1.5 Billion Are Locked Down | There’s Still No US Stimulus Deal

Smart news for busy people www.ozy.com Podcast available from 8 am et Podcast available from 8 am et HAPPENING TODAY | March 24 [1.5 Billion Are Locked Down | There’s Still No US Stimulus Deal]( important 1 [One-Fifth of the World Is Locked Down]( From Nepal to New York, more than 1.5 billion people have been asked to stay at home to help stem the coronavirus pandemic. Doctors in France and the U.S. are scrambling for medical supplies, while the U.K. leveled its toughest peacetime restrictions ever. For his part, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards offered an insightful piece of advice about the virus: “Everybody needs to act as if they already have it.” How is society changing? As [OZY reports](, authorities around the world are wondering what to do with highly susceptible prison populations — concerns that could alter criminal justice systems forever. SOURCES: [AP]( / [OZY]( 2 [There's Still No American Stimulus Deal]( Yesterday Senate Democrats blocked a $1.8 trillion coronavirus aid package for the second day in a row, seeking tighter restrictions on how big businesses spend the federal cash they’ll receive. Still, both Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they’re close to reaching a deal — which Schumer said could come this morning. Are other options on the table? Speaker Nancy Pelosi said House Democrats have their own $2.5 trillion package, prompting concerns that the process could drag on even longer, though she said they’ll “see what the Senate does” first. Check out [OZY’s latest Donald Dossier]( on the “Trump checks.” SOURCES: [FT (sub)]( / [NYT]( / [Politico]( 3 [White House Cuts $1 Billion in Afghan Aid]( After a fruitless meeting with Afghanistan’s rival leaders yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has returned to Washington — and left the government in Kabul $1 billion poorer. Expressing his disappointment with President Ashraf Ghani and his political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, for failing to form a united front in peace talks with the Taliban, Pompeo threatened to cut another $1 billion in aid next year. What’s next? The top diplomat said the U.S. would continue with [the scheduled troop withdrawal]( it promised the Taliban, turning up the heat on Afghanistan’s leaders to “get their act together.” SOURCES: [Al Jazeera]( / [Washington Post]( 4 [Airlines, Airports Struggle Amid Coronavirus]( With fewer people to ferry around the skies, U.S. agencies and airlines are reportedly mulling plans for a virtual shutdown of passenger flights. Carriers have already cut most foreign departures and planned to reduce domestic routes by 40 percent. Airports are also [learning how hard it can be]( to park thousands of grounded planes, some of which are as massive as an eight-story building. “It is sad for everyone, the whole industry,” said one airport executive. How many people are flying? The Transportation Security Administration clocked an 80 percent decrease in passengers at checkpoints on Sunday compared to the same day in 2019. SOURCES: [Reuters]( / [WSJ (sub)]( 5 [Also Important...]( President Donald Trump [has claimed that he’s planning to reopen the U.S. in weeks](, not months, because the current closures could lead to “far bigger problems.” Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond [was cleared yesterday of sexually assaulting nine women]( while in office. And a small portion of the Great Wall of China [has been reopened to tourists](. OZYfact: Ora Washington dominated professional women’s basketball from 1930 to 1943 — while also capturing more than 20 national titles with the American Tennis Association during her two-decade career on another kind of court. Read more [on OZY](. Coronavirus Update: New York State [has more than 10 times the number of confirmed infections]( as California, despite having only half the population. 6 [Sponsored by CARIUMA]( [This Sneaker Has Your Back. And Your Feet]( Whether your spring is mapped out or you prefer to make plans on the fly, CARIUMA is the crazy comfortable sneaker brand that gets you there in style. Soft memory foam insole. Bright colors. Sleek, sturdy canvas. It’s a sneaker brand that feels as good as it looks. Step into spring and [save $15 by using the OZYOZY code here.]( SOURCES: [CARIUMA]( intriguing 1 [Scandinavia Is a COVID-19 Hotspot]( Though widely hailed for its world-leading health care standards, the region has still reported more infections per capita than any other multination geographic area on the planet. That could be down to robust testing regimes in Denmark, Norway and Sweden,[OZY reports]( — or because they have slightly older populations that live in close proximity. Experts suggest they could also potentially be genetically predisposed. How are health care systems holding up? The region’s mortality rate is around half that of America’s, suggesting Scandinavia’s medical professionals are on point. SOURCES: [OZY]( 2 [Uber to Politicians: Protect Our Workers]( What’s he driving at? CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called for U.S. lawmakers to remember the tech giant’s drivers and couriers when negotiating the massive stimulus package. The goal, he wrote in a letter to President Trump, “is not to ask for a bailout,” but to give independent contractors a safety net. Earlier, Khosrowshahi told investors rides are down as much as 70 percent in some cities. What’s the bigger picture? Some critics say his plea partially undermines Uber’s argument that drivers shouldn’t be considered full-time employees that are essential to its business. Read [OZY’s feature]( about restaurant workers biting back at delivery apps. SOURCES: [Engadget]( / [Quartz]( 3 [Are We Related to This Weird Worm?]( Dig this. Researchers have identified an extinct 555 million-year-old wormlike creature smaller than a grain of rice as [the earliest known ancestor]( of virtually all living animals. That’s because Ikaria wariootia was a bilaterian — meaning both sides of its body were symmetrical — and boasted a gut connecting front and rear orifices. Though very simple by today’s standards, Ikaria were “remarkably complex” for their time, experts say, using primitive senses to burrow into the ocean floor for food. Why does it matter? The discovery sheds light on the evolutionary process, since bilateral symmetry was a key step along the way. SOURCES: [Inverse]( / [Newsweek]( / [VICE]( 4 [Woody Allen's Controversial Memoir Is Out]( After Hachette Publishing ditched the director — who’s [accused of sexually abusing]( his adopted daughter — Arcade Publishing didn’t flinch while releasing Apropos of Nothing yesterday. Hachette’s plans had sparked a backlash, including a recent staff walkout, but Arcade is apparently ready for any controversy that comes its way: Opting to “give voice to a respected writer and filmmaker,” it said it refused to “bow to the politically correct pressures of the modern world.” What’s in the memoir? Besides denying the abuse allegations, 84-year-old Allen also slams ex-wife Mia Farrow, describing her as a terrible mother. SOURCES: [NPR]( / [NY Post]( / [Vanity Fair]( 5 [IOC Veteran: Olympics Won't Happen This Year]( A day after the organization indicated that postponing the Summer Games was an option, longtime International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told U.S. media they’re definitely on hold. “It will come in stages,” the 78-year-old said about the IOC’s next moves. Pound suggested the games would probably be moved to 2021. Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic Committee was the latest national group to publicly demand [the event be called off](. How many previous Olympics were scrapped? The First and Second World Wars derailed the games in 1916, 1940 and 1944. Don’t miss [OZY’s story]( about when the Austrian army saved the Olympics. SOURCES: [SI]( / [USA Today]( caught up? now vault ahead ... To get more fresh stories and bold ideas in your inbox, [check out The Daily Dose.]( News + Politics [Democrats Promise Cheaper Drugs From Canada. But Is Trump Already Delivering?]( Trump is co-opting his opponents' central pitches, in effect neutering them on the campaign trail. [READ NOW]( OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](