Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Earnings day for Snap and Blue Apron. Investors are bracing for a bumpy ride (paywall) from the two companies, which are struggling in the face of competition from Facebook and Amazon, respectively. Snap’s stock hit a record low last week, while meal-kit startup Blue Apron’s shares are also down since its IPO.
China summons bigwigs to talk steel. Regulators and steel executives will discuss the industry’s sharp declines in production. Due in part to pollution fears, the cuts have sent global prices surging.
EU observers weigh in on Kenya’s election. A group of 130 monitors will produce a preliminary report on the fairness of the Aug. 8 vote. Opposition leader Raila Odinga protested incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta’s claim of victory, arguing the results were hacked.
While you were sleeping
North Korea unveiled more details about its planned Guam attack. Its plan—which it said would be ready “by mid-August”—included launching four intermediate-range ballistic missiles over Japan before hitting the ocean about 25 miles from Guam, which has a large US military presence.
Lego ditched its CEO for a younger model. The iconic toy maker, facing a slowdown in growth after an outstanding decade-long run, hopes that Niels Christiansen, 51, can lead the company into the digital-play age. He’ll replace 61-year-old Brit Bali Padda (paywall), who was the first non-Danish CEO of the company and has only been in the job for eight months.
Toshiba dodged a delisting. The Japanese giant has been on shaky ground for not submitting its financial results, especially after its accounting scandal two years ago. It still hasn’t managed to sell off its chips unit, which it needs to do to plug a hole created by its bankrupt US nuclear unit Westinghouse.
Facebook revamped its video offering. The company announced a TV-like rival to YouTube and Netflix, called Watch. The service will let users discover videos from outside their feed more easily. For now, only select producers can broadcast on it—the first batch of videos appear to be reality TV shows—but eventually it will be open to anyone.
Glencore got excited about batteries. The Swiss commodities giant posted a 68% leap in profit, to $6.7 billion, in the first half of the year thanks to a rally in metal prices. It’s expecting the burgeoning battery-storage market to boost demand for copper, cobalt, and zinc.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ten years ago, people weren’t that worried about impending financial doom, according to the Quartz finance team. ”Back in August 2007, it wasn’t clear what was coming… A scan of news reports at the time captures a general sense of unease, but also reveals how the financial crisis caught many people off-guard.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The secret to happiness at work is caring less. It frees us up to care more about things that matter more.
Greedy drug makers deserve public shaming. In an era of sharply rising costs, there’s no excuse for thwarting generics.
The debt-ceiling crisis is real. The potential for a US debt default should be taken very seriously (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
Economists put a price on living without pain. The estimate of $56 to $145 a day could help governments decide how much to spend on health care.
Commuting to Silicon Valley on a private jet is cheaper than opening an office there. A Houston-based intellectual-property firm has gained several new clients that way.
The Thai navy is giving monkeys vasectomies. The marauders have been stealing food and wreaking havoc at the country’s largest base (paywall).
Donald Trump gets a folder of positive press twice a day. It contains admiring tweets and images of Trump on TV looking powerful.
The world’s shortest scheduled flight takes 90 seconds. It’s between two Scottish islands.
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