Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Theresa May and her warring cabinet discuss the shape of Brexit. The UK leader will hold a key meeting with her ministers at her official country home, where she faces a showdown between euroskeptics and those who want to stick closely to European Union rules after the split.
China responds to Trump’s tariffs. With US penalties on $34 billion worth of Chinese products going into effect at 12:01am ET today, Beijing is set to promptly retaliate. Meanwhile you can track the progress of a cargo vessel filled with soybeans racing to make it to China before tariffs there begin—a rare instance of shipping-industry suspense.
Mike Pompeo checks on North Korean denuclearization. The US secretary of state is visiting Kim Jong Un, whose nuclear program seems only to have progressed since Trump declared last month that North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat.” On Sunday in Tokyo, Pompeo will meet with Japanese and South Korean officials to discuss the issue.
While you were sleeping
Germany’s coalition government survived the migrant issue. In a compromise the three political parties ditched the idea of using transit centers but agreed that asylum applications will be handled more quickly. Meanwhile Germany, Austria, and Italy said they’ll meet next week to discuss ways to close the Mediterranean migrant route.
Scott Pruitt finally resigned. He’s leaving his post as head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, under pressure to do so amid investigations into various ethical lapses. Trump announced that his interim successor would be Andrew Wheeler—a former coal-industry lobbyist.
Divers tried to reach about 50 Chinese tourists believed to be trapped in a sunken boat. The vessel capsized Thursday night in rough seas off Thailand’s tourist island of Phuket. Thailand is grappling with relentless monsoon rains that also led to a boy’s soccer team being trapped in a cave—a diver died last night while trying to help rescue them.
Japan executed seven members of a doomsday cult. First to be hanged was the group’s leader, Shoko Asahara, who oversaw sarin gas attacks on subway trains during rush hour in 1995. The attack killed 13 and injured at least 5,800 people, some permanently. Executions are rare in Japan.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Lila MacLellan on whether sonic weapons could literally blow your mind. “Ultrasonic sound waves can damage a body by causing ‘cavitation’: as the waves travel in the body, pushing and pulling the molecules around them, the pressure can create ‘bubbles’ within human tissue, or within the liquid of the inner ear.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Facebook’s real privacy problem is its targeting system. Big Tech can’t perform automated persuasion, but it can target more credulous users.
Scientists should refocus their search for life. Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, has confirmed oceans, making it more promising than Jupiter’s Europa.
Touchscreens are useless in cars. Quick-glance operability and muscle memory are benefits that only analog tools can provide.
Surprising discoveries
A menagerie of animals is making World Cup predictions. They include lions, a Bengal tiger, and a polar bear, oh my.
A “Trump baby” balloon will fly over the UK parliament. Thousands petitioned and raised funds to help the inflatable infant take flight during the US president’s visit.
Facebook removed the US Declaration of Independence. The platform’s AI and human-run review system was likely triggered by the phrase “Indian savages.”
Giving men more testosterone makes them prefer luxury goods. A new study found that desire for high-status items over high-quality products increases with the hormone.
Non-stop singing could pay for your taxi ride. The “singalong shuffle”—in which the ride stops when the singing does—will debut at Finland’s Ruisrock music festival.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, presidential baby balloons, and cab karaoke requests 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.