8 Billion Earthlings

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 [Brilliant]( 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. Nov 15, 2022 Today The U.N. says the world’s now home to 8 billion people — but at least population growth is slowing. Republicans are one seat away from reclaiming the House with a slender majority. Democrat Katie Hobbs won the race for Arizona governor, beating off her Trump-supporting Republican rival Kari Lake. And, much to Sergey Lavrov’s irritation, the first order of business at the G-20 summit was a draft resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All this and more in today’s PDB. 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[Get Started]( IMPORTANT A Child Is Born Bittersweet: World Population Passes 8 Billion Just 11 years after hitting the 7 billion mark, the U.N. announced another milestone Tuesday — although it admitted its estimate may be off by a year or two. John Wilmoth, director of the U.N.’s population division, said that reaching 8 billion people is “a sign of human success, but it’s also a great risk for our future.” As climate change wreaks havoc, Stephanie Feldstein of the Center for Biological Diversity stressed that “every single person needs fuel, wood, water, and a place to call home.” Experts say the rate of growth is slowing, with many countries already experiencing declining populations. (Sources: [Reuters](, [BBC]() On the Brink GOP Just a Seat Away From Regaining House Two wins in California and one in New York took Republicans to 217 seats — but the precise extent of their majority hung in the balance with several competitive seats in California and other states yet to be called. Whatever the final tally, the margin will be much smaller than the GOP had hoped or expected. Governing with such a slim majority could prove tricky, as just one or two dissenting voices could scupper the party’s plans. The fact that Dems have maintained control of the Senate further complicates matters. First contentious order of business? Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become House speaker. (Source: [AP]() Another One Down Arizona Gov: Hobbs Squeaks Past Election-Denier Lake The Associated Press called the contest in Democrat Katie Hobbs’ favor, although her Republican rival, former TV personality Kari Lake, was having none of it: “Arizonans know BS when they see it,” she tweeted, baselessly. Hobbs rose to prominence in 2020 when she resisted attempts to overturn the vote, despite her home being besieged by Trump supporters. A Lake victory could have had major implications for the 2024 elections, as Arizona’s governor has to approve the state’s presidential nominee. But in the end, she was defeated by the mild-mannered and publicity-shy Hobbs, who will become Arizona’s first Democratic governor since 2009. (Source: [NYT]() Will They or Won’t They? G-20 Mulls Resolution Condemning Putin’s War In the first session of the G-20 summit, a [draft declaration]( circulated stating that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy.” But, in an apparent reference to Russian representative Sergey Lavrov — who’s almost certain to oppose its adoption — the draft also noted that “there were other views and different assessments of the situation.” Speaking via video link, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had urged attendees to get behind his [peace plan](: “I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s war must and can be stopped.” (Source: [Reuters]() Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Rapprochement? Face-to-face talks between President Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping went off better than expected, with the two promising to order their negotiators to resume climate talks. But a Hollywood ending is still a long way off. (Source: [CNN]() UVa shooting. The three victims in Sunday’s shooting have been identified as University of Virginia football players. The suspect, a former player, was arrested 11 a.m. Monday. (Source: [WaPo]() Surprise! Japan’s economy shrunk for the first time in a year, with GDP falling by 1.2% in the last quarter. Experts expect it to bounce back next year. (Source: [BBC]() INTRIGUING Pardon Moo When It Comes to Reducing Cow Burps, New Zealand Leads the Way New Zealand’s recent plan to begin [taxing cow and sheep burps]( hit the headlines — but there was little mention of the many ways the country’s scientists are trying to reduce animal methane emissions. These include a probiotic called “Kowbucha,” a wearable harness that oxidizes methane as it’s belched out, and — perhaps most promisingly — a vaccine that could potentially reduce methane emissions by 30%. Another tactic, which is already being employed, is selective breeding: getting animals that burp less to procreate. “I don’t believe there’s any other place that has the breadth of ambition that New Zealand has,” said scientist Peter Janssen. (Source: [AP]() Represent! Gen-Z Now Has Its First Congressman Move over [Madison Cawthorn]( — there’s a new 25-year-old in Congress, and his politics couldn’t be more different. With a Puerto Rican mom and a Haitian dad, Maxwell Alejandro Frost is passionate about ending gun violence, combating climate change, and creating an America where everyone has access to health care, housing and a decent wage. Forget the moon landings or 9/11, says Frost: “If you ask Gen-Z what are some of the most defining world moments, you’ll probably hear about the shooting at Parkland or the Black Lives Matter movement. Trayvon Martin being murdered just 30 minutes north of where I lived.” (Source: [Rolling Stone]() ‘A Dog’s Death for a Dog’ What Happens if You Defect From the Russian Army and Get Caught? Brutal video footage depicting the sledgehammer murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin, a Russian prisoner who was recruited by the shadowy [Wagner Group]( to fight in Ukraine but then changed sides, has divided opinion in Russsia. “Our whole family was in tears watching the video,” said his son Ilya Nuzhin. “He was murdered like an animal.” Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin — a man known as “Putin’s Chef” — was unsympathetic. Calling the film an “excellent directorial work that’s watchable in one sitting,” he said that Nuzhin deserved to be executed, adding: “I think this movie is called A Dog’s Death for a Dog.” (Sources: [Guardian](, [BBC]() In His Prime Yitang Zhang Says He’s Cracked Another Age-Old Math Problem The Chinese mathematician who shot to fame in 2013 for [answering a century-old question about prime numbers]( says he’s done it again. Zhang posted his solution to the Landau–Siegel zeros conjecture on the arXiv preprint server. Now his peers have to pore over all 111 pages to see if it checks out. Cracking the conjecture would help mathematicians to predict whether or not a number will be prime. “This result would be massive,” said number theorist Andrew Granville, who warned that several people, including Xhang, had proposed solutions to the conjecture before. “Right now, we’re very far from being certain.” (Source: [Nature]() Fed Up ‘Betrayed’ Cristiano Ronaldo Gives Bombshell Interview “I feel betrayed.” CR7 may be one of the biggest names in soccer, and a cult hero at the club, but for most of this season he’s sat on the bench at Manchester United — and he’s not at all happy about it. A [sneak preview]( of a 90-minute interview with Piers Morgan includes some choice sound bites. Ronaldo throws current head coach Erik ten Hag under the bus: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me.” And he says that there’s been “zero progress” at Man U since Alex Ferguson, Britain’s most successful manager ever, left in 2013. (Source: [The Sun]() COMMUNITY What else are you curious about? Share your questions or thoughts with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com COMING 11/15: OZY'S LATEST DOCUSERIES Get a SNEAK peek [HERE](! 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} [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](