The following is a rundown of the day’s news drawn from other media sources with topics curated just for Money and Markets readers: personal security and freedom, Olympic Games, Iran — U.S. Relations
Personal security and freedom
Cannabis Reduces IQ
A massive, four-decade study published in 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences, titled “Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife,” followed more than 1,000 subjects from birth until age 38. The researchers’ core finding? Repeated marijuana use by teenagers lowers their IQ — permanently.
Americans Renouncing Citizenship Up 221%
Although statistics are not available for why people say a final good-bye, many now find the country’s global income tax compliance and disclosure laws inconvenient and nettlesome. Some go so far as to say that the U.S. tax and disclosure laws are downright oppressive.
Snowden Used a Low-Cost Tool to ‘Scrape’ NSA Data
Using “web crawler” software designed to search, index and back up a website, Snowden “scraped data out of our systems” while he went about his day job, according to a senior intelligence official.
Woman Held for Reading Jewish Paper Goes Public
The woman said the search itself was “a minor blip,” something that could happen to anyone, but argued the TSA is going so far to avoid appearing biased against Arab and Muslim passengers that it’s creating a reverse discrimination that threatens true airport security.
Marine Leaders Order the Independent Marine Corps Times Newspaper Removed
Marine Corps Times is widely recognized for its comprehensive coverage of the Corps, focusing on everything from career tracks, to pay and benefits, family and spouse issues, and employment after leaving the military.
Olympic Games
U.S. Ranked Third for Medals at Games
United States athletes ranked third with two gold and two bronze medals, outperformed only by Netherlands and Norway. Russian Federation shares the fourth spot with Canada, having won one gold, two silver and one bronze medals, respectively.
U.S.-Russia Rift Widens
Rising animosity between the former Cold War powers was on full display Friday when Russia chose a former figure skater who tweeted out a racially charged picture of President Obama for the symbolic lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Olympic TV Announcers: Go Russia! Booooo USA!
As the young Olympic gymnast competed in the all-arounds, the TV announcer said: “She messed up really well. This is so good, she got another deduction of points.” Not the type of attitude you’d normally expect from a TV sports commentator. Unless the announcer is Russian, and the athlete is an American.
Western Leaders Stay Away From Sochi Olympics
“Emphasizing the negative strengthens the hand of the isolationists inside Russia,” says Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. While it may not be the intent, the Western criticism leaves many Russians with the sense that the West is “ganging up on Russia,” he says.
Sochi Olympics Official Day 1 Ratings Steady With Vancouver 2010, Up From Torino 2006
NBC’s primetime coverage of the 2014 Winter Games drew a 13.9/24 share household ratings result and 25.1 million viewers. That’s a slight dip from the 14.0/25 results and down just over a million from the audience of 26.2 million of the comparative day in the Vancouver 2010 games.
Iran-U.S. relations
Iran Warships Sent to U.S. Borders
The commander of Iran’s Northern Navy Fleet, Admiral Afshin Rezayee Haddad, said the vessels have already entered the Atlantic Ocean via waters near South Africa, the official IRNA news agency reported.
America Has ‘Controlling, Meddlesome’ Attitude
“American officials publicly say they do not seek regime change in Iran. That’s a lie. They wouldn’t hesitate a moment if they could do it,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iranian TV Airs Simulated Bombing of Tel Aviv, US Aircraft Carrier
Iranian drones and missiles are shown attacking the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on its way through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. Iranian drones are shown downing several American aircraft before sinking the U.S. capital ship.
Best wishes,
The Money and Markets Team
