Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US attorney general is in the hot seat. Jeff Sessions will face some pointed questions from the Senate intelligence committee, which is probing Russian interference in the US election. He is at the center of two overlapping controversies: whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, and whether the administration obstructed investigations into its conduct.
Hong Kong braces for a big storm. With Typhoon Merbok expected to make landfall within 50 km (30 miles) of Hong Kong, the typhoon signal is at level 8, closing schools and businesses. Trading will be suspended for the morning if the warning doesn’t subside by 9 am, and for the entire day if the signal is still at 8 or higher at noon.
Theresa May meets with Emmanuel Macron. The UK prime minister hoped to arrive in France with a mandate for her Brexit plans. Instead, she’ll meet the pro-EU French president weakened by a surprising snap election that cost her party its majority.
While you were sleeping
A controversial Uber executive resigned. Emil Michael, who has played a prominent role in most of of the company’s high-profile scandals has left the company. Beleaguered CEO Travis Kalanick is said to be pondering a leave of absence after a damning investigation into its toxic culture.
Donald Trump had a bad day in court. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said the president’s travel ban “runs afoul” of US discrimination law (paywall), citing one of his tweets as evidence. Meanwhile Maryland and Washington, DC filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump’s hotels violate the constitution’s anti-corruption law because they accept payments from foreign governments.
General Electric replaced its CEO. GE shares spiked after the announcement that Jeffrey Immelt is retiring and will be replaced by John Flannery, who previously lead the company’s health-care unit. Investors have been pushing for a change in leadership as the company has languished.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered across Russia in some of the country’s biggest demonstrations since 2012. Navalny, who is mounting a long-shot campaign to unseat Putin next year, was detained at his home before they began.
Apple led tech stocks downward. An analyst downgrade and concerns about the sector’s surging valuation pushed Apple shares down 2.5%—though they’re still up 26% this year. The broader S&P technology sector fell 0.8%, after a 2.7% decline on Friday.
Quartz obsession interlude
Oliver Staley on the tech firm whose employees never show up for work. “Automattic’s office at 140 Hawthorne went on the market after CEO Matt Mullenweg came to the realization not enough employees used it. ‘We got an office there about six or seven years ago, pretty good lease, but nobody goes in it. Five people go in it and it’s 15,000 square feet. They get like 3,000 square feet each.’” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Gala, Fuji, Rome / The best Apples stay crisp and / aren’t overpriced.
Matters of debate
Future shopping malls will have no stores. Newly converted malls focus on food, theatres, performance stages, and office space.
The upper middle class is hogging everything. It’s not just money: The top 20% are hoarding professional and educational opportunities.
Bromances are the solution to toxic masculinity. The social trend may reduce the risk of mental health problems, violence, and suicide.
Surprising discoveries
NASA is deploying fake technicolor clouds tonight. The space agency is launching a rocket that disperses “vapor tracers” in the sky above Virginia, to track particles that are ionized by solar and cosmic radiation.
Meerkat gangs have signature scents because of microbes in their anal pouches. The odors that help meerkats identify friends and family come from their shared bacteria.
The US post office was once a hotbed of innovation. Decades of mismanagement have turned it into an extremely clunky bureaucracy.
Egypt wants to outlaw foreign names. A bill in parliament would imprison parents who give their children names like “Mark” and “Lara.”
A New York baker is making internet trolls literally eat their words. Kat Thek turns salty internet comments into “troll cakes.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, troll cakes, and meerkat scents to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.