Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The EU confronts Hungary over its anti-migrant laws. The European Commission will allege as early as today that the country’s so-called “stop Soros” legislation—criminalizing people who offer help to migrants—breaches the EU’s asylum rules (paywall) and charter of fundamental rights. The new law followed prime minister Viktor Orban winning reelection in April.
Xi Jinping begins a tour of the Middle East and Africa. China’s president aims to strengthen economic ties as he visits the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, Rwanda, Mauritius, and South Africa. He’s expected to criticize protectionism and encourage collaboration on the Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, China’s bid to dominate global trade.
Microsoft reports its earnings. Hot on the heels of hitting record highs, Microsoft’s stock could jump even further if the numbers exceed expectations. Analysts expect the technology firm’s fast-growing cloud business could boost revenue to $29.2 billion, up 18% from a year ago.
While you were sleeping
Turkey’s two-year state of emergency expired. But new powers acquired by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, along with proposed anti-terrorism laws expected to pass, will keep conditions essentially the same. After a failed coup in 2016, the government charged suspected conspirators and purged tens of thousands of civil servants.
Donald Trump misspoke about Russia—again. Asked if he thought Moscow was still interfering in US elections, he said, “no.” Later, the White House claimed he was saying ”no” to answering questions, not to the question itself. On Monday he corrected what he said after meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin, explaining a “would” should have been “wouldn’t.”
Israel’s parliament passed a “Jewish nation state” bill into law. The divisive measure defines the country as an exclusively Jewish state, downgrades Arabic as an official language, and describes advancing Jewish settlement as a national interest, adding that the “whole and united” Jerusalem is its capital. Thousands protested against the bill last weekend.
Jeff Bezos reached new heights. The Amazon CEO watched his company’s market cap reach $900 billion, putting it in competition with Apple for Wall Street’s MVP. Meanwhile his other outfit, Blue Origin, shot a capsule higher into space than it’s ever done before, getting one step closer to letting non-astronauts see the planet from above.
Ofo is dramatically scaling back in North America. Less than a year in, the Chinese bike-sharing startup is shutting down most of its operation in the US, cutting the vast majority of its workforce there. It has failed to lure enough users and faced the additional challenge of cities already having exclusive bike-share agreements.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Anne Quito on office chairs. “Chair settings are tweaked according to cultural norms, according to industrial designer Martin Potrykus of Berlin-based ITO Design. For example, knowing that most Americans like to lean back, office chairs in the US are delivered pre-reclined. In contrast, Japanese workers tend to occupy only the front of the seat.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Spain’s constitution should be gender neutral. Removing masculine collective terms would create a more inclusive country.
ETFs don’t disrupt markets. Passive investment funds may temporarily swing prices, but stocks correct themselves (paywall) quickly thereafter.
Open offices exacerbate isolation. A democratizing floor plan actually ends up shutting down both collaboration and productivity.
Surprising discoveries
There’s a giant Jeff Goldblum statue in London. The sculpture of the bare-chested, reclining actor celebrates Jurassic Park’s 25-year anniversary.
Ant emoji are bugging entomologists. Apple’s version especially infuriates those who say the insect’s portrayal is both poor and inaccurate.
Both partners lie about wives outearning husbands. A new study found that women understated their income, while men overstated theirs (paywall).
Crows are into necrophilia. The birds have been seen to shred corpses to pieces after copulating with them.
Facebook says photo-tagging was its key to success. The feature massively accelerated the platform’s growth, and impacted every successive product decision.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Goldblum art, and gender-neutral constitutions 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.