Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
King Salman addresses his government’s top advisers. It’s unclear if he will mention the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his annual address to Saudi Arabia’s consultative assembly.
L Brands opens its books. Analysts predict the parent company of Victoria’s Secret will post a dip in third-quarter profits. It’s also expected to confirm reports that Jan Singer, the CEO of the struggling lingerie brand, has stepped down.
The International Space Station gets a birthday gift. A spacecraft that launched Saturday is expected to reach the ISS this morning, on the eve of its 20th birthday. It’s bringing the space station’s first 3D printer, which will allow astronauts to make new tools.
Over the weekend
Michael Bloomberg gave Johns Hopkins University $1.8 billion. The former New York mayor’s donation to his alma mater is believed to be the largest private donation to higher education in modern times. The money will be used for student financial aid, including loans already taken by current Hopkins students and alumni.
Republicans prevailed after Florida’s recounts. Rick Scott was declared the winner of the state’s Senate race, beating three-term Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. Meanwhile, Republican Ron DeSantis beat Andrew Gillum in the governor’s race.
Renault shares plunged on reports that its CEO faces arrest. Tokyo authorities are reportedly interviewing Renault chief Carlos Ghosn, who is also chairman of Nissan and Mitsubishi, on suspicion of under-reporting his salary and other financial violations. In a statement, Nissan accused Ghosn of “serious misconduct” and said its board recommends that he be removed from his position.
Argentina found its missing submarine a year later. Officials say the ARA San Juan imploded; it had 44 crew members on board. The government said it cannot afford to raise the sub, which was found by the US search firm that failed to locate the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
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 gasoline taxes (paywall).
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 stolen Picasso turned up in Romania. Prosecutors said two Dutch citizens handed in Tête d’Arlequin, which was stolen in 2012 from Rotterdam’s Kunsthal museum.
Scientists believe they found a new kingdom of life. Soil samples from Nova Scotia contain a flagella-covered organism unlike anything previously unearthed.
Finns trolled Trump. After the US president inaccurately said people in Finland raked their forests to avoid fires, locals posted pictures of themselves raking and vacuuming local woods.
Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that Facebook friendships aren’t real. It pointed out that Facebook friends are selected based on algorithmic suggestions, not personal interactions.
The US government tried to kill the comic-book industry. A puritanical Congress targeted comics during the post-war McCarthy era.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mysterious organisms, and comic books 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 Jill Petzinger and edited by Sarah Todd.