Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Thai cave rescue continues. On Sunday, divers rescued four boys who had been trapped inside the Tham Luang cave complex with their soccer team for more than two weeks. Eight additional boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach are still stranded. Rescue operations resumed at 8am local time.
Japan copes with deadly flooding. Nearly 100 have perished following torrential rains that have caused sudden landslides and flash floods, particularly across central and western parts of the country. Prime minister Shinzo Abe has described efforts to reach residents awaiting rescue as a “race against time.”
Donald Trump announces his Supreme Court nominee. Although several contenders to replace retiring justice Anthony Kennedy have been identified, most bets are on self-proclaimed introvert Raymond Kethledge, an “originalist” noted for his support of the right to bear arms (paywall).
Over the weekend
UK Brexit secretary David Davis resigned. In his resignation letter he criticized prime minister Theresa May’s plan for a “soft” exit from the EU, which her divided cabinet had apparently agreed to support at a key meeting Friday. Davis’s move could embolden ministers wanting a cleaner break with the bloc to challenge May’s leadership.
North Korea sounded like an enemy again. In state media Pyongyang claimed the US behaved “gangster-like” in weekend denuclearization talks. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, however, called the talks productive and encouraged North Korea’s leaders to look to Vietnam’s economic “miracle” as a model for their own country.
Xiaomi shares had a disappointing debut. They opened for trade down more than 2%. The Chinese smartphone maker’s IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange had been hotly anticipated, but investor interest cooled amid skepticism over its business model and worries about the intensifying US-China trade fight.
Ethiopia and Eritrea re-established diplomatic and trade ties. Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean president Isaia Afwerki made the announcement during a landmark summit in the latter’s capital Asmara. Relations had been severed since the late 1990s, following a border dispute that killed tens of thousands of people.
The fate of the imprisoned Lula captivated Brazil. A judge in Brazil declared that former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva should be released from prison on Sunday, only to be overturned by another judge soon after. The popular former leader was leading polls for the country’s elections when he was arrested and jailed on corruption charges.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni argues that the age of heroes is over. “We’d be a lot less disappointed, distraught, and shocked by the news that society’s most successful are complex and limited people with psychological problems if we didn’t make so much ado about a few seemingly special humans.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Xiaomi shouldn’t be compared to Apple. It looks more like Muji—the Japanese retailer of eclectic, ordinary, good-quality products.
Identity politics—and a cycle of progress followed by backlash—have shaped US history. It suggests that things will swing back toward progress again.
No one really knows what ICE is supposed to be. That allows US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be whatever politicians want.
Surprising discoveries
The children of mothers who are stressed while pregnant deal with the effects in their own lives. A Swedish study suggests they are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.
US book sales are up. Publishers can thank Donald Trump (and his tweets) for the strong start to 2018.
The heatwave in the UK is exposing history. Because of varying soil quality underneath, the outlines of archaeological settlements are showing up in the grass.
Owning an iPhone makes people think you’re rich. Although it’s not always an accurate indicator of wealth.
The swimsuit competition ban is dividing the Miss America Organization. Nearly half the board has resigned and 22 state pageant leaders are organizing a coup to remove the current chairwoman (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fallible heroes, and status-enhancing gadgets 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.