Good morning, Quartz readers!
You may notice a few new things in the Daily Brief, as part of Quartz’s biggest expansion since we launched six years ago. We’re introducing a new app for the Quartz community, built around commenting and conversation, and a new membership program that offers a field guide to the players and phenomena that are upending the global economy.
The Brief’s new “Conversation Starters” section takes the place of “Matters of Debate,” and gives you the highlights of the day’s comments in the new Quartz app (iOS only for now, Android very soon). We hope you’ll join the conversation!
What to watch for today
Theresa May’s cabinet considers a last-ditch Brexit deal. UK and EU negotiators reached a draft agreement on Tuesday, subject to approval from May’s deeply divided cabinet. EU ambassadors will also consider the document, which is several hundred pages long.
A busy day at ASEAN. Leaders including Australia’s Scott Morrison, China’s Li Keqiang, South Korea’s Moon Jae-in, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Japan’s Shinzō Abe will huddle in various configurations in Singapore.
A high-flying cannabis company reports earnings. Canopy Growth will report financial results for the three months ending on Sept. 30—that’s before Canada legalized recreational marijuana, but well after stores began to stockpile supplies. Analysts expect Canopy’s losses to widen before it turns profitable next year.
While you were sleeping
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal resigned. An investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior uncovered “lapses in judgement” and “a lack of transparency” by Bansal, according to the Indian ecommerce company and its US parent, Walmart. Bansal denied any wrongdoing, and told coworkers he was “stunned” by the allegations.
Sri Lanka’s supreme court blocked the president’s suspension of parliament. President Maithripala Sirisena’s order was suspended, as the court pushed for new rounds of elections between two men vying to become prime minister. Ranil Wickremesinghe claims parliamentary support, while Sirisena’s pick, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has had trouble mustering MPs.
Juul tried to stay a step ahead of regulators. The popular US vaping startup said it would remove most of its flavored pods (paywall) from shelves and stop marketing its product on social media, ahead of an expected FDA crackdown later this week. CEO Kevin Burns said the move is an attempt to discourage young users, but critics say the damage has already been done.
CNN sued the White House. The broadcaster claimed that the Trump administration violated constitutional rights to free speech and due process when it revoked journalist Jim Acosta’s press pass, after a heated verbal confrontation between Trump and Acosta during a press conference last week.
Hate crimes rose in the US. New data from the FBI showed that reports of crimes fueled by prejudice based on race, gender, religion, and disability were up 17% in 2017 from the previous year. US hate crimes spiked after September 11, 2001, steadily fell to a record low in 2014, then began to climb again.
Obsession interlude
The magnetic stripe has quietly powered our card-centric lives for decades. It owes its dominance to three parties: the CIA, an IBM engineer, and his wife. Take a swipe at this overlooked, endangered technology at the Quartz Obsession.
Conversation starters
“Employees have to stand up for their values and what is right. Ruth sent a important message by doing this—as a colleague, as a human, not as ‘management.’”
—Beth Comstock, former vice chair of General Electric, commenting on: This is why Google CFO Ruth Porat walked out to protest sexual harassment
“14 million Yemenis could be at risk of starvation and damage to Hodeidah port, which is the key entry point for food needed to avert these preventable deaths, would be disastrous. An immediate, UN Security Council-mandated ceasefire is absolutely vital, as is the end of US and UK diplomatic and military support for the Coalition’s war strategy.”
—David Miliband, president & CEO at International Rescue Committee, commenting on: 149 killed in 24 hours in Yemen’s Hodeida
“Google, Facebook, and Amazon are blocking huge swaths of opportunity that would normally attract startups, forcing venture dollars into sectors that are more capital intensive than traditional tech.”
—Roger McNamee, co-founder and managing director of Elevation Partners, commenting on: More Venture-Capital Money Is Going Into Fewer Startup Deals
Surprising discoveries
Men were tricked into wearing stretchy jeans. Denim makers snuck secret comfort into their products so guys wouldn’t scoff.
There’s no such thing as flushable wet wipes. The products clog up sewers and glom onto fatbergs.
New Yorkers are buying Jeff Bezos a helipad. Taxpayer money will fund the Amazon CEO’s landing site in Queens.
Boeing didn’t train pilots on new safety risks. The Boeing 737 Max 8—like the one that recently crashed into the Java Sea—had a dangerous safety feature.
The Czech prime minister insists he didn’t order his son’s kidnapping. His opponents say he was attempting to derail a fraud investigation.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, stretchy jeans, and personal helipads to hi@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Susan Howson and Adam Pasick.