Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
North Korea prepares to dismantle its nuclear test site. Dozens of Western and Chinese journalists will attend the closure of the Punggye-ri site as soon as Wednesday, though diplomatic uncertainties remain. The demolition may mean little without verification by outside experts.
Marks and Spencer takes a heavy hit from store closures. The UK retailer is reportedly planning to announce up to £300 million ($400 million) in charges as it mulls the closure of more than 100 shops at home and abroad.
Japan and China call on Donald Trump. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono will visit the White House to discuss the US-North Korea summit. Trump, meeting with South Korean president Moon Jae-in, warned Tuesday that the meeting could still be delayed.
While you were sleeping
The US and China made more conciliatory moves on trade. Negotiators are discussing a deal to save Chinese telecom giant ZTE (paywall), which was hit with devastating US sanctions for selling technology to Iran and North Korea. Terms are not yet finalized, but ZTE would be able to purchase US components once again if it makes changes to its management and board, and potentially pays some big fines.
Philip Roth died. The author of The Plot Against America and American Pastoral, who frequently chronicled Jewish American life in his novels, died at the age of 85. Roth, who retired from writing in 2012, was a vocal critic of Trump.
The US moved one step closer to electing its first black female governor. Stacey Abrams made history after she won the Democratic primary for governor in Georgia. If she pulls off a victory in November against the Republicans, the former state House minority leader could become the first female governor in Georgia, the first black governor of the state, and the first black woman elected governor in the US.
Mark Zuckerberg had an awkward hearing at the European Parliament. In one particularly uncomfortable moment, Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party, told the Facebook CEO that without social media, Trump and Brexit wouldn’t have happened.
The winner of the Man Booker International Prize was announced. The UK prize, awarded to a book translated into English, was won by Polish author Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights. The book is a meditation about wandering, told through interwoven fragments, with its characters in constant transit.
Tesla vowed to fix the Model 3’s brake problems. After a damning report from a consumer group, Elon Musk said the problem—likely due to “anti-lock brake system calibration algorithm”—could be solved with an over-the-air software update.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Sarah Todd on the most beautiful corn in world. “The rise of industrial agriculture has made the world’s crops increasingly homogenous, which poses risks of everything from food shortages to economic crashes. And so glass gem corn is more than just a sexy social-media star—it’s a way to get people interested in the myriad benefits of cultivating diverse crops.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Incels should blame the economy, not women. A tough job market and rising real estate costs means more men and women are living with their parents and getting married later.
Watching experts gives people confidence they don’t deserve. You can’t do what they do without years of practice.
ISIS has changed terrorism in Indonesia. With little organization, entire families are making isolated attacks (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A Ponzi scheme wiped out China’s giant salamanders. A bizarre attempt to encourage farming led people to strip the landscape of wild specimens.
Eight years ago, someone bought two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins. At current prices, that works out to about $4 million a slice.
A sinkhole has opened on the White House lawn. Washington’s swampy origins and a phenomenon called “forebulge collapse” are to blame.
Huge predatory worms from Asia are invading France. The giant exotic hammerheads can grow up to 10 inches long, and appear to reproduce asexually.
Starbucks is beating Apple and Google in mobile payments. More than 23.4 million customers use the Starbucks app at least once every six months.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Chinese salamanders, and giant worms 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Alice Truong.