PNUT GALLERY

Facebook estimates that we are only about three and a half degrees of separation (as opposed to six) from everyone else on Facebook. How many degrees of separation are you (find out here)? Can you beat Sheryl’s 2.92 degrees? Friend us if you are that connected (or even if you aren’t)… 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

#pnut4prez: It’s Almost Cute When Mom And Dad Argue
With the other three guys out of the way (who were they again) Clinton and Sanders enjoyed three hours of non-stop head butting. MSNBC’s split-screen coverage made sure we could see every side-eye, and while both candidates sparred, there was an endearing level of civility we hadn’t seen in recent debates. 

Hillary Clinton kicked things off by accusing Sanders of an “artful smear” against her campaign backers and tried to establish herself as a progressive candidate. While she still appeared weak on her Wall Street defense, she hit Sanders hard on foreign policy. When questioned about her vote for the Iraq War, she quipped, “a vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS,” shifting the focus onto Sanders’ limited foreign policy experience. Despite a few hard punches, she later said that if she becomes the nominee, Senator Sanders will be the first person she calls. Isn’t that precious?

Bernie Sanders continued to rail against the campaign finance system and prod at Clinton’s Wall Street ties. It wasn’t the first time he juxtaposed the young kid in jail for pot with the exonerated bankers who destroyed the economy, but with Hillary’s inability to defend her relationship with Goldman Sachs, the comparison still seems to work- at least on social media.

Even as the argument became tense, there were lines he wouldn’t cross. When asked to comment on Hillary’s email controversy, he sighed, “I have refrained from [attacking her on this issue] and I will continue to refrain from doing that.” Aren’t they just the cutest?

Refugees: We Will Give You Ten Billion Dollars If You Stay Over There
Donors gathered in London yesterday pledged $10 billion to alleviate the plight of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. Money will be spent on providing housing, food, jobs and education for the millions of people in camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The hope is that this will keep refugees from making the perilous journey to Europe and make it more likely they return to Syria if/when the conflict ends (which won’t be soon given the breakdown in talks). 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Martin Shkreli: The Only Man Hated For Hating Congress Douchebag extraordinaire Martin Shkreli (known for raising the price of a life saving drug by 5,000% and for buying the only copy of a Wu Tang Clan album and not even listening to it) invoked his Fifth Amendment right during a hearing in Congress yesterday on drug prices. Shkreli later called Congress “imbeciles” on twitter. While most of the US probably agrees with him they still hated him for saying it.  


Oil Industry Has One More Headache To Deal With… Thanks Obama! Just when the oil industry thought things couldn’t get any worse Obama gave it one more kick. Yesterday the president unveiled a proposal for a $10 a barrel oil tax to fund investments in transportation infrastructure (mass transit, high-speed rail, self driving cars). At today’s prices that would mean a ~33% tax on oil. Republicans (who represent states with oil in them) probably won’t be thrilled by the measure. 

GOOD READ: Politico With The Full Story


Zika Goes Global And Crosses AtlanticIf it feels like you wake up to bad news about Zika every day, it’s because you are. Spain just confirmed that a pregnant woman has contracted Zika – the first such case in Europe. The health ministry said the woman had recently visited Colombia, where she might have been infected. Europe’s plans to combat the virus are still being decided, and the WHO advised countries not to accept blood donations from people who have travelled to Zika-affected regions.

PNUT READ: Everything You Need To Know About The Zika Virus

Keeping Our Eye On…

• Toyzilla: Rumor has it that toy giants Hasbro (My Little Pony) and Mattel (Barbie) are in talks for a merger. The combined company would be a toy behemoth, dominating play time globally. It’s game-time Lego.   
• Disappearance: The body of an Italian PHD student was found dead in Cairo with visible torture signs on his body. It is unclear who kidnapped the man or for what motive. An Italian trade delegation to Egypt returned a day early in protest. 
• Israel: Two Israelis were give lengthy prison sentences for burning alive a Palestinian teenager in the summer of 2014. A third man, also wanted for the murder, has yet to be tried. 

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Mon Dieu! Anything But Zee Spelling!  French, that language that sounds very different from how it is spelled, is set to undergo a radical transformation as the French Education Ministry imposed changes to the spelling of 2,000 words in order to simplify the language. The Onion (oignon) is set to lose its “i” and the circumflex will be relegated to the dustbin of history. The French, not ones to embrace cultural change easily, were not amused, taking to twitter with the hashtag #jesuiscirconflex

Weekend Reads: 

• Is it the end of Twitter? 
• Germany’s Der Spiegel thinks that Donald Trump is the “World’s Most Dangerous Man.“
• Check out this secret history of SEAL Team 6 covert killings. It’s pretty bad a**.
• Did Italy make a bad deal to recapitalize its banks?
• How a dad raised his daughter to be one of the most powerful women on Wall Street. 
• A letter to an ungrateful world from the tech industry (via FT paywall). 
• Is the drop in the price of oil creating the largest transfer of wealth in history?
• A brief, whimsical history of Japan (an oddly illuminating video). 
• Do you know you can buy a Czech castle for $13,000?
• Sick of small talk? Try one of these 48 questions that make it easier. Our favorite? “Would you rather be stuck in a car cross country with Donald Trump or Martin Shkreli?” (That isn’t on the list, don’t ask that in a work function). 

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