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What to watch for today
The 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. World leaders gather with veterans on the shores of northern France this morning to commemorate the beginning of the Allied assault to liberate Nazi-occupied northwest Europe. As part of the commemorations, President Trump will visit a US war cemetery on Omaha Beach with French president Emmanuel Macron.
Russia hosts its answer to Davos. Expect president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to praise the growing trade between their nations and ink new deals at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Putin said yesterday that Sino-Russian relations were at “an unprecedented level.”
Ford delivers another blow to the UK car industry. The automaker is expected to announce the closure of its long-running engine plant in Bridgend, Wales. Nissan and Honda are among the other carmakers who have also said they’ll close plants or scale back plans in the UK.
Beyond Meat looks not-so-healthy. The vegan burger maker releases its first results since going public on May 2. Analysts expect the company to post a loss, raising further questions about its $6 billion valuation. One regulatory risk factor weighing on the company: its ability to keep using the word “meat.”
While you were sleeping
US-Mexico negotiations went nowhere. Officials from both countries ended their meeting at the White House yesterday without an agreement on how to avert Trump’s threatened tariffs on all Mexican goods, which would kick in on Monday (June 10) and increase gradually unless the flow of migrants into the US is stemmed. Talks resume today.
Opioid-maker Insys agreed to pay a $225 million settlement. The drugmaker admitted to bribing doctors to prescribe Subsys, a spray used to treat pain in cancer patients and which contains fentanyl. The deal is part of the federal government’s efforts to curb the opioid epidemic, which claimed 47,600 deaths in 2017.
Fiat Chrysler withdrew its Renault merger offer. The Italian-American carmaker reversed its plans to create what could have been the world’s third-largest automaker in a €33 billion ($37 billion) merger deal, saying it was unable to reach an agreement with the French government. Renault shares tumbled in Paris Thursday morning.
The US hit a new measles milestone. The Center for Disease Control has recorded 1,001 cases this year, the highest number since 1992, about a decade before the disease was declared eliminated in the US. Health officials blame the spike in part on parents refusing to vaccinate their children.
Denmark’s Social Democrats won a general election. The center-left party defeated the ruling Liberal party, taking 25.9% of votes. Social Democrats leader Mette Frederiksen will likely be the country’s next prime minister, but she may struggle to form a coalition as other parties on the left mostly oppose her anti-immigration stance.
Membership
You could say 1985 is the year that modern sneaker culture really started. It’s when Nike publicly released its first signature shoe for a rookie basketball player named Michael Jordan. Today’s chapter on how sneakers took over fashion looks at when they became so valuable, and whether we’re at risk of the sneaker bubble bursting.
Quartz Obsession
The most popular climbing season to date on Mount Everest was also a very deadly one. A viral photo showing the human traffic jam at the summit raised questions about whether the Everest industry has become too big to be safe or sustainable. How it got this way is a story of geopolitics, economic modernization, and something akin to the Streisand effect. Scale the issue in the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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AirPods can double as protection. The controversial tech helps users ignore—or legitimately pretend to ignore—street harassment.
A culture clash is happening around psychedelics. Capitalists keen on the microdosing craze are up against the compassionate culture around mushrooms.
Burnout should not be classified as a disease. Medicalizing everyday stress may cause people to disregard it, which hurts acute sufferers.
Surprising discoveries
A tourist’s lucky guess cracked open a safe. After sitting unopened in a museum for decades, the iron box was unlocked on the Canadian man’s first try.
India has an entire book village. Bhilar strawberry farmers have transformed portions of their homes into public libraries.
Russia has launched a train for Arctic tourists… Some 90 people took the inaugural journey from Saint Petersburg to Murmansk, north of the Arctic circle.
…while Chernobyl is becoming a tourist attraction. HBO’s titular series has caused a 40% upswing in tour bookings.
The transparent teeth of the dragonfish are a mystery no more. The makeup of the deadly, protruding chompers keeps them virtually invisible to prey.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, lucky guesses, and book villages 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.