Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Christine Blasey Ford takes center stage. The California psychology professor will testify before US lawmakers that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. An additional two women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault and misconduct; Kavanaugh has denied wrongdoing. Here’s how to watch the proceedings live.
The US rolls out new trade data. The Commerce Department figures on trade and manufacturing will give a sense of whether Trump’s aggressive stance on China this year—including several rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs—has had an impact.
Erdogan tries to make nice with Germany. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Berlin Thursday, the start of a three-day state visit. Relations between the two countries have been strained for years, with Germany critical of Turkey’s increasingly autocratic government. Erdogan used an op-ed in a German newspaper to emphasize common ground between the countries.
While you were sleeping
Trump held court with the press. The US leader held one of the longest press conferences of his presidency on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Over the course of 81 minutes, Trump insulted the women who have brought charges of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh. He also trashed Canadian leader Justin Trudeau.
Ford offered new details of her sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. ”Brett’s assault on me drastically altered my life,” Ford writes in testimony released in advance of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today. She says she feared the consequences of speaking out, and that in the weeks since she went public with the accusation, “my greatest fears have been realized.” Kavanaugh’s written testimony was released earlier in the day on Wednesday.
H&M reported a 20% dip in quarterly profit. Investors didn’t seem to mind much, as stocks rose slightly after the announcement—an indication that fears about the Swedish company were already priced in. H&M, which has lost market share to online retailers and other budget chains, has invested heavily in better supply-chain logistics and in digitization.
India decriminalized adultery. The country’s supreme court struck down a colonial-era law that made any man who had sex with a married woman without her husband’s consent guilty of a criminal offense. Earlier this month, the court also struck down a 19th-century law that made gay sex illegal.
Tensions between the US and China ramped up. Beijing criticized the US on Thursday for flying two B-52 bombers in the vicinity of the South China Sea, an area where several regional powers, including China and Japan, have rival claims. A foreign ministry spokesman also denied Trump’s claims that China is trying to influence upcoming US midterm elections, demanding that the US “stop this unceasing criticism and slander.”
Quartz Obsession interlude
Andrew Taggart on how workers killed the liberal arts: “What the liberal arts had for the longest time held open was a space in which human beings could discover that they were more than ‘functionaries’ or ‘workers,’ a space devoted solely to the contemplation of higher things… The liberal arts, which once advocated free thought for its own sake, have now been put to use instead as a way to prepare us for a compressed life of creative office work.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Labor unions are thriving in the US thanks to millennials. The idea that unions kill jobs, created by prominent “union-busters” like Ronald Reagan, has largely worn off.
Misogyny is deeply entrenched at elite private schools. Institutions that don’t help boys understand personal accountability are tacitly endorsing sexism.
Dunkin’ wouldn’t need to change its name if we stopped moralizing food. Donuts are nothing shameful, and the chain that sells them ought to advertise that fact with pride.
Surprising discoveries
Thomas Edison thought gold would be worthless. The famed inventor believed “the secret of transmuting metals” would allow scientists to turn iron bars into gold.
The fastest-growing tourist destination in Europe is San Marino. The 24-square-mile micro-nation saw more than two visitors for every permanent resident in 2017.
The “distracted boyfriend” meme is officially sexist. Sweden’s ad ombudsman says the image portrays the two women as objects.
Your honest opinion is more welcome than you think. Research shows that people routinely overestimate the negative consequences of being honest with others.
A former French prime minister is running for mayor of Barcelona. Manuel Valls is taking advantage of a rule allowing all EU citizens to run in a member state’s municipal elections.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, honest opinions, and non-sexist memes 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 Cassie Werber and edited by Sarah Todd.