Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Elon Musk finally unveils the Tesla truck… The automaker’s all-electric semi is rumored to be powered by two electric motors and batteries that could weigh up to nine metric tons (9.9 tons). It may also have some autonomous driving abilities—Musk calls it “unreal.”
…And launches a secret SpaceX mission. The “Zuma” mission’s purpose is unknown, but involves a classified government satellite built by defense giant Northrop Grumman.
Walmart reports earnings. The world’s largest retailer announces its third-quarter figures (paywall), and investors will be looking for improvement in foot traffic and store sales, as Walmart invests in its physical locations.
Saad al-Hariri may return to Lebanon. The prime minister, who resigned under mysterious circumstances on a trip to Saudi Arabia last week, vowed on Tuesday to return within two days—but he could also go to France. Lebanese politicians have accused the Saudis of holding Hariri against his will, triggering a political crisis.
While you were sleeping
A Leonardo da Vinci painting sold for $450 million. In New York, “Salvator Mundi” broke the record for any work of art sold at auction, a record previously held by Picasso’s “Women of Algiers” which fetched $179.4 million at Christie’s in May 2015.
The Koch brothers are backing a deal to buy Time Inc. The conservative billionaires are reportedly providing $500 million to support a renewed attempt by magazine publisher the Meredith Corporation to buy Time, the New York Times reported (paywall).
The World Anti-Doping Agency rejected Russia’s appeal. At a meeting in Seoul, the body said Russia remains non-compliant (paywall) with the global antidoping code—just three months before the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in South Korea.
Two Republican Senators opposed Trump’s EPA nominee. The North Carolina senators said they would vote against the appointment of Michael L. Dourson, a toxicologist with close ties to the chemical industry, as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
Russia gave Venezuela a debt deal. Caracas will pay Moscow $3.15 billion over a 10-year period after defaulting on a bond earlier this week. The oil-rich state is $60 billion in debt and has been in a full-blown economic crisis since 2012.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ilaria Maria Sala on the Ukrainian city that gave us the concept of “genocide.” “[A]s the horrors of the Holocaust unfolded, the two men, who had managed to take refuge far away from Lviv but were agonizing over members of their families who had been unable to escape the Nazis, experienced a sense of urgency over the need for an international court that could bring war criminals to justice.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Happy robots make it harder for us to handle uncomfortable interactions. Friction is what makes personal relationships interesting.
Companies literally know nothing about millennials. Corporations don’t get that all their zealous efforts to connect with young people look like they’re still trying to make lots of money by screwing people over.
What can we say to each other at work now? As sexual harassment scandals mount, we need to redefine appropriate behavior in the workplace.
Surprising discoveries
Maroon 5 is the American band of the century. It managed to place 13 singles in Billboard’s Top 10 since 2000, more than any other group.
North Koreans play professional soccer in Italy. Pyongyang’s attempt to develop soccer players (paywall) might be bearing fruit.
A Japanese train didn’t run on time. A train company apologized after one of its trains left 20 seconds earlier than scheduled.
Sausage-roll Jesus is the latest scandal in the UK. Bakery chain Greggs had to apologize to Christian groups after replacing baby Jesus with a sausage roll in a nativity scene in an ad.
Cards Against Humanity bought a piece of land to thwart Trump’s border wall. The irreverent game is no stranger to publicity stunts, but this one required a lot of commitment.
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