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, which would deprive prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his majority in parliament. Last week his defense minister stepped down, and a snap vote early next year looks likely.
The voice of corporate Britain endorses May’s draft Brexit deal. At the CBI’s annual conference, John Allan, president of the UK employers’ group, is expected to show support for prime minister Theresa May as she faces a potential no-confidence vote.
King Salman addresses the government’s top advisers. It’s unclear if he will mention the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but his annual address to Saudi Arabia’s consultative assembly is supposed to touch on domestic and foreign policy.
The International Space Station receives a birthday gift. A load that was launched Saturday is expected to reach the ISS this morning, on the eve of its 20th birthday. The haul includes its first 3D printer, which will allow astronauts to make new tools using plastic parts from the space station.
Over the weekend
Hong Kong’s Occupy leaders pleaded not guilty to public-nuisance charges. Pro-democracy activists Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, and Chu Yiu-ming face three colonial-era criminal provisions—with each charge carrying a maximum jail term of seven years—for their role in the 2014 student-led protests that shut down parts of the city. In total, nine people are on trial.
Michael Bloomberg gave Johns Hopkins University $1.8 billion. It’s thought to be the largest private donation (paywall) in modern times to higher education. The money will support financial aid for students at the alma mater of the former New York City mayor.
Argentina found its missing submarine a year later. Officials say ARA San Juan, which had 44 crew members on board, had suffered an implosion. The government said it “does not have the means” to raise the submarine, which was found by the US search firm that failed to locate the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
US-China trade tensions roiled a Pacific summit. In a first, leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Papua New Guinea failed to agree on a joint statement, as the two countries battled over wording. China objected to a line on “unfair trade practices,” among other things.
Fuel-price protests turned deadly 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).
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.
Obsession interlude
Dungeons & Dragons is doing better than ever. The old gaming warhorse is an analog alternative to video games 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 and ventures at A+E Television, commenting on: Who Wants to Be a Ninja? Job Titles Get a Rebranding
“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
A UK school banned Canada Goose jackets for being ostentatious. Officials said the $1,000 parkas are an egregious show of wealth (paywall) and incompatible with its values.
Florida’s Supreme Court ruled Facebook friendships aren’t real. It pointed out that Facebook friends are selected based on algorithmic suggestions, not personal interactions.
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.
The US government tried to kill the comic-book industry. In the post-war era of McCarthyism, comics were a target for grand-standing politicians.
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.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mysterious organisms, and humble parkas 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.