Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Angela Merkel woos the Social Democrats. Despite reaching a compromise on migration Monday, the German chancellor and her rebellious interior minister Horst Seehofer aren’t out of the woods yet. Now they must persuade the reluctant Social Democratic Party to play along, or Germany’s coalition government might collapse after all.
A years-long copyright debate comes to a head in the EU. European Parliament ministers will vote on whether an overhaul of the bloc’s copyright rules proceeds to the next stage. The controversial changes have pitted Google, Facebook, and internet luminaries like Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales against publishers, media groups, and recording artists such as Paul McCartney.
A peek into the Federal Reserve. Minutes from last month’s meeting of the US central bank are due today. At the gathering, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year and signaled two more increases by year’s end. The minutes will provide details of its rationale and its outlook for the global economy.
While you were sleeping
Another nerve agent poisoning hit the UK. A man and woman remain in critical condition after exposure to the same nerve agent that poisoned former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia four months ago, said British police. The pair were found unconscious at a house in Amesbury, Wiltshire, just a few miles from the earlier event.
Jaguar Land Rover warned against a “bad Brexit.” It told Theresa May’s government that up to £80 billion ($106 billion) in investments over the next five years could be in jeopardy if the UK leaves the EU single market. Britain’s largest carmaker issued the warning as May prepares for a crucial cabinet meeting tomorrow.
China said the US is “opening fire on the world” with its threatened tariffs. Beijing warned it will respond the instant the Trump administration’s tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports go into effect, which should happen at 12:01am ET on Friday. Trump has said he’ll drastically escalate the trade conflict if China retaliates.
Kim Dotcom lost his latest appeal against US extradition. A New Zealand court upheld the decision that he can be extradited to stand trial for copyright infringement and fraud. The charges relate to his (now defunct) file-sharing website Megaupload, which allowed millions of people to download digital content.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Stacy Conradt on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “At the turn of the century, any dishes containing peanut butter were considered delicacies due to the relatively high cost of obtaining a jar… [Julia Davis Chandler] recommended making ‘bread fingers’ by coating thin layers of bread with peanut butter and currant or crab-apple jelly. ‘The combination is delicious, and, so far as I know, original,’ she wrote.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
We’re alone in the universe. Researchers calculated the most likely scenarios that would bring about other intelligent life in the observable universe, and the results are bleak.
“Occupied” indicators for public bathrooms should be mandatory. Eliminating the stress of politely assessing whether someone’s inside is worth the cost.
Simplicity isn’t always best. Indonesia’s plan to unify its 300-plus ethnic groups with one simplified language only made things more complicated.
Surprising discoveries
China has a licensed version of “Saturday Night Live.” The show has zero political satire—a staple of the US original.
Giant hogweed can blind you. Don’t panic: The plant is so large you can’t fail to notice it (paywall).
Spotify’s Drake obsession is driving some users away. They’re tired of seeing his face plastered all over the app’s browse section.
There’s a crazy plan to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to fix Cape Town’s water crisis. The iceberg could supply up to 30% of the South African city’s annual needs.
The US Postal Service put a fake Statue of Liberty on a stamp. It now owes the artist behind that fake $3.5 million for copyright infringement.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, PB&J sandwiches, and copyright-infringing stamps 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 Tripti Lahiri.