Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Theresa May reveals her departure date. Facing a cabinet revolt and a parliamentary rebellion, the prime minister will outline plans for her resignation and the nomination of a successor today during a meeting with the chairman of Conservative backbenchers. The week of June 10 will likely be when she formally steps down.
Youth around the world strike, again, for climate action. The Fridays for Future movement, inspired by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, plans over 2,000 demonstrations in more than 200 countries on every continent.
Voting continues in Europe. Following Britain and the Netherlands, EU citizens in other member states go to the polls to choose a new European Parliament amid the rise of nationalism and populism across Europe and ongoing drama over Brexit and immigration. Results will be announced Sunday night.
Kenya rules on the legality of gay sex. The country’s high court will decide whether to overturn colonial-era provisions that criminalize gay sex. Gay rights organizations, which filed petitions in 2016, argue the laws are unconstitutional.
A mile-wide asteroid with its own moon passes by Earth. Not to worry: The nameless, walnut-shaped rock is flying by at a safe distance of just over 3.2 million miles (more than 5.1 million kilometers), and it won’t get this close again until 2036.
Donald Trump visits Japan. The US president will be the first foreign leader to meet the country’s new emperor, Naruhito, on a visit that will be heavy on steak, sumo, and fighter jets but somewhat lighter on policy as Japan tries to avoid a bubbling over of trade tensions.
While you were sleeping
Taiwan held its first gay marriages. Scores of same-sex couples began tying the knot a week after lawmakers ushered in marriage equality, capping years of political wrangling and cementing Taiwan’s status in the vanguard of gay rights in Asia. Activists say the fight is not over, as some transnational couples aren’t yet able to marry.
Trump gave the attorney general full power to review the Russia probe. Escalating efforts to scrutinize the activities that led to the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US election, the president ordered intelligence agencies to cooperate with the review. He also granted William Barr sweeping authority to declassify their documents.
Trump said Huawei could be part of a trade deal with China. The president’s suggestion runs counter to previous statements by his trade negotiators, who have sought to keep trade and national security separate. Trump last week signed an executive order that effectively blacklisted Huawei from US supply chains.
The US filed 17 new charges against Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks leader, who is currently serving a jail sentence in the UK for skipping bail and fighting extradition to the US, was accused of obtaining and publishing secret government documents. The Department of Justice’s decision to charge him under the Espionage Act also has free press advocates worried.
Brazil criminalized homophobia and transphobia. The country’s top court voted to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT people, amid a spike in attacks against the community since the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, began his campaign last year.
Harvey Weinstein reached a tentative $44 million deal with his accusers. The disgraced media mogul and Hollywood producer is said to have agreed on a settlement to resolve lawsuits by women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
Quartz Obsession
Man camps are the architectural equivalent of the gig economy. Boomtown shelter is as old as resource extraction, but today it’s big business as oil-field workers expect to live better than prospectors. Think cafeterias, gyms, and mini-cinemas in (almost) hotel-like accommodations.
Membership
As workplace models change and philosophies about work evolve, the terminology we use for describing success is quickly losing relevance. Today’s chapter on the world of new management looks at the factors reshaping the modern career arc. At Private Key, we look at why Tether, a crypto token once valued for its stability, is looking increasingly risky. Plus: Quartz’s Annalisa Merelli discusses India’s parliamentary elections.
Matters of debate
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African countries should screen visitors for measles immunization. Americans and Europeans should be subject to the same scrutiny African travelers were during the Ebola crisis.
White guys should stop mentoring white guys. Python’s creator says that’s one way to address bias in open-source communities.
We need two women’s restrooms for every men’s bathroom. Because urinals are more populous than stalls, women face unequal queues for the loo.
Surprising discoveries
The world’s biggest T-shirt cannon can fire 186 shirts in 15 seconds. This “weapon of mass distraction” is the latest innovation in an arms race sweeping sports arenas.
Many species of bamboo blossom only every 40 to 80 years. Which is a good thing, considering that after they flower, they die off en masse.
Tesla poached a UK museum’s social media manager because of a sheep meme. Elon Musk’s weird Twitter relationship with @theMERL paid off for one guy.
Evidence of a billion-year-old fungus turned up in the Canadian Arctic. The fossil is twice as old as the previous record holder.
Pop music is singing the blues. A Quartz analysis shows mentions of “depression” and “anxiety” have increased in pop and hip-hop songs, while use of the word “peace” has declined.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, projectile T-shirts, and bamboo blossoms 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 Mary Hui and edited by Tripti Lahiri.