Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Canada legalizes recreational marijuana. With a phased roll-out, the country will become the second in the world, after Ecuador, to make weed legal. In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, cannabis users will initially only be able to order weed online, with delivery by mail.
Theresa May tries to find a “creative solution” to Brexit. European council president Donald Tusk told the UK prime minister to find a way to break the impasse over Ireland’s border when she addresses 27 EU leaders. They will discuss her proposal over a dinner that she’s not invited to.
Mike Pompeo arrives in Ankara to discuss Jamal Khashoggi. The US secretary of state is meeting Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, after having met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father. Turkish officials say they found signs of a cover-up of Khashoggi’s alleged murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Shinzo Abe visits France. The Japanese prime minister will sit down with French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss maritime security cooperation in the second leg of his European tour.
The Fed might hint at another rate hike. The US Federal Reserve will release minutes of its September meeting, which will likely reinforce expectations of another rate increase as soon as December.
While you were sleeping
New developments in the Khashoggi crisis. Turkey released the passport scans of seven men (paywall) who it says were part of a hit team that allegedly murdered the Washington Post columnist. UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called to waive diplomatic immunity for Saudi officials in order to conduct a “transparent” investigation. Trump, meanwhile, defended Saudi Arabia by criticizing the rush to judgment.
Armenia’s prime minister resigned on live TV. Nikol Pashinyan, a former opposition leader who was elected in May, said he was stepping down to dissolve parliament and force an early election. He hopes the move will bring him back to power with a clear majority, and scuttle the opposition’s hold over Armenia’s National Assembly.
Uber considered a new $120 billion valuation for its IPO. The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reported that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which are vying to participate in a 2019 offering, suggested the company assign a price tag that would nearly double its most recent valuation—making it worth more than General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler combined.
Hurricane Michael’s death toll rose to 29, with more than a thousand missing. Rescuers identified 10 additional deaths from the powerful storm that hit Florida’s Gulf coast, but have been unable to locate an additional 1,135 people. Across the southeast, power outages left about 200,000 people without electricity.
Netflix earnings crushed expectations. The streaming giant, which has struggled to hit targets in recent quarters, added nearly 2 million more subscribers than analysts predicted. Its shares rose by as much as 15% in after-hours trading.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on the late Paul Allen’s pivotal support for private space flight: “Wealth accumulated from his stake in Microsoft and real-estate investments in Seattle allowed him to invest in next-generation space concepts starting in the 1990s. … The leading firms of the new commercial space age, from SpaceX to fellow Seattle billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, may not look exactly like SpaceShipOne or Allen’s more eclectic investments in space technology. Nonetheless, he paved the way for a new approach to doing business in orbit.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The world could soon have three separate internets. The EU, US, and China are balkanizing what was once a universal human resource (paywall).
Young Americans need to vote before the olds destroy the world. Baby boomers, responsible for climate change and a host of other problems, are far more likely to vote than millennials.
Xi Jinping is destroying the mechanisms that helped drive China’s stupendous economic rise. Instead, he’s creating a giant police state.
Surprising discoveries
You can buy admission to big, fat Indian weddings. Join My Wedding is catering to international tourists curious about the opulent, multi-day affairs.
Ecuador sent Julian Assange a memo to take care of his cat. The London embassy, where the Wikileaks founder has lived since 2012, also wants him to clean his bathroom.
For the first time in 25 years, no one was shot over the weekend in New York City. The peace was short lived after a shooting was reported Monday afternoon.
Facebook could use its in-home camera for targeted ads. Despite an earlier denial, the company admitted its Portal device can track who you call and what apps you use.
The stress of conflict can last for generations. Data from the US civil war suggests trauma can be can be inherited by the offspring of prisoners of war.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cat-rearing tips, and tickets to Indian weddings 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 Devjyot Ghoshal.