Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UK gives evidence on the Skripal poisoning to the UN. The UN Security Council will meet this afternoon, where Britain will present its findings on the circumstances surrounding the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Prime minister Theresa May has blamed Russia for the attack, and UK officials are calling for justice.
Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing continues. The hearings are off to a chaotic start, with Democrats strenuously objecting to the last-minute release of thousands of documents and an exhausting second day during which Supreme Court nominee ducked questions regarding his views on presidential power. Two more days of hearings remain; despite protests, the confirmation is expected to go ahead.
India hosts Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis to deepen strategic ties. The US secretary of state and defense secretary will sit down with their Indian counterparts to discuss anti-terrorism efforts and countering China’s influence in the Indian Ocean. Looming over the talks is the threat of US sanctions because of India’s purchases of oil from Iran and missiles from Russia (paywall).
American football season kicks off. Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will face the Atlanta Falcons in the first game. The days leading up to the start of the season were especially divisive after Nike—an official sponsor of the National Football League—revealed that Colin Kaepernick, who famously protested police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, as one of the faces for its new “Just Do It” campaign. A Nike TV ad featuring Kaepernick will air during the opening game.
While you were sleeping
India legalized gay sex. The Supreme Court overturned a colonial-era ban that had been reinstated in 2013. Homosexual acts had previously been punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Human Rights Watch said the ruling marked “a good day for human rights.”
Crypto markets continued their free fall. More than $20 billion in market capitalization of crypto assets was erased during US hours, and the slide continued in early trading today. Over the past 24 hours, bitcoin dropped by over $1,000 at one point, to around $6,300, while ether wallowed near one-year lows. (Keep up with crypto news with Quartz’s new Private Key newsletter.)
The internet theorized about the author of a New York Times op-ed. After the publication of a damning op-ed penned by an anonymous senior Trump administration official, DC insiders, outsiders, reporters, and internet sleuths tried to identify the author. Guesses have ranged from Mike Pence for the article’s use of the word “lodestar” to White House counsel Don McGahn, who is planning to leave his post soon.
The two Koreas set the date for another summit. South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet in Pyongyang from Sept. 18 to 20 for their third summit this year (paywall). South Korea plans to establish a joint liaison office in the North before the meeting.
A magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck Hokkaido. At least four people were killed and 120 injured in Japan’s northern island. The powerful quake caused landslides that buried homes, shut down its main airport in Sapporo, and knocked out power for the whole island and its 5.3 million people. The death toll is expected to rise.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Marc Bain on a paradigm shift in women’s trousers. ”[We’re] in the early stages of a tipping point in fashion: not just a new seasonal turn in colors and prints, but the sort of macro-level shift in proportions and silhouette that can come to define the look of an entire decade. Think bellbottoms in the 1970s, tapered jeans in the 1980s, bootcuts in the 1990s, and since about 2006, skinny jeans—a stubbornly persistent silhouette that, despite predictions of its demise, consumers have remained reluctant to quit.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
K-pop stars should be exempt from mandatory military service. South Korea already excuses exceptional athletes and artists who elevate its national image.
Saving one sick orca is an expensive distraction. Pacific Northwest scientists should shift the focus to all ocean life.
Today’s news readers know too much. A surfeit of information about the failures of elites is eroding the liberal world order.
Surprising discoveries
Scientists identified a “flexitarian” shark species. The bonnethead is the first known omnivore shark, relying on seagrass for 60% of its diet.
The BBC is slowing down radio programming. Radio 3 will soon be broadcasting the sound of herded cows, a forest hike, and other meditative, ASMR-like auditory delights.
Japan wants to build a space elevator. Researchers are taking a small step toward that dream with an experiment that tests how a cable system could work in orbit.
Saturn’s bizarre hexagon-shaped vortex threw astrophysicists for a loop. It’s either a previously discovered formation that’s way bigger than scientists thought, or a doppelganger storm has spawned.
A village requires all residents to remove their appendixes. Villas Las Estrellas in Antarctica is more than 1,000 km (625 miles) from the nearest hospital.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, calming soundscapes, and space conspiracy theories 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 Rosie Spinks and edited by Sarah Todd.