Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Day two of the latest US Democratic debates. Ten more presidential candidates will face off in Detroit at 8pm EST tonight, including former vice president Joe Biden, California senator Kamala Harris, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang. The first round yesterday saw centrist candidates go after their progressive opponents, senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, unsuccessfully by some estimations.
The US Federal Reserve makes an interest rate announcement. A highly anticipated cut is probably forthcoming—the first in a decade—but it’s not quite a given.
The US and Europe meet to discuss a shipping plan. Military representatives from the US, UK, France, and elsewhere will gather in Bahrain in an attempt to create an international naval mission to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, near Iran. The effort comes after Iran seized a British tanker earlier this month.
Earnings stream in. Swedish music service Spotify is expected to record a rise in second-quarter revenue off of an increase in premium subscribers. The Huawei spat may have pushed chipmaker Qualcomm’s third-quarter results down, although politics put less of a dent than expected in the Chinese telecom giant’s half-year results yesterday. GE also reports today.
While you were sleeping
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast. It’s the second such launch in less than a week reported by South Korea, and coincides this time with ASEAN meetings in Bangkok. North Korea is banned from ballistic missile launches under UN Security Council resolutions.
A former Audi chief was charged with fraud. German prosecutors accuse former CEO Rupert Stadler and three others of illegal advertising and false certifications related to the “dieselgate” emissions scandal. The years-long scandal has roiled the German auto industry, and pushed automakers to shift towards electric vehicles.
Hong Kong protesters charged with rioting appeared in court. Supporters gathered outside the courthouse this morning to rally for the 44 people, who face up to ten years in prison. A night of spontaneous demonstrations across the city saw at least 10 people injured when the driver of a car lobbed fireworks at protesters.
Airbus soared… The European aerospace firm saw its half-year results more than double, helped by exchange rates and a boost in production for its A320 aircrafts. Meanwhile, Air France-KLM saw its quarterly earnings get a bump from cost-cutting measures.
…while Samsung stumbled. The South Korean tech giant saw its quarterly profits dip 55.6% year-over-year, as its chip and smartphone businesses continue to sag. Yesterday, rival Apple reversed year-over-year contractions in its prior two quarters, as it looks to offset tumbling iPhone sales with growth in its services businesses.
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China may have taken over the art world, but reporter Annalisa Merelli brings members a glimpse into the industry beyond China. Locales like Taiwan, Ghana, Cuba, and India could be lucrative for art investors, if they’re willing to take a risk.
Quartz Obsession
Debates don’t have to be nasty. In the 18th century, London debate societies drew crowds eager to hear vigorous but courteous arguments about gender equality, religion, and political power, fostering ideas that led to fundamental changes in society. Believe it or not, this style of debate is still alive and well today. Listen up as the Quartz Obsession takes the podium.
Matters of debate
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We should try less hard with dessert. Something as simple as sliced fruit can be as good as fancy sweets.
Colonizing Mars is a pipe dream. Blustery predictions for cities on the Red Planet are pure sci-fi.
Autoplay videos should be illegal. Social media features designed to be addictive unfairly hack our brains.
Surprising discoveries
Scientists found ground zero for an ancient Martian tsunami. A meteor slammed into an ocean and sent skyscraper-high waves across the planet around 3 billion years go.
What’s in a name? Affluence and success. An AI analysis of Indian names revealed a link between certain monikers and life outcomes.
The Notre-Dame Cathedral fire may be causing lead poisoning. A French environmental group is suing over widespread lead dust contamination released in April’s inferno.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle only want two kids. It’s because of climate change, Harry told anthropologist Jane Goodall.
NASA fed moon dust to cockroaches. The scientists also exposed birds, fish, and rodents to lunar samples to test whether the Apollo astronauts brought back any nasty space diseases.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, lucky names, and sliced fruit platters 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.