Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
US airlines make a decision about Taiwan. China set a deadline for carriers to start identifying Taiwan as Chinese territory, and has refused requests from the US State Department to discuss the matter.
Deadline day for Qualcomm-NXP. The $44 billion deal is set to expire unless Chinese regulators approve it (paywall)—an unlikely prospect during a US-China trade war. Qualcomm says it will not extend the deal, leaving an uncertain future for the Dutch chipmaker.
The BRICS Summit begins in South Africa. Heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will discuss promoting multilateral global trade amid a worsening trade war.
While you were sleeping
The White House prepared a $12 billion aid package for farmers. Trump’s trade war is harming his biggest supporters: US pork, soybean, and other agricultural producers, who sell many of their goods to Canada, China, and Mexico. Critics said the White House was merely patching up a problem that it created.
A Seagram’s heiress was arrested in a sex cult scandal. Clare Bronfman, granddaughter of former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman, was one of four women arrested in connection with Nxivm (paywall), a multilevel marketing firm that allegedly groomed employees as sex slaves. Bronfman, charged with racketeering and sex trafficking, also allegedly loaned $65 million to the group’s founder.
Israel shot down a Syrian warplane. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the aircraft’s intrusion into Israeli airspace violated a 1974 separation agreement, but Syria claimed the plane was still in Syria’s territory. The fate of the pilots is not known.
Facebook set up a subsidiary in China. The subsidiary is registered in Hangzhou, home of e-commerce giant Alibaba, and has $30 million in capital. Facebook and WhatsApp are banned in China, but the quiet expansion suggests it’s looking for new ways to enter the market, even as Xi Jinping tightens control of social media.
Ivanka Trump is shutting down her fashion business. The president’s eldest daughter and senior advisor decided to end her eponymous clothing and accessories brand, which had frequently been criticized on ethical grounds, saying she wanted to concentrate on her career in public policy.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Anne Quito on Marie Kondo’s key to happiness: “Kondo says that in the 15 years she’s been helping people organize their homes, she finds that many tend to lose their zeal and never finish the purging process. ‘What can I do better to help more people who’ve started tidying to finish it?,’ muses Kondo. ‘I’ve reached a conclusion: boxes.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Plastic straw bans hurt people with disabilities. The utensils are a luxury for most, but a necessity for the few.
Americans who want the US to stay white are actually a minority. Most people feel positively about the country’s increasing diversity.
Activist index funds best serve their investors. Shareholder engagement (paywall) can seed economic growth without being overly political.
Surprising discoveries
Airlines are using CT scanners to screen baggage. Suitcases have better access to expensive healthcare equipment than some Americans.
The best books are rife with gender bias. Most works shortlisted for the Booker Prize have male-driven plots and sexist stereotypes.
Sustainable sushi ingredients include invasive species. A Connecticut restaurant makes the dish with dandelion, grasshoppers, snails, and shore crabs.
Craft breweries are replacing witbier with weed beer. But cannabis-infused beverages face a daunting gauntlet of dubious regulators.
“Vaccine” is Weibo’s most censored word. The social media platform is covering up news of China’s recent scandal.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, scanned suitcases and sustainable sushi 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 Aisha Hassan and David Wexner and edited by Adam Pasick.