Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Barça goes on strike. None of the soccer team’s professional or youth teams will train amid a Catalonia-wide strike in protest of the government’s attempts to stop the Catalan independence referendum on Sunday. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was jeered by fans while training with the national team on Monday, and has said he would leave the team if his support for Catalan independence was a problem.
Uber’s board meets. The ride-hailing company will discuss board reforms that could bring Uber closer to an IPO and also limit the power of founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick—who named two allies to the board Friday—as a shareholder and board member. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will also meet with transportation regulators in London.
Donald Trump visits Puerto Rico. The president plans to tour the stricken US territory, despite his attacks on San Juan’s mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, after she accused the federal government of poor disaster relief efforts. Trump will also visit the US Virgin Islands, where he owns a home that was destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
Equifax’s former CEO is called before Congress. In a prepared testimony to a congressional committee on the credit bureau’s massive data leak, Richard Smith blamed the incident on the credit bureau’s IT department. The company also said that 2.5 million more people than initially thought had their data exposed, taking the total number of people in the US affected to 145.5 million people.
The US Supreme Court hears arguments on partisan gerrymandering. Democrats are challenging the practice (paywall), following a redistricting in Wisconsin by Republicans in 2011 that led to a huge win for the party in 2012 elections despite receiving less than 50% of the popular vote. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that gerrymandering on race lines is unconstitutional, but has not ruled on political lines.
While you were sleeping
The death toll rose to 59 in the Las Vegas shooting with over 500 injured. A 64-year-old gunman, identified by police as Stephen Paddock, opened fire at a concert from a window in the Mandalay Casino and was later found dead in his hotel room. Police found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and at least 23 firearms in his room, which they believe were purchased legally, and are investigating whether the guns were capable of firing automatically.
Facebook said 10 million Americans saw Russia-linked US election ads. The social network revealed the number shortly after it said it plans to hire 1,000 more people to review ads in order to avoid Russia and other actors using ads on the platform to interfere in elections.
The US plans to kick out most of Cuba’s diplomats. The move to throw out some two-thirds of Cuba’s embassy staff out of the US comes after a number of employees in the US embassy in Havana suffered mysterious illnesses allegedly linked to sonic attacks.
Militants attacked a military camp in Indian-administered Kashmir. Indian media said three soldiers were injured in an attack at a base near Srinagar airport. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack, and one of the attackers has been reportedly killed.
Tom Petty died at 66. The American rocker died in California after suffering a heart attack, his family confirmed in a statement. “It’s shocking, crushing news. I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him,” Bob Dylan said of Petty’s death.
Quartz obsession interlude
Thu-Huong Ha on a new book teaches kids all the “lost words” from nature and outdoor play. “In 2007, Oxford released a new edition of its ‘Junior’ dictionary, aimed at kids aged seven and older. A handful of parents and pedants were critical of which words had been dropped from and added to the edition. Words about nature—’moss,’ ‘blackberry’ and ‘bluebell’—were gone, and in their place, ‘blog,’ ‘chatroom,’ and ‘database.’” Read more here.
Markets haiku
When horror happens / it’s all too predictable / which stocks will go up.
Matters of debate
Country-music artists need to speak up about America’s gun culture. Country music is a key part of the National Rifle Association’s lobbying efforts to sell its “lifestyle” (paywall).
Amazon is “too basic” for the fashion industry. Poor photography and a reputation for being utilitarian may quash its style ambitions.
Hollywood is relying more and more on blockbuster reboots. Sequels that mark the major anniversaries of films to pump up the nostalgia factor are particularly reliable box-office boosters.
Surprising discoveries
MRI machines could soon be wearable. Sensors could come in the form of a skullcap to image the head or a shirt to peek inside the torso.
Merlot is bouncing back. Sales have spiked for the first time since Sideways ruined its reputation.
A delivery startup is helping Nigerians have safe sex. Slide Safe discreetly delivers on-demand STD kits, condoms, and lubricants.
Pride and Prejudice is getting the virtual-reality treatment. A game inspired by Jane Austen novels takes players back to the Regency era, where gossip is the weapon of choice.
Russia is North Korea’s new internet provider. TransTeleCom will bolster the broadband connection provided by China.
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