On Amazon Prime Day, Jeff Bezos Hurtles Toward World Domination: Here’s What We’re Reading Today

The Daily 5 is Sharp’s essential reading list for what’s happening in the world today. Make sure to follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the Sharp Insider newsletter to stay up to date.

Here’s what we’re reading:

1. Who runs the world? … Increasingly Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

“Today, the question is not whether Amazon can survive but whether we can survive without Amazon. It is in the pantheon of corporations we need more than we need most federal agencies. Just as you can search for updates on Drake’s romantic life on Bing instead of Google or post updates about your own romantic life on Ello instead of Facebook, you can buy beef jerky in bulk on Overstock instead of Amazon. But why would you?”

2. China has no historic right to South China Sea

“China’s prestige as a rising global power suffered a blow as an international tribunal said its efforts to assert control over the South China Sea exceeded the law.

“The ruling is a rebuff to years of Chinese activity in the waterway. Under President Xi Jinping, China has built a web of artificial islands with runways and lighthouses. It has shooed away planes and ships from other nations, and its coast guard has clashed with fishing boats. At the heart of Xi’s actions is a bid to restore China to great power status and push back against decades of U.S. influence.”

3. Justin “Lord of War” Trudeau

“Canada has soared in global rankings to become the second biggest arms dealer to the Middle East on the strength of its massive sale of combat vehicles to Saudi Arabia, new figures show.”

4. Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton today

“After 14 months of policy clashes and moments of mutual disdain, Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, clearing away the last major obstacle to a united front for the party heading into its convention this month and the fall election.”

5. How social media disrupted the truth and upending the news industry

“Social media has swallowed the news – threatening the funding of public-interest reporting and ushering in an era when everyone has their own facts. But the consequences go far beyond journalism”

+1: Politico looks at the numbers behind Facebook’s latest algorithm change (ed. note: which has ruined my life.)

Plus a bit extra:

Twitter increased the size limit on its gifs. So naturally people are cramming entire movies and tv shows into single tweets. Here is the Matrix (!):

 

TAGS:

Amazon,China,Facebook,Jeff Bezos,Saudi Arabia,U.S. Politics