Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Spain holds an emergency cabinet meeting over Catalonia. News of the meeting was shared by nation’s deputy prime minister, according to the Associated Press. Last night Catalonia president Carles Puigdemont put the region’s independence declaration on hold in an effort to “de-escalate the situation” while he seeks talks with the Spanish government.
China reshuffles its central committee. The ruling Communist Party is expected to expel from the roughly 200-member committee at least eight full members who’ve run afoul of president Xi Jinping’s corruption crackdown. The meeting comes ahead of the party’s twice-a-decade national congress, which starts next week.
SpaceX’s second launch of the week. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Luxembourg communications satellite into orbit will lift off from Florida at 6:53pm local time (11:53pm in London). The company’s 15th launch of 2017, it comes less than three days after a separate launch from the US west coast.
India’s largest reinsurer goes public. General Insurance Corp. will kick off India’s third-biggest IPO ever and is expected to raise about $1.7 billion.
While you were sleeping
The US sent bombers over the Korean Peninsula at night. In a show of force to North Korea it sent two B-1B bombers, which were accompanied by fighter jets from Japan and South Korea. The planes conducted air-to-ground missile drills over waters on each side of the peninsula. It was the first time the three nations conducted such drills at night together.
The US Navy fired top officers for a ship collision near Singapore in August. An investigation is still ongoing, but the navy said it’s already clear that the crash involving the USS McCain was preventable, adding that the commanding officers exercised poor judgement and leadership. The warship struck a large tanker, resulting in the deaths of 10 sailors.
Harvey Weinstein’s wife said she’s leaving him. Fashion designer Georgina Chapman announced her decision amid an increasing number of accusations by women saying they’d been harassed or in some cases raped by the movie mogul. Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie said they, too, had experienced his unwanted sexual advances (paywall), and Hillary Clinton publicly condemned Weinstein, a longtime donor.
The US failed to make the World Cup. An embarrassing loss to low-ranked Trinidad and Tobago ensured the American team will miss the competition for the first time since 1986. To qualify it needed at least a tie.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jayashri Kulkarni on the shortcomings of borderline personality disorder. “As a diagnostic term, borderline personality disorder not only fails to capture any of the underlying issues and mechanisms involved in producing its symptoms, it also denigrates them. In contrast, major depressive disorder describes a serious condition with the key feature of depressed mood explicit in the diagnostic term.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Just chugging along / Stocks hit another record / 401k whee!
Matters of debate
It’s time to assume that all of our data will be stolen. A determined hacker can almost always succeed, so the tech industry needs to focus on limiting the damage.
Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler’s “nudge” theory is great for conservatives. “Choice architecture” is a powerful force in the regulation of marriage, immigration, and abortion.
The next financial crisis is probably around the corner. Whether it’s budget deficits, higher debts, unstable markets, or loosened bank regulations, it’s just a matter of time.
Surprising discoveries
Eminem rapped about everything he hates about Donald Trump. In a video for BET’s Hip Hop Awards, he launched an expletive-laden tirade against the US president.
A defiant McDonald’s franchisee in India has gone rogue. The fast-food giant says its partner is in breach of contract (paywall), but Connaught Plaza Restaurants has vowed to keep selling burgers and fries under the golden arches.
Swedish boars are radioactive from eating Chernobyl mushrooms. Fallout from the 1986 nuclear disaster was carried 1,000 miles (1,609 km) west and began moving up the food chain.
A man in a shark costume was fined for violating Austria’s burqa ban. The law may also ensnare people in other costumes or motorcycle gear.
Scientists found half of the universe’s missing matter. It was hiding in particles called baryons that connect galaxies via “filaments of hot, diffuse gas.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, missing matter, and legally compliant shark outfits to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.