Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
France holds its first round of legislative elections on Sunday. To push through his reformist agenda, president Emmanuel Macron needs his upstart party to win a majority in the National Assembly. Judging by early opinion polls, it will. Macron, who won the presidency in early May, has pledged to cut public spending and liberalize the labor market.
Japan preps for drones. The government is expected to finalize plans that will pave the way for drone package delivery and self-driving trucks in the years ahead. The workforce has shrunk so dramatically that it’s forcing some companies, among them parcel-delivery giant Yamato, to scale back operations.
New US consumer protections go into effect. An Obama-era rule that requires financial advisers to act in a customer’s best interest will be implemented, but maybe not for long: The regulation is currently under review (paywall) by a skeptical Trump administration.
While you were sleeping
Theresa May’s election gamble failed. The UK prime minister orchestrated yesterday’s snap election in hopes of increasing the Conservative party’s parliamentary majority. Instead the Labour party gained dozens of seats, and its leader Jeremy Corbyn has called upon May to resign. It now appears the UK will have a hung parliament heading into Brexit negotiations with the EU.
Trump’s lawyer pushed back against former FBI director James Comey. Marc Kasowitz denied Comey’s assertion—made yesterday before lawmakers—that the US president pressured Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Meanwhile Trump supporters got busy spinning their own version of the hearing.
China’s factory inflation cooled again. With commodity prices softening more, the producer price index rose 5.5% in May from a year ago, continuing its decline from the 7.8% mark seen in February. The consumer price index climbed 1.5% from a year ago, compared to a 1.2% annualized gain in April.
Al Jazeera weathered a cyber attack. Qatar’s flagship broadcaster said it was fending off an assault on its computer systems during a tense regional standoff with Saudi Arabia. The hacking of Qatar’s state news agency last month contributed to the rift.
JPMorgan Chase lost a possible Jamie Dimon successor. COO Matt Zames is leaving the company after 13 years, joining a growing list of possible CEOs who opted for top positions at other companies.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leah Fessler on the five-minute trick that Instagram’s CEO uses to crush procrastination: “Our motivation to engage in an activity increases as costs decrease, says Moeller. So compared to facing down hours of work, a five-minute sprint transforms a burden into something quick and exciting.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Britain casts its votes/ And the pound plunges. Who won?/ The polls says “chaos”
Matters of debate
There’s a new wealth gap online. The internet in rich countries will be unrecognizable in about five years.
You should be like James Comey at work. Documenting conversations with your boss is especially valuable when it’s your word against theirs.
Trump has a point about Germany. It’s not a great ally, but that doesn’t mean the US should give up on NATO.
Surprising discoveries
Bad mayonnaise is a power source. When 1,250 gallons (4,700 liters) of it spoiled, researchers at Michigan State University converted it to biogas.
Some cheetahs are terrible mothers. Many cubs are born, but only a few survive—having an older and wiser mom helps.
Monogamy is sexually satisfying. Only 11% of people in one-on-one partnerships are dissatisfied, versus 22% of those in open relationships.
Tilapia skin has painkilling properties. That’s one reason researchers in Brazil are using it to heal burns.
Fetuses can recognize human faces. They can also tell whether the faces are upside down.
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