Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A state funeral for the 41st US president. Financial markets and postal deliveries will be halted as politicians from the US, and leaders and royalty from around the world, pay their respects to George H. W. Bush, who died on Friday at the age of 94. Donald Trump will attend but is not slated to speak. A second funeral will take place tomorrow in Texas.
The EU asks Facebook, Twitter, and Google for “fake news” reports. The internet giants will be required to file monthly reports on Russian disinformation campaigns starting January, ahead of the European Parliament election next May.
Germany’s president visits China. Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s six-day trip starting today comes as Beijing, entangled in a trade war with the US, seeks stronger European trade ties. Steinmeier, who’s served stints as Germany’s foreign minister, has often advocated for more engagement with China.
Shire votes on its takeover by Japan’s Takeda. After Takeda Pharmaceutical shareholders voted in favor of the $62 billion purchase—the largest overseas acquisition (paywall) by a Japanese firm—the deal now goes to the UK-listed firm’s investors for approval. The merger will create the world’s eighth-biggest drug maker by sales.
While you were sleeping
Michael Flynn got a get-out-of-jail-free card. Special prosecutor Robert Mueller recommended that Donald Trump’s former national security adviser get no jail time for lying to the FBI because of his “substantial assistance” in several ongoing investigations, including the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. Flynn is due to be sentenced Dec. 18.
US stocks plunged after Trump proclaimed himself “Tariff Man.” Wall Street fell more than 3% on fears that the US-China trade truce could disintegrate, along with worries about rising interest rates. The US president tweeted that he would impose new tariffs if the US and China could not reach a trade agreement. Asia stocks also traded down after the US sell-off.
A woman gave birth using a uterus from a dead donor. The birth in Brazil was made public in a study in the British medical journal the Lancet. There have been nearly a dozen births using a uterus transplanted from a live donor before.
A powerful undersea earthquake struck off New Caledonia. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the French territory in the South Pacific prompted a tsunami warning.
Obsession interlude
The CB radio was once a disruptive technology. As Hollywood glamorized the trucking industry, the open communication medium surged in popularity in the US and abroad. Even today, no technology exactly replaces it. Read more in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Quartz membership
Want to know what’s going on in trucking? Ask a trucker. Finn Murphy wrote the memoir The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road, but he’s also spent a lot of time pondering the future of the industry he loves. We caught up with him to discuss everything from automation to wages to his love of really long podcasts. Check out other parts of our trucking deep dive here.
Matters of debate
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Bitcoin is in a death spiral. As its price drops, it will become worthless if the cost of mining doesn’t fall.
Every business is a tech business. Even companies founded before the internet age should be putting tech talent in the C-suites.
Aspiration keeps the ultra-wealthy unsatisfied. Millionaires and billionaires think they need three times more wealth to be truly happy.
Surprising discoveries
A 9-year-old decriminalized snowballs. Dane Best convinced his Colorado town to repeal an archaic law—and pointed to his brother as his intended target.
Only 15% of Trump merch is made in the US. The remainder doesn’t even list countries of origin.
California’s fires released a year’s worth of emissions. The entire state produced 76 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2016.
Jeff Bezos won’t return Gwyneth Paltrow’s emails. Paltrow often reaches out to other famous people for advice on her lifestyle company Goop.
Two black holes became one. Scientists are now picking up the gravitational ripples of a stellar merger 5 billion light-years from Earth.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, snowballs, and black holes to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Alice Truong.