Friday, October 11
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At the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced seven winning cities that represent the most ambitious and impactful projects by mayors to tackle the global climate crisis.
Last night’s dinner attendees included: United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and nearly 100 mayors from around the world.
“Cities are on the front lines of the climate crisis, and they are leading the attack,” said Michael Bloomberg, C40 Board President and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action, as the awards were announced.
Winning cities included: Accra, Guangzhou, Kolkata, London, Medellín, San Francisco, and Seoul.
The winning projects represent formidable examples of what leadership looks like in building an innovative, resilient, and inclusive future while ensuring better, longer lives for the greatest number of people.
“These projects should be studied by mayors and city leaders as they each define the future we want in our cities,” said Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40.
In Photos: The Guardian published images of the winning projects here. And read the official press release here.
Vape Update.
Vaping Illnesses Climb: Nearly 1,300 Cases With 29 Deaths Across U.S. (New York Times)
The ages of those who died range from 17 years to 75 years, with a median of 49.
Poll: Most Americans Support a Ban on Flavored Vaping Products (Axios)
As @MikeBloomberg tweeted: “Americans from both sides of the aisle overwhelmingly agree: we must put the health of our citizens first and ban flavored e-cigarettes. @noflavoredecigs is fighting to end this epidemic.”
Turkey – Syria Update.
Syria and Russia Win? U.S. and Turkey May Give Syria’s Assad a Big Boost (Bloomberg)
Having lost the shelter of the U.S. the outgunned Kurds, who have been fighting for years against Islamic State, could be forced to turn to Damascus.
“The Kurds will see Washington’s shift as a reason to develop a framework for cooperation with the Assad regime and Russia,” said Ayham Kamel, head of Middle East and North African research at Eurasia Group.
Impeachment Watch.
Corruption Crackdown: Rudy Giuliani Draws Prosecutors’ Scrutiny With Ukraine Allies’ Arrest (Bloomberg)
Surprise! Trump Denies Knowing Indicted Business Associates of Rudy Giuliani (Axios)
Click here for photos showing otherwise.
Media Watch: Attorney General William Barr Meets with Rupert Murdoch as Trump Lashes Out at Fox (New York Times)
2020 Watch.
2020 View from Erie, Pennsylvania: After Taking a Chance on Trump in 2016, It’s Up for Grabs Again (New York Times)
Trump’s 2016 Campaign was Run on a Shoestring. His Reelection Machine is Huge (Washington Post)
Business Today.
Bulletin: Apple Shares Hit Record on iPhone 11 Optimism as Tech Leads S&P 500 on Trade Hopes (Bloomberg)
Financial News: China Announces Timetable for Opening Finance Industries (Bloomberg)
After decades of waiting, foreign firms have a clear road map for full ownership of financial services companies in China. Overseas institutions can apply for total control of onshore ventures starting in 2020, the China Securities Regulatory Commission said Friday.
The first round of applications for futures firms can begin on Jan. 1, while fund management businesses can apply from April 1 and the securities industry will be able to file for 100% stakes on Dec. 1 next year.
California Today.
Wine section.
Weekend arts.
Expansive Agnes Denes Retrospective Opens at The Shed in New York (Untapped Cities)
In 1982, the artist Agnes Denes planted (and photographed) two acres of wheat on landfill that would become Battery Park City, a new neighborhood created as a result of excavation for the World Trade Center in the 1970s.
“Much of her work features solutions to ecological crises that we are now facing,” said Hans Ulrich Obrist, The Shed’s senior program advisor.
Denes’ work will take over two of the galleries in The Shed in New York. The show opened this week (through January 19, 2020) and it will be the first time that all her work will be shown together in New York City.
Best of late night.
“According to a new report, nearly two-thirds of birds in the United States are at risk of extinction due to climate change. “Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere!” said the mangy one-legged pigeons of New York.”
— Seth Meyers
“A vegan woman claimed on Reddit this week that she called the police on her friends after they tricked her into eating chicken nuggets while she was drunk. But the whole thing sounds a little suspicious. A vegan? With friends??”
— Seth Meyers
“Customs officials in Los Angeles announced yesterday that they seized over $2 million worth of counterfeit sneakers from a cargo shipment. Said customers, “You mean, those weren’t real Adidaz?””
— Seth Meyers