Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The US checks in on April hiring. Economists are forecasting a “healthy but unspectacular” 185,000 jobs were added last month, with the unemployment rate expected to remain at 3.8%. The average gain in jobs has been slower than last year, suggesting a tighter labor market that could lift wages and as a result, slow hiring.
Berkshire Hathaway looks to reassure investors. The 30,000 people attending the company’s annual meeting in Nebraska on Saturday will be itching to grill Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger on the company’s underperformance relative to the stock market. Buffet told CNBC yesterday that his company has invested in Amazon for the first time.
UK local election results continue to come in. The Conservative and Labour parties are facing a backlash at the ballot box over Brexit and other national issues, opening the way for smaller, independent parties.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn formally takes the throne. The official coronation of Thailand’s king will be an elaborate three-day ceremony starting tomorrow in Bangkok. The 66-year-old surprised everyone this week by announcing that he had married his royal bodyguard and declared her queen.
Ramadan kicks off. The sacred month, which sees many of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims fasting from dawn to dusk, begins on Sunday in the US and UK, and on Monday in most Muslim-majority countries.
While you were sleeping
Uber got hit with a huge class action lawsuit. More than 6,000 taxi and car-hire drivers in Australia have sued the ride-share giant for operating illegally and destroying their livelihoods. The suit comes ahead of Uber’s public listing in the US this month and could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Cyclone Fani made landfall in India. With wind speeds of up to 185 km/h (115 mph), Fani is one of the fiercest storms to hit the Indian subcontinent in decades, and threatens to affect tens of millions of people. More than a million have already been evacuated from the nation’s eastern coast.
Pornhub said it was keen on Tumblr. The online adult entertainment site expressed interested in purchasing the micro-blogging site, after Verizon announced (paywall) plans to sell. The platform, popular for its sex-positive blogs, banned pornography last year.
Another day of mixed earnings. Adidas’ stock price hit a new record after earnings beat expectations, and HSBC posted a 31% jump in profit, while reinsurer Swiss Re posted a drop in earnings, due to higher claims over natural disasters. Air France-KLM also reported a larger first-quarter loss, sending shares tumbling.
The actor who played Chewbacca died in Texas. Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-2 actor who played the beloved Star Wars character, was 74. He is survived by his wife Angie, and three children.
Membership
This week, reporter Michael Coren examined the various seams of political thought and power within America’s tech capitol, from outlining the different camps and power players in Silicon Valley; to analyzing its deteriorating relationship between Palo Alto and Washington, DC. We also had our regular weekly servings of Private Key, as well as a travel article on how booking a truly “green” hotel is not as easy as it looks.
Matters of debate
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Knowing your colleague’s salary may not be a good thing. Full transparency can increase dissatisfaction and lead to wage cuts.
We should weaponize ACs to fight climate change. Air-conditioning units could potentially pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Location is as important as quantity in college binge-drinking. Where students drink may be better predictors of sexual assault than how much.
Surprising discoveries
Burger King introduced “unhappy” meals. A new menu of “pissed,” “blue,” “salty,” “yaaas,” and “DGAF” options reminds people that they don’t have to be happy all the time.
Women now control the biggest defense budgets in Europe. With the appointment of UK defense secretary Penny Mordaunt, the six biggest military budgets in Europe are now overseen by women.
Romania’s witches are going digital. They’re livestreaming their rituals to boost the popularity of their ancient practices.
Lesbian potlucks fed the LGBTQ movement. The humble collective meal has radical roots and nourished a vision of a more equal world.
The Russian spy whale wants to defect. A suspected Kremlin-trained beluga (paywall) is refusing to leave Norway.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, turncoat whales, and invites to radical potlucks 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 Jackie Bischof.