Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Turkey and the EU try to reset relations. The Brussels meeting will focus on counterterrorism, migration, and visa-free travel. It will be overshadowed by the escalating Ankara-Berlin spat: Turkey has jailed a number of human rights activists, including a German, and has been holding a German-Turkish journalist since February.
Donald Trump hosts Lebanon’s prime minister as Mideast tensions rise. Saad Hariri will visit the White House to discuss terrorism, the economy, and refugees, but the talk may also cover clashes over stricter Israeli security measures at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
GM reports quarterly results. Analysts expect General Motors to report a downturn in profit and revenue. The carmaker is struggling with a US slowdown and looking to Asia for growth: Cadillac sales are booming in China.
The US Senate votes on ending Obamacare. Donald Trump implored GOP senators to “do the right thing” and repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Senator John McCain, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, will return to the capitol for the close-run vote.
While you were sleeping
Michael Kors bought $1.2 billion worth of Jimmy Choos. London-based Jimmy Choo—a favorite of Princess Diana and the Carrie Bradshaw character in “Sex and the City”—was put up for sale in April amid a downturn in the luxury market. News of the purchase gave Jimmy Choo’s shares a 17% boost (paywall).
A federal judge in Michigan halted the deportation of 1,400 Iraqis. Judge Mark Goldsmith granted an injunction after lawyers argued that deporting the religious and ethnic minority nationals would put their lives in danger. The decision effectively halts the deportation of all Iraqis for the moment.
Brits can soon order Domino’s pizza via Amazon Echo. The pizza chain’s UK franchise also announced (paywall) a 10% rise in sales over the past six months versus a year ago. Online orders now make up 75% of all deliveries in Britain.
Toyota will take on Tesla with a fast-charging, long-range electric car. Japanese newspaper Chunichi Shimbun reported the vehicle—expected by 2022—will recharge in a few minutes, thanks to a new kind of solid-state battery instead of the standard lithium-ion variety.
Greece got back in bond game. The country has opened the books on a new five-year bond (paywall), its first international issue since 2014. The Greek finance minister hailed it as a sign that “the difficult measures have passed.” Athens dodged a loan default this month, repaying €7 billion ($8 billion) to creditors in the nick of time.
Quartz obsession interlude
Anne Quito on the black market for fake designer chairs. “Last year, US customs officers seized over $4 million worth of fake chairs. It was the first year that the agency had ever seized containers-full of such unauthorized reproductions, thanks in part to a novel new training that’s turning port inspectors into design connoisseurs.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Productivity is irrelevant. As difficult-to-automate service industries grow alongside automated labor, GDP and human welfare will become entirely divorced.
Push notifications are ruining your life. They let brands grab your attention whenever they want—and rob you of inner peace.
It’s time to auction off airwaves to wireless networks. It’s the best way to re-allocate a scarce resource that traditional broadcasters need less and mobile operators need more.
Surprising discoveries
Rocker Alice Cooper found a forgotten Andy Warhol masterpiece. His mother remembered that it was stashed in a storage locker.
The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier has no urinals. The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R. Ford reflects an increased need for gender-neutral spaces.
There were eight tropical cyclones in the north Pacific Ocean at once on Saturday. That hasn’t happened since 1974.
Michael Phelps lost a race to a computer-generated shark. Despite wearing a special wetsuit with a monofin, the shark beat the 28-time Olympic medalist by two seconds.
It pays to be ugly. A study found that the ugliest 3% of the population outearn the 50% who are sort of ugly or just average-looking.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, forgotten pop art, and imitation Eames chairs to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.