*United Sanctions of America | Sodas -> Obesity | Japan’s Princess Diaries

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.” – David Foster Wallace

The Russians Clap Back on Twitter: Russia is outraged at the United States’ newest slew of sanctions over Russia’s supposed nerve agent attack in Salisbury.Dmitry Peskov stated that the new sanctions were “absolutely unlawful” and slandered the U.S. as the “United Sanctions of America.” (All over Twitter of course, because Twitter warfare is just the new, hip thing to do.) Though no official retaliation has been announced, many Russian top officials have called the United States a “police state.”

The United States has listed a number of other restrictions that would come into place following the sanctions on August 22nd including the suspension of diplomatic relations and revoking Aeroflot landings. The news has caused a tumble in Russia’s economy, as investors fear the new sanctions and possible ban of Aeroflot, which led to a four percent drop in the Ruble. The sanctions seem to be at odds with Trump’s reluctance to publicly criticize Putin.

Additional read: “U.S. Officials Scrambled Behind the Scenes to Shield NATO Deal From Trump.” (NYT)

Leaked Republican Tapes on 2018 Elections and Impeachment Threats: A newly leaked audio recording reveals a statement made by House Intelligence Committee Chairperson Devin Nunes, who said that it was imperative to keep control of the House of Representatives to keep President Trump out of the clutches of Robert Mueller. The recording also revealed a statement about the Supreme Court nomination. Nunes said that any effort to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could interfere with the confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh. For the impeachment effort, Nunes’ words echo Paul Ryan’s words in an earlier speech, as both believe timing will be key in the effort for impeachment.

Space Force Alpha: Straight out of the mind of revolutionary screenwriter George Lucas comes the long-awaited sequel to the original five military branches. Vice President Mike Pence has announced that the Space Force will be up and running by 2020. (Guardian)

Princess Diaries – Japan: Princess Mako was due to marry “commoner” Kei Komuro, a paralegal whose mother is currently in debt following an alleged financial scandal. Their wedding has been postponed until 2020 (same release date as Space Force!), as the royal family asked that Komuro’s mother resolve her debt before the wedding take place. (Guardian)

McLovin Commercials: The United Kingdom has ruled that McDonalds Happy Meal advertisements were acceptable alongside children’s programs, but Kellogg’s CoCo Pops cereal were not. This is the latest in health crackdowns by the British government, a clear indication of a shift in public health concerns – especially for children. (NYT)

The Emperor’s New Groove: Kim Jong-un was seen rocking the latest North Korean style during visits to a fish farm. In the midst of a massive heatwave, the North Korean dictator was spotted in the most stylish outfit: coat off, gray slacks and white undershirt tucked in. (BBC)

I Don’t Feel So Good: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the most powerful politician in Poland, has been ill since May, when he underwent knee surgery for his osteoporosis. Since then, he has almost disappeared off the face of the planet. (It’s as if Thanos’ snap took him!) His absence has left members of the Law and Justice Party scrambling for power and control – leading to the current state of bitter dispute spreading throughout Poland. (NYT)

Argentina Rejects Abortions: Lawmakers in Argentina debated for over fifteen hours and came to a 38 to 31 vote, rejecting the legalization of abortion within the first fourteen months. Outraged women across the country voiced their disdain and outrage across social media and activists stated that they would have an abortion law “sooner or later.” (Guardian)

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Fox News Hosts Bashes Immigrants: After conservative Fox News host Laura Ingraham attacked legal and illegal immigrants on her show, a large wave of backlash from viewers and politicians has hit back. She blamed immigrants for destroying “the America we know and love,” which sparked remarks of her being a racist across social media. (Guardian)

Trump Bashes Chain Migration while Melania Trump Uses Chain Migration for her Parents: The in-laws are here! Dreaded words at most family gatherings, but not for President Trump and wife Melania Trump, whose parents are now legal citizens of the United States. Melania Trump’s parents became citizens under the same chain migration law that Trump had castigated on Twitter. (CNN)

America’s Bleak House: The number of opioid-addicted women who have given birth have quadrupled in the past fifteen years. Though data shows that the problem is widespread, many gaps in information leave researchers puzzled as to what may be causing these issues and why the epidemic has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. (Guardian)

– “Stop Drinking Soda – Here’s Why and How You Should Quit: Soda is terrible for you – here’s why you should quit, and how.” (Men’s Health)

– “The Decline and Fall of Diet Coke and the Power Generation That Loved It.” Just because it’s diet doesn’t mean it’s that much better than a regular, though that didn’t stop it from being the go-to thirst quencher for an entire generation. (New Yorker)

– “The Toll of America’s Obesity: Beyond the human suffering, diet-related diseases impose massive economic costs.” (NYT)

– “One of the largest banks issued an alarming warning that Earth is running out of the resources to sustain life: Earth Overshoot Day –  the point in a year at which our demand for natural resources exceeds what the planet can renew – occurred on August 1, just seven months into 2018.” (Business Insider)

– “Are Your 20s Really the Best Time of Your Life? They are often said to be the best years of your life, but how different is it to be in your 20s now, than 10 or 20 years ago?” (BBC)

– “How Broad, and How Happy, Is the Trump Coalition? Mr. Trump’s most fervent supports might stick with him through November and beyond. But in the midterms, Republicans will have the burden of fighting in many districts where the base might not be enough.” (NYT)

– “New Poll: 43% of Republicans Want to Give Trump the Power to Shut Down Media: The ‘enemy of the people’ talk is working. A plurality of self-identified Republicans say they want Trump to have the power to take ‘bad’ media outlets out.”(Daily Beast)

“Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed.” – David Foster Wallace

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