Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The US and China restart trade talks. Negotiators will prep for a meeting between president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping alongside the G20 summit in Japan next week, in hopes of de-escalating the trade war. China says it remains optimistic a deal can be reached, despite talks collapsing last month.
Fed policymakers are expected to keep rates steady. After a two-day meeting, they are more likely to indicate cuts for later this year. Trump, frustrated by the Fed’s resistance to lowering rates, has considered removing (paywall) chair Jerome Powell.
US lawmakers discuss Boeing… Pilots and a former US Federal Aviation Administration chief will address a House subcommittee on Boeing and the 737 MAX airliner. Meanwhile, Boeing got its first major order for the plane since its grounding in March after a second deadly accident.
… and hear the case for reparations. Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover will be among those testifying in front of a House Judiciary subcommittee about what the US owes the descendants of slaves.
The UN releases its report on Jamal Khashoggi. The head of the international inquiry into the Saudi journalist’s killing in Istanbul last year has said evidence points to a crime “planned and perpetrated” by Saudi officials.
While you were sleeping
Trump officially kicked off his re-election campaign. Speaking at a rally in Orlando, Florida, the US president brought up touchstone issues from 2016 dear to his base—including the “witch hunt” Russia probe and Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Xi Jinping backed North Korea. Ahead of a two-day visit with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang starting tomorrow, the Chinese president praised North Korea’s “correct direction” in resolving political issues on the Korean Peninsula.
The UN laid out the state of the world’s refugees. The global population of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people swelled by more than 2 million last year to a record 71 million, roughly the same size as the world’s 20th-most populous country. A political crisis and economic collapse made Venezuela responsible for the most new asylum-seekers in 2018.
Shareholder activists asked Alphabet to break itself up. They will present the proposal, which reflects increased concern about the regulation of powerful tech firms, at the company’s annual shareholder meeting today in California. The recommendation is unlikely to succeed as Alphabet’s top two executives hold 51.3% of voting power.
Nissan and Renault neared a compromise. The Japanese-French car alliance, fragile since Japan’s arrest of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, looked even more precarious after Renault signaled it wouldn’t support (paywall) Nissan’s corporate governance overhaul. That could change with key roles in new Nissan board committees reportedly on offer.
Membership
Once upon a time, the most-Googled cannabis-derived chemical compound was THC. Today it’s CBD, or cannabidiol, that we’re dying to know more about. In December 2016, Google searches for CBD overtook those for THC, and its popularity has been climbing ever since. We lay out the current state of the CBD boom in 15 charts: from who’s using it, and why they’re into it, to what it’s worth, and where it’s coming from.
Quartz Obsession
Compost may be key to addressing climate change, but large-scale collection of food scraps, yard trimmings, and even human bodies poses a huge logistical challenge. Cities like Seoul, South Korea, which recycles 95% of its food waste, are proving it’s possible, while sites in Sweden, California, and New York are turning egg shells and carrot tops into biogas and saving money in the process. Sift through the compost heap with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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E-cigarettes should be banned. San Francisco is poised to become the first US city to prohibit the sale of vaping products.
US socialism is back. It’s here to stay until the market economy benefits more people.
Maternity leave is a no-win scenario for moms. Women are penalized whether they take time off or not.
Surprising discoveries
Boaty McBoatface made a serious contribution to science. The unmanned submarine, named by internet trolls, uncovered a link between Antarctic winds and warming seas.
Instagram accounts are hijacking Sudan’s political struggle. Tragedies mean more followers on social media.
The French are the world’s worst science skeptics. One in three think vaccines are unsafe.
There’s a hit Japanese TV show about work-life balance. I Will Not Work Overtime, Period! follows a professional striving to leave the office by 6pm (paywall).
A Pakistani politician gave a press conference as a cat. Someone accidentally applied a feline filter to the Facebook livestream carrying his address.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hostage bookmarks, and extra sauce 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 Alison Griswold and edited by Jackie Bischof.