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What to watch for today and over the weekend
Iraq’s parliamentary election. Authorities will ban firearms and close border routes ahead of Sunday’s vote, which has already been long delayed by widespread violence. More than 15 assassination attempts were made on election officials and candidates in the last month, and ISIL has ramped up threats against Sunni and Shia Muslims who participate.
Donald Trump’s drug speech. The US president is expected to outline his strategy on lowering prescription drug prices in the US (paywall), though opponents argue that using trade leverage to force price increases abroad won’t solve the problem. Trump’s speech will also reportedly target multiple parties across the industry, including drug companies, lobbyists, and pharmacy benefit managers.
Kenya launches its first satellite. The University of Nairobi partners with Japan’s space agency to send the first sub-Saharan African nano satellite into orbit on Friday. The million-dollar cube-shaped device should loop the Earth about once every 90 minutes, providing Kenya with weather, mapping, and environmental data during the satellite’s 12-to-18 month lifespan.
While you were sleeping
Trump and Kim Jong-un set a summit date. The US president announced via Twitter that he will meet with North Korea’s leader on June 12 in Singapore. The city-state, chosen over Russia, China, and the Korean DMZ, is roughly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from Pyongyang.
Congo had its first confirmed ebola death in its latest outbreak. Officials have expressed concern that the virus, which broke out in a village near the Congo River will spread more rapidly than usual via the water. Neighboring countries have set up screening resources at their borders.
The Bank of England left interest rates alone. A seven-to-nine vote kept borrowing rates at 0.5% and concluded that the recent slowdown in economic growth was temporary. The bank hinted that rate hikes are still to come, but in less certain terms than its members had used in the past.
The White House hosted its first AI summit. Executives from Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and many others convened with Trump’s technology adviser Michael Kratsios, and asked for more investment on artificial intelligence technology. Kratsios promised to ensure that the US “remains the global leader in AI.”
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Matters of debate
Don’t spend money on Mother’s Day. The holiday’s founder strongly disagreed with the commercialization of a day meant for children to honor their moms.
Feral cats are ruining the ecosystem. They kill environmentally crucial birds, and we should be taking a zero-tolerance approach to outdoor cats.
Space needs a traffic cop. More satellites means more orbiting objects and debris, and someone needs to be looking out for crashes (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
UPS’s new electric truck is more than just adorable. Its design helps keep the driver aware by reducing fatigue and giving a wider field of vision.
Even plants need their beauty sleep. Darwin studied the effects of regular rest on trees and houseplants, concluding that their leaves droop overnight and perk back up in the morning.
An actress had the lowest rent in New York City until her death this year. Patricia O’Grady had no heat or hot water, but thanks to rent control, she made it work for 63 years.
A hangover pill works for drunk rodents. Nanocapsules of alcohol-digesting, liver-assisting enzymes reduced blood alcohol levels in mice by 45%.
Siri and Alexa can hear commands you can’t. Researchers say they can embed commands (paywall) within music and spoken text to control your virtual assistant without you noticing.
Correction: Yesterday, we said that the Bank of England had previously been expected to raise rates by 0.75%, when we should have said they weren’t expected to increase rates to 0.75%.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cute trucks, and tipsy mice 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 and edited by McKinley Noble and Susan Howson.