Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
US vs China at APEC. Vice president Mike Pence will announce an alternative to China’s Belt-and-Road initiative on Saturday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. The two countries fraught relations have been on display at this week’s gatherings (paywall), with Pence condemning China’s business moves.
More Brexit resignations. After declining an invitation to be British prime minister Theresa May’s new Brexit negotiator, environment secretary Michael Gove could resign. Lawmakers are enraged by May’s draft exit arrangement (paywall) with the European Union, and efforts are building for a no-confidence vote.
A vote on the kilogram. The General Conference on Weights and Measures will gather in France to revise the definition of the kilogram in terms of a unit of energy, rather than keeping it pegged to an iridium-and-platinum cylinder, as it has been since the 19th century.
Hong Kong’s pride march. The city’s LGBT community will be out on Saturday after a year that saw gay expat couples win spousal-visa rights. A challenge by a gay civil servant over his right to spousal benefits is still proceeding. Some lawyers worry another suit—over civil partnerships—might fail.
The Federal Reserve measures industrial production. The US economy powered ahead despite an ongoing trade war with China, as manufacturers increased capacity for a 16th straight month in September. Economists are forecasting this release to show a pullback.
Viacom’s fourth-quarter report. The US conglomerate is expected to show earnings of 95 cents per share and $3.34 billion in revenue. Mission Impossible: Fallout should boost the company’s finances, though investors will be curious to see how domestic content and cable TV profits weigh against international expansion.
While you were sleeping
The Camp Fire death toll rose to 63. More than 600 people in northern California remain missing after the US’s deadliest wildfire in a century. A separate wildfire in southern California has killed at least three. The fires have burned more than 200,000 acres and brought a smoky haze to the Bay Area, leading to school closures.
North Korea hailed a new “tactical weapon.” The first mention in months of new weapons development could cloud relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Negotiations appear to have stalled following a peace summit in June between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump.
The Khmer Rouge’s killings were ruled a genocide. Nuon Chea, 92, and Khieu Samphan, 87, two of the last living leaders of Pol Pot’s brutal communist regime, were found guilty of genocide in a historic and controversially expensive trial. More than 80,000 people attended the hearings seeking justice for the 1.7 million Cambodians who died under Khmer rule in the 1970s. Both men are already serving life sentences.
Nvidia shares plunged. The chip designer reported sales that missed expectations, sending stocks down nearly 17%. The California-based company’s graphics cards had been in hot demand for calculation-intensive digital token mining, but it now faces a pileup of inventory as the bitcoin bubble deflates.
David Hockney’s enigmatic pool painting set a record. Christie’s auctioned Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) for $90.3 million—more than $30 million higher than a Jeff Koons Balloon Dogs sculpture which previously held the auction record for a living artist.
Obsession interlude
Chocolate chip cookies taste like they’re timeless, but they were actually invented just prior to WWII by a brilliant restaurateur. A simple comfort food that could be shipped to troops overseas, it quickly became the classic cookie. But some say its inventor, Ruth Wakefield, had even better recipes. Something’s fresh at the Quartz Obsession.
Conversation starters
“The discovery problem is a big one and using AI is essential for a platform like Pinterest, who are on the receiving end of millions of searches each month. Effective search is paramount and a content-based business cannot survive nowadays unless it is delivering fresh and relevant content to the right audience at the right time—before the introduction of AI, this was a tricky equation to solve.”
—Dawn Airey, CEO at Getty Images, commenting on: How Pinterest uses AI to capture our imaginations
“Nebula is both a great use of blockchain technology and a step forward for patient control of their biometric data. By contrast to 23andMe, Nebula lets you get sequenced, and then have granular control of who can BUY your data FROM YOU! This is how it should be: patients in charge of their own information, and empowered to share in the financial value that their information produces. I’m delighted to be an advisor of theirs!”
—D.A. Wallach, recording artist and investor, commenting on: Nebula Genomics, with free DNA sequencing, opens for business
“This trend may be a result of many new diets taking place not only with millennials, but also baby boomers. From low carb to keto to intermittent fasting, to pre-packaged and prepared meals, to low calorie alternatives, there is a breadth of options to be considered. Consumers that are overweight and obese (now accounting over 30% of Americans) are seeking alternatives to be healthier, and perhaps smaller turkeys are a start in that direction.”
—David Yakobovitch, AI trainer at Galvanize, commenting on: Millennials are disrupting Thanksgiving with their tiny turkeys
Surprising discoveries
A 19-carat pink diamond sold for $50 million. Jeweler Harry Winston’s record-setting purchase reflects the scarcity of high-quality colored diamonds.
Iceland’s president regrets saying he wishes he could ban pineapple pizza. Gudni Johannesson wants to see a world where “everyone put[s] seafood on their pizzas.”
Speed cameras can now spot your phone addiction. British police are using the “The Long Ranger” to catch phone-using drivers from half a mile away.
NRA employees no longer get free coffee. A budget crunch at the National Rifle Association also resulted in less spending on US midterm election advertising.
New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal is a real estate bargain. The MTA’s purchase of the station from a holding group for $35 million is a steal compared to other New York City properties.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, free coffee, and pink diamonds 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 John Detrixhe and edited by Jackie Bischof.