Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Joe Biden announces his candidacy in an online video. The former vice president will hold his first event as a 2020 US presidential candidate on Monday in Pittsburgh. Today’s announcement comes after the 76-year-old pledged to be “more mindful” in the face of accusations from women that he inappropriately touched them at political events.
Emmanuel Macron unveils reforms. The French president has faced nearly six months of “yellow vest” protests over inequality, and is expected to acknowledge some key demands of the demonstrators, such as tax cuts for middle-class workers. The changes were due to be announced last week, but the broadcast was postponed due to the Notre Dame fire.
Shinzo Abe meets with EU leaders. In Brussels, the Japanese prime minister will sit down with Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk—presidents of the European Commission and European Council—to follow up on a newly established trade partnership.
An earnings bonanza. Amazon is expected to report a boost in ad sales and cloud services, while Comcast and Starbucks will most likely also report earnings growth. Slower sales and toy recalls are projected to hurt Mattel, and 3M, Intel, Ford, and Chipotle all weigh in on their latest quarterly results, too.
While you were sleeping
Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin met for the first time. The summit in Vladivostok allowed Kim, who arrived by train, to meet his sixth world leader. Previously, he’s traveled to China to meet president Xi Jinping and to Singapore to see Donald Trump at a landmark summit that has yet to yield results in terms of denuclearization.
Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank called off merger talks. Germany’s two largest lenders gave up on a possible combination, with sources citing the complexity of a deal. The news dashes Berlin’s hopes of creating a national champion that could back local firms operating around the world.
The Belt and Road summit kicked off. More than 30 world leaders are attending the gathering in Beijing to discuss the global infrastructure investment program, which has been blamed for funding huge projects that leave countries in debt. Malaysia, which got China to slim down plans for a railway project, could be a sign the plan is evolving.
Sri Lanka hit pause on church services. A senior priest in the country announced that all public services would be suspended and churches would remain closed until security is improved. The measure follows the Easter Sunday attacks claimed by a domestic Islamist group that left more than 350 people dead and 500 wounded.
Your rapid earnings roundup. The good (Hermès, Bayer), the bad (UBS, Barclays, Norwegian, Nintendo, Peugeot), and the ugly (Nokia).
Membership
The first-ever entire sequencing of the human genome in 2000 proved that all humans are, in the big picture, identical. But reporters Katherine Ellen Foley and Daniel Wolfe argue the recent rise of direct-to-consumer genetic tests are distorting our view of race and humanity. Over in Private Key, Matthew De Silva looks at the dizzying pace of theft by the “blockchain bandit.”
Quartz Obsession
The Ben Franklin effect: The theory that asking someone to do you a favor is a way to make them like you more has stood the test of time—and science. The foremost explanation is that it takes advantage of our unconscious dislike of cognitive dissonance. Do us a favor and read more in our Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Silicon Valley is racing to the bottom of the brainstem. But it’s not too late to reverse tech companies’ tendency to exploit human weaknesses.
The “Dark Ages” is a useless term for a complex era. Our simplistic stereotypes gloss over the achievements of a highly sophisticated civilization.
AI isn’t going to take over the world. We should be framing the conversation in terms of how machines can augment, not replace, our systems.
Surprising discoveries
A new unmanned aircraft rises like a balloon and stays there. Developed in Scotland, it could make launching satellites cheaper.
Cans of air commemorate the current Japanese imperial era. They’re among many inventive products marketed to celebrate next week’s transition to the Reiwa era.
Blueberries used to just fill pies. Then science swooped in, and they juiced up our interest in the superfood.
Female parakeets are into puzzle solvers. Watching male birds successfully figure out how to get at seeds appeared to make females like them more.
Amazon thinks a bikini-line trimmer is a good Mother’s Day gift. Its Mother’s Day Gift Shop is live, and offers some quirky choices.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, bird puzzles, and blueberry pies 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.