Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US attorney general releases a redacted Mueller report to the public. William Barr is expected to take questions about the special counsel’s findings—which will be scrubbed (paywall) to remove sensitive grand jury, intelligence, and other information—at 9:30am ET. Congressional Democrats are still pressing for access to the unredacted report and underlying evidence.
India begins phase two of its general elections. Fifteen million eligible voters across 13 states are scheduled to cast their ballots in the second of seven phases in the country’s mammoth five-week long election. Polling in a constituency in the southern state of Tamil Nadu was canceled after authorities seized Rs110 million ($1.6 million) believed to be used for vote-buying.
Pinterest and Zoom begin trading. The tech firms, valued at $12.6 billion and $10 billion respectively, will test the market’s appetite (paywall) in the wake of the disappointing Lyft IPO. A slew of other startups including Uber, Slack, and Peloton are waiting in the wings.
American Express checks its receipts. The credit card company will post first-quarter earnings, hoping to keep up a string of expectation-beating results. The company’s stock is up more than 17% this year, outpacing the broader financial sector.
Elon Musk and the SEC come to terms. The Tesla CEO and US regulators are due to send a letter (paywall) to a US district judge about their negotiations to resolve Musk’s violation of a previous settlement agreement. At issue is pre-approval of the Tesla chief’s tweets about potentially market-moving information.
While you were sleeping
North Korea tested a new weapon. The country’s state media reported that it test-fired a new type of “tactical guided weapon,” in what appears to be an effort to ramp up pressure on Donald Trump to come back to the negotiating table.
Facebook “unintentionally uploaded” 1.5 million users’ email contacts. The social media company harvested the email contacts of new users without their knowledge or consent when they opened their accounts. The company said it is now deleting the data.
Boeing wrapped up its 737 Max fix. The US planemaker finished the final test flight (paywall) with a software patch for the anti-stall feature that can force the aircraft’s nose downward, believed to be linked to two fatal crashes. Certification for the patch would get the global 737 Max fleet airborne again.
Samsung rebutted reports of flaws in its folding phone. The electronics giant said it will “thoroughly inspect” review units for its $1,980 Galaxy Fold phones following reports of screens breaking after just days of use. Samsung hinted that the removal of a top protective layer, which to some resembles a screen protector, may be the cause.
Consumer goods companies had a good day. Nestlé beat sales expectations in the first quarter, a healthy showing for the world’s largest packaged food company, especially as consumers move toward fresh and local foods. Meanwhile, consumer goods giant Unilever bested quarterly revenue expectations (paywall) slightly, aided by demand in emerging markets.
Membership
Max de Haldevang has a primer on the best book to read about hiding money around the world. Over in Private Key, Matthew de Silva looks at what a cartoon space cat can tell us about the state of crypto exchanges. And Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz speaks with a pioneering researcher about the business of immortality.
Quartz Obsession
Cottage cheese: The lumpy stepchild of the dairy aisle has long been a metaphor for anything unsavory. US consumption declined steeply starting in the 1970s, when Nixon regularly dined on it in the White House, but now it’s poised for a comeback. Read more in our Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
Should Notre Dame’s beloved spire be rebuilt? The semi-recent addition to the iconic structure is already complicating restoration plans.
Tiny AirPods are a big barrier between humans. The ever-present gadgets give the impression that the wearer’s attention is elsewhere.
Old age is the perfect time for hedonism. Three-quarters of a century justifies all sorts of frowned-upon indulgences.
Surprising discoveries
Carl’s Jr. is selling a CBD-infused burger. The “Rocky Mountain High CheeseBurger Delight” will likely run into trouble with the US Food and Drug Administration.
An interstellar meteor hit Earth a few years ago. The trajectory of the 1.5-foot-wide object’s 2014 crash landing suggests it originated outside our solar system.
A professional gambler is smashing Jeopardy! prize money records. James Holzhauer broke a single-day winning record on April 9 with $110,914 in earnings, then bested it again—by more than $20,000—yesterday.
A goddess told Foxconn’s chairman to run for president in Taiwan. Terry Gou was visited by the sea deity Mazu in a dream, and ordered to “contribute to cross-strait peace.”
Scientists extracted liquid blood from a 42,000-year-old foal. They hope to collect viable cells for the purpose of cloning the extinct species of horse.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mellow burgers, and Daily Doubles 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 Adam Rasmi and edited by Jason Karaian.