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IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

GOP Debate: ‘Could Someone Attack Me Please?’ With Donald Trump poised to take the Republican nomination, these debates are beginning to feel like a reboot of The Apprentice. Donald received over 30 minutes of air time and the vast majority of the questions, leaving the other four candidates to vie for his attention with a steady stream of interruptions and bickering. It got to the point where even Trump complained that he was asked most of the questions. Meanwhile, Ben Carson used some of his 11 minutes of airtime to ask sheepishly, “could someone attack me, please?”

If you missed the mayhem, fear not. Here are the best lines from last night:
Rubio: Now [Trump is] repeating himself.
Trump: No! No! No! I watched him repeat himself five times four weeks ago!
Rubio: I just watched you repeat yourself five times five seconds ago. 

Kasich: The problem with President Reagan is he didn’t get in there and actually finish the border. [Only time a GOP candidate began a sentence with, “the problem with President Reagan…”]

Trump: I’m beating [Cruz] awfully badly in the polls.
Cruz: But you’re not beating Hillary! You’re not beating Hillary.
Trump: Well, then, if I can’t beat her, you’re really going to get killed, aren’t you?

Carson: [Holding up his hands] A movie was made about these hands.
Greece To EU: Don’t Talk About Us Like We’re Not Here Greece recalled its ambassador to Austria after the latter decided to host a conference on the migrant crisis in the Balkans without inviting Greece… the country bearing the brunt of Europe’s migrant crisis in the Balkans. The snub had Greece feeling more than slighted — tighter border restrictions between Greece and Macedonia have left thousands of migrants stranded in a country currently facing an economic depression. To our knowledge, this is the first time an EU member state recalled its ambassador from another EU member state.
GOOD RESOURCE: Athens Confidential, A Weekly Email On What’s Happening In Greece

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Italy Tries To Join 21st Century When It Comes To Gay Rights Italy’s Senate approved a bill that would make Italy the last EU nation to allow civil unions for same-sex couples. However, the bill, which still needs to be approved by Parliament, limits adoption by same-sex couples. This prompted LGBT activists to threaten to take the issue to the EU (which has a proven record of resolving crises… see below). 

Least Influential Parliament Votes To Influence Saudi Arms Sales The EU Parliament (yes, it exists) voted overwhelmingly for an arms sale boycott to Saudi Arabia, citing the high civilian death toll in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. The vote is non-binding but is expected to put pressure on France, the UK and Germany who have sold billions of euros worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Yet, British Prime Minister David Cameron is quite excited to keep selling “brilliant things” (aka fighter jets) to the Middle East.

PNUT READ: Our Summary Of The War In Yemen 

Iran Elections: Yup, Turns Out They Have ThemIranians head to the polls today to vote for their parliament and their “Assembly of Experts” in an historic election. The Assembly of Experts gets to choose who the next “Supreme Leader” will be (a lifelong position). How this election turns out is particularly important as the current Supreme Leader is in poor health. A “moderate” parliament and assembly might finally end the 36-year “Death To America” bent of the Iranian government.

Keeping Our Eye On…

• Shooting: A gunman in Kansas killed four people and injured 20 in a workplace shooting yesterday… be thankful for your colleagues at the office today. 
• Hacking: Apple said that the court order demanding it help the FBI hack an iPhone violated its First and Fifth Amendment rights. Both sides seem to be digging in for the long haul on this. 
• Sanctions: The US submitted even tougher sanctions on North Korea to the UN Security Council yesterday. The sanctions have China’s support, signaling the country is getting sick of its troublesome neighbor. 

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Former Mexican President: ‘I’m Not Going To Pay For That Fucking Wall’ GOP frontrunner Donald Trump’s plans for foreign policy are already troubling the international community. Responding to Trump’s promise to make Mexico pay for a wall along its US border, former Mexican President Vicente Fox did not mince words. “I’m not going to pay for that fucking wall,” he asserted, unafraid of laying F-bombs the way Trump wants to lay bricks. 

Weekend Reads

• Google tried to build the perfect team. Here’s what it learned. Some seriously great stuff here from work-life balance and the end of meetings. 
• The Harvard Business Review sits down with Kevin Spacey to discuss his life’s work.
• Want to rebuild Libya? Restore the Monarchy.  
• President Obama wrote a blog post about nominating Scalia’s replacement. 
• Why do we teach girls that it is cute to be scared? 
• Bernie Sanders doesn’t like talking about being Jewish.
• Patrick Cockburn’s latest on ISIS. Great read.  
• This isn’t a read but our friend wants to “monetize her dog” and asks that you follow her dog on Instagram.