Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Argentina asks the IMF to speed up its $50 billion bailout. Treasury minister Nicolas Dujovne meets IMF chief (paywall) Christine Lagarde in Washington today, hoping that the country’s recent austerity measures will be enough to persuade the IMF to speed up disbursements of its credit line.
The Institute for Supply Management releases its August manufacturing index. The closely-watched measure of factory-sector activity in the US is expected to dip in August, after a larger-than-anticipated decline in July.
Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin. Republican and Democratic senators are expected to question Kavanaugh about his legal views on everything from executive power to health care and Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion 45 years ago.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump warned the Syrian government about attacking Idlib province. The president tweeted that Syria and its Russian and Iranian allies would be making a “grave humanitarian mistake” by launching an offensive against the last rebel-held area in the country. The State Department warned Monday that the US would respond to any chemical attacks by the Syrian government.
A major typhoon struck Japan. Jebi, the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in 25 years, made landfall in Tokushima prefecture, with hundreds of flights and bullet trains canceled. Western Japan has been battered by typhoons this summer, creating flooding and landslides that left hundreds dead.
Dinosaurs boosted Lego’s bottom line. The Danish toymaker said demand for its new dinosaur-themed Jurassic World products helped stabilize revenue in the first half of the year. Sales in the US declined a little, but the company is seeing double-digit growth in China, where it’s opening two new flagship stores.
WPP posted its first results under new boss Mark Read. The advertising group’s shares fell after it reported a sales dip (paywall) in North America, its biggest market by revenue. Read, who was announced as the new CEO on Monday, plans to present a new strategy by the end of the year.
The New Yorker dropped Steve Bannon from its festival lineup. The magazine had invited Trump’s former strategist to an interview at its festival in October, but backtracked after speakers including Judd Apatow, Jim Carrey, and Patton Oswalt said they would pull out if Bannon was given the stage.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Lynsey Chutel on how Namibian farmers’ shoes became hip. “Originally designed for farmers and settlers who had to trudge for hours over harsh, dry scrubland of southern Africa, veldskoene (Afrikaans for “bush shoes”), are finding a new home in the cupboards of young urbanites in Africa and around the world.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Anthony Bourdain wouldn’t want a food tour in his honor. The late chef was ambivalent about the ways mass travel can change the nature of the places he loved.
Ending quarterly reporting won’t fix short-term thinking. It would only make information less transparent (paywall) by favoring investors who already have good access to management.
The US Supreme Court’s existence is becoming harder to justify. We know how justices will vote (paywall) based on which president appointed them.
Surprising discoveries
A Japanese yogurt drink is getting noticed thanks to Netflix. Sales of Yakult are up after viewers spotted it (paywall) in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
AI can predict a city’s obesity levels by analyzing its buildings. Using satellite images, Google Street View, and health data, researchers trained an algorithm to estimate obesity rates.
Chinese kids got a surprise on their first day back to school. A nursery in Shenzhen arranged a performance of female pole-dancers for its students.
The 10,000-step daily goal is totally arbitrary. The popular setting for wearable fitness tech originated with a Japanese marketing campaign in the mid-1960s.
Russia’s biggest Beatles fan died. Kolya Vasin represented a generation of people who grew up behind the Iron Curtain but were passionate about Western rock music.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Beatles albums, and yogurt drinks 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 Sarah Todd.