Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The boys rescued from the Thai cave speak to the media. The 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach will give a press conference at around 6pm local time. The government requested that the media leave the boys and their families in peace for the next 30 days.
Morgan Stanley, eBay, and IBM are next up. Earnings season gathers pace with Morgan Stanley expected to report an increase in second-quarter profit. eBay is likely to have seen some revenue growth, while IBM, riding its shift to cloud computing and security services, is expected to post a profit rise.
Google braces for a mega-fine. The European Commission is expected to impose a $5 billion penalty (paywall) on Google for stifling competition by promoting its own services on its android system. Regulators may attempt to force the tech giant to open up Android to promote rivals.
While you were sleeping
Elon Musk apologized for calling a British diver a “pedo.” The Tesla CEO tweeted his apology to Vern Unsworth, a member of the Thai cave rescue team. Musk wrote: “His actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader.”
Ex-FBI boss James Comey urged people to vote for the Democrats. Comey, who was fired by Donald Trump in 2017, launched his appeal on Twitter for “all who believe in this country’s values.“ Comey, a Republican who distanced himself from the party in April, added: “Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.”
Novartis delayed US price increases to please Trump. The Swiss pharma giant said it would voluntarily freeze its drug prices (paywall) in the US for the rest of the year—Pfizer is doing the same. In May, Trump vowed to bring down the price of prescription drugs for consumers.
Millennials gave Swatch a timely boost. Riding an industry upswing, the Swiss watch company posted a 70% rise in half-year operating profits (paywall) on the back of surging demand from younger consumers in the US and China.
Texas Instruments CEO Brian Crutcher resigned for code-of-conduct violations. The company did not specify what he did, but mentioned “personal behavior that is not consistent with our ethics and core values.” Chairman Richard Templeton will assume the roles of president and CEO.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Rosie Spinks on the history of ice cubes. “Prior to the 1800s, ice was a decidedly regional and luxurious affair—you could enjoy it if you lived near sources of natural ice and could afford it. But in 1805, Boston-born Frederic ‘The Ice King’ Tudor had a hunch that harvesting ice from the frozen lakes, river, and ponds… of New England and shipping them south to the tropics would make him ’inevitably and unavoidably rich.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Being your own boss is like getting punched in the face every day. Not everyone is up for the life an entrepreneur.
Quitting social media will help, not hinder, your career. The digital detox will reduce procrastination and strengthen mindfulness.
Strongman politics destroys democracy. Former US president Barack Obama criticized leaders who “make stuff up.“
Surprising discoveries
Multigrain pita is the oldest bread in the world. Archeologists found the 14,400-year-old specimen in an ancient fireplace in the Jordanian desert.
Madagascar has the fastest broadband speed in Africa. The island nation’s speed is more than double the world average.
Fish oil supplements don’t keep the heart healthy. A study of over 100,000 people found omega-3 fish oil supplements did nothing to prevent heart disease.
Astronomers found 10 more moons orbiting Jupiter. The planet now has 79 moons in total, and one is on a collision course with the others.
A genealogy website might crack another cold case. Police uploaded DNA samples (paywall) to help nail down a suspect for the rape and murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley in 1988.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fresh pita bread, and Jupiter’s 80th moon 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 Jill Petzinger and edited by Lianna Brinded.