Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
2020 Democrats discuss abortion rights in South Carolina. Twenty presidential hopefuls will address their abortion voting record and healthcare policy proposals at a Planned Parenthood forum Saturday. Abortion access has become a flashpoint in US politics in recent months.
The summer’s longest day is here. The 88% of the world’s people who live in the northern hemisphere will also experience the year’s shortest night.
India hosts a mass yoga class. Schools and foreign embassies are set to participate in a public celebration of the practice for the International Day of Yoga. The day has been heavily promoted by prime minister Narendra Modi as a way to project India’s “soft power.”
Brazil hosts its annual Pride parade. Sunday’s gay pride parade in São Paulo is by some estimates the world’s largest, attracting millions. The event follows Brazil’s supreme court vote to criminalize (paywall) discrimination against LGBT members.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump considered airstrikes on Iran. The US president initially approved retaliatory strikes (paywall) against Iran for shooting down a US drone, but then pulled back. In response to the heightened tensions, the Federal Aviation Authority banned US airlines from flying over some Iranian airspace. Meanwhile, Iran said it had evidence the drone violated its airspace.
Hong Kong protesters renewed their efforts. After chief executive Carrie Lam failed to withdraw the controversial China extradition bill by the protesters’ stated deadline yesterday, people heeded calls for further rallies and again occupied the main road outside of government offices.
Mexico launched a plan to curb migration. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pledged $30 million to El Salvador, part of a $100 billion program he’s hoping to create with international backing. The program would provide support for economic development projects and tackle the root causes behind why Central American migrants are fleeing poverty and violence to the US.
The EU failed to fill top jobs. Leaders from the bloc’s 28 member states could not agree on replacements for EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk, despite negotiations stretching into the early hours Friday. Tusk will give an update today on Brexit, which the bloc insists it will not renegotiate with the UK.
Foxconn’s chairman stepped aside… Terry Gou will give up control of the Apple supplier and world’s largest electronics assembler, as he gears up to run for Taiwan’s presidency. Gou must first win the nomination of the pro-Beijing Kuomintang party, before the nation’s January polls.
…while Mitsubishi Motors got a new chief. Osamu Masuko, who led the company back to profitability after the 2016 Dieselgate scandal, stepped down as CEO at today’s shareholder meeting. Challenges facing his replacement, Indonesia division president Takao Kato, include weaker demand in China and the US, plus the fraying of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi partnership (paywall).
Quartz Membership
Interested in becoming a member? Find out more.
CBD is evolving at a breakneck speed. An industry that was not on most analysts’ radars just a few years ago is projected to earn around $5.7 billion in the US this year—a nearly tenfold increase since 2018. Our deep dive on the industry this week included a complete guide to the boom, an insider’s view from cannabis analyst Vivien Azer, and a peek at the staggering feat of rebranding that driven this growth. We wrap up with a look at the products serving CBD fanatics, and some resources to help you continue following this rapidly unfolding story.
Quartz Obsession
Strip malls may look bland, but there’s uniqueness within. Their low rents give immigrants a foothold in the market, and they’ve become destinations for a world of food in big cities. Now developers are trying to spruce them up for the social-media age and the road ahead. Pull up to the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
You can make the most of your inevitable professional decline. Instead of dreading it, reset the way you define your worth.
The deep sea is more important than deep space. More stories and movies about the ocean might inspire us to take better care of it.
Smart homes remain frustratingly dumb. The convoluted processes involved make getting up to turn off a light yourself seem much more convenient.
Surprising discoveries
The trade war could drive up Bible prices. China is the world’s largest publisher of the holy Christian text.
Ho Chi Minh’s corpse is getting some work done. An international team of experts is helping Vietnam preserve the leader’s embalmed body.
Details of Tbilisi’s pride parade are a closely guarded secret. Priests and conservatives attacked Georgia’s last LGBTQ demonstration six years ago.
Most of the 9 million US dairy cows descend from just two bulls. The gene pool of Holsteins is so narrow that if they were wild, they’d be critically endangered.
Zero-carbon energy sources are taking over in the UK. Fossil fuels will produce less than half of the country’s electricity for the first time this year.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cow genes, and strip mall recommendations 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.