Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China and the US begin trade talks. Donald Trump says he has “no time frame” for ending the tariff war with Beijing, ahead of two days of talks between Chinese and US trade negotiators in Washington. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, meanwhile, is hoping for a “good result” even as the two nations expand their tariffs this week.
US stocks set a bull-market record. Since March 9, 2009, the S&P 500 has been on an upward trajectory, powered by economic growth and better-than-expected corporate earnings. Barring a significant fall, today will mark the 3,453rd day of the bull run, making it the longest one in US market history.
Germany’s troubled reunification memorial inches forward. Berlin is supposed to sell the federal government a site that is to be turned into a memorial for the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the country’s subsequent reunification. The project was given the green light 11 years ago, but has faced rising costs and citizen opposition.
The Fed releases minutes from its August meeting. The discussion summary isn’t expected to make waves, which means the market will be looking for signs it should continue to expect two additional interest rate increases this year, most likely in September and December.
Japan braces for two typhoons. The country prepares for yet another extreme storm, with Soulik expected to cause heavy rains and damaging winds in the Kyushu area before moving onto South Korea, and Cimaron approaching from the south later this week. Flooding and mudslides in western Japan killed more than 220 in July.
While you were sleeping
The US president is implicated in criminal activity… Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and attorney, pleaded guilty to eight charges, including two felony counts of violating federal campaign-finance law “at the direction of the candidate.” Cohen, who once said he’d “take a bullet” for Trump, arranged for payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with the president.
…And Paul Manafort was found guilty. A jury found Trump’s former campaign manager guilty on eight counts of tax evasion, bank fraud, and hiding foreign assets, but deadlocked on an additional 10 counts. The verdict is special counsel Robert Mueller’s first major court victory related to his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Australia’s political crisis deepened. Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull narrowly survived a leadership vote yesterday. His challenger, Peter Dutton, who resigned as home affairs minister after the contest, says he’ll try again this week to oust the beleaguered leader.
Facebook purged hundreds of disinformation accounts. The accounts and pages had ties to Iran and Russia (paywall) and appeared to be using the social media platform to influence US foreign policy and politics in the Middle East. Twitter also suspended nearly 300 accounts (paywall) for “coordinated manipulation.”
Uber will pay $1.9 million to settle a harassment scandal. A total of 56 current and former employees who filed sexual harassment claims will receive an average of just under $32,000. Another 500 female and minority engineers will also get just short of $11,000 on average for a 2017 class-action lawsuit alleging pay discrimination.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on the world’s biggest plane that, arguably, no one needs. “The disconnect between Stratolaunch’s goals and the actual needs of satellite operators have given rise to another theory about the company: that it is a secretly funded project of the US military to develop some very specific launch capability, perhaps even for anti-satellite weapons.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Bitcoin’s energy consumption isn’t the issue. What matters more is who produces the energy, and whether they’re using renewable sources to do so.
Ranking countries in terms of “most liveable” is problematic. Researchers are using prejudiced metrics—and who determines if Lagos has less culture than Vienna, anyway?
Career advice for women is a form of gaslighting. The reality of flawed workplaces and subtle biases aren’t fully considered when women are told how to succeed.
Surprising discoveries
Kids don’t play enough. Pediatricians are being told to prescribe playtime for children who have busy, activity-filled schedules.
The first customer complaint is 3,800 years old. The text, housed in London’s British Museum, is inscribed on a clay tablet and bemoans an incorrect copper delivery.
Crazy Rich Asians could have had a white lead actress. Kevin Kwan, author of the original book, said one producer’s offer was contingent on re-writing the main character as Caucasian.
China’s electric vehicle startups can’t make their own cars. Out of almost 500 EV makers, only eight have the two key licenses to start manufacturing.
The US deported a former Nazi guard decades after finding him. Germany only recently agreed to accept Jakiw Palij, 95, in what may be the last deportation of a World War II war-crimes suspect.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, playful prescriptions, and clueless producers 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 and edited by Tripti Lahiri and Isabella Steger.