The Presidential Daily Brief

Most of the World's Teens Aren't Active Enough

According to a new study by the World Health Organization, 81 percent failed to meet the organization's fitness standards of at least an hour per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The report, which involved 1.6 million adolescents from 146 countries, noted a number of reasons for inactivity, from sedentary screen-based entertainment to increased focus on education to poverty and malnutrition.

Are these findings surprising? While researchers weren't shocked, the lackluster effect of recent efforts to address the problem suggests the goal of reducing teen inactivity 15 percent by 2030 probably won't happen.

Don't miss OZY's feature about the fitness industry cleaning the air.

Candidates Are Microtargeting Their Way Through Primaries

Made possible by social media platforms, the strategy can make or break a Democratic candidate's odds in the crowded primary field, OZY reports. Andrew Yang, for instance, is trying out Discord — a service more popular with gamers than would-be presidents — to "gamify" his campaign. Volunteers are awarded "units" after taking part in a donation drive or phone bank session and can track their progress. But President Trump isn’t far behind: He’s already outspent all of his Democratic rivals on Snapchat advertising.

Where’s the next battleground for eyeballs? Strategists are predicting heavy spending on TV through streaming services.

Could Journalists in Russia Become 'Foreign Agents'?

Russia's lower house of Parliament, the Duma, voted yesterday to brand any journalist or blogger who receives income from abroad as a "foreign agent." The measure, which critics say is aimed at stifling free speech, resembles legislation that slapped foreign-funded NGOs with the same dubious label following massive anti-government protests in 2012. The bill's expected to sail through the Senate and be signed by President Vladimir Putin.

Who in particular might suffer? Reporters working for critical U.S.-funded outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty are likely to feel the heat.

Coldplay Won't Tour for Environmental Reasons

Frontman Chris Martin announced Thursday that the band won't hit the road to promote their latest album, Everyday Life — but will spend at least a year brainstorming how to tour in an environmentally friendly way. Coldplay's last promotional effort in 2016-2017 spanned 122 countries on five continents, but Martin says the band's next jaunt will aim to be carbon neutral.

How could they achieve that? Ideally, they'd rely on solar energy to power them through their travels and ditch single-use plastics at their shows.

Don't miss this OZY story about the mental toll of climate change.

Godfather of Snowboarding Dies at 65

Jake Burton Carpenter, a dynamic figure who popularized the sport as a surfing-like alternative to skiing, died late Wednesday from complications of testicular cancer. In an email to Burlington-based Burton Snowboarding, which Carpenter founded in 1977, company co-CEO John Lacy suggested employees celebrate his life by doing "what Jake would be doing tomorrow, and that’s riding."

What's Carpenter's legacy? While he didn't invent the snowboard, he revolutionized its design, building on the concept of Sherman Poppen's "Snurfer" board.