Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meet. The leaders of China and Russia will meet in Moscow, where they’ll talk about containing North Korea and improving military cooperation. Also up for discussion: linking China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to Russia’s “Eurasian Economic Union,” a proposed trade group for Central Asia.
Total signs its mega energy deal with Iran. Paris-based Total will formally ink a 20-year contract with Iran today to develop the world’s largest natural gas field. Total will control 50% of it, China National Petroleum 30%, and Iran’s Petropars the rest. This is the biggest deal in Iran since sanctions were lifted in 2016.
A lull in North American trading. Nasdaq and the NYSE close at 1pm EST in honor of US Independence Day tomorrow, and Canadian markets are closed completely.
Over the weekend
A US warship buzzed a disputed South China Sea island. The Navy destroyer sailed close to Triton Island in what it called a “freedom of navigation” operation—China called it a “serious military provocation” and sent its own ships and fighter jets to the island. The island is part of the Paracels, which are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, but occupied by China.
Maine and New Jersey’s governments suffered a partial shutdown. Maine has shut down all non-emergency government functions until further notice and declared a state of civil emergency after lawmakers failed to get the biennial budget approved. New Jersey’s state beaches and parks (paywall) were closed—bad news for Fourth of July celebrations if they’re not reopened by tomorrow.
The Tesla Model 3 got the final go-ahead. CEO Elon Musk announced that all regulatory requirements had been met and the much-anticipated electric vehicle can now go into production. The first 30 customers will get their cars at a handover party on July 28—and Musk will celebrate his 15-year quest to make an affordable e-car a reality.
A Russian cyber-security firm gave in to the US. CEO Eugene Kaspersky said he would let the US government review Kaspersky Labs’s source code, after a Senate threat to cut defense-department contracts with the company. This could do more to undermine US security than protect it, because American firms could be equally pressured to divulge code to Russia.
The G-20 protests began. Roughly 10,000 protesters marched in Hamburg, Germany ahead of the G-20 summit on July 7-8, demanding leaders fight poverty and protect the planet. Some 21,000 police will try to ensure protests don’t end in violence as they did in Genoa, Italy in 2001.
Hong Kong celebrated—and mourned—its return to Chinese rule. Chinese president Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong to mark 20 years since the city was transferred from British to Chinese rule, and to attend the swearing-in of a new government. Tens of thousands also took to the streets to protest what they see as growing encroachment by Beijing on the territory’s freedoms.
Quartz obsession interlude
David Bandurski on the American story at the heart of China’s national anthem. ”‘March of the Volunteers’ began its life as the musical score for Children of Troubled Times, a film with strongly leftist themes produced by Shanghai’s Diantong Film Company. The film advocated self-sacrifice and embroidered on the theme… of ‘the evils of the treaty-port people who were ruined by Western spiritual pollution.'” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Amelia Earhart was the first millennial hustler. She was known not only as a pilot but also as a feminist, a writer, a style icon, and a woman with a revolutionary approach to relationships.
Some things are worth forgetting. New research explains the phenomenon of forgetting things you just learned—and why doing so could be healthy (paywall).
In the future, we won’t have sex to procreate. Procreation will begin by selecting from a range of embryos created with the parents’ DNA in a lab.
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.
Donald Trump promoted a video of himself beating up CNN. Or more precisely, the American president tweeted a doctored video of himself body-slamming a man with CNN’s logo for a head.
The chills we get from listening to music are a biological reaction to surprise. About half of us feel a tingling when we hear certain songs.
There are no science experts left at the White House. The three remaining staffers in the Office of Science and Technology Policy left their posts Friday.
We speak in higher-pitched voices when talking to people more important than us. Our voices are part of the arsenal of signals that affect perceptions of social status.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, saintly relics, and chill-inducing songs to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.