Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Dominic Raab meets Mike Pompeo. The UK’s foreign secretary will hold talks with his counterpart to press the White House on the need for a quick post-Brexit trade deal. Raab then continues to Mexico as part of his symbolic North America trip.
Donald Trump visits Dayton and El Paso. In the wake of this past weekend’s mass shootings that claimed a total of 31 lives, the US president will travel to the two cities in Ohio and Texas in an attempt to offer messages of unity and healing. The Democratic mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley, said yesterday she was “disappointed” with Trump’s “unhelpful” comments on gun control.
Driverless shuttle cars arrive in New York City. Six electric autonomous vehicles are finally hitting the road to shuttle passengers around a one-mile (1.6-kilometer) loop on private roads in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for free. Still, driverless cars are a long way from hitting the city’s public roads.
Lyft releases its second-quarter earnings report. The company’s stock has already shed nearly a quarter of its value since its IPO, and it’s expected to miss revenue expectations while costs stay high.
While you were sleeping
New Zealand slashed interest rates. In an aggressive move that caught markets off guard, the central bank cut its benchmark policy rate by half a percentage point to 1% amid a cooling economy and increasing global trade tensions.
Thousands protested in Honduras against the president. They took to the streets demanding that Juan Orlando Hernandez step down, several days after he denied taking money from drug gangs to fund his 2013 presidential bid. Protesters clashed with police, who deployed tear gas and water cannons.
Fiji announced an ambitious climate change act. Calling global warming “a fight for our lives,” minister for economy and climate change Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum unveiled a bill that includes tighter restrictions on plastics and a framework to cut the country’s emissions to net-zero by 2050.
China barred mainland films and actors from Taiwan’s film awards. In the latest escalation in Beijing-Taipei relations, China’s film regulator suspended mainland Chinese movies and their personnel from participating in Taiwan’s annual Golden Horse Awards. The move comes after Beijing announced last week that it would stop issuing individual travel permits for Taiwan to Chinese travelers.
India’s former foreign minister passed away. Sushma Swaraj, one of India’s most famous politicians, died yesterday age 67 after suffering cardiac arrest. She was a popular minister during prime minister Narendra Modi’s first term, and was known for her Twitter diplomacy.
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Today’s installment of our week-long field guide on supporting new parents looks at how money from tech investors is joining established, deep-pocketed philanthropists to invest in early childhood. The newcomers, writes Quartz reporter Jenny Anderson, are compelled by the science and economics of early-childhood investment and the power of technology. But what the tech sector offers in bravado and bold thinking, it often lacks in humility.
Quartz Obsession
“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” Toni Morrison made that remark when she won the Nobel prize for literature in 1993. Join the Quartz Obsession in exploring just how big an impact Morrison made on the world.
Matters of debate
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Get rid of artificial grass. The multi-billion-dollar market in plastic grass is only green in color.
India’s in real danger of losing an upper hand. Its actions in Kashmir could dismantle the country’s reputation as a responsible, nuclear-armed democracy.
Email might be less productive than in-person meetings. Just ask an expert in distributed systems research.
Surprising discoveries
Staring down seagulls stops them from stealing your food. They find the human gaze terrifying, according to new research.
Tardigrades are stranded on the moon. Dehydrated water bears probably survived an Israeli spacecraft crash, but they can’t reproduce.
A reservoir had been hiding an ancient Thai temple. Thousands are flocking to the drought-parched area to take in the rare sight.
Mammal brains aren’t cut out for long-term space travel. Low-level radiation exposure could cognitively impair deep-space travelers.
Selfies could be the new blood pressure test. The rate at which light bounces off hemoglobin near the surface of the skin could make testing more accessible.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hidden temples, and high-pressure selfies 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 Isabella Steger.