Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Pope Francis is on a sensitive trip to Myanmar. On his six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Pope has been asked not to use the word “Rohingya” to describe the Muslim minority suffering persecution by the Buddhist-majority Myanmar military. Myanmar officials call them “Bengalis,” claiming they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Who will lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? Agency chief Richard Cordray resigned Friday, appointing Leandra English as acting director until the Senate confirms a Donald Trump nominee. But Trump said his pick, Mick Mulvaney—a big critic of the agency—will lead in the interim. English filed a lawsuit last night to prevent that.
US holiday shoppers hit the internet. Online retailers look to Cyber Monday to extend their disruption over brick-and-mortar stores. Adobe Analytics predicts Americans will spent a record-breaking $6.6 billion today—versus $5 billion on Black Friday.
Over the weekend
Meredith agreed to acquire Time for $2.8 billion. The Iowa-based publisher will add Fortune and Sports Illustrated to its lineup of titles, giving it a bigger audience to compete for ad dollars. The billionaire Koch brothers—known for their support of conservative causes in US politics—injected $650 million into the deal.
Bali braced for a major volcanic eruption. Bali’s rumbling Mount Agung volcano is expected to erupt soon. Authorities have evacuated around 100,000 people from the popular tourist destination. Dozens of flights were canceled over the weekend and the airport is now completely closed.
Trump appeared to endorse Roy Moore. The Alabama Senate candidate, accused of preying on underage women, has been disavowed by leading Republicans. Trump’s Sunday tweet slamming Moore’s rival for the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is causing more upset in the GOP.
The FBI failed to disclose Russian hacker activity for a more than a year. The Kremlin-aligned cyber-espionage group Fancy Bear was targeting Gmail accounts belonging to US government officials, but several victims weren’t warned for over a year. The resulting DC Leaks email dump revealed hundreds of US lawmakers’ emails and phone numbers.
The Honduran president and his rival both claimed an election win. Challenger Salvador Nasralla and president Juan Orlando Hernandez both claimed victory before the final results were in. Critics warn that Hernandez is tightening his grip on power thanks to a 2015 Supreme Court decision that overturned a constitutional ban on re-election.
Quartz obsession interlude
David Kaufman on the statistics of Malia Obama dating a white guy at Harvard. “Black women—particularly those with the most education like Obama—are faced with a limited pool if they seek to date within their race. Due to a host of societal conditions—from early death to mass incarceration—twice as many black women attend college as black men.“ Read more here.
Matters of debate
“Strategic stress” can improve your company’s performance. Deviations from the strategy keeps the organization alert and responsive.
Sweden’s cooling housing market is a preview for others. Low interest rates and rapidly rising house prices have been making the central bank nervous.
Net neutrality can’t fix the internet. Internet providers have been abusing the web for a long time.
Surprising discoveries
Three people still depend on iron lungs. The polio survivors, living in central US states, use the antiquated technology to survive.
Delhi rickshaw drivers are taking mandatory “gender sensitization” classes. It’s to help battle against sexual violence.
Goats and horses feel lots of emotions. Science has a lot to say about animal sentience.
Sesame Street keeps on making awesome parodies. A video knockoff of the Netflix blockbuster Stranger Things is making the rounds on the internet.
A Swedish power plant burns discarded H&M clothes for fuel. It’s burned about 15 tons of discarded clothing so far this year.
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