Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Official results are announced in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nine years. A preliminary reading suggests more than half the seats will be won by Hezbollah and its political allies. The US classifies Iran-backed Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
NAFTA talks resume. The US, Canada, and Mexico will meet in Washington to further negotiate a revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Last week US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said the deal would be “on thin ice” if not finalized in the coming weeks.
SpaceX launches its upgraded Falcon rocket. Elon Musk’s company will send a Bangladeshi communications satellite into space via its Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, which has better thermal coating among other improvements. SpaceX reportedly designed the Block 5 to fly again 48 hours after a launch and to have a lifespan of 100 launches.
Financial markets are closed in the UK due to a bank holiday.
Over the weekend
North Korea scolded the US. State news agency KCNA said Washington was “misleading public opinion” by claiming Pyongyang’s (seemingly) conciliatory statements on denuclearization stemmed from US-led sanctions. It also warned the US against provoking North Korea by deploying strategic assets in the south, an apparent reference to F-22 stealth fighters used in recent drills.
Warren Buffett talked bitcoin and guns. At Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting, the legendary investor said he refused to pressure subsidiaries to divest from gun-related businesses, or impose his political views on them. He also predicted cryptocurrencies—in his view breeding grounds for “charlatans” ripping people off—“will come to bad endings.”
A Malaysian investor bought the Phnom Penh Post. The English-language daily was regarded as the last bastion of the independent press in Cambodia. The paper’s sale to the investor, who has links to the regime of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, was described by Human Rights Watch as “a staggering blow to press freedom in Cambodia.”
The US called China’s airline demands “Orwellian nonsense.” The White House slammed Beijing’s request that foreign airlines change their websites so that Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are listed as part of mainland China. China’s foreign ministry responded that all foreign companies operating in China must respect its sovereignty.
NASA launched a rocket bound for Mars. The InSight mission is due to reach the Red Planet in November, and will be the first probe to examine its interior. The robotic lander will set up seismometers on the surface to test for “Marsquakes,” tremors that might reveal more about the planet’s composition and structure.
Quartz obsession interlude
Oliver Staley on the meaning of the US talking “great power competition.” “The Cold War was also good business for US military contractors. Fighting communism meant buying big hardware like aircraft carriers and ICBMs. The US has spent trillions fighting terrorism, but doesn’t have as many shiny toys to show for it. With the rebranding of US military strategy to focus on China and Russia, the US military establishment again has the enemy it wants.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Society needs more troublemakers. A challenge to the general consensus generates consideration and debate.
Wednesday is the best day to work from home. It increases productivity and prevents employees from taking Mondays or Fridays as faux three-day weekends.
Americans are living in a golden age of protest. More people are joining demonstrations, but it’s time they moved on to tougher forms of dissent, like sit-ins.
Surprising discoveries
Some pandas are losing their black eye patches. Baffled scientists have ruled out a disease that can result in hair loss or whitening in humans.
Idaho State University lost some weapons-grade plutonium. It misplaced the radioactive material—enough to make a small dirty bomb—in 2004.
Facebook’s users don’t care much about its scandals. A Reuters/Ipsos survey found most users in the US remain loyal.
A Wisconsin man set the world record for gobbling Big Macs. Donald Gorske has eaten 30,000 of them over 40 years—and has all his receipts to prove it.
A woman was allowed to enter a Japanese bullfighting ring for the first time. The ban was lifted in an attempt to modernize the sport.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hazmat suits, and panda meds 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 Steve Mollman and edited by Alice Truong.