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What to watch for today
Boris Johnson takes office at 10 Downing Street. The newly-elected UK prime minister with a colorful CV is expected to address the nation after a meeting with the Queen this afternoon. Among his top priorities include forming a new government and to push Brexit through, deal or no deal.
Robert Mueller takes the stand. The former US special counsel will appear before two House committees to answer questions about his 448-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller made a last-minute request for his longtime aide, Aaron Zebley, to be sworn in alongside him.
Facebook pays $5 billion in a sweeping settlement. The US Federal Trade Commission is expected to allege that the tech giant mishandled data from users, including deceiving them about the use of phone numbers and facial-recognition settings. As part of the settlement, the company will create a privacy panel.
CFOs report earnings en masse. Deutsche Bank, Facebook, Boeing, and Tesla—all with a tumultuous first half of 2019 behind them—will report on their financials. Data on German manufacturing will also help shed light on market conditions.
While you were sleeping
The US announced an antitrust review of big tech firms. The Justice Department will look into how internet giants accumulated market power, and whether they have acted to stifle innovation or reduce competition. While specific companies haven’t been named, dominant players like Google, Facebook, and Amazon appear to be targets.
The UK’s proposed Gulf security fleet won European support and met Iranian resistance. The British plan for a European-led naval force to ensure safe passage for ships in the Persian Gulf after Iran’s seizure of a British tanker received early backing from France, Italy, and Denmark, but was rejected by Iran.
Donald Trump sued a House panel to protect his tax returns. The US president filed a lawsuit against the Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee to block the disclosure of years of his New York state tax returns. His lawyers said that giving the panel access to the tax documents violate Trump’s constitutional rights.
Canadian police named two teens as suspects in a double murder. The teens, previously feared missing, are now subjects of a national manhunt for the murders of an Australian and American couple who were on a road trip.
Snapchat’s user base surged and its stock followed suit. Snap reported its largest-ever gain in daily active users and posted a loss of only 6 cents per share. Ecstatic investors sent Snap stock soaring 10%, continuing the company’s recovery from a rocky 2018.
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The franchise is the engine on which Hollywood runs, comprising the vast majority of both the US and international box office market share. But as big as franchise movies are, they’re developed and distributed by just a select few companies—and the list of franchises that are both critically and commercially successful is smaller than you might think. These 17 charts will help you understand the franchise phenomenon gripping Hollywood.
Quartz Obsession
The “dewiness” makeup trend has the world aglow. Imported from South Korea, the intensive regimen produces “glass” or “honey” skin: a backlash to the matte- and contour-heavy Instagram aesthetic of recent years, a complement to the athleisure look, and a way of saying “anti-aging” without saying it. Dew drop in at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Looking silly and behaving like a buffoon are no bar to leading. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are making us rethink what leadership looks like, for men at least.
The US has a lot in common with China’s surveillance state. But at least China acknowledges that it has one.
Fortune 500 companies’ days are numbered. Companies that don’t quickly adapt in a brave new world of AI and robots will go under.
Surprising discoveries
A man is walking backwards for an environmental cause. The 800 km journey in reverse is to raise awareness about preserving Indonesia’s forests.
Cities are finally reaching gender parity. For decades, urban women have outnumbered men—but times (and the economy) are changing.
There’s only one good way to stroke a cat. Scientists have confirmed that with cats, as with humans, it’s important to respect boundaries.
A typo changed the meaning of Ireland’s commemorative moon landing stamps. The post office accidentally celebrated landing on “gaelach” (the Irish) instead of “gealach” (the moon).
The best mammalian mountaineer is a mouse. The yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse can live at elevations of more than 20,000 feet.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, purr-fect strokes, and correctly-spelled stamps 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.