The Presidential Daily Brief

Manipulated Mark Zuckerberg Video Tests Facebook Policy

A fake news clip posted on the company’s Instagram platform shows Zuckerberg bragging of having “total control of billions of people’s stolen data” and noting that “whoever controls the data controls the future.” It seems designed to test last month’s decision to allow a fake video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appearing drunk — a policy Facebook insisted would also apply to doctored videos of Zuckerberg.

Will it come down? The company’s standing by its decision to allow the deepfake, which was created for a British film festival, though CBS wants it removed for unauthorized use of the network’s logo.

Germany Considers Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy

“Homosexuality is not an illness.” So said German Health Minister Jens Spahn yesterday, announcing his intent to draft a law prohibiting the controversial practice. Spahn, who is gay, said he consulted a 46-member expert commission that determined such a ban is constitutional and “medically necessary.” He hopes to present a bill to Parliament by the end of the year.

How widespread is conversion therapy? While less common in Germany, watchdogs say some 1,000 people fall victim to it annually, pressured by religious figures, therapists and even family members.

Check out OZY’s Special Briefing on whether Asia’s becoming gay friendly.

This Researcher Is Saving a Dying Zoroastrian Language

Predating Islam, Christianity and Judaism, monotheistic Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions. But the future is dim for the Parsis, a community of Indian Zoroastrians whose numbers are dwindling and whose identity is threatened, OZY reports, by fewer people being able to speak the Parsi-Gujarati dialect. That’s why Russian-born scholar Anton Zykov has collected hundreds of samples of colloquial speech in an effort to save it.

How deep can he get? While he’s immersed himself in the culture, Zykov isn’t allowed in Parsi fire temples, forcing him to use trained local consultants to help his documentation.

Experts Recommend Expanding HIV Prevention Medication

Individuals at high risk of contracting the virus should be offered preventive antiretroviral medications, the influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended Tuesday for the first time. The panel said at-risk people, such as those with HIV-positive sex partners and people who share needles for injecting drugs, should take a daily preexposure prophylaxis pill, known as PrEP.

How effective could this be? Researchers say the recommendation might spur more insurers to cover PrEP — which costs as much as $21,360 per year and has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by up to 92 percent when taken consistently.

US Women’s Soccer Team Routs Thailand for World Cup Record

The defending champions topped Germany’s previous World Cup record of 11 goals with a 13-0 thrashing of severely outmatched Thailand. Seven U.S. players scored, including Alex Morgan, whose five goals tied Michelle Akers’ record for the most by an American in the tournament. The opening-round match reignited questions about the fairness of the group rounds as well as criticisms that the U.S. ran up the score in the most lopsided World Cup win ever.

What’s next for Group F? Sweden takes on Thailand after a 2-0 defeat of Chile, which faces the U.S. in Paris on Sunday.

Check out OZY’s Flashback about how the 1999 U.S. women’s team nearly lost.