The Presidential Daily Brief - 08/11/2014 IMPORTANT... 1 - IRAQS MALIKI DEPLOYS TANKS IN POLITICAL SHOWDOWN Thousands of Yazidis fleeing Islamic State fighters escaped a siege amid Kurdish headway against militants after U.S. airstrikes in Iraq. But the nation took another dark turn as unpopular Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched a government showdown. Special forces and tanks under Maliki’s command patrolled Baghdad after President Fuad Masum refused to name Maliki to another term. Maliki filed a legal complaint on the matter, but his toughest challenge may be overcoming U.S. support for Masum. Washington Post, NYT, Bloomberg, DW 2 - SHOOTING OF UNARMED BLACK TEEN SPARKS VIOLENCE Police say 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot multiple times in a St. Louis suburb after struggling with an officer over his gun. But many in the African-American community question the explanation for why the unarmed Brown, due to start tech school this week, was killed on Saturday. Thousands took to the streets for a candlelight vigil, but what followed were scattered reports of vandalism, looting and fires that prompted police to send in a SWAT team. St. Louis Post Dispatch, NYT 3 - ENERGY FIRM TO SPEND $44 BILLION TO BUY ITSELF Kinder Morgan is set to spend $44 billion consolidating the ownership of its mystifying suite of companies in a bid to calm investors’ concerns. The deal, the second largest in the energy sector, will simplify its sprawling corporate structure, leaving Kinder Morgan with 80,000 miles of pipelines, 180 storage terminals in North America and an enterprise value of $140 billion. Founder Richard Kinder hopes to raise the company’s dividend by 16 percent next year while giving investors even more reason to take stock. FT (sub), Reuters 4 - NO CHARGES AGAINST STEWART FOR TRACK DEATH There was no evidence of “criminal intent” when NASCAR champ Tony Stewart struck and killed a fellow driver on an upstate New York racetrack, a local sheriff said. But authorities are still investigating. Kevin Ward Jr., 20, walked onto the track — apparently to confront Stewart after he had forced Ward’s car into a wall — when Stewart’s car struck him. Stewart said there were no words to “describe the sadness I feel,” before bowing out of another race on Sunday. LA Times, NYT BRIEFLY... Erdogan wins presidential election in Turkey. (Al Jazeera) New 72-hour ceasefire holds in Gaza. (CNN)24 rescued from Maryland Six Flags roller coaster. (LA Times)Bombardment in Ukraine continues with no truce in sight. (DW)Nigeria struggles to cope with Ebola outbreak. (NYT) INTRIGUING ... 1 - CHINESE POLICE GLARE AT ILLEGAL LIGHT FLASHERS Newsflash: Using your brights in China can be a blinding experience. Police in the southern city of Shenzhen are punishing drivers who inappropriately flash their lights by forcing them to sit on a plastic stool in front of a car and stare into full-beam brightness for five minutes. Social media critics say police are wasting their time and should focus on more serious driving offenses, but some applaud the effort to make bright-flashing drivers see the light. Sky 2 - PENGUINS WERE ONCE THE SIZE OF NBA PLAYERS Look out, LeBron — scientists have discovered a prehistoric penguin the size of many pro-basketball players. Experts thought penguins maxed out with the 90-pound emperor variety. But a team has found 40-million-year-old fossils of 6’7”, 250-pound Palaeeudyptes klekowskii on Antarctica’s Seymour Island. The flightless giant could likely swim underwater for up to 40 minutes. Even more awe-inspiring? Imagining a prehistoric March of the Penguins, on or off the court. USA Today 3 - IS WI-FI IN THE WOODS INEVITABLE? Getting lost in the wilderness may become obsolete. With Parks Canada’s introduction of Wi-Fi at visitor centers and the U.S. National Park Service working on a similar scheme, many nature reserves are looking like fair game for Internet access. Google is trailblazing into remote areas with plans to launch mini, Wi-Fi-providing satellites and is extending its StreetView feature to help hikers in the mountains and woods. But nature lovers looking to escape the digital world are not wild about the idea. The Atlantic 4 - TMNT TAKES BOX OFFICE BY SURPRISE True to their names, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are enjoying a renaissance. The live-action reboot wasn’t tipped to do well, but storm-sewer fighters Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello are scrappy: Their film beat Marvel’s much-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy to the top spot in North America with a $65 million debut this weekend, prompting Paramount to announce a 2016 sequel. This is the latest superhero megahit to become a mini-industry, proving that Turtle fans are still happy to shell out. Hollywood Reporter 5 - MCILROY BEATS DARKNESS TO GRAB FOURTH MAJOR What a star, and what a stage. As light faded and storm clouds brewed, Northern Ireland’s lad followed his British Open win with a photo finish to PGA Championship glory, finishing 16-under. Rory McIlroy’s fine swings clinched victory, but they were facilitated by the sportsmanship of opponents Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, who hurried and moved aside on the fairway, enabling the champ to reach the 18th before nightfall. McIlroy stole the show thanks to their “class” act. ESPN, Louisville Courier-Journal, USA Today
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 14:47:18 +0000
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