Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Narendra Modi speaks up. India’s prime minister is likely to make a national address that is intended to illuminate some of the reasoning behind his government’s controversial decision to reclassify the single state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.
The US defense secretary meets senior Mongolian leaders. In a rare visit, Mark Esper will seek to deepen ties with the strategically located nation, which is sandwiched between China and Russia, and best represents the Pentagon’s strategy of countering the two powers.
Uber reports its second-quarter earnings. Analysts expect the ride-share giant to report a net loss as increasing competition and costs chip away at its profitability. Its food-delivery business, UberEats, has also been growing at a significantly slower pace.
While you were sleeping
Puerto Rico’s new governor is out, and the new new governor is in. Pedro Pierluisi was sworn in on Friday, but the Puerto Rico Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday that he did so unconstitutionally, as he had not been confirmed as secretary of state prior to taking the governorship. Justice secretary Wanda Vázquez is now the third person to hold the office in five days.
Canadian police found two bodies believed to be murder suspects. A two-week-long national manhunt appears to have ended with the discovery of what is believed to be the bodies of teen fugitives Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, who are wanted in connection with three murders.
Japan allowed semiconductor exports to South Korea. The approval is the first to be made for shipments of a high-tech material for making chips and displays since curbs were first put in place by Japan last month.
Lyft lost less money than expected. The ride-hailing company lowered its loss guidance after posting quarterly results that weren’t as low as analysts had projected. Its stock gained on the news.
The US raised its travel advisory for Hong Kong. Travelers have been told to “exercise increased caution” due to the recent waves of protests in the city, which have been largely peaceful but are at times “confrontational.” Yesterday, Australia also issued a travel alert reflecting the risk of violence between protesters and police or “criminally linked individuals.”
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Quartz Obsession
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Matters of debate
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AI copywriters pen better ads than humans. And JP Morgan Chase is willing to make that bet.
Music festivals’ gender quotas do more harm than good. Enforcing a 50/50 gender split is not the best way to get more female musicians on stage.
Tweets should be admissible evidence in court. Donald Trump, whose tweets have been used against him, now wants to use his opponents’ tweets against them.
Surprising discoveries
5G technology could mess up weather predictions. The signal strength from 5G antennas affects the frequencies that some satellites use to gather critical water vapor data.
A flaky pastry is a symbol of resistance in Hong Kong. The wife cake has been selling like hotcakes after the neighborhood from which it hails became a scene of a violent mob attack against civilians.
A scientist baked bread with 5,000-year-old yeast found in ancient Egyptian ceramics. The yeast was more active, and the bread smelled like caramel.
Yosemite is sporting pink snow. The coloring at high altitudes is the result of a defense mechanism against heat and UV rays.
Child-sized parrots once roamed New Zealand. However, the birds from 19 million years ago were too big to fly.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, accurate weather predictions, and ancient yeast 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.