Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Boris Johnson tests his new Brexit plan. The UK prime minister will take his proposal, unveiled yesterday, to parliament, where he is confident that he will win majority backing. Members of the European parliament are expected to reject the deal.
The former US special envoy to Ukraine testifies. Kurt Volker resigned last Friday following mentions in the whistleblower complaint about a call between presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. Volker could now prove much more candid in his testimony for the House impeachment inquiry.
A historic storm aims for Ireland. Lorenzo’s erratic behavior—including two periods of sudden intensification and an unlikely path in the northern Atlantic—has made it a record-breaker. Western Ireland is bracing against expected 62–80 mph (100–130 km/h) winds.
While you were sleeping
The US announced huge tariffs on EU exports. The WTO granted the country permission to tax up to $7.5 billion of EU exports annually, including Scotch whisky and Spanish olive oil. The tariffs, part of a 15-year trans-Atlantic fight over subsidies given to European plane maker Airbus, can come into effect as early as Oct. 18.
Mike Pence got caught up in the impeachment inquiry. The US vice president has rarely been drawn directly into any controversy involving Trump, but current and former US officials revealed that the president had asked him not to attend the inauguration of Ukrainian leader Zelensky in May.
A curfew was imposed in Baghdad. All vehicles and individuals have been forbidden to move in the Iraqi capital from early this morning local time, after two days of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces left nine dead.
Justin Trudeau went on the offensive in a televised debate. In the first French-language face-off of the election campaign, the Canadian prime minister accused his main rival Andrew Scheer, of the opposition Conservatives party, of seeking to reopen debate about abortion, a claim Scheer denied.
Tesla’s deliveries fell short of the company’s forecast. The electric-car maker delivered some 97,000 vehicles in the third quarter—a record number but still below CEO Elon Musk’s goal of 100,000. The company’s stock fell 3% in after-hours trading on the news.
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As past-their-prime airports are abandoned, what should—or can—be done with the unique spaces and buildings left behind? Santa Monica Airport near Los Angeles will be closing in 2028, with residents hoping to see the space turned into a park. Aero-philes in in Montreal weren’t so lucky; Mirabel Airport was demolished in 2014. But from Berlin to Hong Kong, it’s a question on more lips than you might imagine. Quartz’s Natasha Frost takes a look at the new adventures of old airports as part of this week’s airline industry field guide.
Quartz Obsession
The census is more than a count: it’s civilization. It’s one of the first steps for a new country. It taught us how to quantify society. It reflects how economies and people change. And, crucially, it tells us just how big Burning Man is. But in the future, will we really need them? See what the survey says at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Logistics are more glamorous than glamour. Smooth operations trump stunning design when it comes to keeping a brand afloat.
Fanfiction is the best writing education. Young authors grow quickly among a supportive community of reviewers, critics, and peers.
Flight shame will stall airlines’ growth. Guilt-ridden passengers are looking for alternatives to air travel.
Surprising discoveries
A Bansky canvas of chimpanzees in the UK parliament is up for auction. The giant art piece could sell for a record sum when it goes under the hammer in London today.
Chicago public libraries ditched overdue fines. It’s the largest public library system in the US to drop late fees, in an attempt to improve access for low-income families.
Humans type fast on phones.
A global test found that two-thumbed typers
banged out 38 words per minute
, only 25% slower than the average keyboard speed.
Horrible bosses follow a saboteur playbook. A declassified spy manual shows how the US planned to use uncooperative coworkers to take down Nazis.
Scientists have busted a ghost particle’s mystery. The neutrino traveled 3.8 billion light years from a galaxy with two supermassive black holes before zapping Antarctica.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, dexterous thumbs, and political animals 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.