Economía en Cifras: Senate to Try Trump ... But Not Now

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Happy Thursday! What's the worst pickup line you've heard? It can't be more embarrassing than the bizarre Kenyan monument to failed love I'll introduce you to today. Get ready to be surprised by China's next movie star, think of questions for America's most controversial gun-toting couple and start planning your weekend watch list. It's never too early to prep for fun!

Charu Sudan Kasturi, Senior Editor

News in a Minute

1. Trump Makes History

Just not of the kind he'd be proud of. The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for a second time yesterday, a first in presidential history. Ten Republicans joined Democratic colleagues in voting against Trump, accused of instigating last week's Capitol riot. But the Senate won't hold a trial before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, so the shadow of Trump's impeachment will hover over the next administration too. (Sources: NYT, USA Today)

2. Shot of Humanity

Mexico has invoked North America's trade pact to demand that the U.S. ensures COVID-19 vaccines are made available to migrants even if they're undocumented. This comes after Nebraska's governor suggested they would be left out of immunization plans. Meanwhile, Brazil and Bolivia will import millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India. Should illegal migrants get vaccines? Vote on Twitter or here. (Source: Reuters, France24)

3. Fight for Future

Uganda votes today in one of Africa's most consequential elections in recent years, with authoritarian President Yoweri Museveni challenged by popstar-turned-opposition-leader Bobi Wine. It's a generational battle — Wine, 38, is half the president's age and commands widespread support among the country's youth. But can he overcome the intimidatory violence unleashed by government security forces and a recent ban on social media? (Sources: Deutsche Welle, Time, BBC)

4. Yuan-na Invest?

The U.S. will likely allow Americans to invest in top Chinese tech firms like Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu, keeping them off a blacklist of companies that work with the communist nation's military after a weeks-long tussle within the Trump administration. (Source: WSJ)

Smelly Shield

Scientists have found that Vietnamese honey bees, perpetually under the threat of attack from giant hornets, layer the entrance to their hive with animal dung to gross out the predators into leaving them alone. This sh*t works.

INQUIRY-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP

China's Female Bosses

Like women elsewhere, you don't hear about these figures nearly as much as you should. Meet the female icons driving China's future in politics, business and culture.

1. Sun Chunlan

She gets her timing right. The only woman in the 25-member Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, Sun worked at a clock factory before joining the CCP's ranks. Now vice premier, she has been the face of the country's response to COVID-19, rushing in recent days to the province of Hebei, China's latest virus hotspot. Her success in controlling the virus has made her China's most powerful female communist in a generation. With President Xi Jinping expected to rule indefinitely, this 70-year-old will be a key aide to watch for some time.

2. Yang Huiyan

It should have been the moment that started her downfall. Last year, the 39-year-old real estate entrepreneur was exposed as having also bought Cypriot citizenship. Dual citizenship is illegal in China and cracking down on crime is the central pillar holding up President Xi's public credibility. Yet Asia's richest woman seems to have gotten away unscathed. In fact, the Ohio State grad's wealth has grown by more than 50 percent to $32 billion since last April.

3. Dilraba Dilmurat

The next leading lady of Chinese cinema is … Uighur. The slender 28-year-old who loves ice cream is already drawing comparisons with the legendary Fan Bingbing. Easily the country's most recognized Uighur face, the fast-rising actress stays silent in public on her community's persecution, but has won plaudits after she canceled a contract with Dolce & Gabbana over a racially insensitive commercial. She can afford to — she's still the face of Audi, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent and Mikimoto.

Today on 'The Carlos Watson Show'

Shazam! star Meagan Good opens up about her faith, her fairytale romance with husband DeVon Franklin and her plans for motherhood. Find out how this former child star turned ass-kicking action hero thinks about her future in Hollywood — as a director. Watch later today.

Also today, our partner Cheddar is giving you inside access to this year's CES Summit, where tech companies came together to show off the boldest, most outlandish products. Tune into Cheddar at 2 p.m. ET for their Best of CES special. Watch.

Bite the Bullet

With the FBI warning of potential armed protests over the next few days ahead of the presidential inauguration, it's worth looking at some of the more surprising aspects of gun control — and how it can work.

1. Guess Who's Buying More?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the tumult of 2020, gun sales in the U.S. rose last year. But driving that surge in part were Asian Americans and Black Americans worried about their safety after facing racism because of the pandemic or at the hands of the police. Read more on OZY.

2. Making it Easier

Brazil has more murders than any country in the world, three-fourths of them involving guns. Its solution? More guns. Controversial President Jair Bolsonaro further relaxed the country's gun laws in 2019, soon after coming to power.

3. Meet the McCloskeys

The images of the St. Louis couple brandishing a rifle and handgun as Black Lives Matter protesters marched past them last year epitomized the violent and divisive state of America. They'll be on The Carlos Watson Show soon. What would you like Carlos to ask them?

Write to us with your questions below.

your question

THROWBACK TO THE GOOD TIMES

Monuments ... to Heartbreak

Yeah, we all know about the Taj Mahal. But not every love story ends well. Check out these crazy testaments to relationships that turned sour.

1. Egerton Castle

Lord Maurice Egerton, a colonial baron, built this four-storeyed castle with 53 rooms in Nakuru, Kenya, to impress an Austrian woman he loved and invited guests from Malawi, Zimbabwe and other nations for the housewarming party. But she turned him down, calling it a "monument to vanity." Talk about building castles in the air.

2. Museum of Broken Relationships

From the comb of a cheating lover to a jar containing a woman's tears, expect the unexpected at this Zagreb, Croatia, museum. Built by a former couple, they decided that their breakup didn't necessarily mean they needed to throw away or burn reminders of their time together. It's so popular that a second museum has opened in Los Angeles.

3. Dobroyd Castle

You should always take the hint. When the son of a rich English industrialist fell in love with a weaver girl, she agreed to marry him on the condition that he build her a castle. He did, but their marriage was as loveless and empty as the large Lancashire castle — she preferred living in a chalet he had built for her at the bottom of the castle's hill.

What's the craziest pickup line you've heard?

Great Indie Movies

I know it's only Thursday but there's nothing wrong in planning ahead. Make your weekend special with these brilliant independent films.

1. 'Sudani From Nigeria'

This 2018 film is about the unlikely friendship between an Indian soccer manager and a Nigerian striker. It'll make you laugh, cry … and learn about the unique power of soccer to unite communities that know nothing about each other.

2. 'Oldboy'

Held captive in a room for 15 years without an explanation, a man is released on the condition that he finds his captors and extracts revenge in five days. Long before Parasite, this 2003 South Korean neo-noir thriller turned heads with its brilliant screenplay and acting. It inspired a Hollywood remake directed by Spike Lee in 2013. Trust us: the original is better.

3. 'Viva Cuba'

I could watch this movie on loop. Their mothers are archenemies, but Malú and Jorgito are best friends. Travel around Cuba with them as they search for Malú's father.

jueves, 14 de enero de 2021

Senate to Try Trump ... But Not Now