Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The annual Shangri-La Dialogue brings together leaders from Asia and North America… Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, US defense secretary James Mattis, and top officials from Canada, Australia, China, and Indonesia will convene in Singapore to discuss defense issues ranging from North Korea to security in the Indian Ocean.
…As a top North Korean official hand-delivers a message to Donald Trump. Kim Yong Chol, who just met with secretary of state Mike Pompeo in New York, will hand a letter to the president from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as preparations for the US-North Korea summit slated for June 12 continue apace.
Spain’s prime minister faces a no-confidence vote. Opposition leaders called for a motion of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy over his connection to a major corruption scandal. The vote is scheduled for today, with Rajoy likely to lose his job after the Basque party said it would side with the Socialist party against him.
A new government takes charge in Italy. A coalition government with ministers drawn from both the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the right-wing League will be sworn in today, after designated premier Giuseppe Conte presented his list of ministers to the president for the second time in a week. A first attempt to form a technocratic government failed.
US jobs day. Economists forecast a gain of 188,000 non-farm jobs in April, following an increase of 164,000 jobs in April. Despite fears of labor shortfalls, many expect the record-breaking streak of employment gains to continue.
While you were sleeping
The US launched a once-unthinkable trade war against its closest allies. After months of threats, the US refused to renew duty exemptions on steel and aluminum imports from the EU, Mexico, and Canada. The allies immediately retaliated with tariffs on US goods.
Samantha Bee apologized for her expletive-laden attack on Ivanka Trump. The late-night host called the US president’s daughter a “feckless c***” in a segment on immigration on her TBS show, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, on Wednesday night. The White House said that Bee’s language was “vile and vicious,” and said that “the collective silence by the left and its media allies is appalling.”
Samsonite’s CEO resigned after a short-seller attack. Ramesh Tainwala stepped down after a report by Blue Orca criticized the luggage maker’s accounting practices, including transactions with entities linked to Tainwala and his family. The short-seller’s report sent Samsonite shares down more than 20% last week.
Trump pardoned a conservative writer and hinted at pardons to come. Dinesh D’Souza pled guilty in 2014 to making illegal campaign contributions; Trump also told reporters he was considering pardons for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and lifestyle maven Martha Stewart. All three were convicted by prosecutors who are among Trump’s biggest antagonists.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Juwon Park on apps that outsource academic fraud in South Korea. “While plagiarism and cheating are rocking higher education in many countries… fraud in South Korea’s academia permeates all levels. Professors have been caught ghostwriting for their students. A lecturer accused a full-time professor of making him ghostwrite his papers. Politicians have been busted for hiring ghostwriters for their dissertations, while the South Korean education ministry recently said it found that some professors had listed their children as co-authors.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
All schools need air conditioning. Higher temperatures lead to lower test scores, particularly for students of color.
“Freedom” is a gig-economy myth. The employer’s algorithm is truly in control.
Country music is becoming more LGBT friendly. More young people in the US are listening to the genre, prompting artists and music executives to take a stronger stance on gay rights (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A Hong Kong movie-prop master was busted for possessing fake cash. A court ruled that the British pounds, US dollars, and Chinese yuan looked too realistic.
Cordyceps are even smarter than we thought. The insidious fungus tailors its zombie-ant strategy to work in different environments.
Vermont will pay people to work there remotely. New residents could get a $10,000 grant if their employers are out of state.
Debris from Hurricane Sandy washed up in France. A real-estate sign that had gone missing (paywall) from a New Jersey home in 2012 was found by a man walking on a beach near Bordeaux.
Methane was found on Pluto. Evidence of methane dunes suggests that the icy dwarf-planet’s surface is more dynamic than originally thought.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Vermont tips, and missing signs 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.