many times.” Party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon promptly praised Quatennens for his “dignity and courage” and other colleagues followed suit — resulting in a swift backlash. “Violence against women has many faces,” said Sandrine Rousseau of the Green Party. “None of them is acceptable.” (Source: [The Guardian]() Glass Ceiling Ukraine Is Running Out of Glass — And Winter Is on Its Way Since Russia invaded, “millions” of windows have been blown out across Ukraine. And, thanks to the war, an ordinary pane of glass now costs up to four times what it used to — if you can get your hands on one. Temperatures have already plummeted from about 80 degrees to almost freezing, and winter hasn’t properly kicked off yet. Many locals have turned to plywood, tablecloths and even Saran wrap: but none of these materials lets light in and keeps cold out. “A simple $100 window can prevent an entire family from freezing this winter,” said Michael Capponi of [Global Empowerment Mission](. (Source: [NYT]() ‘Needless Legal Gymnastics’ Montana Agrees to Allow Transgender People to Change Birth Records In April, District Judge Michael Moses ordered Montana’s health department to temporarily stop enforcing a law that prevented transgender people who hadn’t undergone surgery from changing their gender on their birth certificates. But the Republican-run state simply ignored him. They were eventually persuaded to comply by a scathing court order Monday that accused officials of “calculated violations” and “needless legal gymnastics” that, Moses wrote, were “demonstrably ridiculous.” Law professor Carl Tobias was critical of the state’s attitude: “Appeal is what you contemplate — not that you can nullify a judge’s orders. Otherwise, people just wouldn’t obey the law.” (Source: [AP]() Never Say Never When Multiday Races Were Canceled, The Runners Made a Plan Apart from a brief flirtation with the mainstream in the 1980s, multiday races have always been on the periphery of an already fringe sport. No wonder the International Association of Ultrarunners eventually decided to decertify several multiday events last September. They clearly hadn’t bargained for Trishul Cherns, who immediately established the [Global Organization of Multiday Ultramarathoners]( and began arranging the inaugural 48-Hour World Championship in Hainesport, New Jersey. Only 47 runners showed up, but for Cherns it was a resounding success. Next year there’ll be a six-day championship in Italy and a 48-hour one in England. “It has begun,” he said. (Source: [NYT]() Catch the Newest Episodes of The Carlos Watson Show, Season 4! 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 Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s 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](