Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The Senate Judiciary Committee votes on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. Republican lawmakers say the committee plans to vote this morning on whether to bring Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Senate floor.
Sundar Pichai meets GOP lawmakers. Google’s CEO will answer questions today about his company’s alleged political bias and China projects, including the development of a censored search engine. This week, the company admitted past privacy mistakes to the Senate after coming under fire for tracking the location of millions of mobile users.
Macedonia may change its name. Voters will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether their nation will become North Macedonia, settling a 27-year feud with Greece, which has a province called Macedonia. EU and NATO memberships also hinge on the referendum, and Russia has been waging a propaganda campaign to derail the vote.
Ryanair’s pilots and crew go on strike. The budget airline will cancel about 250 flights scheduled for today, affecting 40,000 passengers, as union workers coordinate a 24-hour walkout in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands to increase pressure in talks over pay and conditions.
UK Conservatives hold their party conference. Brexit will undoubtedly be a major theme of the four-day gathering, which begins Sunday in Birmingham. But prime minister Theresa May, who will give a keynote address on the last day, wants to steer the focus to domestic policy.
Typhoon Trami heads to Japan. The storm could sweep through Japan starting Saturday, with winds over 100 mph (160 km/h). It would be the eighth typhoon to hit Japan since July, and comes a few weeks after Typhoon Jebi ravaged much of the country.
While you were sleeping
A high-stakes hearing electrified the US senate. Christine Blasey Ford told lawmakers that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her more than 30 years ago, and explained the neurochemistry involved with PTSD. Kavanaugh angrily denied the accusations in an emotional defense of his character, and vowed not to withdraw from the nomination process.
The SEC sought to oust Elon Musk as Tesla’s CEO. The US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Musk, alleging his tweets last month about taking Tesla private were false or misleading, and is seeking to bar him from serving as an officer or director. Shares of the electric carmaker tumbled nearly 10% (paywall) in after-hours trading.
Israel claimed it found Iran’s secret atomic warehouse. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for sanctions against Iran for allegedly housing about 15 shipping containers worth of nuclear-related materials at a site in Tehran.
Dutch police foiled a major terrorist attack. Seven men were arrested on suspicion of plotting an attack in southern Holland near the German and Belgian borders. Prosecutors say they wanted to deploy bomb vests, grenades, and a car bomb at a large event.
Boeing won a $9.2 billion contract with the US Air Force. The company will build the force’s next training jet, which it developed with Sweden’s Saab, beating out a joint bid by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace. The Air Force could buy as many as 475 jets and 120 stimulators.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Leah Fessler on how Christine Blasey Ford showed vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness: “The #MeToo Movement, at its core, is the epitome of vulnerability at scale: It’s women, and some men, coming forward and admitting the pain that they’ve kept secret. It’s millions of people worldwide seeing themselves in these women’s honesty, in Christine Blasey Ford’s honesty, and saying, loud and clear, Me. Too.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Crypto and cannabis are the perfect post-crisis bubbles. Though the financial crisis pushed us toward boring, safe investments, the gambling instinct (paywall) can be repressed for only so long.
We should get 40 days off a year. Not all employees observe the same holidays, and unlimited time off is resulting in people taking fewer days off.
A scared Putin is a war-like Putin. When Russia’s president is faced with large protests (paywall), he’s likely to take it out on the country’s neighbors.
Surprising discoveries
An injured turtle got a Lego wheelchair. A fractured shell won’t heal properly if it’s dragged on the ground.
A gay-penguin couple in a Danish zoo “kidnapped” a chick. The pair saw an opportunity to adopt when its parents waddled off for a swim.
A cosmic ray is flying out of Antarctica’s ice. The high-energy particles blast through space, into Earth, and back again—something physicists say shouldn’t happen.
A seal slapped a kayaker in the face with an octopus. Kiwi boaters were testing underwater cameras when they got mixed up in an interspecies battle.
A real-life Crazy Rich Asians will be turned into a movie. The saga of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal will be retold in a movie produced by Michelle Yeoh.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cosmic explanations, and unreal GoPro footage 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.