Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Cannes film festival kicks off. It’ll start with the Spanish-language thriller Everybody Knows, while the heaviest hitter will be the Hans Solo prequel from the Star Wars universe. Meanwhile top actresses announced yesterday they’ll hold a red-carpet #MeToo protest Saturday, putting pressure on the festival over its gender imbalance and sexist dress code.
Germany presents its latest crime figures. In Berlin interior minister Horst Seehofer will present statistics showing that crime fell sharply in 2017 from the year before. That could help counter media-fed perceptions that the country—one of the world’s safest—is becoming more dangerous.
Trump announces his decision on the Iran nuclear deal. The US president tweeted Monday that he’ll disclose his plans for the accord at the White House at 2pm ET. Having called the pact “insane” and ”ridiculous,” he’s expected to leave it despite pleas from European leaders (paywall).
Google holds its developer conference in Silicon Valley. App makers will learn more about the next version of Android, which will reach consumers later this year and feature simpler navigation and better protection from malicious programs. The company will also reveal more about its plans in artificial intelligence.
While you were sleeping
Abuse allegations took down New York’s attorney general. Eric Schneiderman said he’ll resign following a New Yorker article in which four women claimed he physically abused them. Schneiderman, who filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein over sexual harassment and has helped the #MeToo movement, said he strongly contests the allegations.
China reported its April trade data. It announced imports jumped 21.5% and exports grew 12.9% from a year ago, which surprised analysts predicting lower figures. Meanwhile China’s surplus with the US expanded from $15.4 billion in March to $22.2 billion last month, as trade tension between the two nations continues to mount.
A train crash in Germany killed at least two people. A commuter train hit a freight service outside Aichach station in Bavaria late Monday, killing the driver and a female passenger. It isn’t yet clear what caused the accident, which also resulted in some 14 wounded passengers.
China sentenced a former top official to life in prison. Sun Zhengcai, previously the Communist Party chief in the city of Chongqing, was charged with taking bribes of more than $27 million. At one point Sun was considered a chief rival of Chinese president Xi Jinping, who has used an anti-corruption crackdown to take down competitors.
Elon Musk bought $9.85 million of his own company’s shares. Musk was already Tesla’s largest shareholder and now his stake is closer to 20%, according to Bloomberg (paywall). Last week the CEO promised to “burn” those betting against his automaker in the market, calling analysts’ questions in an earnings call “boring” and “boneheaded.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Karen Hao on how women in crypto don’t speak about being women in crypto. “They hold all-female conferences dedicated to talking about their work while sidestepping sticky questions of how to navigate a male-dominant world. They profile women who are shaping the industry without directly addressing the sexism. ‘We don’t want to speak about being female,’ Stark said. ‘We’re all so busy, and then we have an additional burden.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Open-office plans are subtly sexist. Women often feel their appearance is under a microscope, and alter their dress, socializing habits, and demeanor accordingly.
Investing in your friends’ companies could look shady. At least that’s what Warren Buffett said regarding Bill Gates, and wanting to stay above board is a good excuse to steer clear.
We need Barnes & Noble to make a comeback. Amazon has cornered the market, and with no major foes to keep things competitive, it’s killing the book industry (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A new “celestial theater” in Norway will be the ultimate destination for astronomy fans. The forested Solobservatoriet campus will feature cabins designed to pay tribute to the lumpy potato moons of Mars.
Google searches come at a cost to the planet. Processing 3.5 billion searches a day accounts for about 40% of the internet’s carbon footprint.
Egypt accepted that Tutankhamun’s tomb has no secret chamber. New, powerful radar scans debunked the claim that Queen Nefertiti’s remains were in a hidden room.
A New York building has the air-purifying power of 500 trees. A spray-on facade called Pureti transforms polluting particles in the air into oxidizing agents.
A Kentucky Derby fan turned an $18 bet into $1.2 million. Proving that research pays off, the Texas woman won a “pick five” bet after carefully analyzing the odds.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, secret chambers, and betting tips 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.