Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US and EU talk trade. US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will meet in Brussels to hammer out some details on EU-US trade. In July, Donald Trump and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker announced plans to work toward a deal that would abolish tariffs on all goods.
SpaceX returns to orbit. Elon Musk’s rocket maker will use a new “Block 5” Falcon 9 rocket to launch a communications satellite from Cape Canaveral that will orbit above Asia and Oceania. It’s the company’s first flight since Aug. 5, the longest break between launches this year.
The southeastern US coast braces for a powerful hurricane. Tropical storm Florence is expected to become a category 1 hurricane today and to make landfall in the US later in the week. North Carolina and South Carolina announced states of emergency over the weekend.
Volkswagen stands trial in Germany. Investors are suing for €9.2 billion ($10.7 billion) in damages, arguing that the company failed to inform them before US regulators did about the scope of its illegal emissions scandal.
Over the weekend
Jack Ma announced his retirement. Alibaba said its 54-year-old founder and chairman would hand over the reins to CEO Daniel Zhang in a year’s time. Zhang is credited for being the brains behind Singles’ Day, the annual online shopping extravaganza. Ma said he would remain on the board of directors until 2020.
The US Open ended on a sour note. Novak Djokovic beat Juan Martin del Potro to take the men’s singles title, while Naomi Osaka triumphed over Serena Williams to win the women’s title. The Osaka-Williams match prompted allegations of sexism after an umpire harshly penalized Williams during the game. She was ultimately fined $17,000 for misconduct.
Les Moonves of CBS resigned after more sexual-harassment allegations. The US media company said Moonves would step down as president, chairman, and CEO, after six more women accused him of sexual misconduct. Moonves, who has denied wrongdoing, will make donations to the #MeToo movement, CBS said.
Sweden faced a political deadlock. The right-wing Sweden Democrats won almost 18% of the vote, but fell short of expected gains in Sunday’s parliamentary election. Both main blocs are refusing to form a government with the anti-immigrant party, so a struggle to form a working coalition now begins.
North Korea marked its 70th anniversary. Pyongyang’s display of military might was more understated at this year’s celebrations, with long-range missiles conspicuously absent. Analysts suggested that Kim Jong Un could be sending Trump a message that he wants to work toward peace.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Nikhil Sonnad on the genius of the world’s most difficult text editor. “The new cult of simple software is making us less productive. Simple tools get in the way of our thinking by making assumptions about what we want to do, and by putting the ease of getting going ahead of optimizing productivity. By contrast, using a tool like Vim makes me more expressive. It reduces the friction between what’s in my head and what I can make happen on the computer.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Low-emission vehicles should get conspicuous license plates. Giving electric and hydrogen cars bright-green plates—as Norway, Canada, and China do—spurs people to adopt them.
Female athletes are treated differently than males. When women react adversely (paywall) to a heated professional situation, they’re often labeled hysterical.
Schools are failing kids by preparing them for outmoded jobs. Neuroatypical students especially (paywall) struggle with modern education methods.
Surprising discoveries
More teens would rather text their friends than hang out IRL. Experts believe texting allows self-conscious kids more control than face-to-face interaction.
Heat days are the new snow days. Extreme temperatures mean that schools are canceling classes and student activities (paywall).
Tesla short sellers are finally making money. Having notched more than $1 billion in losses in 2018, they made a profit last week.
A surfing legend is endorsing artificial waves. A World Championship Tour competition was held for the first time at a wave pool built by Kelly Slater.
Homicide is the third-leading cause of workplace deaths. Experts say murder in an attempt to cover up fraudulent activity is more prevalent than we imagine.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, text messages and colorful license plates 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.