Good morning, Quartz readers!
WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki. The two world leaders get together days after the US indicted 12 Russian government intelligence agents for interfering with the 2016 presidential elections. Trump was tight-lipped about his goals for the four-hour meeting but did say, “I go in with low expectations.”
The Sino-European summit kicks off in Beijing. Chinese leaders are hosting members of the European Union and will likely pressure the world’s largest trading bloc to retaliate against the US at the World Trade Organization for its trade war.
Goldman Sachs names its new CEO. The investment bank is expected to announce (paywall) as early as today that president David M. Solomon will succeed Lloyd C. Blankfein as chief executive.
The Brexit debate boils over in the UK. Lawmakers will debate whether the UK should remain in the EU’s customs union after Britain leaves the EU. The debate begins days after the government finally set out its negotiating position, angering Brexiteers who favor a more confrontational approach.
Over the weekend
The US president offered dubious advice to Theresa May. Speaking of confrontational approaches, the UK prime minister told the BBC that Trump advised her to sue the EU. Earlier, Trump, talking to CBS, had declined to spell out what his advice to May had been, saying only it was “strong advice. And I think it probably would have worked.”
China’s GDP growth slowed. The economy grew 6.7% in the second quarter from a year earlier, cooling slightly from the first quarter. Meanwhile last month industrial output missed forecasts, matching the slowest growth rate in over two years, and property investment posted its weakest growth in half a year.
Cuba announced plans to legalize private property. State media released teasers of the communist country’s new constitution, which will also limit presidential terms, and create a prime minister to serve as head of government. The constitution will likely be approved this week by the national assembly, and will then face a public referendum later this year.
The death toll of a Pakistani suicide bombing climbed to 128. ISIS claimed responsibility (paywall) for Friday’s bombing in Mastung, which took place at an election rally. It was the third election-related violent incident in a week, and it casts tensions across the country as it nears its July 25 federal elections.
Haitian prime minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned. He faced a no-confidence vote in parliament following deadly riots that erupted in response to the government’s plan to revoke fuel subsidies. Under that scheme, fuel prices would have increased by as much as 51%—too much for many to bear in one of the world’s poorest nations.
France won its second World Cup. In the best final in years, France defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the tournament. The only other time France took the cup was 20 years ago, when its current star player, Kylian Mbappé, had not yet been born.
QUARTZ OBSESSION INTERLUDE
Echo Huang on the lasting distrust left by China’s 2008 tainted baby-formula tragedy. “‘I feel like foreign baby powder is better,’ says 25-year-old Zeng Yingpei, who lives in the southern city of Foshan and buys German baby formula for her two-year-old. Citing the Sanlu scandal, she quoted a popular refrain: ‘It only takes one mouse dropping to ruin the whole pot of porridge.'” Read more here.
MATTERS OF DEBATE
A single iTunes update changed the entire media landscape. The introduction of podcast support brought podcasts to the limelight.
Donald Trump is what happens when postmodernism goes too far. The US president has his intellectual roots in high culture.
The World Cup trophy is ugly. Wimbledon’s men’s trophy is much better.
SURPRISING DISCOVERIES
Paintings by robots will be sold at the Seattle Art Fair. It will be the first time entries from the 2018 RobotArt contest—many quite impressive—get their own gallery.
The last US Blockbuster video store is in Oregon. A Quiet Place is one of the hottest items.
Used seafood from restaurants may help revive barrier reefs. Environmentalists are hoping strategically discarded shells will bolster eroded barrier islands (paywall).
South Africa had its first Wimbledon finalist in 97 years. It’s become a matter of national pride.
Goldman Sachs’s World Cup predictions weren’t even close. Its impressive-sounding statistical models had Brazil beating Germany in the final (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, discarded seafood, and rented DVDs 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 Isabella Steger.