Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Xi and Putin meet. China’s and Russia’s leaders will meet in Moscow, where they’ll talk containing North Korea and increased military links. Also up for discussion—linking China’s “One Belt One Road” project to Russia’s “Eurasian Economic Union,” a proposed trade group with central Asian countries.
Increased India-China border tension. India sent more troops to the border it shares with Bhutan and China in the northeastern state of Sikkim, after the Chinese bulldozed Indian-built bunkers on disputed territory there.
A lull in North American trading. NASDAQ and the NYSE close at 1:00pm EST, in honor of the US’s Independence Day holiday, and Canadian markets are closed completely for Canada Day.
While you were sleeping
A US warship buzzed a disputed South China Sea island. The Navy destroyer came just 12 miles from Triton Island, in what US officials called a “freedom of navigation exercise.” The island is part of the Paracels, which are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, but occupied by China.
A Russian cyber-security firm gave in to the US. CEO Eugene Kaspersky said he’d let the US government review Kaspersky Labs’ source code, after a Senate proposal to cut defense department contracts with the company. This could do more to undermine US security than protect it, because US firms could be equally pressured to divulge code to Russia.
The G-20 protests begin. Roughly 10,000 protesters marched in Hamburg, Germany ahead of the G-20 summit, demanding leaders fight poverty and protect the earth. The summit will be held July 7 and 8, and 30 protests are planned.
US senators had an even worse idea. They may not be able to pass a deeply unpopular health care bill that will cut insurance for millions, so some senators are discussing a new idea—repealing “Obamacare” entirely, the Hill reports, and waiting to replace it when they can agree on what that replacement should be. That could affect about 20 million people.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni on Amelia Earhart’s “decidedly postmodern” life. “The lady had more gigs than a millennial and reinvented herself as often as a Gen-Xer. She tried and failed and succeeded a lot for someone who lived only 40 years…When her plane disappeared 80 years ago this week, on July 2, 1937, she was known not only as a pilot but as a feminist, a writer, a style icon, and a woman with a revolutionary approach to relationships.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Markets close early
Celebrating July 4th
Trump Twitter should too
Matters of debate
Men in venture capital are predatory. Women working in Silicon Valley describe the immense power imbalance (paywall) and frequent harassment they encountered when seeking funding from well-known venture capitalists in a New York Times investigation.
Some things are worth forgetting. New research explains the phenomenon of forgetting things you just learned—and why that could be a good thing.
Do vegetarians want hot dogs? The promise of lab-grown meat, produced without animals, will soon be a reality. But can we overcome some strong taboos to replace livestock farming?
Surprising discoveries
David Bowie wanted to make “1984” into a musical. The dream fell apart when George Orwell’s widow didn’t like the idea.
Christmas has come early for religious Russians. More than a million Christians in Russia endured 10-hour lines (paywall) to see a fragment of Saint Nicholas’ rib.
There are no science experts left at the White House. The three remaining White House staffers in the Office of Science and Technology Policy left their posts Friday, and the office is empty. The Obama Administration had 50 to 60 staffers in the office.
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