Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Brexit talks begin. Negotiations over how the United Kingdom will exit the European Union start in Brussels, complicated by electoral losses that have further weakened UK prime minister Theresa May’s political position. Business groups in the UK are desperate for access to the European single market, but EU officials are still waiting for any ideas at all from May’s negotiators.
Donald Trump meets Panama’s president. President Juan Carlos Varela will visit the White House a week after establishing new diplomatic ties with China. Trump has personal and business ties to Ricardo Martinelli, the previous Panamanian president, who fled his country after serious corruption charges and is now seeking asylum in the United States.
The Paris Air Show takes flight. Defense contractors will be seeking customers for their latest products, including drones that act as “wingmen” to piloted aircraft, and foreign companies will get a chance to see what Trump’s “America First” rhetoric means for weapons deals.
Over the weekend
France said “oui” to En Marche! President Emmanuel Macron’s party won a commanding majority in the National Assembly, routing the traditional socialist and conservative parties. Yet historically low turnout may be a warning against huge changes in France’s economy.
A van rammed into worshippers leaving a London mosque. At least one person was killed and eight were hospitalized after the assault, which occurred just after midnight on Monday morning local time. The Muslim Council of Britain condemned what it described as a “terror attack.”
Seven sailors were killed in a US Navy accident. The USS Fitzgerald recovered the bodies of seven sailors from flooded berths after reaching port, following a collision with the container ship ACX Crystal. US and Japanese authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred in a busy shipping lane south of Tokyo in the early morning of June 17.
Secret North Korea talks were revealed. The Wall Street Journal reported (paywall) on talks between US diplomats and North Korean insiders to free US prisoners and constrain the rogue state’s nuclear program. Such discussions have been hindered by the recent return of a badly injured American detained there.
A new connection between Donald Trump and Russia emerged. Russia’s patent office extended six expiring trademarks owned by the US president, including four on election day in 2016. His attorney said the trademarks were renewed to prevent infringement.
Iraqi forces began a “final assault” on Mosul’s old city. Street fighting to root out ISIL in Iraq’s second-largest city could mark the end of the fighting there, but as many as 150,000 civilians are still trapped in the dense urban battlefield.
Quartz obsession interlude
Zoë Schlanger on the high-stakes work of botanists fighting plant extinction. “Perlman deals exclusively in plants with 50 or fewer individuals left—in many cases, much fewer, maybe two or three. Of the 238 species currently on that list, 82 are on Kauai; Perlman literally hangs off cliffs and jumps from helicopters to reach them. Without him, rare Hawaiian plants die out forever. With him, they at least have a shot…even if a species does go extinct in the wild, chances are Perlman has already collected enough seeds and genetic material before the last plant disappeared to grow others in a greenhouse.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Hindu extremists turn to violence for the same reason as Islamist terrorists. Cattle-defending lynch mobs are just another sect imposing their views with violence when they can’t win over adherents.
Bill Cosby’s mistrial reveals the truth about power in America. Women in the US face the death-rattle of the last desperate bastions of masculine dominance.
Philando Castile should be an NRA martyr. A licensed gun owner is shot dead during a traffic stop after calmly telling the officer he was armed. For the National Rifle Association, there’s only one problem: He’s black.
Surprising discoveries
Power rots your brain. Neurological research offers a compelling explanation for why our leaders are so disappointing.
A Brazilian Catholic exorcist cult believes its dead founder is plotting to kill Pope Francis. The Vatican is investigating.
Father’s Day was once marketed as “second Christmas.” How Big Necktie created the patriarchal holiday.
A rare movie was found of New York City in 1911. A Swedish film travelogue has been restored and shared by New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Tweaking the DNA in gut-dwelling bacteria made worms live longer. Scientists wonder if it could do the same for humans.
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