Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin might meet in Vietnam. Both leaders are scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Da Nang on Friday, but it’s not clear whether they plan to have a dedicated meeting. The US-Russia relationship has soured somewhat since July, and possible topics could include North Korea, Syria, and Ukraine.
Alibaba preps for China’s huge shopping holiday. Singles Day, created to encourage lonely Chinese consumers to shop, far outstrips Black Friday in the US. Alibaba’s recruited 600,000 stores nationwide to help sell and deliver goods, and Citigroup is estimating Nov. 11 sales of 158 billion yuan ($24 billion).
The US will perform a rare naval exercise in the Sea of Japan. The three-aircraft-carrier maneuver is the first of its kind in the Western Pacific since a 2007 drill near Guam. From Saturday to Tuesday, the strike force will perform air defense drills, sea surveillance, and more in a show of strength to North Korea.
While you were sleeping
US senate candidate Roy Moore allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Leigh Corfman accused Moore (paywall)—an assistant district attorney in Alabama in 1979, the year of the incident—of removing both of their clothes, touching her over her underwear, and guiding her to touch him in return. Three other women also reported that Moore, who denies the accusations, pursued them when they were teenagers.
Comedian Louis CK was also accused of multiple incidents of misconduct. As many as five people have officially come forward to substantiate years of rumors that Louis CK masturbates in front of unwilling women. The Thursday night New York City premiere of his film I Love You, Daddy was canceled.
US Senate Republicans revealed their tax bill proposal. The Trump Administration said Democrats will like it more (paywall) than the House’s proposal. The plan differs (paywall) by getting rid of state and local tax deductions; keeping mortgage interest deductions, medical deductions, and estate tax; delaying lowering the corporate tax rate, and giving breaks to more small businesses.
Demand for gold has reached an eight-year low. The US stock market’s upswing is something investors don’t want to bet against. Third-quarter numbers show that gold is down 9% from a year prior, with investment dropping 28% in that span alone to 241 metric tons. Gold bars and coins are on the rise globally, though, with China leading the charge.
AT&T says it will fight to buy Time Warner. The US Justice Department rejected the $84 billion purchase on antitrust grounds, saying the telecom giant would have to sell DirecTV or Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting unit, which includes CNN. CEO Randall Stephenson said he was willing to go to court rather than lose either.
Quartz obsession interlude
Dan Kopf on the region that’s growing older a lot faster than anywhere else in the world. “East Asia’s aging population is a cause for celebration, as it mostly reflects improved living conditions. Yet it also presents a big challenge. As Quartz’s Isabella Steger writes, countries like South Korea face a demographic time bomb. Since working-age populations are shrinking in comparison with the ranks of retirees, younger East Asians will bear the brunt of paying for old-age benefits for their parents. Opening up to immigration from still-youthful places like Africa and South Asia is the best option to redress the balance.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Industrial revolution in Ancient Rome wasn’t impossible, just unlikely. Economist and historian Mark Koyama breaks down what the Roman Empire’s economy, labor force, and culture needed for an industrial boom.
Stopping global food waste is a matter of diet. Cutting down on meat and seafood production could save precious resources and energy—and get more vegetables on plates.
Horoscopes aren’t stupid. Astrology may be not be scientific, but our long history of looking at the stars can still encourage plenty of mental and personal benefits.
Surprising discoveries
A driverless shuttle in Las Vegas already got into an accident. It was caused by the human behind the wheel in the other vehicle, which, the shuttle’s sponsors say, proves its point.
The Netherlands is paying YouTubers to get high. State-run broadcaster BNNVARA pays the bills for Drugslab, a channel that promotes safety and responsibility for recreational drug users.
T-Mobile’s CEO is a cult-hit cook. Millions of fans swear John Legere’s “Slow Cooker Sunday” recipes are worth trying, making the YouTube series an oddly compelling publicity stunt.
Gender parity might happen in space before it does on Earth. Three women and three men are sealed into a simulated spacecraft in Moscow for 17 days to help determine proper ratios for future missions.
Poland wants its citizens to mate like rabbits. The government released a hare-raising video advertisement telling parents to follow the example of nature’s most prolific breeding machine.
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