Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Russia begins war games designed to rattle NATO. The Kremlin will mobilize troops in Russia and Belarus, near the borders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, pitting “the Northern ones” against “the Western ones.” NATO says the war games will use more than 100,000 troops, in contravention of its agreements with Russia.
The Bank of England makes its next move. The central bank is expected to hold interest rates steady, but hawkish language from governor Mark Carney has some experts thinking the pound may see an increase.
Donald Trump visits Florida. The US president and first lady will survey the damage caused by Hurricane Irma. The storm, which has since been downgraded, ravaged the Caribbean and southern Florida, leaving more than 60 dead.
While you were sleeping
Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated as a wave of bomb threats hit Russia. The unprecedented barrage of threats, dubbed “organized telephone terrorism” by a top official, forced Moscow to evacuate more than 50,000 people from schools, hospitals, and government buildings. Another 45,000 had been evacuated after similar threats a day earlier.
Amazon made plans for a mega-warehouse in Mexico. The company will build a 1 million square-foot warehouse north of Mexico City next year. Amazon is already Mexico’s third-largest online retailer, and the move will triple its distribution space in the nation. It also comes as the US debates an overhaul of NAFTA.
The 2024 Olympics were awarded to Paris. In the first ever joint announcement of summer games, the International Olympic Committee also named Los Angeles host of the 2028 Olympics. These will be the third Olympics hosted by each city.
US Republicans set a deadline for their tax plan. The GOP will release its revamped tax proposal the week of Sept. 25, as time runs out to act on one of the year’s top agenda items. The plan is expected to include a reduced corporate tax rate and tax cuts for individuals. Trump, who has been wooing Democrats to gain their support, will discuss the proposal over dinner with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
The US government was sued for unconstitutional border searches. The ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation are representing 11 Americans in a suit that accuses the Trump administration of illegally searching their phones and laptops when they were stopped at the US border. The practice is seen as violating the privacy and free speech protections of the US constitution.
Quartz obsession interlude
Mike Murphy on the startup hoping to make corner stores obsolete. “Bodega produces squat internet-connected, wood-and-glass cabinets meant to reside in the common spaces we all use every day, like the gym or the office. The cabinets are filled with items to buy that are relevant to where you are at that given moment: In the office, they might be filled with snacks and drinks; at the gym, they could have Gatorade, supplements, and knee braces; in an apartment lobby, there could be detergent, pharmaceutical goods, and perhaps some snacks, too. Whatever makes most sense.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Bad day to be Swatch / Which got taken down a notch / By the Apple Watch
Matters of debate
Warren Buffett broke American capitalism. At its heart, “Buffettism” is about avoiding competition (paywall) and limiting capital investment in the real economy.
Young employees are better at solving problems. More, umm, “entrenched” workers tend to look for solutions in how things have always been done.
The tech titan backlash is coming. Frustrations over globalization, automation, and corporate consolidation will come to a head for companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon.
Surprising discoveries
A British museum wants a piece of London’s massive fatberg. Its director said that displaying the sewer-clogging mass of oil, fat, diapers, and baby wipes “would raise questions about how we live today.”
Two variants of infinity are actually the same size. A breakthrough in mathematics settled a longstanding question about whether one infinity can be smaller than another.
Apple Park smells like leather, wood, rubber, and manure. Tuesday’s iPhone event marked the first time anyone outside of select employees had a chance to see smell Apple’s new HQ.
The US has more female bartenders than male ones. Since 1950, occupations like optician, HR professional, and bill collector have also shifted to majority-female from majority-male.
Dogs can sniff out child pornography. “Electronic-detection forensic K9” units are taught to smell small hidden electronics in suspected predators’ homes.
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