Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A shakeup in Israel. Two ministers from the Jewish Home party will make an announcement amid speculation they’ll resign, depriving prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his majority in parliament. Last week his defense minister resigned, and a snap vote early next year looks likely.
Japan releases trade data for October. Economists expect imports to jump 14.5% and exports 9% from a year earlier. The country’s exports fell unexpectedly in September following natural disasters, including Typhoon Jebi and an earthquake in Hokkaido.
JD.com reports earnings. There is concern the Chinese e-commerce giant could lower its forecast, following rival Alibaba doing the same earlier this month in light of US-China trade tensions.
Over the weekend
US-China trade tensions roiled a Pacific summit. In a first, leaders at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering failed to agree on a joint statement, as the two giants battled over wording. China reportedly objected to a line on “unfair trade practices,” among other things.
Republicans prevailed after Florida recounts. Rick Scott was declared the winner of the state’s US Senate race, beating three-term Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Meanwhile Ron DeSantis beat Andrew Gillum in the governor’s race.
Michael Bloomberg gave Johns Hopkins University $1.8 billion. It’s thought to be the largest private donation in modern times to higher education. The money will support student financial aid (paywall) at the former New York mayor’s alma mater.
Fuel-price protests turned ugly in France. Dozens were injured and one person was killed as demonstrators across the country tried to shut down roads, in many cases getting hit or swiped by vehicles. The government said it wouldn’t bow to protestors by rolling back gas levies (paywall).
Climate protestors shut down five iconic bridges in London. Dozens of demonstrators, protesting government inaction on climate change, were arrested. It was part of a month-long campaign of mass civil disobedience planned by a group known as Extinction Rebellion.
Obsession interlude
Dungeons & Dragons is doing better than ever. The old gaming warhorse is an analog alternative to video gaming and an offline social network. But the internet helps: Livestreamed campaigns are popular, as is the D&D-immersed Netflix hit Stranger Things. Next it hits the big screen, but the essence remains creating, instead of consuming, the story. Join in at the Quartz Obsession.
Conversation starters
“What’s striking here is the lack of a serious investigation in the UK, which is teetering on the Brexit cliff edge. The consequences are even more dire than a 4 year presidential term. Brexit will potentially change the economic, political and social landscape forever. Where’s the outrage or at least the appetite to find the true extent of meddling?”
—Susan Agliata, VP, global platform partnerships at VICE Media, commenting on: New Evidence Emerges of Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytica’s Role in Brexit
“Everything old is new again. These titles were popular during the peak of the dot com bubble days. Turns out having an army of ninjas is not enough to defend a broken business model.”
—Iliya Rybchin, SVP, corporate development & ventures at A+E Television, commenting on: Who Wants to Be a Ninja? Job Titles Get a Rebranding
“I hope everyone will take the time to learn the history of the tech industry. Silicon Valley has had four distinct eras: the Apollo period (male engineers with short sleeve shirts, ties and pocket protectors), the hippie period (led by Nolan Bushnell, Steve Jobs … inspired by Stewart Brand, Douglas Englebart, JCR Licklider and others), the corporate period (led by Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Larry Ellison, and John Chambers), and now the libertarian period (led by the PayPal mafia). Brand’s influence on the hippie and libertarian eras was huge, but in between the corporate era shifted the industry’s priorities to global reach and massive wealth.”
—Roger McNamee, author of “Zucked” at Elevation Partners, commenting on: The Complicated Legacy of Stewart Brand’s “Whole Earth Catalog”
Surprising discoveries
Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that Facebook friendships aren’t real friendships. Facebook friendship “does not objectively signal the existence of the affection and esteem involved in a traditional ‘friendship,’” the judges concluded.
Whale earwax reveals just how stressed the animals are by humans. Scientists found that levels of stress hormones in whales’ earwax cones rose and fell with the rise and fall of whaling.
Scientists believe they found a new kingdom of life. Soil samples taken from a hike in Nova Scotia showed a flagella-covered organism unlike anything previously unearthed.
Russian media captured Brexit chaos in one perfect word. Ministropad denotes “a cascade of ministerial resignations,” and is styled like the Russian word for waterfall.
Miniature lab-grown kidneys aren’t always what they seem. Scientists found that up to 20% of the 65 organoids they studied contained brain and muscle cells.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mysterious organisms, and spot-on Russian words 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 and edited by Steve Mollman and April Siese.