Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A shakeup is impending at Uber. Uber’s board meets today (paywall), and is reportedly considering major changes at the highest levels of the company in the wake of former US attorney general Eric Holder’s report on the company’s workplace culture. Chief business officer Emil Michael is expected to resign, and Uber’s board may ask CEO Travis Kalanick to take a leave of absence.
A nationwide anti-Kremlin protest is planned in Russia. In March, political opposition leader Alexei Navalny organized a network of anti-corruption rallies in over 80 Russian cities. He’s planned a second round of protests for today, and hopes to reach at least twice as many (paywall) cities this time.
India will set 11 Pakistani civil prisoners free. A few days ago, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met casually with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Today, India will release a handful of Pakistan nationals from prison in what the government is calling a “goodwill gesture.”
Over the weekend
Macron’s starting to get comfortable in France… After first-round parliamentary voting closed in France Sunday night, polls project that French president Emmanuel Macron’s newly formed party—La République en Marche—will win 390-430 seats in parliament. If the results are confirmed in a second round of voting on June 18, Macron will preside over one of the largest majorities in post-war France.
…while in the UK, May’s seat is heating up. Over the weekend UK prime minister Theresa May placed two prominent pro-Brexit ministers (and former rivals) in positions of power. The moves appear to have been made in an effort to appease members of her Conservative Party, who are angry over her call for an early election that backfired spectacularly.
Qatar is trying to return to business as usual. After three neighboring Gulf states expelled Qatari citizens, Qatar on Saturday reassured its own foreign residents that it would not be responding in kind. Then on Sunday, mediator Kuwait announced that Qatar was open to listening to the concerns of its neighbors.
Puerto Rico decided it wants to be the 51st US state. In a public referendum, Puerto Ricans voted overwhelmingly in favor of applying for statehood. But the final decision is congress’s—and a Republican-led legislative branch isn’t likely to warmly welcome a new Democrat-leaning state.
After six years, Muammar Gaddafi’s son was set free. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was released by militia in Zintan, Libya. It’s not clear where he went; he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the rebellion against his father’s rule, and he faces a death sentence meted out by courts in Tripoli.
Batman died. Adam West, who played the Caped Crusader in the campy 1960s TV and film versions of Batman, has died at the age of 88.
Quartz obsession interlude
Dan Knopf on why rich people in the US are choosing not to display their wealth: “Instead of spending money on consumer products, the rich increasingly focus their spending on ‘nonvisible, highly expensive goods and services’ that allow them to have time to gain social capital and foster it in their children.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
There’s a bad-writing crisis in the field of economics. Economists have a duty to strive for clarity in communications to the public, but papers and communiques in the field tend to be impenetrable tangles of jargon.
An app that does nothing might be all your smartphone needs. Binky is a fake social network where you can fake like and fake comment on fake posts—but it gives you real emotional satisfaction.
Designers can’t figure out women’s work clothes in 2017. The increasing freedom to choose one’s clothes has led clothing companies into a state of stylistic incoherency.
Surprising discoveries
Ikea sent some of its engineers to live in a Mars simulation. The goal was to answer questions like “What does comfort mean for compact living?” and “How do we feel in small spaces?” Maybe they should have just visited New York City.
Cary Grant used to drop acid 100 times a year. In the late 1950s, during the heyday of psychedelic research, the American actor was one of the first to go all-in on LSD therapy.
Pickup basketball is the golfing-with-your-boss of Silicon Valley. There’s a twice-weekly game at Stanford University where networks are built and million-dollar-deals get done.
Dogs know when you’re being unfair. Studies on wolves and dogs show canines can recognize—and will respond strongly—to unequal treatment.
Chefs in California cooked a pizza 1.2 miles (1.9 km) long. The world record-breaking pie weighed over 17,000 pounds (7,800 kgs)—more than most elephants.
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