Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Cambodia holds sham elections. After being in power for over 30 years, Prime minister Hun Sen will win what is widely regarded as a rigged contest, after authorities dissolved the main opposition party last year.
A blood moon rises and planets align. On Friday, much of the world will see a blood moon during the longest lunar eclipse of the century (here’s some moon music to set the scene), while the naked eye will be able to see five planets.
US GDP numbers. Many economists expect second-quarter GDP growth to exceed 4%, a pace not seen since 2014. Celebration may be premature, however, as economists are warning that this pace of growth won’t last (paywall), as it is based on one-off factors, like an export surge linked to Trump’s trade policies.
Twitter posts quarterly earnings. Analysts are keen to see how the platform’s clean-up is going and expect a third consecutive quarter of profit. JPMorgan believes Twitter’s stock price, up over 75% this year, will keep soaring.
While you were sleeping
Michael Cohen dropped a bombshell on Trump. CNN reported that the president’s former attorney claimed that he was present when Donald Trump Jr. told his then-candidate father about the Russian offer to meet in 2016. Trump has repeatedly denied advance knowledge of the meeting. Cohen is allegedly willing to state this to the special investigation into Russian election interference.
BP paid BHP Billiton $10.5 billion for its US shale business. The world’s biggest miner has been under pressure from activist investors to get rid of its US shale interests. The deal, BP’s largest in nearly 20 years, majorly boosts the British firm’s foothold in US onshore basins.
More than 1,800 migrant children were reunited with their parents. Working to a court-ordered deadline, the Justice Department said 1,442 children were sent to their parents in immigration custody and another 378 were released “in appropriate circumstances.” However, more than 700 kids were deemed not “eligible” to be returned.
North Korea returned US soldiers’ remains. Officials handed over 55 cases containing the potential remains of American servicemen killed in the Korean War. Today marks the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting (though not, technically, the war).
Quartz Obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni on the terrifying history of lunar eclipses. “Now we know the strange occurrence simply means the moon is transiting through the shadow of our planet… Historically, however, the disappearance of the moon—and the accompanying bloody hue of a lunar eclipse—was experienced as extremely meaningful and disconcerting.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Genetic engineering is the key to our survival. In a future of 3D-printed guns and accelerated climate change, artificially improving our genes isn’t a bad idea.
The crumbling world order spells opportunity for the BRICS. Backing the multilateral trading arrangements that the US is dumping can strengthen their position.
Facebook isn’t a monopoly. Plenty of its competitors do certain things better, and regulators don’t need to break it up (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
A cat-poop parasite actually boosts business smarts. However, toxoplasma gondii is also linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
A Colombian sniffer dog has a price on her head. The German shepherd is so good at finding drugs that the country’s most powerful crime gang will pay $70,000 to have her killed.
Only 13% of our oceans are unpolluted. The Earth’s poles and a small portion of the Pacific remain largely unaffected by fishing, shipping routes, and pollution.
The world’s oldest person has died. Japanese citizen Chiyo Miyako, born in 1901, held the official record, which now passes to another 117-year-old.
Someone hijacked Betsy DeVos’s yacht. The US education secretary’s $40 million luxury boat sustained up to $10,000 in scrapes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, poop-powered business ideas, and exceptionally good doggos 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.