Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump chairs the UN Security Council meeting. It’s unclear whether the topic will be Iran, as the US president seems to believe, or broader questions of weapons proliferation, as his staff has promised.
The Indian Supreme Court rules on the country’s biometric ID. The court will determine if the ID known as Aadhaar is constitutional, and if enrollment can be made mandatory. The government has required linking Aadhaar to access many welfare schemes, but activists have argued it could used as a tool of mass surveillance.
Google will admit to privacy mistakes to the US Senate. The search giant’s chief privacy officer Keith Enright will deliver a written testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee, after Google came under fire last month for tracking the movements of millions of iPhone and Android users even when they opted out of it.
The Fed hikes rates for the third time this year. Investors are widely expecting the benchmark interest rate to increase by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 2% to 2.25%. Chairman Jerome Powell is sure to face questions about the consequences of Trump’s trade war and the White House’s influence over central-bank policy decisions.
While you were sleeping
Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination vote was set. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled the vote for 9:30am on Friday, less than 24 hours after the Supreme Court nominee and Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexual assault, will testify in front of the panel. Senator Dianne Feinstein blasted the move, saying “Republicans don’t even need to hear her before they move ahead with a vote.”
Pope Francis defended the deal between the Vatican and China. In his first public comments on an agreement signed in Beijing over the weekend, he clarified that the pope—not Beijing—will appoint bishops, but candidates will be proposed by Chinese authorities and members of local Catholic communities. He acknowledged that both sides made compromises and that members of the underground Chinese church “will suffer” as a result.
Mexican marines raided and disarmed the police force in Acapulco. Two police officers accused of homicide were arrested, and the entire force in the former resort town is under investigation amid suspicions it was infiltrated by gangs. The state police and military will now patrol the city, which has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico.
San Francisco shut down its new $2.26 billion transit terminal. Buses were rerouted after a crack was discovered on a steel beam of the Salesforce Transit Center, which opened in August after nearly a decade of construction. Structural engineers are working to determine whether it will be safe for people to return, and officials will provide an update at noon local time.
Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for sexual assault. Judge Steven O’Neill ruled the 81-year-old comedian to be a “sexually violent predator,” the highest risk classification for sex offenders in Pennsylvania, after he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting former professional basketball player Andrea Constand. More than 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, including rape.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Maja Vujinovic on how cryptocurrency is reinventing value—not money: “As time progresses, governments and central banks will develop a stronger foothold over their population, and their presence will grow in influence. In reaction, citizens will try to find ways to exchange value with each other without government intervention. Wealth disparity is on the rise, and the number of poor people is growing day by day. These people have been disadvantaged by the current system, and they therefore can’t trust it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The pot industry won’t stay radical for long. Big tobacco, soda, and beer companies will decide the future of the industry (paywall).
“Innocent until proven guilty” doesn’t apply to job interviews. Brett Kavanaugh’s liberty isn’t at stake—he’s just a guy who’s up for a job.
Facebook’s trust rankings are untrustworthy. Reputation testimonials are often just as fake as the fake news (paywall) they’re meant to validate.
Surprising discoveries
An American rapper overdosed on hot Cheetos. Lil Xan was hospitalized for internal bleeding after indulging on the spicy corn puffs.
A woman on Vietnam’s The Bachelor confessed her love to a fellow contestant. The dramatic rose ceremony resulted in the two leaving together, rejecting the show’s central character.
Vaccination rates in rich Los Angeles schools are as low as South Sudan’s. LA parents are filing for “personal belief exemptions,” while South Sudanese ones are dealing with a civil war.
The UN’s breakout star is still in diapers. The three-month-old daughter of New Zealand’s prime minister was in attendance for her mother’s speech.
Bees love the buzz of urban life. Their country cousins are living in a bee wasteland created by insecticides.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, urban honey, and love confessions 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 Alice Truong and edited by Isabella Steger.