11.21.2017

North Korea Relisted as State Sponsor of Terror.
President Trump placed North Korea on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, placing them back on the list for the first time since 2008. While citing the killing of the North Korean leader Kin Jong Un's half-brother in Malaysia, experts say importance of the designation is that it unlocks further sanctions like tighter restrictions on foreign assistance. The only other three countries currently listed by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism are Iran, Syria, and Sudan - North Korea was delisted by then-president Bush in 2008. 

AT&T and Time Warner Merger Blocked.
The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit to stop a merger between AT&T and Time Warner - the first major antitrust activity of the Trump administration. The suit puts a hold on AT&T's $85B bid to acquire one of the largest entertainment conglomerates. The Department claims the combined market power would allow AT&T, which primarily provides internet and television, to use Time Warner's extensive television and film production infrastructure to capture unfair market share - potentially charging consumers higher prices in the process. The lawsuit also implied AT&T and Comcast - which together control almost half the pay-TV market - would have the ability to collude and squash emerging competition. Trump announced his opposition to the deal before the election last year, saying it would concentrate too much power in AT&T’s hands.

Tillerson Accused of Violating Child Soldier Laws.
About a dozen State Department officials accused Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of violating federal laws designed to protect foreign governments from enlisting child soldiers into their armed forces. The accusations were revealed by a leaked internal "dissent" memo, after Tillerson decided to leave Iraq, Myanmar, and Afghanistan off the list of child soldier offenders despite the government's acknowledgement that these countries were conscripting children. In leaving the countries off the list - which makes it easier to provide military assistance - officials say the Department is in violation of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act. There are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers around the globe, many as young as 7 years old and 40% of which are girls (see UN report). 

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The Rolling Stone | Neil Strauss. In this intimate interview with one of the world’s most successful and influential entrepreneurs, Elon Musk shows us a different side of himself–the father, the boyfriend, the human being. But don’t worry, he still gets to the good stuff: artificial intelligence, reusable rockets, and of course Musk city–a potential glimpse into the future of urban life.
 

The Guardian | Ben Beaumont-Thomas. While he wasn't the most well-known rapper, the 21-year-old New York native has brought outsized attention to the problem of prescription drug abuse in the hip-hop industry after overdosing on Xanax (among other psychedelics) - the same blight currently ravaging the country from coast to coast. 

Only 1 in 10 adults get enough fruits or vegetables (from CDC).

Time's best inventions of 2017.

Why the NCAA will eventually be forced to pay some student athletes in one chart.  

Beyonce ($105M) leads the world's highest-paid women in music 2017.  

Serena Williams married Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian (photos).

Air Force facing pilot shortage crisis. 

See the winners of the 2017 Epson International Pano Photography awards.  

Criminals steal more than 237,000 guns from legal American gun owners every year.

This new probiotic makes cow burps less damaging to the climate. 

Historybook: HBD Voltaire (1694); Thomas Edison invents the phonograph (1877); HBD Ken Griffey, Jr (1969); 350 million tune in to famous ‘Who Shot J.R.’ Dallas episode (1980).

"I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK."
-Thomas Edison
 

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