The Presidential Daily Brief

Susan Wojcicki Curates OZY’s PDB

Not many CEOs can boast that more than a billion people use their product every month — which is just one reason OZY is very pleased to welcome YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki as curator of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Harvard grad and mom of five (the littlest is still an infant) was employee No. 16 at Google, and her accomplishments include driving acquisitions (including that of YouTube) and boosting the company’s ads business. Wojcicki became YouTube’s CEO in 2014, and oversees content, business operations and product development. Today, she joins the ranks of past curators like Michelle Peluso, Satya Nadella and Jeb Bush to share her take on today’s must-know events and personalities.

Taking Stock, 10 Years After Katrina

A decade on, what have we learned? Hurricane Katrina was “a natural disaster” that “became a man-made one,” as President Obama put it. And it was a major wake-up call to massive inequality in the United States. There remains much to do on that front, and in many ways, New Orleans is still putting the pieces back together. But the human side of the disaster and recovery is worth hearing — as in this story of two people who met, fell in love and built a family in the aftermath of the storm.

The Fight Over Gay Marriage Continues

It’s not over yet. Marriage equality is probably the biggest civil rights movement of the past decade, and it struck a major victory with the Supreme Court ruling back in June. But there’s still a ways to go. Several county clerks in Kentucky, for instance, are denying marriage licenses to gay couples on the basis of their religious convictions. One clerk has even appealed to the Supreme Court, in what her lawyers consider a “first test of the rights of public officials” since the same-sex marriage ruling. Clearly, more progress is needed.

America Needs to Support New Mothers

It’s time they can’t get back. Mothers worldwide take paid leave to be at home with their newborns, but the U.S. is the only developed country not to offer government-mandated maternity leave. Even though some firms are becoming more generous with paid leave, the vast majority of female workers in America — 88 percent — get no paid leave after childbirth. Experience has shown me that paid maternity leave helps reduce turnover, which means it’s great for business as well as families. 

Suspect Arrested in Killing of Texas Deputy, Fan at Atlanta Baseball Game Dies After Fall

Authorities nab suspect in deputy’s gas pump murder near Houston. (CNN)

Fall from Atlanta ballpark’s upper deck kills fan. (Washington Post)

‘Awakenings’ author Oliver Sacks dies at age 82. (Reuters)

Migrant kids rescued from van in Austria slip out of hospital. (The Guardian)

‘Largest ever’ offshore natural gas field discovered off of Egypt. (AFP)