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| All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below. |
| Need To Know. |
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| NAFTA Replacement. |
President Trump hailed a finalized agreement yesterday between the US, Mexico, and Canada that will replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The previous deal, struck under the Clinton Administration, virtually eliminated tariffs and other trade barriers between the three countries (see background). The deal drove unprecedented integration between the three economies - governing almost $1T in annual trade - but was often criticized within the US for moving high-wage manufacturing jobs to Mexico (which is open to debate). Among other things, the new deal will incentivize carmakers to locate in areas with higher wages (40% of an auto will need to come from factories paying at least $16 per hour), expands access to Canadian markets for US farmers, and preserved a dispute-resolving tribunal that the US sought to eliminate. You can see a list of the top changes here (paywall) to the now-named US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (or USMCA).
Dairy was a deal-breaker - here's the list of cheese names that sellers can use in all three countries without restriction. |
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| Melania Makes First Solo Trip. |
| First Lady Melania Trump departed for Africa yesterday, her first solo visit since moving into the White House. She is scheduled to visit Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt as part of a week-long journey meant to highlight children's issues on the continent - an international extension of her "Be Best" campaign launched in the US. The initiative highlights programs that are successful at providing emotional, social, and educational support for underprivileged youth. Trump will act as an ambassador for her husband's administration - President Trump has yet to visit Africa but has been criticized for making harsh comments about the continent behind closed doors. Africa is a well-worn destination for first ladies - Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama each traveled there while in office. |
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| Billionaire Loses Beach Dispute. |
The Supreme Court declined to hear arguments over whether the lone road to a popular beach destination could be restricted by a private land owner. Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures, argued that he had a right to prevent people from crossing his property to reach Martin's Beach, a top spot for surfers and families located about ten miles south of Half Moon Bay in California. Khosla had purchased the surrounding land in 2008, promptly closing the access road that the previous owners had kept open - but the protesters said the move violated California's Coastal Act of 1976, which enshrines public access to beaches in state law.
Khosla himself had mixed feelings (paywall) about the case - he has said he supported the Coastal Act but felt that property rights were more important. |
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| In The Know. |
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| Sports, Entertainment & Culture. |
| > Milwaukee Brewers & LA Dodgers win tiebreakers to claim National League Central and West titles; NL and AL Wild Card games set for tonight (More) |
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| > Lin-Manuel Miranda to reprise titular role in Hamilton for 23 performances in Puerto Rico; will be his first time performing in the musical since leaving the Broadway cast in 2016 (More) |
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| > Rapper Cardi B surrenders to NYPD, charged with reckless endangerment and assault stemming from August club fight (More) |
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| Science & Technology. |
| > Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to two scientists for development of T-cell cancer immunotherapy (More) | Here's how it works (More) |
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| > 70 scientists sign letter protesting new National Science Foundation biology directorate policy that limits researchers to submitting one grant proposal per year (More) |
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| > New eco-friendly nanoparticle accelerates artificial photosynthesis, making hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight, without common toxic byproduct of cadmium (More) |
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| Business & Markets. |
| > General Electric replaces CEO John Flannery after 14 months with outsider & Board member Larry Culp, shares up 7% (More) |
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| > European budget airline Primera - which had expanded into the US this year - ceases operations, to shut down (More) |
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| > Personal shopping service Stitch Fix grows 23% but misses revenue guidance, shares down 20% in after-hours trading (More) |
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| Politics & World Affairs. |
| > President Trump awards prestigious Medal of Honor to Seattle veteran; becomes 11th Army solider to be awarded the medal for actions during war in Afghanistan (More) |
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| > White House instructs FBI to widen scope of week-long probe into sexual assault claims against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh; deadline for probe is Friday (More) |
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| > Nobel Foundation will not rescind Nobel Peace Prize from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been criticized for inaction during Rohingya crisis (More) |
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| In Depth. |
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| My Career as an International Blood Smuggler. |
| The Guardian | Kathleen McLaughlin. At one point in China 50% of purchased medications were counterfeited or compromised in some way. When the author discovered that she had a rare nerve disease she was determined to avoid becoming a victim of that statistic. (Read) |
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| The Lie Generator. |
| Wired | Mark Harris. In 2007, it was estimated that 75% of urban police departments still issue polygraphs during their interview process. This is despite a number of studies that say the machines cannot reliably distinguish between the truth and a lie. See why federal agencies still issue these tests, and the many people that have been mistreated in the process. (Read) |
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| Etcetera. |
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| Half of the world's population is now middle class or wealthier. |
| Applications to business school in the US fall for the fourth year in a row. |
| This detailed map shows how different neighborhoods can shape a child's entire life (paywall). |
| Netflix will release an interactive episode of Black Mirror sometime this year. |
| Here's how long different drugs stay in your body. |
| Australia is turning Sydney's unfinished underground train tunnels into entertainment venues. |
| Stunning landscapes from around the world that will make you appreciate Mother Earth. |
| Artificial Martian dirt is selling for $20 per kilogram. |
| Clickbait: Explosive gender-reveal party leads to 45,000-acre wildfire. |
| Historybook: HBD Mahatma Gandhi (1869); HBD fashion designer Donna Karan (1948); Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first African-American Supreme Court justice (1967); Rock Hudson is first major US celebrity to die from AIDS (1985); RIP Tom Petty (2017). |
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- Mahatma Gandhi |
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