The Challengers are Circling

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. Oct 21, 2022 Today Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister in the U.K., setting off another round of leadership lobbying by the ruling Conservatives. A federal court and the Supreme Court have both shot down challenges to the Biden administration’s student debt relief program. The U.S. State Department said Iranian military experts, as well as Tehran-made drones, are aiding Russia in Ukraine. And pro-democracy protests in Chad have been met with a violent response by security forces leaving dozens dead. All this and more in today’s PDB. 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[Shop Here]( IMPORTANT Job Applications In the UK, Liz is out and Boris May Be Back in Lasting just 45 days, former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ reign came to an end on Thursday after 24 hours of chaos — even by her embattled government’s standards. Truss appeared to have jumped before she could be pushed, following a visit by Conservative MP powerbroker Sir Graham Brady. That leaves the top job open and challengers circling. Former PM Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a tilt, as is Rishi Sunak, who had challenged Truss for Johnson’s vacancy. Elections are not due until 2025 and, at this stage, the deeply unpopular Conservatives look unlikely to call an early poll. (Sources: [The Guardian](, [NYT]() Back to School Attempts to Block Student Debt Relief Smacked Down in Court It’s happening, U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey ruled in St. Louis on Thursday. Six states — Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina — attempted to block the plan, which would forgive up to $20,000 of student debt for millions of Americans. It’s a win for President Joe Biden’s administration, which has made the scheme a policy priority. The states have vowed to appeal the decision, though a similar appeal from Wisconsin was rejected by Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the same day. More than 12 million people have signed up for relief since the program went live last Friday. (Sources: [AP](, [WaPo]() Friends and Enemies US Says Russia, Iran Have Teamed Up in War Effort “Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday. Drones that struck Kyiv on Monday were reportedly Iranian-made. Military experts from Iran are believed to be working as trainers to Russian forces and in tech support, although neither the department nor the Biden administration has provided evidence to the public. While the figure is believed to be “relatively small,” the allegations place additional pressure on Iran’s dispute with the U.S., and both the EU and Britain have agreed to ramp up sanctions against Tehran. (Sources: [BBC](, [Reuters]() ‘Uprising’ Violence Leaves 50 Dead in Chad as Democracy Protests Heat Up Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo announced the deaths Thursday and added that the toll is expected to rise, with further reports coming in from across the country. He described the violence as an uprising, but human rights activists have disputed those claims, saying that unarmed civilians had been gunned down by pro-government security forces. Hospital workers in capital N’Djamena reported being overwhelmed by people with bullet injuries. Protests come after the military-installed government announced a further two-year delay to democracy reforms promised by interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who seized power last year after the death of his father, long-reigning President Idriss Deby. (Sources: [Reuters](, [Al Jazeera]() Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Murdered. A 15-year-old Iranian girl was beaten to death by security forces during a raid on her school last week, a teachers’ group said. Other students were beaten, including one who remains in a coma. (Source: [France24]() No welcome. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, has been called on by Iranian players and others to bar their own national team from attending the coming Qatar World Cup. They claim the Iranian government, which oversees the team, contravenes FIFA’s rules on allowing women in stadiums in Iran. (Source: [BBC]() History. Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to seize a historical third term as president on the final day of the Communist Party Congress on Sunday. (Source: [Reuters]() [GET ‘EM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE]( [Cariuma]( From walking the dog around the block to playing outside with the kids and jumping into leaf piles, we have never received so many compliments on our stylish kicks. You might be thinking “those are just sneakers” – but no! [Cariuma’s]( Canvas and Suede low-top shoes offer a broken-in fit, a perfect variety of colors, and a beachside vibe that you can rock all year long, even when the cooler temperatures roll in. Handcrafted with natural, organic, and recycled materials, they’re sure to have people stop you on the street 👀 With over 20,000 five-star reviews, it’s no surprise these kicks flew off the shelves. But now, after clearing a 77,000-person waitlist, they’re back in stock. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to give these sneaks a shot…before they’re gone. Enter code [OZYOCT]( at checkout and receive 15% off! [TAKE ME SHOPPING]( INTRIGUING Rat Wars A Plague on All Your Burroughs — and Burrows “The rats don’t run the city. We do,” New York’s Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. It was the opening salvo in a concerted effort to fix “50 years” of political dithering over the city’s rat population. Rat complaints have reached 21,600 reports already in 2022, up a staggering 71% since October 2020. From April 1 next year, New Yorkers will be fined for leaving trash bags on the street before 8 p.m. Collectors currently collect around 5 million pounds of garbage a night, while rats only need around 28 grams of food a day to live. (Source: [NPR]() Connected AirDrop Has Become China’s Dissident Network “Xi Jinping’s iPhone would like to share a photo,” the familiar notification tells iPhone users. Open the message to reveal images protesting the president’s rule. AirDrop can be used between Apple products within close range, and with even nominally critical discussions banned on social media, users have found it a savvy workaround. Dissatisfaction with the government has boiled over in recent months, with extended lockdowns testing the patience of millions, as the powerful Communist Party Congress sits for its major meeting in Beijing. “Word of mouth, even from the locals, is common, but never something of this nature,” one recipient said. (Source: [Vice]() ‘Shining a Light’ Jury Says Spacey ‘Not Liable’ in Sexual Abuse Civil Case Kevin Spacey was accused of historical sexual abuse by Anthony Rapp in 2017, sparking one of the most high-profile cases in the #MeToo-era. A Manhattan federal jury dismissed the allegations Thursday after just 90 minutes of deliberation. “I’m very grateful to the jury for seeing through these false allegations,” Spacey’s attorney said. Spacey himself has yet to comment. While Rapp is disappointed by the outcome, he intends to continue the fight against sexual harassment and abuse within Hollywood: “Bringing this lawsuit was always about shining a light, as part of the larger movement to stand up against all forms of sexual violence.” (Source: [NBC]() Iconic Thought Floppy Disks Were Dead and Buried? Not Quite Tom Persky has given the old 3.5-inch disks new life with his California-based business of recycling and reselling to buyers struggling to find the former icons of storage. In the age of cloud storage demand would seem nonexistent, but Persky’s business is thriving. The airline industry is a top buyer: “If you built a plane 20 or 30 or even 40 years ago, you would use a floppy disk to get information in and out of some of the avionics of that airplane.” Persky uses a magnetic machine to clear old data, leaving disks as pristine as they were in the 90s. (Source: [Reuters]() Black and White Alleged Chess Cheater Comes for the Game’s Kings American grandmaster Hans Niemann, 19, is suing for defamation in an ongoing cheating dispute that has enthralled the chess world. Filing in a Missouri court on Thursday, Niemann wants $100 million in damages from world champion Magnus Carlsen and others, including Chess.com — which recently alleged Niemann had cheated in online matches — and its chief chess officer Daniel Rensch. The online platform is ready for the bout: “There is no merit to Hans’ allegations, and Chess.com looks forward to setting the record straight on behalf of its team and all honest chess players.” Niemann continues to deny the allegations. (Source: [CNN]() The OZY Genius Awards Are Back! OZY believes college students hold the keys to unlocking a brighter future. Do you have a genius idea? Share it with us for a chance to win up to $10,000 in grants! Applications close October 31st. Apply Today! 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