The Taliban’s Bumpy Ride

A series of internal Facebook documents show officials knew the company’s photo-sharing platform Instagram severely affects teenage girls’ self-esteem while its top staff, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, repeatedly played down these ongoing concerns. More than 40% of Instagram’s users are under 22 years of age. Should we hold social media companies responsible for how people use these platforms? Vote here or on Twitter. (Source: WSJ)

2 - Recall Race

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom was projected to have comfortably survived a recall vote led by Republican opponents trying to unseat him. The Democrat held on to his job in America’s most populous state against 46 challengers including Larry Elder, a conservative radio host who alleged election fraud in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote. “Claiming that the election is rigged before the election has even happened has taken things to a new low in California,” OZY Washington Editor Katty Kay said on Morning Joe. (Sources: NYT, Guardian)

3 - Trouble at the Top

Taliban co-founder and Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is reported to have left Kabul after an argument with a leader of the militant Haqqani network over the make-up of Afghanistan’s new government. All even as footage emerged of Taliban fighters riding bumper cars in an abandoned amusement park in Kabul. Meanwhile, political chaos is also deepening nearly 8,000 miles away in Haiti, where the chief prosecutor has accused Prime Minister Ariel Henry of suspected involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July. (Sources: BBC, SBS, Guardian)

4 - ‘We’re Steady’

That’s what Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told his Chinese counterpart in secret phone calls in a bid to calm fears — which Milley shared — that then-President Donald Trump could launch an attack against the Asian nation. That’s according to a new book by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Trump has accused Milley of “treason.” (Sources: WaPo, Reuters) 

5 - Mayhem in Mogadishu

At least 11 people, including several soldiers, were killed in a suspected suicide bombing in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The al-Shabab armed group, which has links to al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attack. (Sources: Al Jazeera, VOA)

It’s time for #RealTalkRealChange. OZY and Chevrolet are teaming up for a thought-provoking discussion on the generational wealth gap. The growing income divide, shaped by centuries of policies, has systematically disadvantaged Black Americans when it comes to wealth. How do we close the gap? OZY co-founder and Emmy Award-winning journalist Carlos Watson joins key leaders from across the country in pointed conversations to identify problems and equip you with solutions. Put aside the shouting matches and talking heads and be an ally: Join us now for a real conversation you won’t want to miss.

And you thought your neighbors were annoying. This Californian billionaire is in a vicious feud with his tech-entrepreneur neighbor Mark Towfiq over an “unsightly” glass garden sculpture and has been blasting the Gilligan’s Island theme song at full volume to torment him. Pimco founder Gross has called on his Laguna Beach neighbor to end the feud, suggesting they both donate what has been spent in legal fees to food banks and COVID-19 charities.

2 - Dolores Etchevehere

This Argentinian firebrand is taking on her own family of prominent agro-business owners, including brother and former Agriculture Minister Luis Miguel Etchevehere. Last year, she forcibly occupied a ranch belonging to the family to try and convert it into an agro-ecological collective farm before she was evicted through a court order. Etchevehere has already given away 40% of her inheritance to the homeless and is working with radical workers’ leader Juan Grabois. 

3 - Ken Talbot

A feud is tearing the deceased Australian mining magnate’s family apart. Talbot died in a plane crash in Congo more than a decade ago, leaving a third of his estate to charity, to be distributed through a family foundation. But with his widow and children refusing to work together, a judge has now ordered two separate foundations be established to dole out the charitable funds. 

Director Morgan Neville recently revealed that he partnered with a voice-cloning software company to produce postmortem audio of chef Anthony Bourdain to feature in a documentary. Using a re-creation of Bourdain’s voice to read words he may never have said aloud raises questions about consent, ethics and regulations. Known as deepfakes, such stunningly realistic — though actually digitally made — photos, video and even audio are now increasingly easy to make using AI. 

2 - Digital Supermodels

Tall, striking and with perfect features, Shudu looks every bit a supermodel, only she’s digital. Inspired by the “Princess of South Africa” Barbie doll, she already has 218,000 Instagram followers. Not everybody is celebrating, though. A few years ago, her creator came under fire for profiting from the image of a Black woman. Shudu is not alone. While Lil Miquela, with 3 million followers, is arguably the most famous digital avatar around, British company Irmaz Models claims its designers “make faces to fit” any marketing campaign. 

3 - Smart Shopping

From fully automated toilet paper dispensers to shopping experiences, China is using facial recognition technology to change everyday life in the world’s most populous country. But these tools have been shown to have gender and race-based biases and authorities in the Asian nation have been accused of using them to persecute Uyghurs. 

If you missed season one, which started in April, you should binge and catch up now because this HBO Max series has just been renewed for another season. The protagonist is the wife of a tech billionaire who has planted a chip in her brain so he knows what she’s thinking. She goes on the run, but how will she ever get her husband off her mind — literally? Find out in this darkly comedic sci-fi thriller.

2 - ‘Y: The Last Man’

Fancy your post-apocalyptic thrills with a bit of patriarchy bashing? Based on a DC comic book series, this story is about a virus that has wiped out half of the world’s population — albeit only the ones with Y chromosomes. The sole male survivor must now make his way in a female-dominated world. 

3 - ‘Tales from the Loop’

Who knew that a small town in Ohio in the 1980s was the place to explore the universe’s mysteries? That’s where this series is set. Each one-hour-long episode focuses on a different character who travels to various dimensions. One of the strangest things about the show? It’s based on a series of paintings by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag that vary between otherworldly and mundane. 

Congratulations to the above winners!!

Malcolm Gladwell joins Carlos for a riveting conversation about being an intellectual troublemaker and thinking outside the box. Gladwell talks about his new book Bomber Mafia, why HBCUs are overlooked in traditional rankings and his love of Maxine Waters. What cities does he think are the cities of the future?