Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Was your data used by Cambridge Analytica? Facebook will begin alerting users of details of their data via a link at the top of users’ news feeds, including whether they were part of the scandal rocking Facebook. CEO Mark Zuckerberg will go before Congress this week to testify about how the company uses its data.
Look for international reaction to the Syrian chemical attack. The UN Security Council may meet after nine of the current 15 members called for an urgent debate over the suspected attack, which is the BBC was reporting killed “dozens” in Douma on Saturday. Donald Trump took an unusually hard line against Vladimir Putin, mentioning him by name and tweeting “Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad.”
The World Copper Conference begins in Santiago. Copper is becoming a valuable commodity again because of its use in the booming electric-car industry. But the meeting comes as few new mines are being built, despite the increase in demand.
While you were sleeping
Verbal jousting over the US-China standoff continued. After a tough week for US stocks, US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he does not expect a trade war, while Donald Trump tweeted that we aren’t experiencing a trade war now, adding “that war was lost many years ago.” Meanwhile, European buyers are gobbling up all of America’s soybeans while they’re cheap.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva handed himself in. The popular Brazilian former president had been in a standoff with the authorities for 48 hours, barricaded in a union building flanked by his supporters. He will begin a 12-year prison sentence for corruption in a jail cell that will be at least a bit nicer than what his fellow inmates face.
Deutsche Bank reportedly chose a new CEO. Christian Sewing, currently co-deputy CEO, has been picked for the gig, according to Reuters sources. The current CEO, British-born John Cryan, is out after only three years, being replaced by a German at a time when the lender is trying to bolster domestic support.
Viktor Orban looked set to win a third term in Hungary. The nation went to the polls on Sunday with a higher turnout than the past three elections. The prime minister, who ran on an anti-immigration platform, was 20 points ahead of his rivals with votes still being counted; his policies have consistently upset his fellow EU members.
Germany suffered a horrific attack—and prevented another. A man rammed his van into a crowd in Muenster, killing two people before shooting himself in a non-terror-related incident. In an unrelated event, German authorities revealed they had thwarted a terrorist attack that was due to take place during the Berlin half-marathon that same day.
Quartz obsession interlude
Georgia Frances King on how Islamic countries are using gold-backed cryptocurrencies to get around Sharia law. “In the Islamic faith, it’s believed that economic activity should be based on real, physical assets, not speculation; observant Muslims also do not invest in banking products that offer returns via interest payments. Therefore, many people in the Gulf states and beyond don’t consider bitcoin, ethereum, and other cryptos to be compliant with Sharia law.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Electric cars are much harder to build than reusable rockets. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is faring much better than his car company.
Chimpanzees should be considered persons. Many philosophers now agree (paywall) that they should be given legal rights.
Trump has brought the spirit of the 1970s into the Oval Office. His lack of trust in institutions is a worldview born out of an era when the public lost faith in them.
Surprising discoveries
The number of foreigners running the Pyongyang marathon this year halved. Nuclear threats in North Korea are turning away tourists and joggers alike.
Tesla is hiring a full-time barista. Elon Musk’s electric-car company is looking for a perky candidate to caffeinate its 500 employees in New York.
The dots in your Gmail address do matter—if you’re a scammer. Some websites have a loophole that cunning fraudsters could extort, whether your email has periods or not.
Whales are big because of a complex biological equation. Sea mammals need to be larger to accommodate for losing so much heat in the water—but not too big.
Organizing your mobile apps by color makes you hate your phone less. Color-coordinated organization looks swish while also making you feel less anxious.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, copper, and your Pyongyang split times to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Georgia Frances King and edited by Kabir Chibber.