Court Protects LGBT Rights | Pyongyang's Explosive Diplomacy

Smart news for busy people www.ozy.com [presidential daily brief]( *Podcast available from 8 am et Tuesday, June 16, 2020 Sponsored by Important 1 1 [Supreme Court Rules for LGBT Workers Rights]( Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch penned Monday’s opinion confirming that the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects people from being fired for their gender, also prohibits firing on the basis of being [gay or transgender](. It’s a huge victory for LGBT advocates and has angered some social conservatives, who saw Gorsuch’s appointment to the court as a victory for their own ideologies. The 6-3 ruling, while sweeping, sets up another fight for the court’s next term, when it will examine whether individuals and businesses can seek exemptions from anti-discrimination laws based on religious beliefs. SOURCES: [WSJ (sub)]( / [Reuters]( 2 2 [North Korea Blows Up Joint Liaison Office]( In an escalation of tensions that have been building for weeks, Pyongyang has reportedly destroyed a building that’s served as a point of connection with South Korea since 2018. Located in Kaesong, the office was already silent: North Korea announced last week it was cutting off all communication with its neighbor in retaliation for leaflets and USB sticks sent across the border. [Leader Kim Jong Un’s]( sister, Kim Yo Jong, had been threatening to blow up the building since Saturday. Her rising profile in the Hermit Kingdom has led to speculation that she may someday replace her brother. SOURCES: [BBC]( / [Washington Post]( 3 3 [Victories Against Virus Are Short-Lived]( New Zealand declared itself COVID-19-free last week, but now has two new cases, both travelers from Britain who were released from quarantine early without being tested. Meanwhile, Beijing, which is struggling against scores of new cases, has locked down three neighborhoods in a bid to contain further spread. And in the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence encouraged state governors to blame recent spikes on increased testing, even though the average number of positive cases is expanding faster than the average number of tests. To read all OZY’s coverage of the virus, [click here](. SOURCES: [NYT]( / [The Guardian]( / [AP]( 4 4 [Stocks Jump as Investors Eye US Stimulus]( Steady as she goes. A new report that the Trump administration is planning a $1 trillion infrastructure spending package to boost the struggling U.S. economy saw stocks around the world jump in anticipation. London’s FTSE 100 gained 2.2 percent as it opened, and U.S. stocks are expected to open with a bounce as well. When and how the stimulus might be distributed is still unclear, but it could potentially mitigate market losses driven by fears of a second coronavirus wave — if not losses for the millions of workers now unemployed due to the COVID-19 [economic collapse](. SOURCES: [FT (sub)]( / [Bloomberg]( 5 5 [Also Important...]( The U.S. Supreme Court [declined to hear]( a number of cases covering “qualified immunity” for police. The White House is expected to unveil its own [police reform]( plans today. And [Rep. Ilhan Omar](‘s father has died of complications of COVID-19. Wear It: The newly launched [Reset America]( section of the OZY Store lets you look good by doing good, with 100 percent of profits being donated to your choice of racial justice organizations. Grab a Reset America T-shirt, backpack and more. And be sure to post your pics on social using #ResetAmerica and #OZYmerch! 6 [Sponsored by Bright Cellars]( [6 Red, White or Rosé?]( How about all three! Using OZY’s exclusive offer, get $50 off wines selected just for you from our partners at Bright Cellars. [Take their quiz](and have their algorithm select wines you'll love and deliver them straight to your door. [Get great wine now!]( SOURCES: [Bright Cellars]( Don't keep OZY as your little secret. Click below to share this email with a friend. [Share]( Intriguing 1 [1 Tell-All Books Plague Trump Presidency]( No more Mr. Niece Guy. Mary Trump, the 55-year-old niece of President Donald Trump, is set to publish a book next month titled Too Much and Never Enough that promises to expose Trump family drama and “harrowing and salacious” stories. She also revealed that she’s been a main source for New York Times reporting into her uncle’s financial affairs. Meanwhile, Trump threatened legal action over a book by former [national security adviser]( John Bolton, scheduled to be released next week, saying all their conversations should be considered “highly classified” — a distinction unlikely to hold up in court. SOURCES: [The Telegraph]( / [Politico]( / [Daily Beast]( 2 [2 FDA Pulls Hydroxychloroquine Approval]( As COVID-19 gained steam in the U.S. in March, the FDA took drastic action, granting emergency approval to use malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which at the time looked like a potentially promising treatment. But as more studies were done, data actually pointed to [hydroxychloroquine being unhelpful](, or even harmful, in treating the coronavirus, and now the FDA has officially pulled its approval. President Trump has continued to tout the drug as a solution, even saying he took it himself and arranging to ship millions of doses to Brazil to help fight the virus there. SOURCES: [Stat News]( / [Ars Technica]( 3 [3 Africa Leads the World in Confronting the Past]( As the U.S. faces up to its systemic racism and history of state-sponsored violence, potential solutions could come from studying the way African countries have dealt with their own. South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established in 1994, helped the country face the fallout of apartheid and set examples for Nigeria, Rwanda and other nations around the world to do the same, [OZY reports](. While some have criticized the commissions for not going far enough, they’ve often proved powerful tools for prosecuting offenders, listening to those wronged and determining reparations. SOURCES: [OZY]( 4 [4 Ron Perlman Challenges Ted Cruz to Wrestle]( Someone‘s not afraid of the Zodiac killer. The Hellboy actor got into a Twitter war with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who — after Perlman and Rep. Matt Gaetz argued about athletes kneeling in protest — bet $10,000 that the actor wouldn’t wrestle Ohio congressman (and former wrestling coach) Jim Jordan. Perlman instead promised $50,000 to Black Lives Matter if Cruz himself would [wrestle him](. Cruz hasn’t taken him up on the challenge, or a later one Perlman set that also included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. SOURCES: [EW]( / [The Hill]( / [The Guardian]( 5 [5 WNBA to Return in July for Shortened Season]( The women’s basketball league has announced it’ll return late next month with a fan-free 22-game season, down from the normal 34-game slate, followed by a regular playoff schedule. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said players will still get their full salaries and benefits. They’ll all be sequestered at a single location in Florida, though the state’s seen a big spike in COVID-19, with record numbers of new cases last week. Englebert also announced the WNBA would support players in launching a “bold social justice platform” to address racism and police brutality. Read OZY’s [one big idea]( to reach gender parity in sports. SOURCES: [Yahoo Sports]( / [The Hill]( caught up? now vault ahead ... To get more fresh stories and bold ideas in your inbox, [check out The Daily Dose.]( The New + the Next [The Teenagers Who Organized a 10,000-Person Protest]( Six Nashville high schoolers didn’t have an organization, so they created one. [READ NOW]( Want to share your love of OZY? Forward this email to a friend by clicking the button below. [Share]( OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](