Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A US-Russia meeting. US national security advisor John Bolton will sit down with Nikolai Patrushev, his Russian counterpart, in Geneva—the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July.
Mike Pence gives an update on America’s space ambitions. The vice president, who is also the chairman of the National Space Council, speaks at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to share more details on the Trump administration’s space plans, particularly a return to the moon.
Alibaba earnings. Analysts expect the Chinese e-commerce giant to post strong revenue growth (paywall), even as earnings take a hit from investments in logistics, brick-and-mortar retail stores, and content deals like streaming rights for the World Cup.
While you were sleeping
Australia’s government hung on by a thread… Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull faced mounting pressure from his more conservative Liberal party colleagues to step down. Turnbull has refused to resign, but said if his party decides to hold an internal leadership vote he would do so as early as Friday.
…And also banned Huawei from building its 5G network. Canberra said it made the decision on national security grounds over fears of links between the company and the Chinese military and government. Huawei denies posing any national security risk or that it has any government ownership.
Saudi Arabia denied that it’s calling off the biggest IPO of all time. Saudi Arabia’s energy minister refuted a Reuters report saying that the country is pulling the IPO of Aramco, which could be valued at $2 trillion. Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman plans to float about 5% of the state oil company.
Donald Trump denied any wrongdoing after Michael Cohen’s plea deal. “Just because Michael Cohen made a plea deal doesn’t mean that that implicates the president on anything,” the White House said after Trump’s former lawyer testified that the president asked him to make hush-money payments. Trump, meanwhile, praised his former campaign manager Paul Manafort for being a “brave man” for not cooperating with federal authorities.
Another round of tit-for-tat US-China tariffs kicked in. Washington implemented 25% tariffs on $16 billion of Chinese goods, with Beijing responding in kind.
The US stock market set a bull-market record. It’s been 3,453 days since the benchmark S&P 500 index hit a bear-market low of 676 on March 9, 2009. That means US stocks are now in history’s longest-running winning streak.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Adam Epstein on why your favorite TV shows never really die. “By now you’re probably familiar with this process: TV show with a loyal following is canceled, fans are upset, cast and crew hint they’re interested in a revival, rumors swirl, maybe a TV movie, maybe a reboot, some time passes, rumors swirl again until, eventually, the revival is ordered.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
It’s time to ditch the British penny. Most of the arguments for keeping the penny relate to the fact that many items are priced with amounts ending in .99, but even this is changing.
China will change Google, not the other way around. Plans for a censored search engine suggest the tech company is becoming just like every other corporation (paywall).
America’s golden age of infrastructure is almost over. After 61 years, the last great plan to transform the country’s roads is nearly complete.
Surprising discoveries
The Crazy Rich Asians author is a wanted man in Singapore. Kevin Kwan faces a fine and even prison for avoiding mandatory military service.
An Argentine police officer was promoted after she breastfed someone else’s baby on the job. She comforted the child, who was taken away from his mother, after she heard him crying at a hospital.
One of the highest-earning female athletes is a badminton star. India’s PV Sindhu made $8.5 million in prize money and endorsements in the past year, just below Venus Williams.
Sewage tells you a lot about drug use. Wastewater researchers discovered that Americans get lit during holidays and special events.
Big Bang Theory is finally coming to an end. The longest-running multi-camera sitcom in TV history will air its 12th and final season in 2019.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, sewage samples, and spare pennies 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Tripti Lahiri.